12 Dangerous Effects of Anxiety Disorders on Your Life

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety refers to anticipation of a future threat and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior whereas fear is the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat. This article explores 12 dangerous effects of anxiety on your life.

Most people experience anxiety in certain situations, such as before a big interview or when faced with an important decision. Indeed, anxiety is a normal response to stress, and is believed to have evolved to help organisms cope with dangerous environments or respond to potential threats.

However, if the level of anxiety tends to cause impairment in one’s social, occupational functioning or other important areas of functioning, it becomes an anxiety disorder.

Well, anxiety disorders differ from developmentally normative fear or anxiety by being excessive or persisting beyond developmentally appropriate periods. They differ from transient fear or anxiety, often stress-induced, by being persistent and they cause clinically significant distress.

Below are some of the effects of anxiety disorders on one’s life in terms of health, relationships, academics and work.

Effects of Anxiety Disorders

Health

Individuals experience physical symptoms such as palpitations, rapid breathing, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headaches during a panic attack. These are dominant in panic disorder though in other anxiety disorders, panic attacks may also be present.

This in turn may increase risk of developing chronic physical conditions such as heart complications as well as worsening them if present.

Individuals may often be reluctant to obtain medical care when a medical concern is present. For example, individuals with specific phobia may be excessively anxious about blood transfusion, injections. People who have a severe fear of vomiting and choking may eat much less than they need, leading to poor nutrition.

Also, these individuals suffering from anxiety disorders may suffer a risk of misdiagnosis if proper history is not taken since anxiety symptoms such as panic attacks present as some medical conditions such as hypertension.

Individuals may often feel disturbed with the limitations on their lives because of their need to maintain contact with their key attachment figures i.e., parents, pets etc., this is experienced in separation anxiety disorder. This in turn may lead to depression.

Relationships

Individuals may have excessive demand of maintaining close contact with their key attachment figures or loved ones which may often become a source of frustration to family members leading to resentment and conflict with in the family.

Individuals may have difficulty communicating and trusting others making it impossible for them to maintain relationships. In most cases, these people end up being single, unmarried or divorced and not having children.

If parents have the anxiety disorder such as separation anxiety disorder, they may seem to be over protective to their children which interferes with proper parenting, this in turn affects the social life of children.

Importantly, excessive worrying and anxiety may impair the ability of parents with i.e., in generalized anxiety disorder to encourage confidence in their children.

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Academics

Individuals especially children tend to suffer academic impairment because often they do not communicate with teachers regarding their academic or personal needs. Children often refuse to speak at school, leading to academic or educational impairment, as teachers often find it difficult to assess skills such as reading.

Individuals may drop out of school due to intense fear of being negatively evaluated by their classmates as being stupid, anxious, weak, crazy, boring, intimidating, dirty, or unlikable. They are so much concerned about other people’s scrutiny i.e., in social anxiety disorder.

Individuals may tend to be markedly afraid of engaging in reciprocal academic interactions with others. For example, children fear to share ideas with other children during active discussions, project assignments. In selective mutism, children may only participate in nonverbal social encounters. i.e., nonverbal parts in school plays.

Work

Individuals tend to have poor work performance following reduced concentration, creativity, productivity and confidence. i.e., an individual may constantly worry about everyday routine life circumstances such as job responsibilities, health and finances.

Individuals may have poor relationships with co-workers, managers, and clients due to poor communication. i.e., individuals are preoccupied with worries regarding job performance, individuals find it hard to initiate or maintain reciprocal interaction with their co-workers.

Individuals may fail to take up job opportunities associated with their feared stimulus, for example, people afraid of heights, flying may never become pilots, people afraid of blood may never become nurses etc.

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A word from Ray of Hope

Excessive anxiety can affect other aspects of your life such as your hobbies, interests, spirituality, or personal growth by limiting your enjoyment, satisfaction, and fulfillment. Anxiety can also prevent you from pursuing new opportunities, learning new skills, or achieving your goals.

These are some of the possible effects of anxiety disorders on your life. However, anxiety disorders are treatable and manageable. There are many effective ways to cope with intense anxiety such as therapy, medication, relaxation techniques, exercise, diet, and social support.

If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. You deserve to live a happy and healthy life.