 Have you been feeling more and more nervous lately? Anxiety is a normal and even necessary part of life. It alerts us to danger and helps us prepare for a variety of situations. However, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM, anxiety becomes pathological when it begins to greatly impair daily functioning and different aspects of life. And even though more information about anxiety is accessible today than ever, there are still a lot of misconceptions about it. So, if you're worried that you may be developing anxiety, there are six things you didn't know are related to it. Number one, imagined threats. You may already be aware that anxiety is a response to danger and uncertainty, but did you know that it doesn't need to be triggered by a real or actual threat? Anxiety can be triggered by nearly anything as well as nothing in particular. The mind is a powerful thing, capable of inventing a threat that, regardless of how irrational, feels very real. For instance, people with a certain type of anxiety may completely avoid all social settings because they are convinced that others will automatically judge or ridicule them, even though they have no reason to believe so. Number two, physical manifestations. Anxiety does not limit itself to your thoughts. It can affect your body as well, which is another testament to how powerful the mind can be. Some common physical manifestations of anxiety include chest pains, hives, gastrointestinal issues, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. Anxiety can also have lesser known and more subtle physical manifestations. You might have jaw or facial pain from a developed habit of grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw during the day or while you're asleep. You might also experience persistent hiccups due to pathological distress. Number three, health conditions that can put you at risk. While physical symptoms may occur from anxiety, having chronic or serious health conditions can also put you at risk of developing anxiety. This can stem from the constant worry that is commonly associated with experiencing illness, aches, or the threat of death. This may be particularly true for people who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, or have had a heart attack. Even the worry caused by other conditions like living with asthma or severe allergies may lead to anxiety. Number four, dissociation. Anxiety can also cause dissociation, which is a defensive response to stress that alters your memory, consciousness, or sense of identity. The most common forms of dissociation are depersonalization, which is when you feel disconnected from yourself or derealization, which involves feeling disconnected from reality or your surroundings. Dissociation is often thought to be associated with dissociative disorder, but it can also occur from heightened anxiety or stress. If you experience a dissociative episode, this might be your fight, flight, or freeze response to anxiety taking effect. Number five, certain personality traits, neuroticism. Certain personality traits, particularly neuroticism, have been found to be related to anxiety. Neuroticism refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions such as anger, irritability, and self-consciousness. It is characterized by a chronic level of emotional instability and vulnerability to psychological distress. This trait is closely tied to perfectionism, which in turn is related to anxiety. While perfectionists may often seem incredibly put together, they may only appear so since they're often preoccupied with avoiding failure, expending energy on worrying about potential mistakes and their imagined consequences. Additionally, people who possess the neuroticism trait also have a tendency to respond to experiences with negative emotions, which provides a gateway to anxiety. And number six, depression. Two of the most commonly discussed mental disorders are depression and anxiety. And awareness of both of these has been increasing. However, some people may still consider these as separate mental health issues. In reality, these often co-exist and people who have or are prone to depression are also vulnerable to anxiety. This is because the two conditions have a lot in common. People with either or both disorders tend to have experienced a history of maltreatment or a difficult childhood and both disorders involve a malfunction in similar brain regions such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. So did you relate to the points we mentioned? It's important to be aware of some of the risk factors of anxiety so you know to care for your mental health and to find ways to better manage your anxiety. If you or anyone you know is struggling with an anxiety disorder, please don't hesitate to reach out to a qualified mental health care provider. 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