Why Is It Important To Understand Anxiety?

Why is it important to understand anxiety? Everyone deals with anxiety here and there throughout their lives, whether fear of heights or public speaking. There is a difference, however, between these scenarios and an anxiety disorder. Everyday anxiety is getting nervous before a test or getting anxious before a date. An anxiety disorder is more serious and for someone with this disorder, “the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2016). It’s important to understand anxiety because without a proper understanding, a person would find it more difficult to recognize triggers, to manage anxious response, and to help others with it as well.
Recognizing things that serve as triggers can be extremely beneficial in helping you manage them later. “Anxiety triggers are those things—people, places, situations, or experiences—that increase the physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety” (Healthy Place). For people with anxiety, triggers can be anything that broach a traumatic memory or uncomfortable feeling. According to Healthline, “for some people, anxiety attacks can be triggered for no reason at all.” If you know your triggers, it will make it remarkably easier to manage them.
There is a myriad of ways to manage your triggers, however they will take time. Some common methods include deep breathing exercises, talking to someone, stepping away from the situation to calm down, exercising, etc. “One way to treat anxiety is to face your worries and apprehension associated with upcoming challenges in advance to reduce anxiety symptoms” (Healthy Place, 2012). For people with anxiety, this may be difficult because that means putting yourself in situations that precipitate the anxiety, but “anxiety can easily be described as a problem with control” (Calm Clinic), therefore, you have the power to manage