What is Anxiety?

Anxiety

We all worry about different things like school, finances, or relationships from time to time. However, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is different from normal anxious feelings. An individual with GAD may worry about a variety of things excessively and uncontrollably, even if there is no reason to worry. 


Some common signs of GAD are: 

 

  • Excessive anxiety present more days than not for 6 months 
  • Constant worry, out of proportion to the impact of an event 
  • Overthinking plans and solutions to worse-case outcomes 
  • Difficulty with uncertainty 
  • Difficulty controlling worry 
  • Difficulty making decisions, or fear of making wrong decisions 
  • Difficulty with concentration 
  • Feeling restless or on edge, trouble relaxing
  • This excessive anxiety is impacting daily functioning 

 

Individuals with GAD can also experience physical symptoms like restlessness, fatigue, sweating, difficulty concentrating, nausea, digestive problems, irritability, muscle tension, or difficulty with sleep. 


Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Children 


Children with GAD worry excessively about a variety of things like school, grades, family, relationships with peers, or performance in sports. This can cause children to experience the above symptoms just as adults do, although children often present with increased physical symptoms when dealing with anxiety. Additionally, children with GAD tend to be very hard on themselves and strive for perfection, which can cause a need to seek reassurance or approval from others. 


Anxiety in Children

Anxiety is one of the most common health concerns for children, but can present differently from how it is seen in adults. It is not unusual for children to feel anxious, but how can we know when this anxiety becomes a problem? Some physical signs that you might see in your child are things like not using the bathroom at school, frequent headaches or stomach aches, restlessness, hyperactivity, shaking in intimidating situations, muscle tension, or difficulty sleeping. Emotionally, children struggling with anxiety may cry a lot or be very sensitive, be easily angered, experience panic attacks, worry about their future, worry when leaving a parent, or have frequent nightmares about losing a parent. Behaviourally, children with anxiety may constantly ask “what if” questions, avoid class activities, refuse to go to school, avoid social situations, or have tantrums. Common childhood anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, selective mutism, and social anxiety.

How is anxiety treated? 

A common form of treatment for anxiety disorders is psychotherapy, in which the client and therapist work together to identify anxiety triggers and explore and challenge maladaptive thoughts and behaviours. Some widely used treatment approaches include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, which seek to modify maladaptive thoughts patterns and confront triggers to reduce anxiety in the long term.

If you've experienced any of the above symptoms, you may be suffering from anxiety. Contact us for a free 15 minute consultation to see how we can help. 
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