Article written by Kalin Chouinard
Social Work Practicum Student
Anxiety is a topic that is common in our daily lives. Whether it is online or during our personal conversations, we hear about anxiety often.
While it is great that anxiety is becoming less of a taboo topic, anxiety is still typically framed in a negative manner because of the stigma of mental illness. The overarching narrative is that anxiety is a feeling that we seek to get rid of through avenues such as medication. Some symptoms of anxiety can certainly require medication, but there are a variety of reasons for why we feel anxious that are important to consider before making any decision about medication.
When we feel anxious, it is common to try to find an escape or a way to make those uncomfortable feelings go away (1). However, the first principle of anxiety is that it provides us with information (3). Rather than attempting to immediately eradicate the anxiety, we should try to sit with the uncomfortable feelings and consider what they may be telling us.
Anxiety functions as a built-in warning system (1). If we stop to think about what situations cause us to feel anxious, it may make it easier to find solutions. In this way, anxiety clues us into anything that may be out of balance in our lives (2). Anxiety also gives us a sense of what we truly care about and how we want to respond (2). For instance, if we are feeling anxious about our job, this may indicate that we are no longer finding our work meaningful.
Anxiety can also be helpful in motivating us. Feeling anxious can release dopamine, which motivates us to take action in order to receive rewards (3). For example, we may feel anxious about an upcoming exam, which can motivate us to study, resulting in a better grade. In addition, with moderate experiences of anxiety our levels of oxytocin can increase, which leads us to seek out social connection and support (3). If we are feeling anxious about a tough project coming up at work, we may feel extra motivated to reach out to friends or loved ones so that we can talk to someone about it.
Overall, anxiety can also foster a greater sense of awareness that can be useful in our daily lives. For example, being anxious can make us acutely aware of what could go wrong (1). Moderate levels of anxiety can lead us to more thorough decision making, critical thinking, and better problem-solving (1). This can be useful when planning to be prepared for multiple outcomes.
Despite all the benefits of anxiety, it is important to acknowledge that anxiety can be overwhelming and lead to negative outcomes. The key difference between the anxiety that we all experience and an anxiety disorder is functional impairment, which is when our anxiety becomes so intense that it disrupts our ability to carry out our day to day (3). For example, a person with moderate levels of anxiety may feel very anxious when they are on a plane, but then as soon as they get off the plane, their anxiety subsides. An individual with an anxiety disorder may avoid going on planes at all. Additional signs of more serious anxiety that may require professional help are sleep disturbances, a lack of concentration, and frequent panic attacks (1).
There are many resources that we can turn to if we feel that our anxiety is impacting our day to day.
- • Anxiety Canada provides information about anxiety and tools that we can use to keep our anxiety at manageable levels, such as a Mindshift CBT Anxiety app.
- • Online Therapy User is another online resource that is rooted in CBT. The Wellbeing Course for Mental Health is available through Online Therapy User; the course is through the University of Regina and is completely free.
- • For in-person support, Family Service Saskatoon offers a six-week anxiety support group, but there is a fee. For those of us who require immediate support, Family Service Saskatoon also offers rapid access counseling for no charge.
- • We also hold an anxiety support group here at CMHA Saskatoon on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month which is completely free. It is run by one of our experienced social workers who is open to anyone joining.
Making connections and reaching out to supports is important for managing our anxiety. If we already have supports in place when our anxiety is at moderate levels, this will make it easier to reach out when our anxiety becomes overwhelming. While only some of us may live with an anxiety disorder, we still all experience anxiety. We don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose how we respond.
Resources
References
- 1. https://www.verywellmind.com/benefits-of-anxiety-2584134
- 2. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/7-ways-anxiety-actually-works-to-your-advantage-0202165
- 3. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-we-misunderstand-anxiety-and-miss-out-its-benefits