5 Anxiety Myths
Anxiety is a mental health disorder characterised by fear and a feeling of unease that can be mild or severe. There are many different types of anxiety: generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder to name a few. Anxiety is often linked to depression and insomnia too. All of these anxiety disorders can lead to various mental health conditions that feel incredibly difficult and stressful. There are various common symptoms of these anxiety disorders some of which we name below. There are also many common myths surrounding anxiety that need to be dispelled. Here are 5 of them!
Anxiety is the same as worry and is no big deal
Anxiety is a really common mental health condition. Anxiety is not something we should class as “not a big deal.” Many people talk about anxiety being simply worry. Worry and anxiety are very different. Worry is very normal and effects the mind, anxiety is a mental illness that effects both the body and the mind. We can feel physical sensations of anxiety such as sweaty palms, increased heart rate, shaking, panic attacks and breathlessness. Worry normally resides in the mind and is something that is more specific - you worry about a specific situation or a person, it feels obvious and concrete. Whereas anxiety is more a generalised feeling about many things - it’s a sensation that arrives and you can’t quite pinpoint why you feel anxious. There are various anxiety symptoms but it makes problem solving very difficult which then can lead to more anxious sensations.
Worry is also grounded in reality - in something tangible that exists and therefore it feels logical. Anxiety is based around catastrophic thinking. Anxious people believe there are risks in many situations that might be entirely safe. Anxiety stops people from being able to zoom out and get perspective. Worry is also temporary where as anxiety is long lasting. Worry exists until the problem is solved. With anxiety, even if the problem is solved, the anxiety can still remain. Worry doesn’t impair your ability to function properly, anxiety does. You won’t need to take a sick day if you are worried, however if you are anxious it can completely shake you off course - maybe you can’t focus properly, maybe you feel light headed and faint, maybe you feel paralysed to even make it to work.
2. Anxiety will go away on it’s own
Anxiety will not go away on it’s own. Anxiety is linked to the way you have been thinking, and the beliefs you have had, possibly for a really long time. Beliefs are embedded in our subconscious and without regular work, it’s very hard to change those ways of thinking. We are wired to survive and we adapt our behaviours as young children in order to feel loved and safe in the world. On some level your anxiety may be telling you that it helps you survive in the world - always be on alert, always try to control and fix and everything will be ok.
For example, if perhaps as a child you were told to be quiet and not speak your mind you will bring this into your adult life. So when you feel the urge to speak your mind you will remember that it’s not safe to do so and your nervous system will react accordingly - you feel anxious and unsettled and you shrink and stay small in order to survive and stay loved. This narrative will perpetuate a feeling of not being good enough, or a fear of abandonment. We have to do the work to release these limiting beliefs and allow ourselves to live in the safety of our own skin. A huge shift in perspective, a letting go of the past & creating a new empowering story can help you thrive in the world rather than simply survive.
3. I’m just an anxious person, there’s nothing I can do about it…
There’s so much you can do about it! Working on yourself in terms of anxiety will open you up to a whole new world of personal development and growth. There are so many tools such as affirmations, intentions, a gratitude practice, celebrating yourself and your wins, meditation, group support, therapy, coaching and more! We have to realise that we were wired to survive, we were not wired to be happy. So we have to consciously work on this in order to bring the subconscious limiting beliefs that are holding you back into your awareness. There is no change without awareness.
The way of thinking “there’s nothing I can do” is a victimhood way of thinking. Please don’t worry though, we all do this from time to time. However it’s important to start to realise how powerful you really are in creating your own reality. When we move from victimhood mode to taking radical responsibility, we allow ourselves to make shifts and to feel empowered to change. We get to change the way we have been thinking, our limiting beliefs, our reactions, our stories and create a whole new world for ourselves. This may feel out of reach right now, we totally understand that… but be open to the possibility that you can create a different way of living for yourself.
4. Only weak people have panic attacks
Panic attacks happen to all sorts of people - even the stereotypical toughest people in the world, or people we look up to such as soldiers, great leaders, sports heroes, huge actors, singers… they all have suffered from panic attacks in the past . Michael Phelps, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Ryan Reynolds, Prince Harry, Missy Elliot, Jennifer Lopez, Hugh Grant to name a few. If you have a panic attack it does not mean you are weak. In fact it takes courage to open up and talk about these things. Courageous people inspire others and create change. Panic attacks can happen to anyone.
5. Social anxiety is the same as being shy or
an introvert
People who are shy may be more prone to experiencing social anxiety but the two are not the same. Social anxiety is a fear of being in social situations. Social anxiety can be experienced as a fear of embarrassing yourself, or saying the wrong thing, or not being interesting enough, or even feeling afraid that others will scrutinise you. Social anxiety will cause people to avoid social situations, or panic about them in the lead up. People who are shy may feel uncomfortable in social situations but it’s not something that terrorises that person. Shyness is a personality trait where someone often prefers alone time and doesn’t like to be open in front of people. The key difference is shyness won’t cause too much distress, social anxiety on the other hand can cause serious distress and trigger panic attacks. It can also lead someone to avoid stressful situations such as social gatherings all together.
Here are three ways in which we believe you can start to manage anxiety:
1. Awareness.
Becoming aware of the fact that you have generalized anxiety or any other anxiety disorder is the first step to creating change. Without awareness we can’t start to become conscious to our patterns of behaviour and ways of thinking. The first step with finding awareness around anxiety is to realise that we can use tools such as meditation, the breath, movement & creativity to settle our nervous system. When we feel anxious the body is in a high alert mode and we need to move from our fight or flight mode to our rest and digest mode. Once we have settled the nervous system, then there are various ways in which we can rewire the brain to move away from the inner critic and the fear that we regularly experience, and start to feel more settled, calm and less anxious.
2. Kindness and compassion.
We live in a society that puts a lot of pressure on us to be perfect. We have to start to be kind and compassionate towards ourselves in order to create change. Change doesn’t happen from a place of shame, blame and guilt. Change happens from a place of acceptance and softness. Change comes from love. Remember, thoughts are not facts, you don’t need to have everything figured out and yes you can let go of all the expectations and pressure you put on yourself!
3. Creating a new energy.
Once we find awareness, kindness and compassion we can start to create a shift in our energy. A shift that no longer allows us to be the victim but the creator of our lives. When we take responsibility for how we feel we can choose to change our limiting beliefs to create more empowering, more enriching beliefs about ourselves. We get to choose what we want to bring into our lives, we get to embrace uncertainty of life, we get to live with a sense of flow and we are able to build resilience and increase our capacity for discomfort. In short, we are responsible in creating the change in our lives. So choose to do this work, and beautiful transformations will start to happen.
Yoga With Niomi & Sophie
Come and join our 3 day course - Yoga to Ease Anxiety. In this course you will learn how to look out for the signs of anxiety, find more awareness & acceptance, understand that the key to moving forwards is with kindness & compassion and choosing love over fear. This course comprises of 3 yoga flows, 3 meditations & 3 journaling workbooks. The course will help you find confidence, clarity & allow you to get to know yourself on a deeper level.