Triggers are events, situations, or thoughts that cause or reinforce feelings of anxiety. Identifying anxiety triggers is a critical step in managing your mental health. This blog will explain what anxiety is, outline how to recognize your triggers, and how to manage them effectively.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural emotion that can reveal itself as feelings of fear, worry, and uneasiness in response to perceived threats or stress. Although occasional anxiety is a regular part of life, individuals with anxiety disorders often have excessive, intense, and ongoing worry and fear about everyday situations.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders involve recurring episodes of sudden, intense feelings of anxiety and fear or terror that may reach a peak in a few minutes. Anxiety can’t be diagnosed with a simple test. The condition takes various forms and can co-occur with other medical conditions. However, some common signs and symptoms include:
- Hyperventilation (rapid breathing)–breathing too quickly or shallowly
- Increased heart rate–the heart may feel like it’s pounding or racing
- Sweating–excessive sweating, mainly in the palms of your hands
- Shaking or trembling–physical shaking or tremors
- Muscle tension–tightness or stiffness in your muscles
- Lightheadedness or dizziness–having a loss of balance or feeling faint
- Stomach upset or nausea–feeling sick to your stomach
- Sleeping issues–difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Headaches, fatigue, and appetite changes
- Feeling tense, restless, or nervous–being unable to relax; a general feeling of unease.
- Feeling imminent danger or panic: A sudden feeling of fear or impending doom
- Excessive worrying: Worrying constantly about things that may or may not occur
- Irritability: Being easily agitated or annoyed
- Fear of the worst–anticipating the worst possible outcome in situations
- Trouble concentrating–problems with focusing or paying attention
- Intrusive thoughts: Recurring unwanted images or thoughts that you can’t get rid of
- Obsessive thinking: Repeated unwanted thoughts or images that lead to distress
- Catastrophizing: Exaggerating the possible negative consequences of events
- Decision-making difficulties: Being overwhelmed by the possible consequences of choices
- Difficulty dealing with uncertainty: Feeling anxious when dealing with situations that aren’t spelled out
- Avoidance: Avoiding activities or situations that promote anxiety
- Agitation: Being restless or unable to sit still
- Psychomotor agitation: Unintentionally moving or fidgeting
Types of Anxiety Disorders
GAD includes persistent and excessive worry and anxiety about events or activities, even routine, ordinary issues. The worrying is out of proportion to the actual event, is hard to control, and affects you physically.
Panic disorder involves repeated occurrences of sudden, intense anxiety and fear or terror that peak within minutes (panic attacks). This disorder may cause shortness of breath, chest pain, a rapid fluttering or pounding heartbeat, or feelings of impending doom. Panic attacks can cause you to worry about them happening again or avoid situations where they have occurred.
SAD involves high levels of fear, anxiety, and avoidance of social situations because of self-consciousness, embarrassment, and worry about being judged or looked at negatively by others.
Phobias are extreme fears about specific situations (e.g., flying in an airplane) or objects (e.g., fear of spiders or snakes). You may fear and avoid places or situations that may cause you to panic and make you feel helpless, embarrassed, or trapped (agoraphobia). These are characterized by high anxiety when exposed to a specific situation or object and the desire to avoid it. Phobias may provoke panic attacks.
This disorder features symptoms of intense anxiety or panic that are a direct consequence of taking medications, misusing drugs, being exposed to toxic substances, or drug withdrawal.
How to Identify Anxiety Triggers
- Keep a Journal–keeping a journal is an effective way to identify triggers
- Record the time and date when the anxiety occurred
- Describe the situation right before and during the anxiety
- Record your physical symptoms
- Make a note of your emotional reaction
- Identify the thoughts that went through your mind
Be Aware of Patterns–look for common themes in your journal, such as:
- Situations–specific events or places that trigger anxiety
- Certain types of thoughts or self-talk that precede anxiety
- Physical symptoms that accompany your anxiety
- You feel overwhelmed by too much work or responsibilities
- You feel insecure about yourself or your abilities
- You feel helpless in situations beyond your control
- Crowds
- Loud sounds
- Cluttered areas
- Insufficient sleep
- Alcohol or caffeine
- Irregular eating habits
Am I Just Worrying or Is It Anxiety?
