Generalized Anxiety Disorder - People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder have persistent and excessive worry about many day to day things. They may anticipate disaster and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, school, work, friends, and other issues. People with this disorder may expect the worst even if there is no reason to worry.
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Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms can vary, they may include:
- Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events
- Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes
- Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't
- Difficulty handling uncertainty
- Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision
- Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
- Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge
- Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"
Physical signs and symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Muscle tension or muscle aches
- Trembling, feeling twitchy
- Nervousness or being easily startled
- Sweating
- Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
- Irritability
ASSESSMENT (Please don't use this to Self-Diagnose, see a professional if these are present!):
- Present more days than not (90+ out of 180 days).Worry happens more often than not for at least 6 months and is clearly excessive
- Anxiety is hard to control
- Anxiety causes impairment on daily life
- Not caused by a medical conditions
- Not better explained by another mental disorder or from substance abuse (prescriptions medication, alcohol, recreational drugs
Living with generalized anxiety disorder can be a long-term challenge. In many cases, it occurs along with other anxiety or mood disorders. In most cases, generalized anxiety disorder improves with psychotherapy or medications. Making lifestyle changes, learning coping skills and using relaxation techniques also can help.
(https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20360803)
Prevention:
There's no way to predict for certain what will cause someone to develop generalized anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you experience anxiety:
- Get help early. Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait
- Keep a journal. Keeping track of your personal life can help you and your mental health professional identify what's causing you stress and what seems to help you feel better
- Prioritize issues in your life. You can reduce anxiety by carefully managing your time and energy
Avoid unhealthy substance use. Alcohol, drug or even nicotine and caffeine use can cause or worsen anxiety. If you're addicted to any of these substances, quitting can make you anxious. If you can't quit on your own, see your doctor or find a treatment program or support group to help you.
