Is Anxiety an Issue? 5 Things to Consider
Written by, Dr. Marnie Rogers-de Jong, Ph.D. | April 7, 2021
People who live with anxiety often feel worried or afraid. They may fear one or two specific things, like flying on a plane, getting a needle, giving a presentation, or coming face-to-face with a giant spider.
Or they may feel anxious about lots of different things, including everyday routines like driving, going to work, or meeting new people.
Some people can’t link their worries to any one situation, but feel a constant sense of dread looming over them.
Anxiety also has physical effects, including shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle tension, nausea, sweating, shaking, and feeling restless or on edge.
When is Anxiety a Problem?
Everyone experiences some level of stress or anxiety in their lives. It’s normal to feel worried at times, especially when you’re faced with tough situations - like financial problems, relationship issues, or a global pandemic! And these feelings can give us useful information. Like if we feel afraid before we head down a dark alley at night, it might make sense to follow those feelings and take a different route.
But fear and worry can go beyond that helpful range and have negative impacts on our day-to-day routines. If you’re wondering whether anxiety is an issue in your life, here are five things to consider.
5 Things to Consider
First, is whether your fears fit the situation. With anxiety, fears go above and beyond the situation at hand. It might make sense to feel nervous about heights when you’re about to go bungee jumping. But if someone worries about going to the higher floors of their office building, their worries may be considered “excessive.”
There’s no hard or fast rule to say when fears are excessive. Context matters. Take someone who’s highly anxious about germs and worries about becoming seriously ill from contracting a virus. These fears might have seemed unrealistic before COVID-19, but are pretty darn reasonable in 2021. It depends on how the worries fit into your surrounding environment and the impact they have on your everyday life, which I’ll talk more about below.
Second, is the frequency. You worry often, more days than not. Again, we all feel anxious from time to time. But if worries are affecting you on a frequent basis, anxiety may be an issue.
Third, is the duration. You’ve been feeling anxious for a while now.
Fourth, is how well you’re able to keep your worries in check. Some people tend to worry more than others, but they’ve figured out some strategies to manage those worries effectively. Maybe they find that exercising regularly or using positive self-talk helps them to push back against their fears.
Anxiety can make it feel like worries are taking over your life. Perhaps you’ve tried some different things to manage your fears but, so far, it seems like nothing helps to keeps them under control.
Fifth, is the impact. Anxiety can have a huge impact on day-to-day life. Maybe you’re falling behind at work, skipping school, or pulling away from friends and family. Perhaps you’re finding it difficult to do everyday tasks, like leaving the house, answering phone calls, or going shopping.
People often avoid situations that bring up anxiety. For instance, someone who worries about embarrassing themselves in front of a crowd may avoid giving presentations. But this could become a problem if making speeches is part of their job.
Anxiety may be a concern if you’re not able to do the things you need or want to do. Or if you’re changing your behaviour in noticeable ways. Or if you’re feeling overwhelmed by anxious thoughts and fears.
Counselling for Anxiety
When people feel trapped by anxiety, counselling can help. We can work together to define your fears and worries, push back against the lies that anxiety tells you, and identify the skills you need to cope with challenging situations. Click here to read more about my approach to counselling for anxiety.
Dr. Marnie Rogers-de Jong
Registered Doctoral Psychologist