Is what you’re feeling typical worry or something more significant? While both involve apprehension and concern, there are differences. Worry usually focuses on a specific, recognizable issue or problem with an obvious trigger or cause. Once the problem is resolved, the concern usually declines. This is a natural and resilient response to stress.
On the other hand, anxiety is more generalized and may be out of proportion to the actual situation or threat. Anxiety can be more extensive and persistent, without an apparent trigger or cause, and frequently involves unrealistic, excessive fears and concerns. Physical symptoms, like restlessness, muscle tension, or fatigue, may also result from anxiety.
When to Seek Help
If you have excessive fear and worry, and it’s doing the following, the best thing to do is to talk to someone to receive help:
- Causing considerable distress
- Interfering with your day-to-day life
- Coinciding with physical symptoms
- Continuous and doesn’t decrease over time
Then it’s crucial to contact a mental health provider. They can provide guidance and support to help you manage feelings and establish coping strategies.
10 Tips for Coping With Anxiety Triggers
- Identify anxiety triggers: Identify the specific stimuli, situations, or thoughts that trigger your anxiety. (Keeping an anxiety journal helps with this.)
- Grounding techniques: When you’re feeling overwhelmed, focus on your senses by identifying three things you see, three things you can touch, and three things you can hear.
- Relaxation techniques: Meditation, deep breathing exercises, or progressive muscle relaxation can calm your nervous system.
- Physical activity: Exercising regularly, including yoga or brisk walking, helps reduce stress and anxiety symptoms.
- Practice healthy habits: A balanced diet, sufficient sleep, and limited caffeine consumption help relieve anxiety.
- Self-Care and mindfulness: Participate in activities you enjoy, connect with loved ones, and go easy on yourself.
- Professional help: A therapist or counselor can provide personalized guidance and support.
- Exposure therapy: Slowly expose yourself to triggers in a controlled situation with support.
- Question negative thoughts: Challenge and reexamine negative or anxious thoughts
- Manage worries: Designate specific times to worry. Write down your worries to avoid them running through your mind constantly.
Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
Although there are many types of anxiety disorders, research reveals that similar underlying processes drive most. Individuals with anxiety disorders tend to be easily overwhelmed by their emotions, and they tend to have especially negative responses to their unpleasant feelings and situations. The two main treatments for anxiety disorders are medications and psychotherapy.
Psychologists are trained to diagnose anxiety disorders and teach people more effective ways to cope by identifying anxiety triggers. Psychotherapy is a process where patients and psychologists work together to discover specific concerns and develop solid skills and methods for dealing with anxiety. Patients then practice their new skills to manage anxiety outside of the sessions in situations that usually make them uncomfortable.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one form of psychotherapy that is highly effective at treating anxiety disorders. Through the cognitive element of therapy, individuals learn to understand how their thoughts contribute to their symptoms of anxiety. The behavioral element includes techniques to reduce unwanted behavior associated with anxiety. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of CBT focusing on emotions.
Family therapy helps family members understand their loved one’s anxiety and helps them learn how to interact in ways that don’t reinforce anxious habits. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and yoga help promote relaxation and contribute to a holistic approach to treatment.
Antidepressants: SSRIs and SNRIs are frequently prescribed for anxiety. They work by balancing the neurotransmitters that affect anxiety and mood.
Benzodiazepines: A class of anti-anxiety medications that can give quick relief from anxiety symptoms. However, they are usually only prescribed for short-term use because of their potential for dependence.
Substance use disorders, unfortunately, commonly co-occur with anxiety disorders. The interactions between the disorders are variable and many-sided. Anxiety symptoms often appear during chronic intoxication and withdrawal from several substances. Anxiety disorders are usually a risk factor for the development of SUDs and may change the presentation of illness for SUDs. Similarly, SUDs may change the presentation of anxiety disorders.
Origins Texas Recovery Can Help Manage Your Anxiety
Origins Texas Recovery is located on South Padre Island, TX. We are a rehab facility with experienced psychologists and counselors. If you believe you or a loved one needs professional help to identify anxiety triggers and better cop with their condition, we can provide treatment to meet your needs.
We use various therapies in holistic addiction treatment to ensure a comprehensive recovery process. In addition to CBT and medication, we include mindfulness exercises, outdoor activities, and acupuncture. Origins Texas Recovery offers a variety of treatment programs to help you achieve a balanced, anxiety and substance-free life. Contact us today.
