What is anxiety?
Ever had too much coffee?
You probably felt restless and jittery. Your heart was beating faster than usual and staying still likely felt impossible.
These physical sensations are similar to how many people experience anxiety. You can think of anxiety as energy, channeled throughout the body.
This intense energy also takes place in the mind, often in the form of racing thoughts or heightened worry. But, most of us experience worry and encounter situations that can cause us to feel anxious... so, what's the difference between anxiety and a diagnosable mental health disorder?
Anxiety can be normal in stressful situations. It may only be an indicator of something more diagnosable when feelings become excessive, all-consuming, and interfere with daily living.
What is generalized anxiety disorder?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) includes severe, ongoing anxiety that interferes with daily activities but does not include panic attacks. Generalized anxiety disorder can occur at any age.
In the context of GAD, you can't stop thinking about something or worrying about what happened in the past and what could happen in the future. You may worry about a particular theme (e.g., work, money, health) or you may feel like you're nervous about everything. You have this worry and fear more than you'd like, it feels excessive and it's interfering with your life in some way. You feel your heart beating faster, maybe your breath seems more rapid, you may get sweaty or tense and even feel tired from it.
"Excessive" worry means worrying even when there's no specific threat present or in a manner that's disproportionate to the actual risk. Someone struggling with GAD experiences a high percentage of their waking hours worrying about something.
How is GAD diagnosed?
To be diagnosed with GAD, you must exhibit certain symptoms and meet specific criteria. It's never appropriate to self-diagnose, though, so if you feel you may be experiencing anxiety symptoms, please seek out a professional to accurately assess what you're going through.
When assessing for GAD, clinical professionals are looking for the following: (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
The presence of excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of topics, events, or activities. Worry occurs more often than not for at least six months and is clearly excessive.
The worry is experienced as very challenging to control. The worry in both adults and children may easily shift from one topic to another.
The anxiety and worry are accompanied by at least three of the following physical or cognitive symptoms (In children, only one of these symptoms is necessary for a diagnosis of GAD):
Edginess or restlessness
Tiring easily; more fatigued than usual
Impaired concentration or feeling as though the mind goes blank
Irritability (which may or may not be observable to others)
Increased muscle aches or soreness
Difficulty sleeping (due to trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, restlessness at night, or unsatisfying sleep)
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
How do you treat anxiety?
I specifically treat anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
CBT incorporates different techniques. We'll begin by collaborating to identify and manage the factors that contribute to your anxiety. We'll focus on your thinking and behaviors to help reduce your anxiety over the long term.
Throughout the process, I'll leave plenty of room for flexibility. For instance, if challenging your thinking and learning about cognitive distortions doesn't seem to work for you, then we'll shift to more behavioral methods, like exposure response prevention (ERP).
Medication is also an option that can be beneficial when used in conjunction with psychotherapy. It's all about what's right for you.