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How to Harness Anxiety for Positive Outcomes

Professionals often describe anxiety as a recurrent feeling of unease or worry about upcoming events or circumstances. However, it can be an ongoing condition, even if there are no triggers in your life. 

While it seems counterintuitive, it is possible to harness anxiety for constructive results. People living with the condition may have more drive, heightened awareness, and self-reflection than those without it. 

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a catch-all term for several medical diagnoses that fall under the large umbrella of mental health disorders. 

Anxiety is different from feeling nervous. While the latter might have a direct trigger, like going for a job interview, the former doesn’t always. Anxiety can occur at any time. 

Anxiety disorders are more common than you might think, with nearly 7 million people in the United States having received a medical diagnosis. There are several different types of anxiety disorders:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most common anxiety diagnoses. It involves feeling anxious about issues in daily living that might seem minor to most people. Feelings of worry can also occur for no outward reason. Patients often report their worries are larger than situations call for and more persistent over time. Episodes of anxiety can last anywhere from a few minutes to multiple days. 

Social anxiety disorder (SAD)

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a condition where patients feel anxious around other people but as much not the rest of the time. Fear of judgment or scrutiny of friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances as they live their lives is common. Physical symptoms can include, but aren’t limited to, blushing, sweating, and trembling in social situations. 

Panic disorder

Panic disorder is another primary anxiety type. People with the condition often experience sudden and intense attacks of anxiety and fear, sometimes without warning. Symptoms include dizziness, sweating, chest pain, and shortness of breath. 

Causes and Triggers of Anxiety

These anxiety disorders have various causes and triggers. How they manifest varies from one person to the next. 

Biological factors include things like genetics and brain chemistry. Some individuals are more prone to developing anxiety disorders in modern contexts than others. Familial traits can pass down through generations, which some researchers believe is evidence of the role of genes. 

However, for many, environmental stressors are the primary cause. Traumatic events, like abuse and neglect or chronic stress at work or in relationships, can play a role. Financial problems are often a trigger for anxiety, including cases involving debt. Individuals who can’t see a bright future may wonder whether they will ever feel free. 

Finally, psychology can tip some people into an anxious state. Getting into a habit of ruminating or catastrophizing (constantly thinking about what might go wrong) can have a profound impact. Future-focused or neurotic individuals may be at the highest risk. Those who concentrate on the perils of tomorrow may suffer more today. 

The Positive Side of Anxiety

Despite the apparent negatives of anxiety disorders, they may have a positive side.

Increased awareness

Anxiety can heighten your sensitivity to your surroundings. Fearing the unknown makes you more likely to be aware of and promptly respond to any potential threats.

Alongside this, it may enhance focus. People with anxiety may find it easier to be productive at work or in their studies. Feeling worried may force greater attention to detail. 

Motivation and drive 

Anxiety may also serve as a catalyst for action. Individuals in an anxious state may experience more arousal and fear, encouraging them to pursue courses of action to improve their circumstances. For example, individuals who don’t fear losing their jobs might take a laid-back approach and eventually get fired, but those who feel anxious are more likely to go the extra mile at work. 

Preparation and planning

Anxiety also encourages a future focus, which increases the likelihood of preparing and planning for upcoming events. These might include everything from buying Christmas presents early to stocking up on dried food for a new pandemic. 

Self-reflection and growth

Finally, anxious people may tend to self-reflect and grow. Greater awareness of their internal state and constant worry fosters self-development and a desire for personal improvement. 

Strategies for Harnessing Anxiety at Home

Once you understand how to harness anxiety, you can use it at home to your advantage. 

Practice mindfulness and acceptance

One tactic is to use mindfulness to deal with anxiety episodes as they arise. Learning to view feelings of worry and fear as information instead of a threat can help get a handle on symptoms. 

This approach requires detachment. Creating space between your observing mind and your feelings can give you a sense of control and relaxation. 

Utilize anxiety as a signal 

If you do experience anxiety, using it as a signal can also help. Paying attention to the underlying messages of anxiety is often a cue for self-reflection and action. For example, you might need to complete a project or study for an exam, and feeling worried could help motivate you. 

Try breathing exercises

Breathing exercises can help people prone to panic or endless worry. These activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), enabling the body to enter a non-stressed state. After the first minute or so, you should feel calming waves.  

Make time for self-care

Lastly, it can help to take time out for self-care. Constantly striving for excellence can make you feel on edge, which is why relaxation is critical. 

Seek Professional Support for Anxiety

Fortunately, professional support is available for people living with anxiety. Experts can help you manage symptoms and push back against unwanted or distressing emotions. 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach that involves identifying and challenging irrational thoughts. A therapist will ask you to examine your fears and ask whether anything justifies them. 

Exposure therapy is another approach to managing anxiety. This treatment tries to desensitize you to anxiety triggers by repeating them constantly. Eventually, the mind adapts, and what seemed scary before becomes normalized. 

Conclusion

In summary, while anxiety might be unpleasant, embracing it can be helpful. It can increase awareness, focus, and self-protection. Continuing to manage the condition, even in spite of its positive aspects, improves your quality of life and makes you feel more in control. 

To learn more about residential anxiety treatment in San Diego, contact Jackson House. We’re here to help. 

About the author

Jackson House

Jackson House

We built Jackson House because we realized there was a critical gap in our healthcare system and many individuals with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems were struggling because of it. While there are many outpatient treatment options and locked, inpatient facilities there was nothing in the middle. Nothing to help people who needed around the clock care but wanted to receive treatment voluntarily, on their own terms. Jackson House is different. We provide clients with the level of care they need in a welcoming environment. When you walk through our doors, we will meet you wherever you’re at and help you on your journey toward feeling better.

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If you’re a provider and need to send us information on a client, please feel free to fax us at 619-303-7044. If you need help immediately, call our 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-766-4274. If you have a medical emergency, call 911. Jackson House is licensed by the State of California Community Care Licensing Division and certified by the Department of Health Care Services. We are also CARF Accredited. If you have any client or quality of care concerns, please reach out to us at (888) 255-9280. If your concerns need further attention, you can contact the Department of Public Health at 619-278-3700 or the Community Care Licensing Division at 1-844-538-8766.