Anxiety is a normal emotional response of our body, which occurs in the face of a situation or stimulus perceived as dangerous, to alert us and allow us to prepare to fight or flee.
What can cause anxiety to develop?
Anxiety is an adaptive reaction, as it serves to prepare the organism to face a danger. It has, therefore, an adaptive function.
The problem comes when this alarm signal is activated in situations that do not pose a danger or is activated in an excessive or disproportionate manner. Sustained over time, this can lead to anxiety crises or the development of other anxiety disorders.
Are there different types?
Yes. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), developed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013), recognizes several anxiety disorders, such as separation anxiety disorder, several types of phobias (specific phobia, social phobia or agoraphobia), panic disorders or generalized anxiety disorder, among others.
Are some people more prone than others to develop anxiety?
There are certain genetic, biological and personality factors that make some people more exposed than others to experience anxiety symptoms and even develop anxiety disorders.
Can it be cured?
Anxiety is a response that is deactivated when the body does not detect any threat (real or perceived). Sometimes, it is enough that the feared situation disappears, but when this is not possible or, even if it disappears, the person continues to feel anxiety, it is when it becomes necessary to initiate a psychological (or psychopharmacological) treatment.
With the appropriate treatment, the symptoms are eliminated or reduced in such a way that they do not interfere in the person’s life. It is true that they do not always disappear completely, but they do become tolerable and manageable for the patient.
What treatments are recommended?
For years, cognitive-behavioral treatment has been one of the most scientifically proven treatments in the treatment of anxiety problems, being complemented for years with treatments based on mindfulness and other techniques of Third Generation therapies or Behavioral Therapy.
There are also other evidence-based psychological treatments that are proving effective, such as Emotion Focused Therapy or therapies based on trauma processing or attachment repair.
How to age healthily in people with anxiety?
High levels of anxiety are associated with poorer quality of life and unhealthy lifestyles. They are also associated with various health problems and even higher mortality.
Therefore, if we learn to control anxiety and not allow it to frequently invade our lives, we will age more healthily. Just as we learn to take care of ourselves physically, psychological self-care is important.
Doing physical exercise, learning to manage our emotional states with techniques such as meditation, breathing and/or relaxation, learning planning and decision making techniques, learning to deal with uncertainty and our worries in a healthy and adaptive way, seeking healthy social relationships and activities that motivate us are some of the examples that can help us keep anxiety at bay and age healthier.