What Causes Anxiety?

For those who are experiencing anxiety symptoms, one of the major questions that often comes up is ‘why is this happening to me?’ Anxiety conditions can affect many different types of people, and understanding their origins and causes can help us to understand our own experiences and symptoms better. We are fortunate in that researchers have spent decades exploring this question – and we know many of the potential causes of anxiety. Here are some of the major factors that may result in someone developing an issue with anxiety: 

Sensitivity & Personality 

For many people, anxiety may have been an issue since their birth – they may be more sensitive to their surroundings and the emotions of others, and be somewhat more fearful or anxious in new situations. We know that a huge part of our personality is there from birth, and the reality is that for some people, there is a strong predisposition to later experiencing issues with anxiety. Many people think of themselves as “an anxious person”. The good news is that such people can benefit greatly from developing reliable habits for managing their anxiety.

Family Conflict

Another factor in the development of anxiety is exposure to stressful or traumatic events during the developmental period in childhood. This could be something like instability or conflict in the family (eg. arguments, a lot of change, disputes between family members), bullying, illness or accidents, or other traumatic events. When children are exposed to stressful or traumatic events or environments, it impacts their stress response and can even affect brain development – and the more stressful events that have occurred, the greater chance that someone will later develop issues with their mood and stress response. 

Conditions such as ASD or ADHD

We are becoming more aware of the impact of conditions like Autism Spectrum and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity on anxiety, with many children and adults who have these diagnoses experiencing higher levels of anxiety than the general population. This is likely due to sensitivities to environment (eg. people with ASD may be more sensitive to loud noises and high stimulation environments and may become overwhelmed) and challenges with time management, working under pressure and new situations. For people with ASD, social situations can also be challenging as it can be hard to interpret social cues, and so they may be more likely to develop social anxiety or social phobia. For people with ADHD, difficulty concentrating or completing tasks can lead to stress and negative comparisons with others, and there can be anxiety around achievement and failure. 

Traumatic Events

Another cause of anxiety is traumatic events – when we experience something traumatic, such as witnessing an accident or being in real fear for our own life, our brains tend to store these memories and sensations differently to normal memories, and we can experience flashbacks or strong emotions when we are reminded of the event. This is our brain’s attempt to make sure that we learn to avoid situations like this in the future, but these intense anxiety symptoms can be highly distressing for people in their day to day lives. We refer to this condition as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder when it persists for longer than three months after an event, since it is reasonably normal to have intense anxiety and flashbacks in the immediate aftermath of a trauma. The good news is that, although this condition is one of the most distressing of all the anxiety diagnoses, it is also very responsive to treatment. 

Medical Issues

Another, less understood cause of anxiety is an underlying medical condition – this can be the source of anxiety symptoms such as feeling nervous or on edge, having a sense of panic or doom, digestive issues or problems sleeping. This includes heart disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, respiratory disorders or irritable bowel syndrome. It is important to visit your doctor if you start to experience anxiety symptoms, so that they can rule out any underlying medical cause. People visit GPs more often for anxiety issues than for the common cold — so you’re not alone!

Substance Use/Withdrawal

People who are using alcohol or other drugs regularly may also experience anxiety symptoms as a result of their use. This is because drugs and alcohol affect the chemicals in our brain, particularly serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and cortisol. In particular, alcohol blocks the production of glutamate (an anxiety-causing neurochemical) so that we feel relaxed – but when the alcohol wears off, our brains actually produce more glutamate so that we are left feeling even more anxious the following day. For people who are physically dependent on alcohol, they may also experience intense anxiety if they stop drinking suddenly and go into withdrawal, as their brains will be readjusting to not having alcohol. For people using drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine or MDMA, anxiety is an extremely common side effect, particularly after the substances wear off and the brain chemistry is trying to readjust. 

Ongoing Stress

Constant stress can also exacerbate, or even be the cause of, anxiety issues. When we are stressed, we are in ‘fight or flight’ mode and, although this can help us in the short term (since we need less sleep and can get more done), when it continues over the longer term, we can find ourselves struggling to wind down and relax. Ongoing stress can be things like financial issues, problems at work, worrying about family, or just a busy and demanding life – and if we endure this for too long, we can head for burnout. 

Relationship issues

Issues in our close relationships can also worsen or cause anxiety issues – being in an unhappy relationship, or having conflict with family and friends, can be a huge stressor, particularly if those people are your major supports. When we are going through breakups or family conflict, we can feel particularly affected and vulnerable, and can feel on edge and distressed. 

Avoidant personality

For some people who have had challenging experiences growing up, anxiety may have shaped a lot of their day to day life and functioning. Avoidant personality describes someone who struggles to take action or address conflict in their life, and – due to anxiety and fear of negative consequences – may avoid taking the steps they need to move forward in their life. This might look like a struggle with assertiveness or speaking up, difficulties in leaving a negative workplace or relationship, or struggles with taking risks in life (such as applying for university or moving out of home). For people struggling with an avoidant personality, life can be very stressful as it is full of these challenges – and they can also feel anxious about life passing them by. Fortunately, this condition can be addressed with therapy and day to day strategies designed to build confidence and self esteem. 

No matter the cause, treatment can help

As you can see, anxiety can stem from any number of things – and it is really worth identifying what has contributed to your anxiety. Once we can understand a bit more about where the anxiety came from, when it started, and some of the contributing factors, it is much easier to treat and manage. Many therapists will complete a Case Formulation with you, which is a document which maps the causes of anxiety, what is keeping it going, and how it can be treated. As you move through this process, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of some of the symptoms you’ve been having, and ways that you can address this. The good news is that, whatever your presentation and background, there is likely a highly effective treatment for you! 

We do recommend that you seek professional treatment for anxiety – as well as using Mind Ease to help you to manage your symptoms. We have a number of calming exercises that are designed to lower your level of stress and arousal, and allow you to feel at peace – as well as longer exercises that can help you to understand more about yourself. 

If you’d like reliable relief from anxiety, you can install Mind Ease for free here.