The Beautiful Side of Anxiety

It is frustrating to hear about the only side of anxiety everyone talks about, the debilitating one. Anxiety has a terrible reputation. There is also a category of Anxiety Disorders in the DSM-5 that only highlights the frequency, duration, and intensity of these symptoms that “impair” your functioning.

There is no debating that symptoms of anxiety are difficult to experience, but it is also important to understand anxiety as an important warning. Our mind and body warn us about perceived potential threats through these physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety such as sweaty palms, dizziness, racing heart, restlessness, avoidance, worrying, feeling on edge, and feeling as though something awful might happen. If a bear is running after you, these symptoms are acknowledged and easily understood; however, in the absence of a bear, the symptoms are invalidated as they do not seem supported by any kind of proof.

As we deal with our anxiety, we ask ourselves to “get over it,” or “this is so not a big deal”, or “I do not know what is wrong with me” or to “just relax.” Most of us are not comfortable with our own anxiety. It is even worse, that the others do not have much compassion for it either as they always ask you to “calm down”. The other people in the world through their media presence continue to praise the life on the edge and embracing all adventures fearlessly. People are rewarded socially if they are more adventurous, extroverted, fearless and easy-going. There is little regard for people who are more guarded, safe, cautious, introverted or avoidant. I am sorry, but this is bullshit.

I find anxiety beautiful for several reasons. I really believe that it is important to see and understand anxiety for what it means to you in the context of your unique story. If we were to use the example of Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD):

The DSM-5 criteria that are used to diagnose GAD are as follows:

1. The presence of excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of topics, events, or activities.

Imagine the empathy it takes to wonder what other people may have thought about you and of all the perspectives one could have about you. It takes a lot of creativity and foresight to think about the ways situations could end badly. Lastly, it goes to show the impeccable memory one might have.  It shows that you learn and remember from your experiences and try to anticipate their presence.

1. The worry is experienced as very challenging to control. 

Worrying takes empathy, perspective, good memory, creativity and effort. Imagine the effort that goes in to thinking each situation and making meaning and assumptions about every possibility. The train of anxiety and worrying keeps going uncontrollably, like a river with strong currents.

1. The anxiety and worry are associated with at least three of the following physical or cognitive symptoms

2. Edginess or restlessness: Excitement you feel before a new beginning when you are unsure of what might happen. What follows might not be the best, but there is an excitement about starting everything anew.  The butterflies in the stomach compare to the nervousness excitement before the first date, or first speech in high-school. It compares to the fear of not being accepted after being vulnerable.

3. Tiring easily; more fatigued than usual: Well, it takes a lot of work to think and worry so much. Imagine the amount of energy you have that can eventually be channeled to more productive endeavors.

4. Impaired concentration or feeling as though the mind goes blank: Frankly, when you are anxious, you tend to have a laser focus on worries and nothing else. It means that you have the ability to focus, just not on the positive aspects or the whole picture.

5. Irritability (which may or may not be observable to others): To protect yourself by distancing others.

6. Increased muscle aches or soreness: It is phenomenal how the racing thoughts feel like running a marathon, even though you have not engaged in any physical activity.

7. Difficulty sleeping: Well, with so much to wonder about, why would you want to waste 6-8 hours every night? That shows commitment to a thought. (See point 1)

And the way we look at anxiety, we demean it, belittle it, ask it to “get itself together” and “relax” when the symptoms are only trying to warn or protect you. Try and acknowledge your anxiety in the light of its past and slowly give credit to your mind and body for these warnings.

Anxiety needs to be respected and understood, before it can be managed. Suppressing and invalidating anxiety only exacerbates it. I hope you try and hear your anxiety and what it might be trying to communicate.

About me:

I am anxious about writing this post. I am worried that the readers might not understand my true intentions. I am having thoughts of all the possibilities where my blog post could be challenged and invalidated. Yet, this is one attempt to overlook the negative side of my anxiety and attempt to embrace the possibilities of taking a risk. And by the way, I’m unapologetic and not defensive about my anxiety, just trying to understand it better and learning how to embrace it. (Maybe I shouldn’t overthink about it…or should I?)