The Oxford English Dictionary defines anxiety as “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” Psychology Today asserts that “anxiety is built into our primate origins as a warning system.” Although anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, the symptoms of anxiety can be unpleasant and difficult to navigate. Identifying and overcoming triggers for anxiety is an important step in managing and reducing anxiety symptoms. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains triggers as “external events or circumstances that may produce very uncomfortable emotional or psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, panic, discouragement, despair, or negative self-talk.” While anxiety triggers can vary from person to person, Medical News Today highlights common anxiety triggers, some of which include the following:
- Stress brought on by significant life events (e.g., graduating from college, death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, having a baby, etc.).
- Financial concerns.
- Caffeine consumption.
- Substance abuse.
- Public speaking.
- Health problems.
- Conflicts at work, home, and/ or school.
- Lack of sleep.
Still, everyone’s anxiety triggers are different. The key to managing anxiety is knowing your personal triggers. To learn how to identify your anxiety triggers, consider the following suggestions, provided by Healthline:
- Keep a journal to track your anxiety.
- Identify major stressors that may be affecting your anxiety level.
- Reflect on past experiences, such as trauma which can trigger anxiety, to consider how negative past experiences may still be affecting you today.
- Try confiding in a trusted friend or family member, as they may be able to provide valuable insight on situations that trigger your anxiety.
- Listen to your body and explore your habits (e.g., do research on your diet, pay attention to how much you are sleeping, engaging in regular exercise, etc.).
Some situations and events that trigger anxiety are unavoidable. Once anxiety triggers are identified, it is helpful to distinguish which are within your control and which are not. Creating a plan to decrease the number of exposures to triggers that are within your control can help to calm your anxiety. Learning stress management techniques and how to cope with unavoidable triggers can help you decrease the intensity of your anxiety symptoms associated with these triggers and achieve a more relaxed state of mind.
Treatment In Calabasas
Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.