What is the Meaning of Anxiety Disorder?
When we all feel in danger, we release the hormone cortisol and produce stress, so we react to protect ourselves against danger. One of these reactions is anxiety. This situation warns us against the dangers in the outside world and causes us to act prepared. However, when this level of anxiety goes beyond a ‘healthy’ level, it ceases to be a normal worry and turns into extreme fear and anxiety, that is, a kind of disorder. Generally, people with anxiety disorders may experience abnormal anxiety, various muscle tensions, and avoidance movements. Due to this avoidance and high anxiety, people’s school, work and social life can be seriously affected. To associate these symptoms with anxiety disorder, the symptoms must last for 6 months. Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental problem and affect approximately 30% of adults today at some point in their lives. Although the cause is not clear, it may be genetic, environmental or developmental.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder involves persistent and excessive worry that interferes with daily activities. Usually, the sources of anxiety are routine issues from daily life. For example, school, job responsibilities, money or family problems. In addition to excessive anxiety, symptoms such as restlessness, sleep problems, muscle tension are also seen.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
It is a type of anxiety disorder that is based on the person’s social relationships and includes intense shame, anxiety and fear that causes the person to fear being judged in their social relationships. But social anxiety should not be confused with social tension, because people with social anxiety disorder are unable to continue their social lives. This is because people with social phobia have difficulty coping with even minor and routine social challenges that are much smaller than those that already stress most people socially.
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a form of anxiety disorder in which there are usually intense panic attacks. These attacks usually occur unexpectedly for no apparent reason. It usually shows physical symptoms. These symptoms can be defined as shortness of breath, dizziness, choking sensation, chest pain, sweating, chills, shivering. Panic attacks usually last 15-20 minutes.
Specific Phobia
It consists of intense fear of an object or a situation. In addition to this fear, there is also a persistent avoidance of the feared object or event. Fear of cats, dogs or heights is an example of a specific phobia.
How to Cope with Anxiety
There are many treatment methods for anxiety disorders, so people with anxiety disorders can continue their lives normally with the right treatment and alternative supportive methods. Most clients respond to psychotherapy and medical treatment methods. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is a preferred method of psychotherapy. For this reason, help from a psychologist or psychiatrist should be sought for this treatment process.
Meditation for Anxiety
There are some methods that can support the treatment of anxiety disorder. One of these methods is mindfulness techniques. Studies have shown that meditation and breathing exercises are an important auxiliary component in supporting the treatment of anxiety disorder. Because meditation and breathing exercises reduce the tension in the body and help the mind to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, people can stay in the moment and thus relax. At the same time, meditation practices can also be good for avoidance due to anxiety. Because mindfulness practices allow us to see all our feelings and thoughts as we are without magnifying or suppressing them. When meditation is made a habit, it will cease to be a practice done at that moment and will become an understanding that spreads throughout life. Because the brain is a learning organ. Teaching the brain how to calm down will make it easier to manage stress so that it will affect the reactions of the person in moments of crisis and the person will find the way to calm down faster.
If you want to start meditation and include mindfulness in your life, you can download InnerJoy from Google Play or App Store and start the free trial version!
