If you're like most people then you've experienced anxiety at some point in your life. After all, it is normal to feel anxious from time to time. For example, many people sense anxiety before a big work presentation or even during a harried day. Yet, once the event or the day is over, the anxiety usually lifts.
When you struggle with an anxiety disorder, however, you may not experience the same reprieve.
Here are five differences between anxious feelings and an anxiety disorder.
Duration
As mentioned before, it's normal to feel anxious sometimes. Life often has a way of dealing a stressful hand of cards. As a result, you may experience some level of anxiety.
The most natural and common anxiety is caused by situational stressors. If you're facing an important work presentation, for example, you may feel anxious until you've delivered the presentation.
Yet, symptoms of an anxiety disorder don't just lift with a sigh of relief. Rather, the intense feeling of anxiety can stay with you for days, weeks, and even months.
In short, because of the intensity and duration, an anxiety disorder will frequently cause a major disruption in your life.
Stressors
Similar to the work presentation scenario, you may face a number of stressors that cause you anxiety. Keep in mind that stressors are unique to each person and can change during a lifetime.
Some may feel anxious around the holidays, before their first 5K, or after an argument with a friend. Every person is different.
When you struggle with an anxiety disorder, symptoms don't just plague you when it makes sense. You may feel anxious and not be able to pinpoint the reason.
Often, even facing everyday duties such as getting groceries or paying the bills may be incredibly overwhelming.
Physical Response
As you may know, anxiety isn't just contained to the mind. Feelings of anxiety tend to trickle down into your body, manifesting in increased heart rate, rapid breathing, light-headedness, flushed skin, etc.
The reason is that your autonomous nervous system responds to the stressor, activating your fight-or-flight response. Once the "danger" has passed, your body usually returns back to a normal functioning state.
Struggling with an anxiety disorder, your body may be "frozen" in a sort of overdrive. It's as if you get stuck in that feeling of panic and fear.
Although you may attempt to return to normal life, your body's senses and functions won't shift into normalcy. Those with an anxiety disorder frequently face sleeping issues, changes in eating habits, and cognitive problems.
Types of Thoughts
Worrying is a natural part of life. Most people worry about things like finances, job security, and family issues. Many of these life elements make your world go round, per se.
When your job is at risk, it just makes sense to experience worried thoughts such as the notorious "what ifs." The same goes for managing your money or being one half of a romantic partnership.
These normal problems seem to become giants for those who struggle with an anxiety disorder.
Furthermore, you may worry about very irrational things such as what you'll do if you miss your alarm and wake up to find that your second-floor apartment has flooded because of a rare natural catastrophe. If only you'd checked the batteries in your alarm, you may have been able to save some of your things and escaped unscathed.
The likelihood of this scenario actually happening is extremely low. And yet, these are the thoughts you may find difficult to silence.
Lifestyle Impact
Anxious feelings come and go, leaving behind nothing more than a few uncomfortable moments for you to remember.
You may have a good cry to a trusted friend or lose a few hours of sleep one night. But, your life will go on and you'll be able to handle the challenge, moving on to the next venture.
An anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is debilitating. The symptoms can interfere with your daily life, making it difficult and exhausting to get through a day.
Your relationships and even your career may be impacted because of the intense symptoms you experience.
Unchallenged, an anxiety disorder can turn your world upside-down. But, it doesn't have to rule the day. A therapist can help you to manage any type of anxiety disorder you may face.