Everyone gets anxiety. Whether it comes in the form of fear or excitement, it is a natural feeling we endure. More often than not, we can identify what brought on those feelings.
For some of us though, anxiety takes over. It runs our lives. It dictates our decisions. That foreboding feeling prevents us from living a fulfilled life. Sometimes a minute trigger sets us off, or the anxiety comes literally out of nowhere. For whatever reason, we are suddenly feeling on edge with our brain racing a million miles an hour.
Not going to lie. It annoys me when people say they have “bad anxiety.” I am not saying that I do not believe them, but the majority of people with “bad anxiety” experience the feeling within the normal range. There is a point however where it crosses the line into anxiety disorder. Literally, you can no longer manage it, and it crosses into a state of disarray.
Yours truly has been dealing with the “disorder” aspect of anxiety for well over 15 years. In recent years, I had more under control. Unfortunately, it likes to rear its ugly head every so often. This past week it did just that. I found myself staring at the ceiling before bed. I could not slow my mind down for the life of me. Triggers I usually could blow off got under my skin.
Sadly, this can happen with anxiety disorders. A state of panic ensues for no reason whatsoever. You can wake up one morning, and your anxiety decides to pay a visit. It can stick around anywhere from a few hours to several weeks.
With this latest bout of anxiety, I could not pick out a specific trigger. I was a bit stressed out from work, but nothing out of the ordinary. For a few days, I ruminated on the potential cause. It drove me bonkers. I made myself more anxious thinking about it. The reality of it was that there probably was not a particular incident that kick started my anxiety.
Obviously, knowing your triggers is important. There is no denying that. However, I became so engulfed in figuring out what sent me into an anxiety whirlwind that I lost focus. I dwelt on an unanswerable question. It held me back for several days and became a thing of the past. I neglected working towards a resolution as a result. After a little refocus, sorting out my present feelings moved me forward.
-The Caring Counselor