Anxiety is a common disorder that many people have, you may have it yourself or you may know someone who suffers with it. Although anxiety is a common disorder that many people claim to know about, there are still a lot of myths about anxiety that get spread around, such as; you can control your anxiety or anxiety is just about worrying, when that really isn’t the case. Here are some of the truths:
1) Anxiety is not just worrying:
Being worried and stressed out is not just anxiety itself, although these two factors can contribute to anxiety and other mental illnesses, anxiety is still not just worrying and biting your nails all the time. Anxiety can have a lot of different factors for many different people.
2) Telling someone to calm down when they have a panic attack is no help:
When you tell someone who’s having or is about to have a panic attack to calm down, you are only making the situation a lot worse and not any better. Telling someone who’s having a panic to calm down is only dismissing their panic attack as if it’s not that big of a deal and it’s a quick fix when that’s not how it works at all.
3) Panic Attacks can happen out of nowhere:
People often assume that individuals with anxiety can control their panic attacks and when or where they get them. However, panic attacks can happen out of nowhere and anywhere and it is not something that they are always prepared for.
4) Anxiety attacks do not always consist of hyperventilating:
Many people assume that anxiety attacks only consist of hyperventilation and shortness of breath and although that is a common factor of anxiety attacks it is not the only one. Anxiety attacks can also take different forms such as shaking and trembling, zoning out, fast talking or stuttering, and unpredictable breakouts of irritability and fear.
5) Anxiety does not define the person:
People with anxiety are much more than just people with anxiety, they have a personality, hobbies, interests and ambitions just like everyone else and their anxiety does not make them any different than you.
So, next time you meet someone who has anxiety or someone who is about to have a panic attack in front of you, don’t jump to conclusions and assume things but instead learn and educate yourself about this disorder that many people have to deal with on a daily basis.
