Why is my Anxiety so Bad?

If you are struggling with the symptoms of anxiety, it can sometimes be difficult to understand what has triggered a symptom or response. For some people, anxiety symptoms only emerge after a gradual build-up of stress, whereas for others there can be an instant onset of physical and emotional symptoms. The good news is that there are some clear patterns and causes of anxiety symptoms that many people share – and the more you can understand these, the more you’ll be able to predict, manage and reduce these experiences. Here are some possible factors that could be contributing to your anxiety symptoms right now: 

Have you been getting enough sleep? 

One of the biggest factors in mood and anxiety issues is – you guessed it – sleep! We aren’t exaggerating when we say that sleep is the foundation of our physical and mental health – and when we’re sleep deprived, or getting poor quality sleep, we tend to feel scattered, unfocused, emotional and irritable. Drinking alcohol in the evenings, drinking coffee and sugary drinks and eating big meals can also affect the quality of our sleep, and lead to us feeling wide awake in the early hours of the morning.

Although anxiety itself can also lead to problems falling or staying asleep, there are some great strategies such as Sleep Hygiene (available in Mind Ease) that can help us to unwind before bed. If you’re having significant issues with falling or staying asleep, it is a good idea to visit your doctor to discuss this issue – as we know that sleep disruption can be extremely harmful to our wellbeing and mental health. 

How is your stress right now? 

Even if your stress level has been stable for a while, it might be worth reflecting on the role of stress in your life, and whether you have adequate stress management strategies in place. Sometimes we can get used to a stressful life, relationship, or home situation – and while we think we’re coping, we’re actually in a state of hypervigilance and are regularly feeling worried and anxious about things.

Chronic, ongoing stress often leads to the development of anxiety issues – and these can be hard to recover from, especially if we’re still under stress. Strategies such as regular exercise, social support, mindfulness and meditation, and emotional support, can help reduce the impact of stress – and allow us to return to our normal, non-stressed state. 

Is there change and uncertainty in your life? 

Anxiety can actually be an appropriate response to an uncertain, unstable or changing situation. After all, as humans, we need to have a certain level of control over our environments – and when that is taken away from us, our threat response can kick in. If this is the case, a good strategy can be that of acceptance – making room for the fact that things are changing, and that your body and mind are doing a good job of trying to protect you from harm. Social support and grounding activities (such as making your living space comfortable, engaging in self care rituals, and getting plenty of sleep) can also help you find some ‘calm in the storm’.

If you are in a period of change and uncertainty, you might also want to avoid making big decisions, consuming alcohol or drugs, or scheduling a lot of activities – these are all likely to increase your anxiety and you might find that things are even harder to deal with. Sometimes we can reach a ‘tipping point’ with anxiety when a number of things build up (eg. eating poorly, sleeping poorly, stress at work and relationship stress) – being aware of this, and having some self care strategies (eg. time to yourself, regular exercise, the company of supportive friends) can help get you back into balance. 

As you can see, there are a number of factors that might lead to a worsening of anxiety symptoms – others that aren’t listed here include medical conditions (eg. diabetes or PTSD), reactions to substances (such as a new medication or recreational drugs) or foods, or the experience of grief and loss. It can help to talk things through with a good friend or professional to really clarify what is happening for you and when it started – and then you’ll have a starting point to begin to manage it.

Mind Ease offers useful calming exercises for stress and anxiety – many people find that doing these short exercises each day are of a huge benefit to their mental and physical health. 

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