The Meaning of Anxiety: Symptoms, Types, and How to Distinguish It from Normal Anxiety

Kapanlagi.com - Anxiety is often understood as anxiety. However, in reality, the meaning of anxiety and anxiety are not entirely the same.

Feeling anxious is a normal thing that someone can feel every time they face a difficult situation. The situation can be in the form of bad news or events that cause fear. However, the meaning of anxiety is not like that. Anxiety is a condition in which someone experiences anxiety disorders without any clear reason.

This clearly needs to be watched out for. Because the anxiety that arises in this condition is usually difficult to control. Therefore, as a form of concern, you need to understand the meaning of anxiety along with its symptoms and types below.

1. The Meaning of Anxiety

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As mentioned above, the meaning of anxiety and anxiety are not the same. One of the differences lies in the triggering factor. Anxiety caused by bad news is still considered normal. However, anxiety tends to be more complicated because anxiety can arise suddenly, difficult to control, and the triggering factor is difficult to detect by oneself.

When the anxiety that initially arises normally continues for a long time, tends to persist, until it worsens, of course, it becomes a dangerous condition. Especially when it has entered the phase of disrupting daily activities, the condition can be said to be an anxiety disorder.

2. Symptoms of Anxiety

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Feelings of anxiety in someone can be triggered by threatening or frightening situations. The situations involved can vary, such as entering school on the first day, experiencing disasters or accidents, hearing bad news, or caring for someone who is sick. That is normal and natural.

However, if these feelings develop into severe anxiety that causes stress, you should be alert. Especially if it leads to symptoms of anxiety. Therefore, in addition to understanding the meaning of anxiety, you also need to understand its symptoms. According to Alodokter's website, these symptoms include:

- Nervousness, restlessness, and tension.

- Rapid heart rate.

- Rapid breathing.

- Trembling.

- Difficulty or even inability to sleep.

- Sweating a lot.

- Feeling weak.

- Difficulty concentrating.

- Feeling like you are in danger.

3. Types of Anxiety

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After understanding the meaning of anxiety and its symptoms, it is also important for you to know its types. Here is information about the types of anxiety that you can use as basic knowledge about mental health.

1. Generalized anxiety disorder

People with generalized anxiety disorder can feel anxious or worried constantly and excessively about various things, from work, health, to things that are actually simple. The feeling can last for 6 months. Due to the disorder, sufferers usually feel easily tired, tense, nauseous, headaches, difficulty concentrating, shortness of breath, and insomnia.

2. Social anxiety disorder

People with social anxiety disorder or social phobia have extraordinary anxiety or fear towards social environment or situations when they have to interact with others. The feeling of being constantly watched by others will be felt, thus causing excessive embarrassment or fear when in public places.

3. Phobia

Phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that makes sufferers have excessive and tend to be irrational fear towards a certain object, animal, or situation. Usually, sufferers will experience severe panic attacks when facing their phobia triggers.

4. Panic disorder

People with panic disorder can feel afraid or panicked for no clear reason. Anxiety and panic attacks caused by this disorder can occur at any time and happen suddenly or repeatedly. Other symptoms that may be felt include rapid heartbeat, cold sweats, dizziness, shortness of breath, as well as trembling and feeling weak in the body.

5. PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur in someone who has experienced traumatic events or been in life-threatening situations. For example, in people who have lived in conflict or war zones, experienced natural disasters, or are victims of violence. Traumatic experiences are difficult to forget, often lingering in one's mind, appearing in dreams, triggering feelings of guilt, and even isolation.

6. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

People with OCD have a tendency to repeat actions to alleviate anxiety originating from their own thoughts, for example, washing their hands three times because they keep thinking their hands are dirty. The sufferer themselves will find it difficult to control this and it can relapse at any time.

4. How to Differentiate Anxiety and Normal Anxiety

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Awareness and concern for mental health need to be considered. Actually, anxiety doesn't always have to be a bad thing. Unfortunately, not everyone can generate positive thoughts and get motivation or encouragement to overcome difficult situations. Therefore, it is important for everyone to know how to differentiate anxiety and normal anxiety.

For example, you need to realize that feeling anxious when taking a test or job interview is normal, so you can change it into motivation. That way, the desire to carry out the activity to the maximum will grow.

However, you need to be alert when anxiety persists even though the triggering factor has disappeared. In fact, there are conditions where anxiety arises without any clear reason. Of course, you yourself will have difficulty dealing with it until it interferes with daily activities. If it has reached that stage, you should be suspicious.

The symptoms in each person are not always the same, depending on the type of disorder experienced. Therefore, you need to seek help from experts by undergoing examinations with psychiatrists or psychologists.

That is an explanation of the meaning of anxiety along with its symptoms, types, and how to differentiate it from normal anxiety.

(kpl/gen/ans)