Five Ways Anxiety Can Negatively Affect Your Life
Are you tired of tossing and turning at night because of your racing thoughts? Do you stop dead in your tracks when negative thought patterns take over your mind? Do you avoid social situations because they are too much stress? Anxiety disorders can manifest themselves in many ways, and they can have extremely devastating impacts on your lifestyle. As experts in anxiety therapy in Orlando, we help many people manage their anxiety before it takes over their life. These are a few ways that anxiety can negatively affect your life.
Digestive Issues
Digestive issues are some of the first physical symptoms that you may feel when you have anxiety. These irrational and constant thoughts may make you feel indigestion, nausea, cramps, and diarrhea. Anxiety can also cause your appetite to change, which can cause drastic weight loss or gain, depending on your coping mechanisms. To manage these issues, you will first need to learn how to cope in a healthy way when your anxiety flares up.
Neurological Impact
Your anxiety can threaten your response rate of your sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for your flight or fight responses. This can lead to difficulty sleeping, longer recovery times from injuries or illnesses, and withdrawn social behaviors. Over time, this can then cause headaches and fatigue.
Heart Issues
When you are stressed, you risk high blood pressure and an increased heart rate. Some people that suffer from severe anxiety may even suffer from panic attacks that intensify these heart concerns and make it difficult to breathe or focus. Without learning how to manage your anxiety, your prolonged stress can lead to a greater risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Suppressed Immunity
When your physical health is at risk, your immune system will also become suppressed. This can make it difficult to fight off illness and infection. Your body will not be allocating its energy to fighting these illnesses because of the large amount of energy it takes to cope with your anxiety. Over time, this can cause injury, prolonged illness, or even more permanent health concerns.
Decreased Quality of Life
Anxiety causes an overall decline in the quality of your life. From making you feel isolated in social situations to causing health concerns with your body, your anxiety can cripple your ability to live a healthy lifestyle. It may mean that you lack motivation to exercise, or it can mean that you have a decreased appetite and get poor nutrition. These issues have lasting physical health impacts that can be detrimental to your quality of life.
These are a few of the ways that anxiety can negatively impact your lifestyle and overall health. When you are struggling with anxiety, it is beneficial to talk to the professionals in anxiety therapy in Orlando to get the help you need. You can learn how to cope with your symptoms and manage your anxiety, so it does not take over your life. Contact us to hear about our counselors today.
