We discussed the dangers of anxiety and the effects it can have on the body and mind in yesterday’s post. This, in turn, can have a significant negative impact on one’s quality of life. If you are frequently anxious or, worse, suffer from anxiety attacks, it can quickly spiral out of control, affecting your quality of life.
Anxiety causes your body to be on high alert. You believe you are in danger, which causes your heart rate to increase, your palms to sweat, and you to become stressed.
While this can be beneficial at times, such as when motivating you to study for a test or an interview, it can also be unpleasant. Most importantly, it will be completely ineffective for the vast majority of us who suffer from anxiety. People often become anxious about things over which they have no control. In those cases, anxiety, stress, and putting your body on high alert serve no purpose.
All it does is make you feel terrible and cause you to sleep poorly. In fact, one of the negative effects of anxiety is sleep deprivation or insomnia. A lack of sleep does not make for a good day, and it will have a negative impact on your performance. Long-term insomnia will also have an effect on your body.
Anxiety is a stress-related condition. When we are stressed, our bodies release a hormone called Cortisol. This has been linked to weight gain Add to that the fact that many people reach for comfort foods, chocolate, or salty snacks when they are stressed, and anxiety can result in significant weight gain. This, combined with stress and a lack of sleep, raises the risk of heart disease. Anxiety, in other words, can be physically debilitating.
While physical debilitation takes time to manifest, the mental effects of anxiety are immediate. It can be difficult to function in daily life when suffering from severe anxiety. You appear stressed and fearful all of the time.
As your anxiety begins to spiral out of control, you may develop coping mechanisms such as avoiding stressful situations and people. For example, you may no longer be able to go grocery shopping except during off-hours. Because of severe anxiety issues, some people are unable to leave their homes at all. I’m sure you’ll agree that this is extremely frustrating.
For many people, high anxiety develops into depression. It becomes difficult to muster the energy to get out of bed in the morning and face life. It’s exhausting to be on high alert and pumped full of adrenaline. Staying in bed appears to be a much better option.
If you notice that your anxiety is having a negative impact on your life, please seek professional help. While anxiety can be crippling, there is help available as well as a variety of tools to assist you in returning to a normal life.
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