Have you ever experienced any sudden feelings of fear or uneasiness? If yes then you might suffer from anxiety disorder. The onset of anxiety symptoms is quite normal but if it persists and halts the quality of life then you should ponder that stage or level of anxiety disorder. However, if you want to know more about anxiety levels, common panic attacks, and stages of anxiety recovery, then read this article in a detailed manner. So don’t wait any longer and start exploring this masterpiece.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a common mental illness that can have a strong impact on the individual’s mental health and overall behavior. If we talk about anxiety disorders then each type of anxiety disorder has a strong influence on each aspect of life. In some cases, individuals with anxiety disorder exhibit the shot-lived response while on the other hand, the duration can extend depending on the severity of stressful situations. Individuals suffering from anxiety disorder face a certain complexity to get through the entire day. The onset of anxiety symptoms is also common during other mental conditions such as OCD, depression, eating disorders, ADHD, and eating disorders.
It’s quite normal to feel stressed about little things. The onset of mild anxiety symptoms is beneficial to some extent as it prepares the body to deal with any sudden emergency. When the person experiences any environmental stress factor, the body’s sympathetic system gets activated which in turn prepares the body to deal with that situation. Moreover, in the case of severe conditions, anxiety can also cause some physical symptoms such as elevated heart rate, breathing, and continuous sweating.
However, if you think that your stress period is getting prolonged then in that case you need to consider your mental condition. Persistent stress or anxiety can transform into a severe form which is commonly referred to as depression. Moreover, some individuals also experience panic attacks when exposed to any frightening or distressing situation. The recurrent panic attacks adversely affect the life of individuals and they face difficulty in handling their vital life chores.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Each individual responds differently when suffering from anxiety. In some individuals, symptoms are less obvious while on the other hand, they get more visible based on the extent of severity.
If the anxiety affects the body’s physical state, then the following symptoms occur in the body.
- Sense of unconsciousness
- Excessive sweating
- Trembling or shaking of hands
- Muscle stiffness
- Mild anxiety
Levels of anxiety disorder
Anxiety levels comprise the following common categories:
Mild anxiety
The initial stage of anxiety is mild anxiety and it imparts minimal negative effects on the person’s life. Individuals suffering from mild anxiety feel stressed even about little things and experience uneasiness for some time. Due to their mental worries, they face difficulty managing their daily life functions. Moreover, mild anxiety can also lead to the occurrence of a few intrusive thoughts which not only affects the person’s mood but also their behavior.
Some common symptoms of mild anxiety include:
- Constant stress or fear
- Overthinking
- Trouble in the sleep-wake cycle
Moderate anxiety
The second and more evident stage of anxiety is moderate anxiety. During this stage of anxiety symptoms start getting more obvious and proliferate as compared to the mild anxiety stage. The intensity and duration of the anxiety symptoms are also increased and strongly influence the overall well-being of individuals. Individuals with moderate anxiety levels experience the following common symptoms:
- Difficulty in making a decision
- Increased intrusive thoughts
- Preference for social isolation
- Irritable behavior
- Sudden changes in temperament
- Anger outburst
- More sensitivity to environmental stressors
Severe anxiety
As the name indicates, severe anxiety is the intense stage or highest level of anxiety disorder in which stress levels exceed normal mental levels. The increased emotional intensity of individuals becomes an obstacle for them to excel in their personal and professional lives. They lose control over their mind and most often experience panic attacks. Moreover, a severe stage of anxiety also leads to some undesired physical issues including raised blood pressure, racing heart, and breathing.
Types of panic attacks
Among all the types of panic attacks, the following types are the most common:
Expected panic attacks
Various environmental stressors cause the onset of panic attacks and the persons are usually aware of that. One of the common mental stressors that affect a person’s mood and behavior is social anxiety. A person having a fear of social anxiety prefers to stay alone instead of interacting within any social community. Therefore, if the person is having any fear then there is a greater probability that he will experience the expected panic attacks. Therefore, such individuals should know the preventive measures to deal with the expected panic attacks.
Unexpected panic attacks
You don’t need to always get panic attacks with retained knowledge. There might be a scenario in which you are feeling relaxed and suddenly a distressing situation occurs that leaves you in a breathtaking moment. Meanwhile, the person experiences sudden panic attacks along with some physical changes such as elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and excessive sweating.
Situational panic attacks
As the name indicates, situational panic attacks are linked to any situation. For instance, if the person is afraid of heights and suddenly moves to any place with extreme heights, then panic attacks occur. Such panic attacks can also become the worst type of panic attack. Moreover, the extent of fear associated with that situation also elevates the rate of occurrence.
Top ways to manage anxiety levels
Whenever you feel stressed, take a deep breath and try to invest your time in finding ways to prevent anxiety-provoking thoughts. Medication management and psychotherapy are commonly used to prevent or treat the symptoms of anxiety disorder. Moreover, different stress relieving techniques have proved to be effective in managing all different anxiety levels. Some of the most common and splendid strategies to calm your mind and eradicate anxiety levels are as follows:
Mindfulness techniques
Mindfulness techniques are supremely effective in treating the anxious brain. So when you think that any certain thing is stuck in your mind and all the things are going wrong then take time to relax your brain with the help of some common mindfulness techniques of the brain including yoga and some meditation exercises.
The stages of anxiety recovery
As each individual responds differently to anxiety, therefore the stages of anxiety recovery are also distinct. The mechanism of recovery is not linear as it involves different phases that exhibit few differences regarding the duration and the extent of anxiety disorder. However, the most common stages involved in anxiety recovery are as follows:
Recognition of anxiety
The treatment and recovery process depends on the initial identification of the main mental health issue. Initially, individuals should identify any undesired change in their mental state. If they think their stress is getting persistent for a longer period then they need to consider their situation. Instead of just taking the stress from their panic attacks, they should take some preventive measures on an immediate basis. After the analysis, the immediate acknowledgment of their anxiety disorder is vital to progress through the stages of anxiety recovery.
Learn more: OCD in children: Signs, Causes and Treatment
Seek the professional help
The second main stage of anxiety recovery is to immediately consult a professional mental health expert to treat the anxiety disorder. After communicating with the experts, they share their all mental health concerns and get a guide regarding the coping or preventing strategies for anxiety symptoms. Experts first perform an in-depth assessment of the mental condition and then identify the main trigger factors of anxiety. The main goal of physiological evaluation is to help individuals restore mental stability by eradicating the symptoms of anxiety disorder.
Experts also teach individuals different complementary techniques to manage anxiety symptoms which include physical exercise, yoga, mind-balancing techniques, and various meditation exercises. Moreover, individuals suffering from anxiety disorder can also take moral and emotional support from their family members or friends. After getting professional support, individuals start moving toward recovery from anxiety.
Implementation of strategies
After approaching the professional experts and getting the treatment plans, individuals should begin to implement them to nurture their minds by overcoming anxiety disorder. They start following the guidelines of experts and start experiencing recovery. Moreover, some individuals engage in psychotherapy while some start taking psychiatric medications to move toward mental wellness.
Further, they also make some alterations in their lifestyle such as the intake of absolute nutrients, adequate sleep, and building a routine of physical workouts.
Monitoring the progress
After passing through each treatment phase, individuals then analyze their progress in anxiety recovery. They also learn different strategies on how to maintain their health to prevent any future consequences of anxiety disorder.
If you want to know more about anxiety disorder and its coping mechanisms then reach out to the Inland Empire Behavioral Group. You can seek our professional help and get rid of anxiety symptoms. Moreover, you can also leverage the telehealth services for your comfort and convenience.
