Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. In fact, these disorders affect at least 40 million adults each year in the United States, which is 18.1% of the population.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
The multiple types of anxiety disorders include, but are not limited to:
- General Anxiety Disorder
- Phobias
- Panic Disorder
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Agoraphobia, which is a fear of being in situations where escape may be difficult, such as being in a crowd or being in enclosed spaces.
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychiatry.org and Healthy Place explain these disorders in more detail.
One Woman’s Battle With Anxiety
Megan Lynne Ferrero, a skin care and beauty consultant, recently shared with Love What Matters some personal details about her battle with anxiety. She penned an honest and heartfelt letter about her ongoing symptoms and experiences with anxiety in the hope that sharing her story would help at least one other person in the world.
Here is Megan’s personal letter:
Anxiety isn’t just chest pains, crying, and the inability to relax.
It’s biting your nails until they bleed, then picking off the skin on your fingers once you’re out of nails to bite.
It’s driving to the store only to sit in the parking lot for 20 minutes before turning back around, without even going inside.
It’s getting a text message and forgetting to respond promptly, so instead of responding explaining you were busy, you leave the notification there for days, weeks, even months, getting a knot in your stomach every time you scroll past it or every time that person’s name comes up.
It’s hearing a noise and planning in your mind where you’ll hide, what doors you’ll lock, and how you’ll secretly call for help if someone broke into your house.
It’s asking your partner several times a day if they love you, partially kidding, but mostly needing to hear it because you find it so hard to love yourself in that moment.
It’s putting off washing the dishes until there’s no dishes left, but then feeling overwhelmed by how many dishes there are to wash, so you just leave them another day.
It’s understanding that what you’re worrying about is often irrational and not as extreme as your reaction warrants, but not being able to control your response. Often times, it even means you CAN’T understand that what you’re worrying about is irrational or not as extreme as your reaction warrants.
Anxiety isn’t just chest pains, crying, and the inability to relax. It’s taking everyday parts of life and intensifying the excitement or fear they result in times a thousand, to the point that they seem impossible to face. Some days are more manageable than others, and it’s on those days I try to remind myself that I CAN get through whatever anxiety throws my way.
It’s hard for me to share this and a little embarrassing to include this picture, but if even one person finds comfort in knowing they’re not alone in this, then I’m going to push past my comfort zones to do that.
Signs of an Anxiety Disorder
Everyone feels out of sorts, gets worried, and gets scared from time to time due to work issues, family situations, and financial strain, which is expected as a part of life and considered as normal life anxiety. However, when you repeatedly experience these emotions to the extreme, you might be suffering from an actual anxiety disorder.
There are multiple signs that indicate you might be experiencing from an anxiety disorder. These symptoms range from excessive worrying to experiencing sleep problems, to having irrational fears. Here is a comprehensive list of possible symptoms to look out for, according to Health.com and The Spire Wellness Blog:
- Panic
- Compulsive behaviors
- Irrational fears
- Excessive worry
- Self-consciousness
- Sleep problems
- Stage fright
- Muscle tension
- Self-doubt
- Perfectionism
- Chronic indigestion
- Flashbacks
- Focus problems
- Negative thinking
What to Do if You Think You Suffer From an Anxiety Disorder
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If you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms of anxiety on a regular basis, consider visiting your doctor for further assessment and treatment.
And if you experience an anxiety attack, there are specific steps you can take to end the attack, as described in a slideshow by Everyday Health, including using breathing and relaxation techniques, staying “in the moment,” and talking with a therapist.
