All of us have experienced anxiety at some stage of our life. It’s the disorder of our time, anxiety and anxiety disorders is on the increase. According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in South Africa. One of five South-Africans are affected by anxiety annually. Even in private practice, we find that anxiety and anxiety disorders are more commonly diagnosed.

Anxiety is very special in that it manifests physiologically . It can we leave with a feeling of butterflies in our stomach, a lump in our throat, nausea and palpitations . A panic- or panic attack is a short period of intense fear or discomfort that unexpectedly and with unwelcome physiological symptoms as palpitations, sweating, trembling, breathless or breathing difficulties, nausea, hot flushes, cold shivers, pins and needles feeling in your fingers and legs, numbness and dizziness are characterized. It is not uncommon to feel as if you’re having a heart attack and losing control. During a panic attack, it can also feel like you are out of your body, losing control or dying.

The presence of anxiety in certain situations is essential for survival and how your autonomic nervous system simulates the body to get “ready” for possible attack, danger or new situations. However, it happens that the amygdala in the brain of people with an anxiety disorder triggers a false alarm to the body for non-threatening everyday activities . This leads to overwhelming feelings of anxiety and worry, and even become obsessive starting to ask “What if?”

Anxiety is complex and no-one experiences it exactly the same. This means that the treatment of anxiety disorders differs from person to person. Treatment involves an integration of psychotherapy and medication. Psychotherapy can help identify and change the thought patterns that recede an anxiety attack. Psychologists focus on the source of the anxiety disorder in order to address the causes leading up to and resulting in the feeling of anxiety. Stress coping mechanisms, regular exercise and relaxation techniques can help in the management of anxiety symptoms. Support from friends and family can also be very valuable, in order to create an environment where people can express difficult emotions that the anxiety disorder may worsen or provoke. (Smith, Robinson & Segal, 2019).

More and more our contact with the outside world and how we reach out to our support systems is influenced by social media. Research shows increasingly dependent state of social media can lead to an increased risk of developing anxiety disorders, loneliness and depression (Amedie, 2015). People that feel like they don’t meet societies and social media’s standards also show also elevated levels of anxiety .

It is therefore a very valuable contribution psychologists and professional mental health practitioners can deliver in the treatment of people with anxiety disorders. Psychologists can people live their best life without crippling fear and anxiety. The more people isolate themselves from other and their environment the greater the risk of developing or worsening of anxiety disorders. So reach out to professional mental health staff or a Psychologist in your area for help and support .