Your Guide to General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
1 in 5 people in the US suffer from anxiety disorders- so chances are you or your beloved ones could be suffering from it too. How to recognize it? And how to help? Read more to find out.
General anxiety disorder (GAD) is the generally given name for anxiety disorders. It’s characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things.
Symptoms
Symptoms may vary from one person to another but these are generally observed.
- Excessive worry
- Fatigue
- Increased muscle aches or soreness
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Difficulty sleeping
Risk factors
While anyone can suffer from generalized anxiety disorders, some factors increase the risk of experiencing anxiety. If one of the below factors applies to your case, you may be suffering from it. Regardless, self-diagnosis is not the right method. Thus,
- Brain chemistry
- Family background
- Lifestyle factors and social influence
- Genetic predisposition
How can you help?
Luckily there are several methods that can help the person experiencing GAD.
These are psychotherapy, meditation and self-help.
However, like with most things, what works for someone will not always work for the other. So, it can be pretty personal and it’s best if you were to find out for yourself what works best for you!
Talking about your feelings with a professional will help you understand and structure your mind better, get access to the right medication for you and leave you feel much better.
Meditation can include practices like going out for a walk in nature. Positive affirmations that promote better self-talk can be helpful.
Listening to the right music or sounds can have meditative effects.
ASMR music is scientifically proven to relieve our anxiety levels.
More generally, it can be about making time for things that make you happy.
Journaling is a tool that helps many because by writing out the intricate scenarios that play in our minds, we can realize we’ve been overthinking and see things more clearly once they are out of mind.
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