What is anxiety?

Feeling anxious and having anxiety

We all feel anxious sometimes – before a job interview, during a first date, or when giving a presentation. Your heart might beat faster, your palms sweat, and your mind races with “what-if” thoughts. Feeling anxious in these situations is normal and can even be helpful, keeping you alert and focused when needed.

Here are some common situations when feeling anxious is a natural response:

• Starting a new job
• Public speaking
• Taking an exam
• Moving to a new place
• Experiencing an unfamiliar situation
• Waiting for medical results
• Making an important decision.

While feeling anxious is a natural response when you’re under pressure, those feelings usually pass once the event ends. However, for some people, that unpleasant anxious feeling does not go away as easily.

If you have anxiety, you might notice that:

• Your anxious feelings remain after the stressful event has ended.
• You feel anxious doing your everyday activities.
• Your worry is out of proportion to what is happening.
• You start to avoid certain situations, which impacts your daily life.
• You no longer do things you used to enjoy.
• You have physical symptoms.

Experiencing anxiety from time to time is normal. When anxiety starts to interrupt your everyday activities, like going to work or seeing your friends, it is important to seek help as it is treatable. If left unchecked, anxiety can start to affect your personal relationships, disrupt your work life, and impact your overall wellbeing.

How common is anxiety?

If you have anxiety, you are not alone. On average, one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage in their life, and there are 3.4 million Australians with an anxiety disorder. ^[1]

Anxiety can be diagnosed as a disorder when the feelings are out of proportion to the situation, last longer than expected, and affect your daily activities and wellbeing.

There are different types of anxiety disorders, including:

• Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) – having excessive worry about daily situations.
• Panic disorder – experiencing repeated and unexpected panic attacks.
• Social anxiety disorder – intense fear of being judged and scrutinised, leading to avoidance of social situations.
• A specific phobia – severe fear of an object or situation that is out of proportion to the actual danger or threat.

If you are concerned that you have anxiety, make an appointment to see your GP. Your doctor can conduct a mental health assessment and, if appropriate, refer you to a psychologist. You can also call a free helpline like MensLine on 1300 78 99 78 to speak to a counsellor.

What are the signs and symptoms of anxiety to look out for?

While everyone experiences anxiety differently, there are some common signs and symptoms.

Thoughts and feelings

Anxiety can affect your thoughts and feelings in various ways:

• Excessive worrying
• Feeling restless, on edge, or unable to relax
• Having a sense of dread or feeling that something bad will happen
• Feeling fearful
• Difficulty concentrating
• Experiencing racing thoughts.

Physical symptoms

Your body responds to anxiety in several ways, including:

• Racing or pounding heartbeat
• Sweating more than usual
• Shaking
• Rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Muscle tension (e.g. in your neck and shoulders)
• Tiredness or fatigue
• Sleep problems (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep)
• Loss of appetite
• Panic attacks.

You might not experience all these symptoms, and it will also depend on the type of anxiety. It is particularly important to seek support if you notice your symptoms are:

• Getting worse over time.
• Negatively impacting your relationships and work.
• Making it hard to do things you used to enjoy.
• Causing you to avoid normal activities.

If you recognise these patterns in yourself, know that help is available, and these symptoms can be managed effectively with the right support. Calling MensLine on 1300 78 99 78 or speaking to your GP is a good first step to getting help.

Getting support for anxiety – strategies and professional support

There are effective ways to manage and treat anxiety.

Challenge anxious thoughts

Anxiety can make you think things are worse than they really are and cause you to feel less capable of handling situations. When your anxious thoughts are racing, ask yourself:

• Am I safe right now?
• What’s the evidence for and against this thought?
• What would I tell a friend in this situation?
• How have I handled this in the past?
• What’s the best possible outcome?

Try grounding techniques

When you feel overwhelmed, try a grounding technique, which can help you feel calm and stable. Below are two examples.

Deep breathing:

• Breathing exercises like taking deep breaths can help you feel calm and decrease your stress.

Five senses:

• Name 5 things you can see
• Name 4 things you can feel
• Name 3 things you can hear
• Name 2 things you can smell
• Name 1 thing you can taste.

Schedule worry time

Set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day as your dedicated “worry time”. When anxious thoughts pop up during the day, jot them down and save them for your worry time. When your worry time arrives, review your worries – you may find that many worries have lost their intensity or some have resolved themselves. Choose a time that works for you that isn’t too close to your bedtime. Once you have a regular worry time, you are less likely to have your worries take over during the day.

Look after your physical health

If you are feeling anxious, getting regular exercise (find something you enjoy), maintaining a good sleep routine, eating well, and staying hydrated can be helpful. Our physical health and mental health work together – taking care of our physical health can help improve our emotional wellbeing.

Make an appointment to see a health professional

If anxiety is impacting your everyday life, see your doctor or mental healthcare professional.

Tell your doctor what you are going through so they can offer you the best advice. This may include creating a mental health treatment plan and providing you with a referral to see a mental health professional, such as a psychologist.

A psychologist can teach you practical coping strategies, provide therapy to help change unhelpful thoughts, and offer a safe space to work through difficult experiences.

Health Direct has more information on mental health resources, including low-cost and free mental health services.

Call a helpline

A helpline such as MensLine Australia is available 24/7 and is free. Calls are answered by professionally trained counsellors who can help you to manage anxiety. Call 1300 78 99 78 or click the floating chat button on the right. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

The best approach varies from person to person. You might need to try a combination of strategies and professional support to find what works best for you. The most important thing is to take that first step. Don’t wait until anxiety becomes overwhelming to seek help. The earlier you reach out for support, the better equipped you’ll be to manage your anxiety effectively.

Call to speak to one of our MensLine Australia counsellors on 1300 78 99 78 or click on the floating chat button on the right to access online counselling. We’re here to help 24/7 and our service is free.

In an emergency, call 000.

References

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/overview/prevalence-and-impact-of-mental-illness