Anxiety - Clearing up misconceptions/what it really is.
Hey everyone, Keanan here again I was thinking and after my last threads replies thought this would be a good topic to bring up.
Okay so to start off I didn't know where to put this seeing as it could fit into many categories so I ended up deciding to put it into the social anxiety bit because I will talk moreover thinking about social anxiety.
Okay so what is anxiety?
By definition anxiety is "a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome." or "strong desire or concern to do something or for something to happen." or as a definition in psychiatry "a nervous disorder marked by excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks." so after looking at this it doesn't seem so bad does it, but that couldn't be far from true, for many people anxiety can be what you have in these definitions but it can be crippling to you and you trying to live life.
Why is it important to know what anxiety is?
Okay so the reason I'd say it is important to know about what anxiety is is because all of the time people with anxiety hear comments such as "don't be such a baby" or "just get over it" and then if we go specifically with social anxiety there is a lot of miseducated comments such as "you're just being shy" or "it's not hard just talk" or "only a baby would be scared to talk to someone" and a lot of things like that, these kind of comments can be really damaging to people as they may become more reserved and hide even more trying not to reach out for help, I talk about this more here if you want to read about this.
The next thing I'll talk about is something that a lot of people may have because of anxiety so:
What is a panic attack?
A panic attack would be when you have "a sudden overwhelming feeling of acute and disabling anxiety." by definition so if we know how bad anxiety can actually be and this would be when it's too much then this must actually be an extremely hard thing to deal with. This can be caused by many things, for someone with social anxiety it can be from simple things that are about a social situation such as having to talk to an authority figure. But this is all relative to each person and it different. It is in no way an easy thing that can just be stopped any time and gotten over it really is as it says "disabling anxiety". Another example is when someone who is claustrophobic is in a tight space. It can be simple things you just think of or are anticipating when you can an anxiety disorder as well. A lot of the time panic attack will involves tons of over thinking and hyperventilating and can be very damaging to you, but it can go further than just what you originally have it as, it can go onto a recovery phase after it where you have to get your breathing right, and clam yourself down which can feel almost impossible at times, and things such as hyperventilating in general has a lot of health concerns. So this brings up our next question about such a terrible thing to experience.
How do we deal with a panic attack, recover from it, or prevent it?
With this I will say to start with, it's not always guaranteed to just be easy in any means. So to start with when you have a panic attack the most common thing of hyperventilating is the number one thing we'd need to control as it can be damaging and make everything else worse, to do this it can be good to follow breathing exercises such as this other than this distraction can be good idea such as the gifs I collated and posted here, and this here is a guide on coping. You can also try to use these kind of things to prevent it, you could also always try to do things like mindfulness exercises too. To recover from it it's good to try to relax and make sure you can calm down uninhibited and uninterrupted. Talking to someone on 7cups and the prior things can help with this, but it's advised not to tress yourself out or overwork yourself during this time as that can lead to further issues.
Big ways anxiety can affect your life.
Well when you can anxiety problems, and panic attack, and other things akin to this one main thing I have heard with people is that they will go sleepless nights or go over things over and over and not let themselves rest or relax, this kind of behavior seems to be usual with anxiety, but can be very damaging to both your social life, and even your health. We need to try to reduce this adverse affects as much as possible - the same things that help with panic attacks can help here too - I believe this is the place where things like mindfulness is better, clearing your mind is a very good way of trying to make yourself relaxed enough to be able to sleep or work easier on other things when not over thinking. With social anxiety in particular this is a lot harder as that can be sudden and happen in a lot of various social situations, but we can talk about how actors who perform onstage a lot of the time do a lot of depressing and anxiety reducing exercises before performing and as such we can see that there are ways to try and help yourself with this. I welcome you all to reply to this thread telling everyone any ways to help with this you have found. Also in the replies please add anything I may have missed out or you think it a good thing to state, I will reply to as many of you as possible if you have any further question so fire away :D <3
Also a big thanks to @blossombreathe for helping me out in coming up with a couple of these ideas ^-^
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@KeananWillListen
AWESOME!! Great info--thanks!
@Amelia hehe thanks, and you're welcome :D :p
@YourBritishFriend tagged :p
@KeananWillListen
awesome post as usual :p
@windflowers hehe thanks darling :p you always love them for some reason xD
i think another misconception is that people think anxiety is just worrying and not much else. yes, it's hard to get help, but often i've seen teenagers saying they have depression and anxiety when really they don't. (not saying this is applicable to anyone here, though) anxiety is worrying about the future, dreaming up worst possible outcomes, imagining scenarios where you make a fool out of yourself, and so much more. but no, just because you have anxiety doesn't mean you're sick -- it just means that you're more cautious, or wary, than others. and that is in no way wrong.
anxiety is so misunderstood, like @keananwilllisten said; i think it's hard for people around you (as well as yourself) to admit that you actually have anxiety and that you need support rather than endless comments of telling you to stop seeking attention or just suck it up. part of the reason why 7cups is so awesome -- people actually listen and understand. not my point.
my point is, anxiety isn't wrong. it isn't unnatural. it isn't just a mental thing -- it's physical as well. feeling pain, fear, uneeasiness? have problems sleeping? have cold or sweaty hands or feet? these are just some symptoms of anxiety. even though it's hard, you will get through this. and remember, you've been through countless days like this before, and i know you'll make it through many more. you're unique, you're brilliant, and anxiety doesn't define you.
@windflowers
probably the weirdest post i've ever made lol, my mind is confused and i don't know what i'm saying tbh
@windflowers haha no darling your post was good don't worry about it hehe :p <3
@windflowers good words there :D just because of yoru anxiety it doesn't take away from who you actually are even one bit, it might be a hard thing to deal with and hard to get support for, and have lots of miseducation about it. But there is nothing that says it's wrong in any way, you can still be your amazing self and just think of i as a little quirk that doesn't take away from who you are. I think the world just needs to know what exactly it is so people can get better support for it, and so that it won't be seen as such a fickle thing because it really isn't. :p And yes you aren't your anxiety, you are always that amazing person you are :D <3
@KeananWillListen
Awesome post
@maskedshadow thank :p glad you like it :D <3
Anazing post @KeananWillListen! Or should I call you the queen of forum posts? 
@JustALover hehe thanks :p and call me whatever you wish to call me xD <3
