Psychoeducation of anxiety

Summary of the knowledge that psychologists give in psychoeducation to anxiety problems.

Anxiety is a mental and physical response to situations we interpret as dangerous.. It is a normal reaction that can experience any person in some occasion, for example, when speaking in public, when we have an important appointment or before an exam.

This physical and mental sensation, coming from a primary emotion, fear, can provide us with an aid to escape from what we consider dangerous, or give us additional energy to successfully get out of that dangerous situation.

Since the symptomatology of anxiety is unpleasant, we may tend to see it as an enemy, instead of seeing it for what it is, a defense mechanism, an alarm that warns us and helps us in the face of danger. Therefore, the goal will not be to avoid or eliminate it, but to learn to listen to it and manage it.

Anxiety can become a "problem" when the symptoms are very severe, last for too long, are very frequent, appear in situations that should not really be interpreted as dangerous or stressful.They last too long, they are very frequent, they appear in situations that really should not be interpreted as dangerous or stressful or, in general, if it limits our day to day, turning us into dysfunctional people, instead of functional ones.

How can we identify anxiety?

What we think, what we do or how our body reacts, can be manifestations of anxiety. In this way, anxiety appears at the cognitive level, at the motor level or at the physiological level..

At the cognitive level, there are thoughts that appear in the mind automatically when we feel anxiety. These thoughts tend to be irrational, such as: "I'm going to die", "This is horrible", "I can't stand it", "I'm going to go crazy", etc. The mind is warning us of a much greater danger than we actually have to face.

On the behavioral level, when we suffer from anxiety we are likely to avoid things, for example, going out alone or talking to people. When we avoid the situation that generates anxiety, we immediately feel better; but in the long term, avoidance will generate an association between anxiety and that which is avoided, making coping more difficult.

In addition, anxiety can also may also encourage us to feel that we must do certain things, for example, repeatedly checkingFor example, repeatedly checking if all the doors in the house are closed or if all the furniture is free of dust. Other behaviors such as hypervigilance or fast talking (even disordering words) can also occur in people suffering from anxiety.

Finally, at the physiological level, we can highlight numerous symptoms that arise as a way of prepare the body to cope with a supposed threat.. They are usually very unpleasant and can sometimes appear without any reason being identified. However, these symptoms are not dangerous and will not harm us. For example: headache, palpitations or tachycardia, choking sensation, rapid and shallow breathing, tightness in the chest, sweating in the extremities, trembling, blurred vision, dizziness, chills, dry mouth, tiredness, ringing in the ears, muscle tension, upset stomach, nausea, frequent urination, etc. Most people only experience some of these symptoms, not all of them.

Thus, we may begin to notice anxiety through thoughts, behavior or the body, and the anxiety reaction in each of these areas influences the others. This keeps the body "on alert", creating a vicious cycle that maintains anxiety.

Why does anxiety appear?

As of today, we can say that there are numerous factors that can trigger anxiety. Often, it can be initiated when we go through significant periods of stress.. For example: pressure at work, taking exams, loss of someone close to us, financial problems, lack of sleep or diagnosis of an illness.

When we feel stress, it triggers a response that has been present since prehistoric times and helped our ancestors to survive. Our body releases adrenaline, preparing us to "escape" or "fight" the moment the threat appears.

In this way, a series of physical changes occur: muscles tense up ready to flee or fight, the heart beats faster to carry Blood to the brain and muscles (where it is most needed at that moment), breathing speeds up to provide the necessary oxygen and thus generate enough energy. to provide the necessary oxygen to generate sufficient energy, etc. Once the threat is overcome or disappears, this response fades, and a feeling of exhaustion may appear.

Bearing in mind the above, we can react in this way to a number of things that worry us. When we feel overwhelmed in a constant way by significant worries for us, the body is constantly "on alert", appearing the symptomatology of anxiety.

It is necessary to bear in mind that there are people who have a greater predisposition to suffer from anxiety than others, such as those who present a personality of an anxious character or who have lived difficult experiences during their childhood, etc.

• Article related: "Types of stress and its triggers".

What is an anxiety attack and what can I do at that moment?

An anxiety attack can be defined as the sudden appearance of intense fear or of intense discomfort that reaches its maximum expression in minutes and, in that time, symptoms may appear such as: palpitations, sweating, trembling, choking or drowning sensation, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, shivering, tingling, derealization or depersonalization, fear of losing control or dying.

When a danger signal is perceived or anticipated, the brain sends messages to the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).. This system, as its name suggests, works autonomously, i.e. without our will intervening. It has two branches: Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The SNS activates the fight or flight response and the PNS is responsible for returning the body to its normal state.

In this way, the activity of the SNS has a limit, which means that anxiety cannot continue forever or increase to levels that generate damage, as the PNS is a protective system that will bring the body to a state of relaxation, preventing the SNS from continuing its course without control.

As we have said before, when we are faced with danger, our body carries out a response that, on most occasions, involves a very common symptom: hyperventilation.. When breathing rapidly, carbon dioxide decreases in the blood, altering its pH and, in turn, generating other symptoms such as dizziness, tingling, palpitations, etc., already mentioned.

Therefore, it is important that, during an it is important that, during an anxiety attack, we try to breathe slowly, inhaling little oxygen; to connect with our surroundings; to connect with our environment.Let's keep in mind that we are not going to die or suffer any harm, because the symptoms are unpleasant, but they will pass. We are not going to "go crazy" either.

Can I control anxiety?

I am sorry to tell you that anxiety cannot be controlled, since if it were so, it would be enough to stop it from appearing or we could quickly eliminate it from our interior if it did.

But the fact that it cannot be controlled does not mean that it cannot be managed when it appears.. Good emotional management is synonymous with well-being.

To be able to manage anxiety we need to know what it is and how it works, that is to say, to take into account the previous points. In addition, we can learn and practice a series of techniques or tools that will help us to cope with the emotion in an adaptive way, for example, cognitive restructuring, problem solving or diaphragmatic breathing.

Author: Maribel Martín, Psychologist at Rapport Psychology Center.