Have you ever felt tension in your chest when you feel stressed? Or those short-lived moments of intense panic and fear? Maybe breathing or concentrating seems impossible? Many of us can likely relate to these questions and we call this experience anxiety. Some might think that only a select few of us have to deal with anxiety when in fact it is something all of us experience, to some degree, at some point in our lives.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension and worried thoughts. It is accompanied by physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, or increased heart rate [1]. In fact, some arousal anxiety is actually helpful for increasing productivity levels. The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests that there is an empirical relationship between stress and performance.
Moderate levels of stress can help you concentrate and focus on a given task. However, extreme levels of anxiety can interrupt your concentration and interfere with your performance.
Anxiety culminates into anxiety disorder when feelings of tension and worry become too excessive and hard to control, causes significant distress or impairment , and occurs more often than not for at least six months [2]. The chart below shows that performance level is strong when stress is moderate and hindered when stress is too low or too high. The type of anxiety disorder can vary and range from generalized anxiety disorder to more specific phobias and panic disorder.
Potential causes and symptoms of anxiety disorders include:. A state of relaxation is an important step in comprehensive treatment as it will help slow down or manage physical effects. The elements that characterize a state of relaxation include:. The following 6 coping strategies can help slow down your heart rate and breathing pattern to manage your anxiety.
