What Causes Anxiety?

Published on September 12th, 2024

What Is An Anxiety Disorder? alt=

Everyone experiences anxiety, but some are more prone to anxiety than others. Anxiety is caused by excessive or unrealistic worries that are triggered by stress. Some feelings of anxiety can be easily resolved, while others may be difficult to manage.

People who are struggling with anxiety will notice that they feel anxious often. Usually, their anxiety is too intense for the stressor that they face. Some with chronic anxiety will feel anxious even when they are not dealing with a stressor.

They may find themselves imagining anxiety-provoking scenarios or continuing to stress about things that are easily resolved.

Ambition

Having dreams and goals is a natural part of life. Preparing for and working toward your ambitions can be stressful in different ways. It takes a lot of time and patience to achieve your goals.

It is normal to feel anxious in anticipation of achieving your goals. Those anxious feelings often come from thoughts of self-doubt. The uncertainty about the future is anxiety-provoking, along with responsibilities with school and work that are necessary to achieve your goal. The following common questions may cause you to feel anxious when working toward a goal:

Am I good enough?
Do I want it enough?
Am I smart enough?
Can I handle this workload?
Am I doing the right thing to achieve my goal?
What if I fail?
What if I succeed?

Burnout

We all burn out sometimes, especially when managing excessive or prolonged stress. People burn out because they become too overwhelmed and lose track of prioritizing self-care.

It is not uncommon for anxiety about responsibilities, goals, and ambitions to cause burnout. Burnout is when you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. It will cause significant and prolonged anxiety. Burnout can also lead to depression and other mental health issues if not properly addressed with stress management skills.

Emotional Distress

Emotional distress can cause a great deal of anxiety for people. It can occur either as a cause or a result of anxiety. Factors that could trigger emotional distress include:

Difficult, sudden, or unexpected change
Challenges in your relationship
Career stress or the loss of employment
Grief due to the death or loss of a loved one
Bullying and challenges in social situations
Academic stress and lack of direction
Internal conflict, low self-esteem, or self-doubt

Relationship Issues

Relationship issues will cause anxiety. Controversy and conflict with people you care about are stressful and can cause a person to feel insecure in a relationship. This can trigger a great deal of anxiety.

Without proper stress management and communication skills, it can be a challenge to manage anxiety that is caused by relationship issues. This anxiety can carry over into other areas of your life.

Stress

Every person has their stress triggers, which is what triggers anxiety. Some people will have a higher tolerance for stress than others, which is why some people feel anxious more often than others.

Stress can be triggered by several different factors, including:

Exciting experiences
Anticipation
Negative or painful situations
Concerns about the future
Being overwhelmed with responsibilities
Interpersonal issues
Indecisiveness

Anxiety Disorders

People who struggle with chronic anxiety may be struggling with an anxiety disorder. People who struggle with chronic anxiety often seek therapy to learn how to cope. In therapy, therapists help clients explore the causes and core issues that may have triggered their condition.

Example: Generalized anxiety disorder is a common disorder that triggers chronic or excessive anxiety that can affect a person’s quality of life. People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder often seek counseling. In counseling, they learn how to cope with the discomfort that comes from the condition.

Therapy For Anxiety

When learning about how to handle your anxiety, the first step is to understand what causes it and what causes you to feel stressed. From there, you can learn how to cope with your anxiety so it does not continue to severely impact your quality of life.

It is important to seek counseling when struggling with chronic or overwhelming anxiety. Without proper coping skills, anxiety can impact your ability to cope with stress and may contribute to other health challenges.

Note: Learning how to cope with your anxiety has health benefits. Anxiety can contribute to the worsening of other medical and mental health conditions when not properly addressed in therapy.

Living with anxiety can be challenging for different reasons, but there are ways to get support. Consulting with a therapist can help you learn how to cope with anxiety in healthy ways. A licensed therapist can help you learn how to manage your anxiety so you can live a fulfilled life and achieve your goals.