Does it ever happen to you that when you wake up, you feel that your chest is feeling heavy, your heart is beating fast and you feel anxious for no reason at all? And now you’re overthinking, you sit there wondering “oh what’s going on?” Why am I feeling this way? Is something bad that ’bout to happen to me mhm is this stress? Or is this anxiety? Not just any kind of anxiety but the clinical kind the one we call Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Let’s be real. Everyone feels stressed. You feel stressed. I feel stressed. You are stressed even by the neighbour who waters plants at half-past five. Stress is normal. Stress is part of being alive. But GAD is different. It is such a stress that does not want to bring its baggage along. It stays. It spreads. It turns out your flat mate basically.
And how do you tell which of them is which.
Which one knows whether he or she should chill down or just needs to speak with a mental health worker.
That is where we start
What does stress look like in daily life?
Stress is normally related to something apparent, an exam, a deadline, too many
texts from the people who kinda don’t wanna talk to, family drama, a random stranger on the road who just cussed you out all because you accidentally bumped into them, money worries, financial stress, a friendship breakup, a breakup with your partner, a teacher who believes that life starts and stops at assignments.
Stress has a cause, It comes, It goes.
And when the situation ceases the tension also somehow disappears. You are exhausted yet your mind gradually clears off.
Your body reacts, sure. Your shoulders tighten. You breathe shallow. You can’t focus. You get irritated. You want sugar, you want coffee or both or let’s say you have unhealthy coping mechanisms and you smoke or drink on a daily basis and say something like “oh i do it because I’m stressed” . However, after the stressful event has gone through your system then you are back to normal. Consider stress as a passing wave. It rises. It peaks. It falls.
What GAD feels like and why is it so sneaky?
GAD is a complete opposite.
It is as though there is a silent motor in the background of your mind running throughout the day. It does not take into consideration whether anything stressful is occurring. You still feel uneasy. You still feel restless. You still have a feeling that something bad is coming around. Similar to a threat being lurking somewhere but you cannot see it.
This is the best way that GAD can be explained. Your mind is a web browser that has fifty tabs open, but none of them are loading and you did not not open half of them
Individuals who have GAD are anxious about everything and by everything I mean everything, health, money, relationships, what they said last night, what they did not say.
A dialogue that will take place the following week. One of their decisions after three years.
And the anxiety is like it can not be controlled. As your thought is running on ice and there is no railing to cling to. You are in more of a panic trying to relax. Things are noisier when you attempt to put to sleep. When you are fine you even feel off.
That is the trademark of GAD.
The Huge Clues Your Stress Could Be GAD
Here’s the thing. Majority of individuals are not aware that they have GAD since they believe that stress is normal. They believe that they are being extreme or maybe dramatic and everyone around them tryna tell them that hey it’s fine don’t be so dramatic it’s gonna be fine. They believe that it is personality itself. But when you identifiably connect with the signs below a bit too much then yes you would want to listen.
You are always worried even when things are just fine.
When your brain gives you problems when there is none whatsoever that is not normal stress, stress reacts, GAD generates.
You experience physical ailments weeks or months
Not one day. Not two. Long term.
- Restlessness
- Constant fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Stomach issues
- Tight chest
- Racing mind
- Sleep problems
In case it is your default setting then yes that is a red flag.
You can never stop worrying even trying to reason with your worry
Individuals affected by GAD are usually aware of the fact that they are overthinking. They speak to themselves literally. Why am I like this? Yet they cannot stop.
The nervousness switches subject to subject
- Today you worry about work
- Tomorrow about your health
- Then your relationship
- Then some wretched chance that occurred at school 5 years ago.
GAD jumps like that.
You are mentally drained most of the time
It seems that your brain is tired, though you do not feel that.
You avoid things due to anxiety
- You cancel plans
- You delay decisions
- You double check everything
- Your behaviour begins to be controlled by your anxiety.
In the event that these strike a bit too near home then yes you are not dreaming.
The Impact of GAD on Your normal functioning.
GAD does not remain the property of the mind. It affects everything. Relationships are harder since you overthink every sentence.
- It makes the work slow as your brain gets tired easily. Your body is tight and uncomfortable.
- Sleep becomes difficult. You wake up already anxious. It becomes frightening to make decisions, confidence drops, productivity crashes.
- You are not connected with yourself.
- You no longer care about things that you liked.
- GAD basically takes over your life without your realization.
How CBT Actually Helps GAD
One of the most effective ways of treatment of GAD is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. And frankly this is the place where many of us get hope renewed once again since CBT is straightforward and realistic.
CBT teaches you to Identify worry patterns, deny the untrue thoughts, stop the loop of overthinking. Alter the response of your body to stress, build emotional resilience, unlearn to be scared by things.
CBT is effective as it teaches your brain to calm down rationally and emotionally.
Even an online CBT course can be explored in case a person is trying to know himself/herself better. An online CBT course will aid in gradually realizing your worriment triggers and how to deal with them in everyday life. Should you desire something on the doorstep there is also a possibility of an online CBT course in India. Most of the people like that, since it fits in their schedule and does not seem to be intimidating. And by the way of the available mental health assistance in India.
In fact, Indian Counselling Services provides guidance that is on the basis of CBT. They are very basic and human in their resources and, frankly speaking, very comforting to the lost.
The Question of When to Get Professional Help.
Here’s the thing. Before your mental health fails, you do not have to wait to contact.
- Seek help if you care more than half a year.
- This impacts on your day-to-day operations.
- Your sleep is a mess, your body is tense at all times, the relations have gotten tense.
- Your mind seems to be out of control.
- Something seems to go amiss but you cannot place your finger on what it could be.
It is very easy to distinguish between stress and GAD with the help of a therapist. They also have the capacity of assisting you to make a plan that would actually fit into your lifestyle rather than merely provide tips
Conclusion
Frankly speaking, anxiety makes one critical about himself or herself.
However, anxiety is not a character weakness.
It is not a sign of immaturity.
It is not a sign of weakness.
It is stress combined with biology and mixing of experience in a way that cannot be completely controlled.
The best part about GAD is that It is treatable, It is manageable. And you can learn to be normal again alright. It is frequently mentioned that CBT has transformed the whole attitude towards stress in people. It gives you practical tools. And due to the fact that online learning is the order of the day, you can do a CBT online course in the comfort of your house and not be embarrassed or judged. In case you are interested in India specific, an online course of CBT in India is better since the examples are relatable.
Plus Indian Counselling Services has been providing supportive content which in fact makes sense to anxiety coping people. They know that stress in India is different as our everyday life is hectic in its own manner.
