How do I know if I am just worrying or if it is anxiety?

Worry and anxiety are often used interchangeably, but they are two distinct emotions. Worry is a feeling of unease or concern about something that may or may not happen in the future. It is a normal and common emotion that everyone experiences from time to time. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a more intense and persistent feeling of fear or apprehension about a specific situation or object. It can be a normal response to stress, but it can also be a symptom of an anxiety disorder. In general, worry is a milder form of anxiety, while anxiety is a more severe and persistent form of worry.

What are the common signs of anxiety?

When our mind automatically jumps to the worst possible consequence of a situation and stays gripped in the fear through recurrent thoughts, restlessness, and fear show up either in a physical sensation such as palpitation, stomach upset, nausea, or any other emotional discomfort. You may feel restlessness, fatigue, irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance, difficulty concentrating, or other symptoms that significantly interfere with your life. This pattern of fearful thoughts, and worries, impacts our image of ourselves, and we need to learn to uncover the underlying causes of our fears; look at situations in new ways; and develop better coping skills.  

What are the types of anxiety disorders?

The category of anxiety disorders includes separation anxiety, selective mutism, phobia, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder involves persistent and excessive worry that interferes with daily activities. Whereas, in social anxiety-as, the name suggests- the person has significant discomfort about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected, or looked down on in social interactions. It results in the day-to-day challenges of meeting people.

Patients with a phobia have an excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity that is generally not harmful, such as fear of flying, heights, some insect, or animal, even a teddy bear can result in panic for a person with the phobia of stuffed toys. Similarly, in Separation anxiety the fear comes up of being away from a person they are attached to. A person with a separation anxiety disorder may be persistently worried about losing the person closest to him or her, may be reluctant, or refuse to go out or sleep away from home or without that person.

How is anxiety treated?

Anxiety is largely left untreated by many for long, until when one finds it unbearable, or when an individual is unable to function in their daily activities. There are many evidence-based psychotherapy approaches to manage and overcome anxiety, such as CBT (Cognitive behavior therapy), which helps to change the destructive behavioral pattern that may lead to anxiety. Other approaches include ERP (Exposure Response Prevention), which uses increasing exposure to the stimulus or thing that causes anxiety. mindfulness-based approach and Emotion Focused approach also work well in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Our team of anxiety therapists in Toronto, ON also works with individuals that are struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. We collaborate with our clients to provide evidence-based and informed services.

Recognize the impact your anxiety has on your day-to-day experience and reclaim the life you deserve by getting help through evidence-based psychotherapy treatment