Anxiety

Think of anxiety as a normal, healthy system operating at the wrong times.

Like other animals, humans have well-developed psychological, behavioural, physiological, and hormonal systems for dealing with danger and threat. These systems have evolved to keep us safe and to help us survive in dangerous situations.

A little bit of anxiety in some situations can help us focus better and act faster – but these protective systems can become a problem if they happen in the absence of a threat, happen too often, or last too long.

Under such circumstances, we feel or behave as though there’s danger even when we’re safe, and this can cause symptoms like:

  • A feeling of sickness (nausea) or butterflies in your stomach
  • The sensation of having a “thumping heart” or heart palpitations
  • Panic attacks
  • Shaking (tremor)
  • Sweating
  • Dry mouth
  • Chest pain
  • Headache

While some stress can be a positive motivator and help you perform, high levels of anxiety can do the opposite and cause you to struggle with your focus or control your responses – see the Yerkes-Dodson curve.*

Yerkes-Dodson Law Bell Curve, showing two axis (x axis showing arousal and y axis showing performance). Optimal arousal (or in this case positive stress) results in optimal performance, but too little arousal will result in low performance, and too much arousal will impair performance because of strong anxiety. Resource from Healthline.

*In discussing the Yerkes-Dodson law, the word “arousal” relates to stress and motivation.

Chronic anxiety can have negative effects on our immune and metabolic systems too, leading to increased blood pressure, poor blood sugar control, and other physical health problems.

When to get help for anxiety

If you feel that your anxiety is affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you should speak to your primary care physician or GP. You may want to seek some support if you think your anxiety feels:

  • Out of proportion to the stressful situation
  • Persists when a stressful situation has been resolved
  • Not connected to an identifiable source of stress

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms, worries, fears, and emotions. There are various conditions where anxiety is a main symptom, so your doctor will be looking to gather information to help ensure you get the appropriate support.

Treatment for Anxiety

Treating anxiety aims to help you reduce symptoms to the point where anxiety no longer affects your day-to-day life. Your individual treatment options depend on what condition you have and how severely it is affecting you.

Treatment may include counselling, anxiety management courses, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), or medication (such as antidepressants, e.g. SSRIs). If you choose to take medication, your doctor will discuss the benefits and side effects with you. Some drugs for anxiety can be addictive and show a reduced effect over time, so it’s important to review your medication with your doctor.

Other treatment options, like CBT or mindfulness, focus on psychological techniques that, with practice, can allow you to control your anxiety rather than it feeling like your anxiety controls you.

Use our free anxiety check-in for self-guided support strategies, download now. Safe In Our World.

Alcohol and Anxiety

Drinking alcohol might feel like a cure for social anxiety, but it’s not. In fact, drinking to ‘calm your nerves’ can cause further difficulties down the road, like developing an unhealthy relationship with alcohol (or addiction), or worsening your symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.

It is recommended that you speak to your doctor if you are drinking to ease symptoms of anxiety.

Anxiety and Video Games

Some games can help you feel relaxed and safe, while others stimulate your anxiety by presenting you with a difficult challenge and a time constraint. You may find yourself at the end of a boss fight, palms sweaty and heart racing. This isn’t something to worry about – it’s a healthy form of stress that enhances your reflexes and problem-solving abilities.

That said, being physically inactive and experiencing prolonged stress is not good for your physical or mental health. It’s important to take breaks and engage in other hobbies away from the screen.

Headspace: Discover games with mental health benefits on AbleToPlay - Safe In Our World

Find Help for Anxiety

We can signpost you to resources and support in your local area via our Find Help page, where you’ll find a directory of crisis and helplines for a range of mental health challenges, including anxiety.

Further reading