There are many factors and causes to anxiety that can be found over time or have been there all along. Everything from your family history to how your brain functions can determine the severity and presence of anxiety. Being aware of your environment and staying healthy can limit the symptoms of anxiety and help you get through any bad day.
1. Genetics
Ever noticed that your mother becomes very quiet sometimes, your brother has frequent panic attacks, or your second cousin avoids Holiday parties? They could be suffering from anxiety, which means, if you haven’t already, you are more likely to feel symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety can be caused by a string of individuals from your family line that are suffering or have suffered from anxiety. This increases the likelihood of a person ultimately developing anxiety symptoms or Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
2. Brain chemistry
Anxiety is connected to abnormal functioning in specific neurotransmitters in someone’s brain. A neurotransmitter is like chemical messengers that assist in sending information from one nerve cell to another. For a person with severe anxiety, their neurotransmitters are not working properly, and important messages can’t get through properly, which in turn causes the brain to work improperly, leading to anxiety, depression and other stress-induced disorders. A functioning, healthy brain will limit the amount of anxiety symptoms you feel.
3. Brain Circuits
There are certain areas in our brain that control different bodily and physiological functions. When one area is compromised, the others must facilitate that faulty certain, which can cause stress on your brain and your emotions. As per anxiety, the prefrontal cortex and the limbic cortex must be best friends, or the chance of having anxiety is very high. These two circuits control a person’s ability to assess a risk, and can provide great fear when making decisions.
4. Environmental Factors
Anxiety is a disorder that experts have not been able to completely decode. It is known that anxiety is triggered by genetics and biology. Family history combined with defects in the brain has an impact on millions of Americans affected each year by anxiety. However, environmental factors have proven to have a much larger impact in the risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Environmental factors include: the death of a loved one, physical and mental abuse, drug abuse, divorce, and isolation.
5. Use of Street Drugs
Street drugs are usually uppers, which stimulate a person’s energy after the drug is taken. Drugs like cocaine can cause severe stress and anxiety, due to its very quick turnaround time and short duration. The more one uses uppers, the more anxiety they will feel after the drugs are taken. If one is looking for natural stimulant, exercise like running or lifting wait can give one the same feelings in their brain as if they were taking a street drug.
6. Financial Stress
Money can cause anxiety in a person’s life for a long period of time, and can lead to severe anxiety. Fearing to make rent every month, paying for gas, and putting food on the table can build up in one’s head, especially when you are trying to provide for a family. Financial stress is toxic, and can be very hard to maintain if you are in a tight situation with money. Taking out a loan or asking friends and family for help could ease your stress and limit your financial anxiety.
7. Stress from School
Whether you are taking college classes or trying to pass 2nd grade, school can become very stressful and can lead to anxiety. The pressure to perform in the classroom can be exhausting, especially when the fear of not being able to move on to another grade and school with your friends. If you are having trouble in school or are trying to navigate school with a learning disability, seeking counseling inside or outside school can ease the stress and provide you with a safe, educational space.
