Is Anxiety a “Bad” or “Good” condition? By Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant clinical psychologist

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Is Anxiety a “Bad” or “Good” condition? By Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant clinical psychologist

The word anxiety means excessive worry or fear that can occur either as a result of stressful and threatening situation or without any stressful situation. You will be surprised to know that this worry is usually beneficial as it has two effects.

• In Mind
  • It increases our focus towards the task or situation.
• In Body
  • It prepares our body to deal with threatening situation.

To understand this look at these 3 examples

Example 1.

Mr. A is going to appear in exam and his excessive worry keeps his mind occupied with preparation. This worry results in good performance in exam.

Example 2

Mr. B sees snake in his room and his fear make him run from room. This fear helps in escaping from the situation.

Example 3

Mr. C notices the changes in his heart beat; he is worried and goes for medical evaluation. After investigation doctor says that his cholesterol levels are high; he is again worried and makes changes his lifestyle such as reduces weight and starts daily exercise.

In above 3 examples anxiety is “good” thing as it enhances our performance. But the real problem is when the worry or fear is excessive beyond the limits of actual stress or threat. Look at the three examples again.

Mr. A is going to appear in exam after one month. His father has high expectations from him. He used to say that his son is going to top. Mr. X is very much worried. He is fearful that if he did not score well, other will humiliate him, they will consider him a loser, and father will lose the trust in him. Whenever he starts studying, these thoughts overwhelm his mind. As a result he is not able to focus on studies. This aggravates his worries more and the cycle is repeated again and again.

Mr. B is so fearful of snakes and insects that whenever he sees an insect he became numb and breathless. This fear is so intense that he heart beat fastens, feels choking and his extremities become cold. Seeinginsect or snake is one thing; this condition is so severe that even with imagination of insect or snake, he has to face these symptoms.

Mr. C fears that he might suffer from heart problem after he notices the changes in his heart beat. This fear further increases his heart beat making his fear more intense. He consulted frequent doctors to evaluate his problem but all his tests are normal. In spite of repeated of reassurance from doctors that there is no heart issue, his fear doesn’t go away. He also has other symptoms such dizziness, chest compression, sometimes feeling of lump in throat, shaky and cold hands. He doubts that something is going wrong with him but his medical record fails to detect anything wrong. He used to check his pulse multiples times a day.

Source for Treatment: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763

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We label this kind of anxiety as Anxiety Disorders

These disorders have two kinds of symptoms

Psychological symptoms

• Out of the proportion fear or worry
• Dizziness
• Light headedness
• Difficulty to concentrate

Bodily symptoms

• Increased heart rate
• Difficulty in breathing
• Feeling of lump in throat
• Abdominal discomfort
• Cold sweats on palm and sole
• Frequent micturition

Note: we label this anxiety if other medical causes of these symptoms are ruled out.

Types of Anxiety Disorders:

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• Anxiety can be continuous such as Generalized Anxiety.
• It can be in the form of episode such as Panic Attacks.
• It can relate to specific thing such as
  • Fear of snakes…… Snake phobia
  • Fear of exams……. Exam phobia
  • Fear of heights……..Height phobia
  • Fear of closed spaces as close room, like lifts.
  • Fear of illness.

Causes of anxiety:

• Genetic as it runs in families
• Threatening situations
• Problems of thinking
• Adverse life events in early life, physical or psychological trauma

Is it possible that person can control his/her anxiety by himself/herself?

Yes it is possible. Here are some tips.

• The 1st thing is to recognize your anxiety. The above discussion helps you to identify your symptoms
• Try to face to threatening situation rather than avoiding. For example if you have fear of heights you should go to higher places rather than avoiding it.
• Regular daily exercise for 15 to 30 minutes helps your cope with anxiety.
• Stop checking your pulses again and again.
• Avoid repeated tests such as ECG just for reassurance. Go for these tests only if advised by doctor.
• Avoid caffeine containing items, such as coffee, energy drinks, and other caffeine containing drinks.

If the symptoms do not resolve by above measures, are there other options?

If the symptoms do not relieve by above measures then there is an option of psychotherapy

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