Generalized Anxiety: What It Is & How to Cope

What is Generalized Anxiety? 

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. Anxiety is actually very helpful in many situations; it exists to protect us in dangerous situations. Generalized anxiety occurs when worry becomes excessive, debilitating, and overwhelming on a daily basis. People with generalized anxiety tend to react negatively in situations that are safe and do not warrant the amount of stress they are experiencing. Day-to-day activities become very hard because the anxiety begins to color every decision they make.

 

Some common symptoms of generalized anxiety include: 

• Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events
• Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes
• Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't
• Difficulty handling uncertainty
• Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision
• Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
• Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge
• Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"
• Fatigue
• Trouble sleeping
• Muscle tension or muscle aches
• Trembling, feeling twitchy
• Nervousness or being easily startled
• Sweating
• Nausea, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome
• Irritability

 

 

A lot of anxiety stems from an unwillingness to experience uncertainty. People with generalized anxiety overthink almost every decision they make in an effort to control or predict the outcome. Not knowing what is going to happen makes them extremely anxious and scared. If they cannot predict or control the outcome, many people will begin avoiding those situations. This can have a huge impact on things they care about such as friendships, relationships, careers, family, etc.

How is Generalized Anxiety Different from Panic and Social Anxiety? 

Generalized Anxiety is just that: general. The anxiety is applied to almost all situations you may find yourself in. You may experience worry about work, school, social interactions, hobbies, family, relationships, and others all at the same time. 

Panic occurs in specific situations and tends to last a short period of time. Someone with panic disorder begins to worry about having another panic attack; the anxiety is about experiencing panic and not being able to handle it. For more information about panic, see our other article here. 

 

Someone with social anxiety may experience it in a lot of social situations, but it is different from general anxiety. People with social anxiety are preoccupied with how other people perceive them. This worry can occur at work, in relationships, hobbies, etc., but the worry occurs when interacting with people in these contexts. Those with general anxiety may feel anxious when interacting with others, but they also experience this anxiety when doing a lot of other things. For more information on social anxiety, see our article here. 

Why Do I Have Generalized Anxiety? 

Like many mental health issues, there is not a clear-cut answer as to why you may have generalized anxiety. Researchers believe it is a mix of a few things: 

 

Personality: If you have a timid personality or tend to think about things in a negative way, you may be at higher risk for developing generalized anxiety

 

Genetics: If others in your family have anxiety, you may have a higher chance of developing anxiety.

 

Life experiences: Having difficult or traumatic life experiences can influence your anxiety. Things such as the death of a loved one, breakups, abusive relationships, stressful work environments, neglect, etc. can lead to developing generalized anxiety. 

How Do I Get Better? 

There are many ways to address anxiety. Here at Prospera, we use cognitive behavioral tools to help change your thinking and behavior patterns. A coach will guide you through various psychological techniques in order to teach you how to cope with stressful situations. We use mindfulness, exposure, and activities that create a robust toolkit for you to draw from in stressful situations. 

 

Certain lifestyle changes can greatly improve your anxiety such as exercising, eating a more balanced diet, reducing or stopping substance and alcohol use, and meditation.

 

Some people need a mix of counseling, medicine, and lifestyle changes to fully recover. If you feel that your general anxiety is severe, talk with your doctor to create a treatment plan that works for you.