Individuals often wonder what does anxious mean when they are suffering from anxiety or depression. If you suspect anything, look at our health topics.

Mental health is getting more well-deserved attention these days. The stigma that once plagued mental health is dissipating as more and more people use their influence or social media to talk about these issues and bring light to a need for a more open forum on these health issues.

One of these mental health issues is anxiety.  But what does anxious mean and how do you know if you suffer from anxiety?

Here’s what you need to know.

Common Types of Anxiety 

What does the word anxious mean exactly? We’ll start there.  Anxious means experiencing unease, nervousness or worrying about something that has an uncertain outcome, or an imminent event.

Everyone has experienced it at some point or another. The butterflies in the stomach from dreading something that makes you uncomfortable and takes you out of your comfort zone. But those who suffer from anxiety have these feelings intensified.  There’s a difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder involves excessive worry and fear over non-threatening events. Some common types of anxiety include:

Panic Disorder 

These are sudden and unpredictable moments of intense, paralyzing dread and fear.  Sweating, nausea, and heart palpitations are common during a panic attack.

Panic attacks may occur with or without a trigger and while they’re often quick, they can sometimes last for hours.

Phobias 

When a particular thing or situation triggers your anxiety, like spiders or heights, for instance, this is a phobia.

Social Anxiety 

Those who suffer from social anxiety feel moments of tremendous anxiety in situations like public speaking. They may also feel anxious being around crowds, or groups of people they don’t know.

Symptoms of Anxiety 

Intense worry, fear or feelings of nervousness are some symptoms of anxiety. Those who suffer from anxiety will also feel:

• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Uncontrollable worry
• Difficulty sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating

If you experience these feelings often, it may be time to seek help. Anxiety can also be linked to depression and in those cases look into an inpatient depression centre that will help.

Treatment for Anxiety 

Treatment for anxiety varies. There is behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and medication. Some common treatments for anxiety include:

Self-treatment 

For those with less severe anxiety symptoms, self-treatment is an option.  Stress management is one form that helps by limiting potential triggers. Things you can do include making lists and organizing upcoming deadlines, to help make these tasks more manageable.

Exercising is another self-treatment option that can release chemicals that will trigger positive emotions. Sometimes all you need to release that pent up energy is a good workout.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

What does it mean to be anxious? Sometimes you just need to talk to someone. Psychological counseling like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBD) is another method of anxiety treatment.

This aims to stop the harmful thought patterns that trigger anxious feelings. Part of this treatment includes encouraging patients to face their fears.

What Does Anxious Mean to You and How Can You Change It 

Unlike physical ailments, those suffering from mental issues may feel that they’re not taken seriously because you can’t see the problem. It’s there, lurking below the surface and can cause as much harm as physical ailments.

Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

So what does anxious mean to you and what can you do to reduce your anxiety? Learn more about anxiety and how to treat it naturally in our blog post.