This article will discuss the most common triggers of anxiety. It will show how they can cause you to feel anxious, and what are ways to cope with what may trigger you. The article will also show what anxiety is to help you identify when you are triggered.

What are the most common anxiety triggers?

Many things can trigger your anxiety, and even though some may be personal, there are some common triggers to people. Discovering what triggers your anxiety is the first thing to try and get a handle on it. Because of that, let’s discuss what are some of the most common triggers of anxiety.

Experiencing health concerns

When you are worried about your health, be it because you had a diagnosis of a condition, or it is under investigation. This can make you worry about your life and well-being, generating intense anxiety.

If you are going through a health treatment, such as cancer, it might be important to talk to a therapist about all the changes that have been going on in your life.

Some types of medications

Some sorts of medication, such as birth control pills, or weight loss medication can make people more anxious. That happens because of the ingredients contained in each medication. If you experience anxiety induced by medication, you should get in touch with your doctor.

Caffeine

Although coffee can make you feel more awake in the morning. But to some people, who either consume too much coffee or already have an anxiety disorder, it can be that coffee contributes to their symptoms. Try to cut on your coffee intake. You can get your energy by exercising, for example.

Not eating properly

When you don’t eat properly, especially when you skip a meal, you can have low blood sugar. This can lead to anxiety as well. Try to eat healthy and well, this will help not only with anxiety but with your general sense of well-being.

Ruminating or negative thinkings

When you ruminate a lot or spend too much time thinking about the negative, you may set your mind to worry constantly. It can make you have that feeling of impending doom, triggering your anxiety.

Meditating, especially mindfulness, can be a great way to stop those negative thoughts. It will allow you to focus on the moment. Trying to keep a more positive view of things can also get you out of that. Maybe make some affirmations that show you not everything is as bad as it seems.

Financial problems

Financial concerns are an important trigger of anxiety. It can make you feel like you have lost control of your life, or that you don’t have possibilities.

Dealing with finances is always hard, but if that is making you anxious, you may try to manage your financial situation better. Set patterns, organize pay dates, and if you understand it is something that is making it harder for you to manage, seek help.

It can be a friend that is good at organizing finances or getting in touch with your bank manager.

Social interactions

Social interactions can always cause anxiety. It can be a party, a date, or a family reunion. But being around people can make you scared of being judged, or even that you won’t interact properly.

Know that this can happen to everyone, but if it gets too intense, it may be that you are dealing with social anxiety disorder.

To deal with social anxiety, you may need medication and therapy, depending on how intense it is. But therapy will help you understand why those interactions make you so anxious and create strategies to handle them.

Experiencing conflicts

Dealing with conflicts is never easy. Experiencing arguments, discussions, and having to say how you feel can be hard. They can trigger your anxiety unless you learn to deal with them.

Therapy can help you learn how to deal with conflicts. It will help you understand what scares you about them, and how to speak your mind more securely when dealing with a conflict.

Stressful situations

Going through a traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one can be a trigger for anxiety. Experiencing stressful situations, such as traffic jams, or missing a plane can also be something that causes you to feel anxious.

They can make you turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to feel better. But try to look for healthier ways to cope with stress, such as exercising, or breathing exercises can help you feel better.

Putting yourself in the limelight

Exposing yourself, in a work meeting, presenting a project, or performing in a play can trigger your anxiety. It can make you scared of making a mistake, or even of being judged by others. But feeling supported by people around you, it can be that with time you will feel less anxious.

Personal triggers

The triggers said above are usually common triggers that many people can go through. But some are personal triggers. You can have separation anxiety, which is related to the fear of being abandoned. And every time you experience something similar to abandonment, you can get extremely anxious.

To treat your triggers, therapy can be a good way to go. It will help you identify what are the factors that trigger your anxiety, and finally, learn how to deal with it.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a common feeling. Everyone feels it at some point. It is a sense of fear, worry, or inability to relax. And although sometimes it can be related to concrete things, such as a job interview.

