Effects of Anxiety are a Starting Point for Healing

The effects of anxiety are many and miserable. Anxiety affects us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Anxiety can disrupt our lives in profound ways, preventing us from being who we want to be and doing what we want to do. Anxiety exists on a spectrum from mild to severe (Social Anxiety: A Spectrum from Shy to Avoidant), but whether it is a disturbance or a disorder, the effects of anxiety are negative and far-reaching. That said, they’re good, too, for the effects of anxiety are a starting point for healing. 

Anxiety and anxiety disorder are terms that refer to our experiences, both our internal existence and our external interactions with the world. These experiences involve thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and the effects of anxiety on our entire being can be extensive.

Some Effects of Anxiety

Anxiety is a very individual experience; indeed, two people might have social anxiety disorder, but each one will experience it slightly differently because their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are personal. While the specific effects of anxiety vary from person to person, they generally involve every system in the body (Anxiety in the Body: Physical Side-Effects of Anxiety) as well as our relationships with ourselves and with others.

Anxiety causes effects such as

• headaches
• digestive discomfort/troubles
• increased need to use the bathroom
• profuse sweating
• shaking
• increased heart rate and/or blood pressure
• respiratory troubles
• aches and pains
• fatigue
• low self-esteem
• reduced sense of self-efficacy (belief in yourself and your abilities)
• over-thinking everything
• difficulty concentrating
• irritability
• relationship problems
• loneliness and isolation

 

Use the Effects of Anxiety to Heal

Anxiety’s effects, as horrible as they are, can be your ticket away from anxiety. Any one of the effects of anxiety can be a starting point on the journey toward wellness and an anxiety-free life. It may seem counterintuitive, but it isn’t: the more hurtful an effect of anxiety is, the more helpful it can be in transcending anxiety.

Listen to your body. Attend to your thoughts. Become fully attuned to your emotions. Be aware of the quality of your relationships. How is anxiety messing with each of these areas? The more specific you are in identifying the effects of your anxiety, the better able you’ll be to use the effects against anxiety.

Once your awareness of your anxiety’s effects on you and your life moves from vague to specific, you can make a plan to conquer anxiety. The plan is straightforward: meet anxiety where it is and uproot it.

Identify. What effect of anxiety is most bothersome? Starting with one is manageable.

Plan. What actions can you take to reduce this effect? Create an intentional plan of action that involves multiple approaches, such as calming techniques, exercise, social connections, and more.

Act. With a specific action plan, you can now take charge of your anxiety. Actively addressing the problems anxiety is causing gives you the upper hand.

By working on the effects of anxiety, you’re uprooting it at the base. This is a very effective starting point for healing.

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from Anxiety-Schmanxiety Blog http://ift.tt/2b639d1