Does your anxiety get the best of you? Have you checked out all the blog sites you can find to get more information on how to get rid of your tense and nervous feelings? You may not know of these myths about anxiety. Because, when you are looking on line for information, you don’t know if the information is truthful or reputable, so it is very easy to get incorrect information. For future reference, your best bets for information are something from a site that ends in .edu, or gov. You also want to be sure that the person writing the article is reputable and has been trained in the area, so look for things written by an MD or PhD. Someone’s opinion is not fact. Here are some common myths about anxiety from Forsyth and Eifert:
Heredity is the cause of anxiety
Heredity does not cause anxiety. We may have a genetic predisposition to anxiety, which is different than a cause. Just because we have that predisposition does not mean we will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. It just means that we might have a greater risk factor, based on our genetic makeup (genes inherited from our family). Whether or not we are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder depends on a combination of genes and environment. I heard it said that genetics load the gun, and environment pulls the trigger. What this means, is that we may be genetically predisposed, but if we never have a trigger (such as a trauma, or major life stressor) we may never have an anxiety disorder. However, if we do have a trauma, we may get an anxiety disorder. Research shows that the heritability of anxiety is 30-40%. Also remember that to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder it needs to cause clinically significant stress in social, occupational, relationships or other areas of life.
High anxiety is not normal
This is probably one of the greatest myths about anxiety. Life can be stressful at times. When this occurs our anxiety will be ramped up. To expect that you will not get anxious in life is unrealistic. We are wired for anxiety for the purpose of survival. Our fight or flight instinct is where it originates, and of course our survival is the purpose of it. Anxiety in itself is not the problem. The problem is the way we interpret it. When you think about it, when we describe being excited, or anticipating something good, we may say we have butterflies in our stomach, or heart race increases, etc. These are the same words that people use to describe anxiety. It’s interesting how being excited is considered good, yet anxiety is bad. Of course there are times in life when our feelings will be ramped up, or we will feel overwhelmed.
Anxiety means you are weak
Of course this isn’t the case, as mentioned above, it is a normal human emotion. We all have it. Realistically, a moderate level of anxiety is good, as it motivates us to do our best. Think about it. If you didn’t experience anxiety, would you have the motivation to study for a test, or prepare for a presentation? You may feel that you are the only person who has anxiety to the extent that you do. It is easy to assume that everyone else is calm, cool and collected. In reality, who shows their anxiety? Not too many people. Have you ever met someone who seems to have it all together, and then at some point in time you hear him or her say how anxious they are? This is another one of those common myths about anxiety.
Anxiety needs to be managed for life to be good
Life can still be good even if we experience anxiety. People may say, “If I didn’t have anxiety, my life would be great.” Can’t it be both? Can’t life be great despite feeling anxiety? If you couched it as a normal feeling, it wouldn’t bother you as much. If you pay attention to your anxiety and focus on it, it will grow. When you ignore it and just go about your daily life, it becomes much less noticeable. If your anxiety does not prevent you from living your life (ie. you can still go to work and do the things you need to do), you do not have an anxiety disorder.
If you are struggling with these myths about anxiety, or think you do have an anxiety disorder, and need help to get back to your previous level of functioning, don’t hesitate to call at 713-304-6554.
Take care,
Debbie
