Anxiety can be been explained as “the body’s automatic fight-or-flight response that is triggered when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a challenging situation, such as a job interview, exam, or first date.” Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, and according to the Mayo Clinic, having occasional feelings of anxiety is a normal part of life. The feelings of anxiety can range from mild to severe. People commonly think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, and while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have established that both are unavoidable, and can often play a helpful role in our daily lives. In the early 1970s, the term eustress was coined to describe “a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.” Similarly, moderate amounts of anxiety can yield significant advantages.
Benefits
There are several benefits to experiencing occasional anxiety, as Psychology Today asserts that “anxiety is built into our primate origins as a warning system.” Below are some of the more positive aspects of anxiety:
- Cautiousness: Researchers have found that anxiety can help you avoid danger because its presence elicits a heightened state of alertness which in turn can help to detect and attend to potential threats. A U.K. study found that anxious adolescents had fewer accidents and accidental deaths in early adulthood than those who did not suffer from anxiety.
- Longevity: A study from the University of Edinburgh and University College London found that people who are highly neurotic (anxious people) are more likely to live longer because researchers believed that they consistently underestimated their wellness which caused them to remain vigilant about their health.
- Empathy: Research suggests that dealing with anxiety can enhance empathy, which allows you to be more sensitive to, loving, accepting, and understanding of others who are dealing with personal challenges.
- Motivation: The researchers in a study that focused on the benefits of worry, concluded that worry illuminates the importance of taking action to prevent an undesirable outcome, boosting motivation.
- Increased performance levels: A 2018 study found that some anxious people in work environments learned to harness anxiety to help them focus on tasks. Students and athletes who experienced some anxiety, in one study, displayed improved performance on tests or while participating in competitive sports.
It is important to note that it is atypical for an individual to experience frequent, intense, debilitating, persistent worries and/ or fears related to everyday situations, and such anxiety could be indicative of an anxiety disorder. If left untreated, anxiety disorders can result in severe short- and long-term consequences.
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.
