The Elephant in the Room – Understanding Anxiety

Background Information

Imagine being trapped on the side of the highway, with no phone, a dead car and millions of cars just pacing by. You start to panic because guess what there is no solution only isolation and being trapped with no where to go and no way out. Your mind is racing and having dark and anxious thoughts every second of the way like "Why am I so bad at everything". This my friends is what I would imagine anxiety feels like 24/7.

Stress vs. Anxiety

An example of stress would be that you have a huge presentation at work or school and you start thinking negatively like " What if I make a fool of myself" or "What if I am not good enough. This is an example of having stress, whereas if you were having these negative thoughts and ridiculous worries it would be the difference between having daily stressors and anxiety. Anxiety is a natural response when there is stress added to the person's life when there is a life change. These changes can occur by being late to work, getting a bad grade on a test, and even trying something new.

Why Anxiety Exists

The purpose behind this is to help us back in the day a long time ago when mankind had to fight every day and every single minute just to stay alive. Everything was either perceived as a threat or not to keep us safe and most importantly alive which is more known as the flight or fight response. This response helped the human kind and animals stay alive today. The fight or flight response is located inside the brain, but specifically called the amygdala.

The Brain's Alarm System

Think of the amygdala as your smoke alarm or guard dog protecting the home, it alerts the home owner aka you if there is danger or there is an intruder in the house. What it essentially does is it fills our body with hormonal stressors like adrenaline and cortisol. However, now we are living in a kinder world where we don't have to fight, hunt and scavenge our food. So the real question is why does this fight or flight mood still happen to us? The answer is because our bodies have built a survival mechanism to help us stay alive from possible threats like predators, but our modern day stressors might look a little different.

Modern Stressors and Anxiety Symptoms

Instead of getting hunted by bigger and scary animals or being in danger 24/7. Today's stressors may include financial, relationship, spouse, and work problems. When humans experience this kind of stress there could be physical and psychological symptoms that may happen. The physical symptoms could look like but not limited to, sweaty hands, faster heart, stomach aches, trouble or hard breathing, shaking , feeling frozen or unable to speak and trouble sleeping. The internalizing symptoms may look like excessive worrying or unnecessary fears, feeling sad or hopeless, frequent crying, low self-esteem, fearfulness, irritability and or loneliness or withdrawal. Now it is important to note that every single person can experience different types of symptoms when it comes to anxiety because everyone is unique. One person may have all the symptoms while the other can only have a few different types of symptoms.

Healthy Stress VS. Unhealthy Stress

From everything that I just talked about it may seem like anxiety is always a bad thing, however that is not the case. There is actually healthy stress and unhealthy types of stress in humans and animals.

Healthy Stress Can Be Beneficial

Healthy stress and unhealthy stress affect people in very various ways. Healthy stress can be beneficial because it helps people stay motivated, focused, and prepared to handle challenges such as exams, work deadlines, or important responsibilities. It is usually temporary and can encourage personal growth and better performance.

When Stress Becomes Unhealthy

On the other hand, unhealthy stress occurs when stress becomes overwhelming if it lasts for a long period of time. This type of stress can negatively impact both mental and physical health, causing problems such as anxiety, fatigue, headaches, and difficulty concentrating. While healthy stress can push a person to succeed, unhealthy stress can make everyday tasks feel harder to manage and may lead to burnout if it is not properly controlled.

Which is why it is important to know when to advocate for yourself and ask for help from a professional to avoid this. The professional could recommend talking to someone professionally like a therapist, changing medications and daily routines, and providing tips to help maintain and control your anxiety.

Children Vs. Adults with Stress

How Children and Adults Show Stress Differently

To make it even more confusing children and adults have different ways of showing signs of stress. Children often show stress differently than adults because they may not fully understand or know how to express their emotions. Instead of talking about feeling stressed, children may display changes in behavior such as becoming more irritable, crying easily, having trouble sleeping, or acting out at school or at home. Some children may complain about stomachaches or headaches even when there is no medical problem. Adults, on the other hand, are more likely to recognize and explain their stress through feelings of anxiety, worry, or exhaustion.

Why Adults Should Pay Attention

Because children communicate stress in less direct ways, it is important for parents, teachers, and caregivers to pay attention to behavioral and emotional changes that could signal a child is struggling with stress. It is also very important to understand that every form of behavior is communication, so for us parents, caregivers and professionals we have to be very vigilant when it comes to our child's needs.

Recognizing Signs of Stress in Children

Parents and professionals can become more vigilant about a child's emotions by paying close attention to changes in behavior, mood, and daily routines. Children do not always express their feelings directly, so signs such as withdrawal, irritability, difficulty concentrating, sudden changes in academic performance, or physical complaints like headaches and stomachaches may indicate emotional stress.

The Next Steps

Creating a Supportive Environment

It is important to build open communication and creating a healthy and supportive environment can help children feel safe discussing their emotions. It is also important to teach children how to recognize and express their emotions in healthy ways while encouraging positive coping skills. Professionals such as teachers, counselors, and healthcare providers play an important role in recognizing warning signs early and working together with families in the early stages to support the child's emotional well-being. By staying attentive and teaching healthy emotional skills, adults can help children develop resilience and better manage stress throughout their lives.

Teaching Healthy Coping Skills

Healthy coping skills help children manage stress, emotions, and difficult situations in positive ways. Teaching children coping strategies at an early age can improve their emotional well-being and help them build resilience as they grow.

Examples of Healthy Coping Strategies

Some healthy coping skills include talking to a trusted adult about their feelings, practicing deep breathing or mindfulness exercises, engaging in physical activity, drawing or writing about emotions, and taking short breaks when feeling overwhelmed. Encouraging children to identify and express their emotions in a safe and supportive environment can also help them feel more confident and understood. When children learn healthy ways to cope with stress, they are better prepared to handle challenges at school, home, and in social situations.