Anxiety Misconceptions Explained

Anxiety and mental health as a whole, are topics that are in dire need of further exploration. There is still an abundance of stigmatisation around our mental health, so, for this blog post, I’m going to dive into some common misconceptions surrounding anxiety, in an effort to debunk them.

Let’s jump right in:

Misconception 1:

‘Anxiety is the same as stress’.

Despite stress and anxiety eliciting similar symptoms, they have some rather significant differences. Stress is a natural, short term response to stimuli, and something almost everybody will face in their lifetime. Anxiety, however, is in itself if a mental health condition – and one that is accommodated by a range of symptoms, that can vary from short to long-term. Rather than experiencing short term feelings of unease or worry, such as those experienced during a stressful period, anxiety causes persistent feelings of apprehension.

Misconception 2:

‘It’s all in your head’.

Despite anxiety being a mental health condition, there is so much more to it than being a feeling of becoming overwhelmed with emotion. Anxiety can elicit our bodies ‘fight or flight’ response, as our stress hormones rise suddenly. This nervous system response can cause a number of physical reactions, such as: palpitations, sweating, headaches, nausea, shortness of breath, and more. These physical symptoms can then exacerbate our feelings of unease, and lead to a whirlwind of emotions.

Misconception 3:

‘You can always tell when someone is anxious’.

Much like most other mental health conditions, anxiety affects everybody differently, and can manifest itself in many different ways. For example, while some people associate their anxiety with social unease, others may face daily panic attacks. Others can hide their anxiety entirely, such individuals (with high-functioning anxiety) may appear to be in control of themselves and thriving, despite still facing daily struggles relating to their mental health. Due to every experience with anxiety being unique, it can be difficult to know when someone is struggling.

Misconception 4:

‘All anxious people have panic attacks’.

As previously mentioned, anxiety manifests differently for everyone, and while panic attacks occur in almost all anxiety disorders, and with 46 million panic attacks take place each year (in the U.K.), statistics state that only 1% of the population experience an actual panic disorder. So, while some individuals may be symptomatic of shortness of breath, palpitations, and a sense of dread, others, such as those with Generalised Anxiety Disorder, may experience more long-lasting and intense feelings of anxiety and worry.

Misconception 5:

‘If you avoid triggers, you’ll beat your anxiety’.

Whilst avoiding anxious triggers can provide short-term alleviation of symptoms, especially for those facing a panic disorder, it is not a suitable long-term solution. An important step in managing anxiety can involve facing feared situations. This is referred to as exposure. Exposure involves gradually and repeatedly putting ourselves through feared situations, in an effort to gradually decrease our anxiety over time. Although a time consuming practice, exposure is one of the most effective ways of overcoming fear.

There are many myths and misconceptions regarding anxiety, and what it means to be anxious, and I have only covered the basics here. Taking the time to educate and truly understand anxiety is a crucial step towards supporting those who face the condition.

The most important thing to remember, is that anxiety is a real and challenging experience for many, and it’s important to approach the topic with empathy and knowledge.