While generally associated with constant worriers, anxiety doesn’t discriminate – it can affect everyone at some stage. Whenever the word anxiety is mentioned, most everyone can relate to the feeling – insomnia, rapid heart rate, muscle tension and inability to concentrate, to name a few. We’ve all felt anxious before an exam or job interview, however, when anxiety becomes somewhat of a “default state” and interferes with your everyday life, it can be debilitating. Anxiety takes many forms, but the important thing to remember is it is treatable. Generalised Anxiety – Anxiety is the body’s response to difficult or dangerous circumstances. It is a generalised, unfocused feeling of fear, worry and unease, which is generally an overreaction to a subjectively unpleasant situation. Accompanied by muscle tension, restlessness and lapses in concentration, anxiety can be a helpful response if it spurs you into action. Physically, it engages a ‘fight or flight’ response, while psychologically, it keeps you alert and gives you the wherewithal to deal with problems. However, when experienced regularly, anxiety is debilitating – it disrupts your work, social life and overall participation in life. Hereditary Anxiety – A recent landmark study has shown evidence that anxiety may be an inherited trait from parents. Research has found that the brain structure that accompanies psychological conditions like anxiety and depression are passed down through the generations. The researchers discovered that about 30 percent of the variation in early anxiety could be attributed to family history, while a further 35 percent attributed to inherited genes. Through the research, they found the regions of the brain activated during stressful situations were much more active in chronic anxiety sufferers. And that this overactivity is solely inherited […]
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