Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised Anxiety Disorder of GAD is often diagnosed by a GP or through self diagnosis. But where does it come from, what makes it suddenly appear, seemingly from nowhere? Keep reading if you’re curious to know more.
Are we predisposed as a child or young person to have anxiety. If a parent experiences anxiety are we more likely to also have it? The answer is yes, but not always.
‘ACE’s’ adverse childhood experiences can contribute to the likelihood that you may experience more mental health issues.. These traumas can trigger in the body the well know anxiety response, fight, flight or freeze,.
But what if you haven’t experienced any adverse childhood experiences or any traumatic events that might trigger anxiety.
What if you just have ‘worries’. You can worry yourself into a state of constant fear. We know that our brains have abilities that can outweigh our wildest beliefs, they have the power to heal us, but also the power to harm us with one malfunctioning cell. I speak here as if our brain is a separate entity to us, but no, we are our mind, so it remains true that we are in control of what it does.
So how can anxiety seemingly come from no where and get so out of control? The self perpetuating cycle of anxiety, the fear of having anxiety which then stops us from leaving the house, making a phone call, drinking a coffee, meeting your boss, speaking in public.
How can this be, when we are in control of our mind, why can’t we just say STOP!
We become fearful of anxiety, and when we bring our awareness to it, it can take control and make itself known, seemingly from no where. But there are things we can do to get back some control. Our body created the response, so it can also calm it.
Some things that are proven to work…..
1: Let the anxiety in, don’t fear it, or give it power. You have the power, you created it.
2: Understand where it might of come from. Welcome it as an opportunity to explore what might be triggering the anxiety response. Whack a mole never works with anxiety, it'll just pop up again. Distractions might provide temporary relief, but not forever.
3: Learn what it’s use is. Anxiety is our friend, it’s there to keep us safe. Perhaps in the middle of the supermarket it’s not really needed, but learn to appreciate what it’s trying to do, getting you ready to run like the wind, or fight your way out of the situation. The thing is, choosing what to have for dinner, isn’t really that scary, but it will be very useful when you’re being chased by a tiger.
4: Use your rational brain,(The Cerebral Cortex) anxiety stems from our emotional brain, (The Limbic System) it’s normally triggered by some not so nice memories. This system containing the Hippocampus, the part that gives context to the memory, buried deep alongside the Amygdala, the part that stores and processes emotions, creating the fearful emotional response to the situation. Learning more about neuroscience might just give you the understanding and rational thinking you’re looking for when your anxiety is triggered.
5: BREATH…. It works. You might find your breath shallow when your anxious. Try a 4 second inhale through the nose and a 6 second exhale through the mouth, try it 3 times and see how you fee, drop the shoulders, and practice what works for you, getting some air, talking it through with someone that makes you feel safe.
If you would like to learn more ways to manage your anxiety, get in touch and we can start practicing ways to get that control back.