I don’t want to alarm you, but anxiety is at an all time high. I’m sure you can feel it in yourself and in those around you. Depending on where you live, you’re seeing more evidence that people are on edge.
And the evidence isn’t just road rage, bickering in the group chat, or more isolating at home. It’s also things like impulse purchases, travel, and coming to therapy.
Research shows that mental health services and general wellness or “self-improvement” services skyrocket during stressful periods. All the therapists we’ve spoken to say the same thing: Their schedules are full, and they are also dealing with many of the same stressors as everyone else. #therapistsarepeopletoo
What are some causes of anxiety?
Let’s face it: There is plenty to be anxious about.
Even so, you might feel like it’s for no reason.
Ironically, from seeing so much stress going on in the world, it may make you feel like you don’t have it that bad, or that you can’t point to a specific cause of your anxiety.
Stress and anxiety are normal part of life. The confusion about “Everything seems fine for me, so why do I feel bad?” happens when we disconnect our heart, mind and body from each other.
Your body will feel anxiety - cortisol and other stress hormones cause fluctuation in your energy, mood, appetite, sleep and more. Your heart will feel anxiety - lower frustration tolerance, more easily activated to tearfulness, or avoiding feelings altogether. Your mind will also clock anxiety - racing thoughts throughout the day or night, and completing tasks with more urgency. Everything feels like a priority.
Of course this would lead to feeling overwhelmed and frozen with knowing where to start.
Signs and symptoms of anxiety
More and more people are feeling like they can’t catch their breath. They might feel a sense of dread, or heaviness in their chest. Even describing things like they can’t “complete their yawn.” Add this to the medical anxiety around respiratory illnesses and people can really start to spiral.
People of all ages are having more disagreements with friends, partners, loved ones, and strangers. When you’re nearing your emotional capacity, you have much less space for what feels like nonsense.
Phyisological arousal is a fancy name for your body’s stress response being activated. This means tiring more easily, increased resting heart rate, higher levels of stress hormones in your blood disrupting your sleep, energy fluctuations that don’t seem to be helped by naps or coffee, and even digestive problems.
How to stop feeling anxious all the time
OK so like we said, we can’t totally eliminate anxiety since it’s a part of life. It actually serves a purpose for us. If we didn’t have any anxiety at all, we wouldn’t make it in this world very long.
But, living in a constant state of stress can take it’s toll. Here are some tips to manage anxiety:
The classic advice of regulating your sleep, energy intake (aka diet), drinking water, moderating your caffeine and alcohol intake, and moving your body regularly are all still good for you. Do what you need to in order to make this work for you! No one says you have to train for a marathon if you don’t feel like it.
Notice what you’re doing more of than usual - whether it’s galavanting around town, avoiding errands, or isolating and cancelling plans. Try to even that out over the next few weeks. If you haven’t seen “outside” in a while, or you have cancelled plans more than usual, try to push yourself to revisit those things you enjoy. And if you’ve been going too hard with social life, work tasks, or even hobbies, maybe pull back a little and re-center yourself a few evenings this week.
One tip that isn’t talked about much is connecting to something bigger than yourself. When the world’s problems seem too large and overwhelming, we can feel like a tiny speck and start to panic. Dedicate some intentional resources to a community, cause, or purpose bigger than yourself. For many people, making a small difference can remind them that they do have some agency and efficacy in a big scary world.
When anxiety won’t go away
If you notice you keep telling yourself what you “should be doing” to manage your mental health, take an honest inventory of what you’re actually doing. Many times, people say they are “working on it” but can’t name one or two things they are actually doing. This is like taking a day off but spending it worried about work: It’s not really rest!
Try a few of the things on this list, or come up with your own. There isn’t a right or wrong way, it’s just the way that works for you. But if you’re running out of ideas, talking to a trained mental health professional can help. Even after just a few sessions - you’ll find you start to feel better. Click below to start the conversation.
Read more about Therapy for Anxiety here.