When anxiety becomes a problem, it can cause people to feel constant fear and worry even when there is no concrete matter for them to worry about.

People with anxiety disorder are usually worried and afraid of something bad happening. This is called the fear of impending doom. There are many forms of anxiety disorders, but they all usually bring many physical and emotional symptoms to those who suffer from them.

Here are the main physical symptoms of anxiety:

Nausea, and stomach pain
Insomnia
Headache or migraine
Increased heartbeat
Weakness
Sweating
Shaking
Numbness in arms and legs
Fast breathing or difficulty breathing
Muscle tension

These are the most common emotional symptoms of anxiety:

Feeling nervous
More irritable
Having a sense of impending doom
Difficulty focusing
Needing to avoid things that make you anxious

If you experience these symptoms, be it the physical and/or emotional ones, it may mean you are dealing with anxiety. It can also mean that it is being triggered by one of those many factors discussed previously.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What are the most common anxiety triggers?

What is the 54321 method?

The 54321 method is a way people can center themselves when dealing with an anxiety crisis. In it, when going through an anxiety crisis, you will need to focus on something.

5 things you can see
4 things you can feel
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

Say the name of those things out loud. And through this, you will be able to focus on something else besides the anxiety crisis. It will help you center, and disconnect from the crisis.

What are ways to ground me during an anxiety attack?

When you are going through an anxiety attack, you might need to create some strategies to feel better during it. Here there are two techniques you can use to ground yourself when going through an anxiety attack.

The first is by talking yourself out of it. You can talk out loud or in your head. Tell yourself you are going through an anxiety attack, and that you have been through this before, and you got better from it. Tell yourself you are strong and capable of dealing with this situation, that won’t go on forever.

Keep repeating those things until you feel better. Another form of calming yourself from an anxiety attack is by playing a game with yourself. This will also allow you to focus on something else besides the attack. You can try to name these things:

Name as many states as you can
Name as many dog breeds as you can
Name as many cities as you can

Is anxiety all in my head?

Essentially, yes. Although sometimes anxiety can be related to concrete things going on in your life, such as going on a first date, or a job interview, most concerns anxiety brings you are worried your mindsets on you.

The fear of impending doom is something that your mind makes you think. That is not saying that things will always be perfect. Things can go wrong, but the size the tragedy gets in your mind is usually related to how anxious you are.

To tone those thoughts down, try to make some lifestyle changes, and look for treatment for anxiety.

What are ways to cope with anxiety?

There are many ways to cope with anxiety. The first thing to consider, if it is too intense, is to look for a therapist, and sometimes even a psychiatrist, if you need medication. The medication will improve your symptoms, which will allow you to function a little better.

Therapy will be something to support you through it and help you understand the root of your anxiety. Aside from that, some lifestyle changes can help you feel better from anxiety. The first thing is exercising, it will reduce your stress.

Avoiding drugs, alcohol, and coffee can also help you feel better. Too much coffee can make you feel more anxious, as for alcohol and drugs, after you take them, you can feel your anxiety worse.

Meditating or relaxing techniques can also improve your anxiety. It will help you breathe, center on the right now, and not on the racing thoughts in your head. You can also benefit from making a journal to identify your triggers.

Socializing will help you feel more connected, and take away some of the negative thoughts running through your mind.

Does anxiety have a cure?

No, anxiety doesn’t have a cure. What people that suffer from anxiety can do is manage their symptoms. Through treatment and some lifestyle changes, a person can live well, and increase their quality of life.

Anxiety doesn’t have a cure because aside from environmental reasons, it also has a genetic factor to it. Which can’t be altered by treatment.

Conclusion

This article discussed what are the most common triggers of anxiety. For that, it showed what anxiety is, and when it can become a problem in the person’s life. Aside from that, the article discussed what are ways people can cope with their triggers that generate anxiety.

References

https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/anxiety-triggers

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/causes-anxiety

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326134#sitting-a-test

What are the most common anxiety triggers?