Anxiety

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is the feeling of dread, fear, or nervousness that appears when you face a stressful situation or when you anticipate a challenging situation in the future.

Everyone experiences anxiety because it serves a good purpose. Anxiety triggers a natural response in your body that energizes you to deal with the circumstance. Then your anxiety disappears after you face the challenge.

When you have an anxiety disorder, your feelings don't go away. Instead, you stay on high alert, and the fear intensifies or becomes overwhelming. This type of ongoing anxiety affects your daily life, as well as your mental and physical health.

Can I have different types of anxiety?

There are several different types of anxiety disorders. A few of the most common include: 

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

GAD causes excessive and constant worry over your daily life, including issues related to work, school, friends, family, and health.

Social anxiety disorder

This type of anxiety occurs when you meet new people, need to perform in front of others (like giving a report at school or work), and whenever you believe you're being watched or judged by others.

Separation anxiety disorder

Many people don't realize that separation anxiety disorder affects children and adults. This type of anxiety occurs because you fear that harm will come to you or the important people in your life when you're apart.

What symptoms occur due to anxiety?

Anxiety causes emotional and physical symptoms such as:

• Fear
• Worry
• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Headaches
• Stomachaches
• Trouble sleeping
• Rapid heartbeat 

You may also have a panic attack, a strong and sudden reaction that causes chest pain, sweating, and difficulty breathing.

How is anxiety treated?

After your provider completes an assessment and learns how anxiety affects you, they recommend a customized treatment plan. Treatment focuses on therapies proven to help you overcome anxiety in most cases.

If counseling will help you the most, the team at Nunn Psychiatric Care can refer you to a therapist who teaches you how to identify the things that trigger your anxiety. Then you learn to change the way you think and react to ease your symptoms. 

Your provider may prescribe anti-anxiety medications. However, you use these drugs for a limited time because they have the potential to cause dependence.

You can overcome anxiety with help from Nunn Psychiatric Care. Call or book a telemedicine appointment online today.

We see patients in the following surrounding cities: Hodgenville, KY, serving  Elizabethtown, Bardstown and Louisville, KY. Call us to book your appointment today.