Something I’ve noticed is that people don’t really understand what Generalized Anxiety Disorder (or GAD) is. A lot of people think it’s like social anxiety or some form of a phobia. For my last post of the year, I wanted to clarify what GAD is since it is something that I have dealt with for a long time now. I thought it might be helpful to explain what it is to people who might be unaware or curious, and I also wanted to provide some helpful ways to manage this kind of anxiety for anyone who may be struggling to handle it—and this can apply to those who have/might have GAD or people just dealing with stress and anxiety in general.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is basically chronic and exaggerated worrying about everyday life without any specific reason or cause. It is mentally and physically exhausting, because you’re constantly dealing with feelings of dread or worry over very ordinary, everyday things. Its intensity is less of that of a panic or an anxiety attack, however its endurance is significantly longer, making it nearly impossible to relax and making daily functioning quite difficult at times.
One clarification that I think is important is differentiating normal worry versus GAD worry. With normal worrying, it doesn’t interfere with normal daily functioning. It can generally be controlled or contained, the worries don’t cause significant distress, and it only lasts for a short period of time. With GAD, the worrying can interfere significantly with daily functioning and affect one’s work, relationships, and activities. It is nearly uncontrollable and uncontainable. The worry causes great distress and makes one extremely upset, and the extent of worrying has lasted every day for the last six months or longer.
By reading that last paragraph, I’m sure you can see why having GAD can be so upsetting to one’s life. It is long lasting, constant, and mentally and emotionally draining. It can affect a person’s relationships with friends and family, schoolwork, jobs, and even enjoyment of hobbies and activities. It’s a common anxiety disorder that many people have, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you have this disorder as well.
For those curious, here are some primary symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder according to WebMD and HelpGuide.org:
- Excessive, ongoing worry/tension
- An unrealistic view of problems
- Restlessness/feeling “edgy” or “on edge” all the time
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea
- Constant use of bathroom
- Tiredness
- Difficulty falling/staying asleep
- Trembling
- Being easily startled
- Inability to tolerate uncertainty
- Inability to relax
- Putting things off because you feel overwhelmed
- Avoiding situations that make you anxious
- Intrusive thoughts about things that make you anxious
If you have a diagnosis of GAD, then you could probably relate to most of the things listed above. If you don’t have a diagnosis for GAD but feel like these symptoms apply to you, I strongly recommend talking to a counselor or psychologist about the possibility of having GAD and seeking treatment for the disorder (Note: treatment isn’t meant to eliminate the disorder but rather manage it).
Personally, I was diagnosed with GAD four years ago and have become quite high functioning despite it because I have learned ways to manage my anxiety and worries to prevent it from becoming too intrusive in my life. Yes, it can be hard to control sometimes, but there are ways to help deal with it. Here are some methods that I have found from my own experiences as well as what I have found online as well (links will be below):
- Music – putting on music helps me a lot to drown out intrusive thoughts that can be triggering for me and it distracts me from what I am worrying about.
- Learning a new hobby/skill – I’ve found that picking up a new hobby or skill can help me to not think about anxiety-triggering things, so I’ve started learning ukulele and I practice playing new songs whenever I start to feel intense anxiety about something.
- Exercise – I know a lot of people don’t like exercising or working out, but this helps me so much. You don’t need to do a heavy, strength-building work out; you can just do some light stretching and Pilates to help relieve tension and stress. Exercise also helps to boost physical and mental energy, and enhances well-being through the release of endorphins (endorphins are the “feel good” chemicals in your bodies, so yay endorphins!). According to HelpGuide.org, exercises involving both your arms and legs (walking, running, swimming, dancing) are especially effective. While you’re exercising, focus not on the anxiety-provoking thoughts but the way your body is moving and how it feels to work and stretch different muscles. By focusing on the physical movement and feeling of the body as you exercise, you are improving your physical condition and interrupting the flow of constant worries in your head. Other activities that may help include rock climbing, boxing, martial arts, and weight training.
- Worry journal – A worry journal is basically a journal where you write (or even draw) out the things you’re worrying about and what is causing them, creating a place to release your thoughts instead of containing them up in your head. For me, writing or talking about what I’m worrying about can help relieve the stress because I am releasing it from my thoughts and onto a piece of paper. It also helps me recognize when my anxiety is irrational; this help me to stop feeling anxious about little things. Seeing it written out rather than just listening to it run through my head allows me to literally see what’s going on and can sometimes help me work through a problem. It helps me to rationalize the anxious feelings and worry.
- To Do Lists – If you’re feeling overwhelmed with a lot of tasks to get done, I recommend writing down a to do list. This is similar to keeping a worry journal, because it brings everything you have to get done into a visual perspective. It might seem like you have a million things to do, but when you write down what you need to get done, you realize maybe it’s only 5 things. It makes you rationalize what you have to do and bring it down from a huge overwhelming cloud of worry to a small list of tasks to check off.
- Avoid caffeine and sugar – These two things can increase anxiety, interfere with sleep, and provoke anxiety attacks. It’s best to reduce and/or avoid consuming these two things if possible. If you drink a lot of coffee and have GAD, reducing your intake of coffee or replacing coffee with tea could possibly help lower the intensity of your anxiety.
- Get enough sleep – While anxiety can produce different forms of insomnia, a lack of sleep can contribute to anxiety. Being sleep deprived can compromise your ability to handle stress. Having a consistent sleep schedule that allows you to get the amount of sleep you need and having good sleep hygiene can help keep your emotions in balance, which is a key factor in coping with anxiety or worry.
- Practice relaxation and stress management techniques – Practicing things like yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing can help with the physical components of anxiety. Anxiety is not simply a feeling but a physical reaction as well, so learning the best ways to manage your physical anxiety can help you to relax.
As finals approach at UBC, it’s important to stay on top of your stress and learn how to manage it, so hopefully you can take something away from this article to help you manage your anxiety and stress, even if you don’t have GAD. And if you do have GAD like I do (or think you might), I sincerely hope you are capable of managing it well; and if not, remember that it’s okay to reach out for help from counselors or therapists if you need to. Try using the techniques listed above to manage your anxiety, but reach out too, if you feel it’s necessary. You certainly don’t have to deal with this alone. It’s a manageable disorder to live with if you find effective ways to deal with it, but I do understand that it can be hard sometimes. Good luck, and remember that no matter what you’re dealing with right now, you’ll be okay.
Written by Shelby Rogers
Some resources on campus that can help students with anxiety include the Wellness Centre, UBC counseling, Student Health Services, AMS Speakeasy, Academic Advising, and Access and Diversity, which deals with providing accommodation to those with chronic and diagnosed mental and physical disabilities.
Works Cited
http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/generalized-anxiety-disorder
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad.htm
http://www.anxietybc.com/sites/default/files/adult_hmgad.pdf