Anxiety comes in Different Colours

Often you’ll see psychologists and mental health specialists talk about different types of anxiety and diagnose them separately.

There are good reasons for this, but much of the time, you can come right back down to the one issue (or feeling) that underlies anxiety and start from there.

The one emotion in anxiety is always Fear.

It’s a powerful emotion affecting our thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Here are three differentiated anxieties (there are more) you might come across:

1. General Anxiety

We’re all familiar with general anxiety because that’s part of being human. Generalized anxiety occurs when there’s not always a specific trigger or pattern to our anxiety. Often this anxiety persists simply because it has become a habit. It shows up when you’re so anxious that you might not eat or sleep well; you tend to overthink, over-analyse, and generally think negatively. You may also notice that you are avoiding or running away from difficult issues or confrontational situations.

Here are 3 super quick ways to manage GA

- Breathe slowly and calmly

- Write down what’s worrying you

- Talk reassuringly to your brain

2. Social Anxiety.

We’re probably also familiar with some social anxiety since we’re programmed to compare ourselves to others (and we usually come up short). We are also naturally and instinctively wary of others (until we get to know them). Social anxiety can be a problem when it gets in the way of social interactions at work, school, and study. It becomes complicated when socially anxious people reactively keep away from others and thus reinforce to themselves that they don’t fit in.

Here are 3 super quick ways to manage SA

- Focus on the world

- Focus on other people

- Use eye contact

3. Health Anxiety

Health anxiety happens when brains become hypervigilant (that is, pay excess attention to) about various aches, pains and discomfort in bodies. Anxious reason-giving brains quickly attach catastrophic thinking to these observations, meaning health-anxious people often feel they have a serious disease. They worry excessively about bodily symptoms and may seek constant evaluations (for reassurance) from doctors and medical specialists.

Here are 3 super quick ways to manage HA

- Change catastrophic thinking for another thought

- Label the fear

- Minimize doctor/hospital visits

Feel free to send a comment my way,

Dr Sharyn