What Makes Anxiety Worse? Causes You Should Know

If you experience anxiety, you no doubt do everything within your power to keep it under control. You most likely plan ahead for ways to cope at particular events and try very hard to “keep it together”. After all, anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling that you’d rather avoid. However, without realising it, you may be doing (or not doing) things that can actually make your anxiety worse.

Avoidance

Given that anxiety is an “icky” and uncomfortable feeling, you may try to avoid situations that make you feel nervous or anxious. You may avoid going to certain events, such as parties or work functions. You may also avoid doing particular things, such as driving to certain places, going to the supermarket, or speaking in public. You could even avoid talking in social situations. If you feel nervous about an upcoming exam or work project, you may avoid getting started and procrastinate. The problem is, the more you avoid these situations, the more anxious you will feel. Taking small steps to overcome anxiety may help you gradually face your fears. Read more about avoidance behaviours in How to Cope with Anxiety at Work: 7 Effective Strategies.

Safety Behaviours

To minimise anxiety, you may plan or do things to reduce your anxiety, which are known as safety behaviours. For example, you may sit near the door in a café so you can easily leave if you begin to feel anxious. You may also plan ahead by using an “important phone call” or “toilet” excuse to leave conversations at social events that provoke anxiety. Or perhaps you bring certain items with you to events or places, such as medication to manage your anxiety or your mobile phone as a prop if you need to avoid talking. Safety behaviours reinforce the belief that the situation is dangerous, which in turn reinforces anxiety.

Focusing on Anxiety

Naturally, when we “hate” anxiety, we tend to focus on it. After all, we desperately want to get rid of it. However, by fearing anxiety, you are telling yourself that it is dangerous, which only perpetuates the anxiety itself.

Rapid Breathing

Another subtle contributor to anxiety is breathing quickly when you feel anxious. If you breathe quickly and do not take slow, deep breaths, your anxiety can worsen. Your body and mind interpret rapid breathing as a sign of danger, triggering the release of adrenaline and increasing your anxiety levels. If you continue to breathe rapidly, you may also hyperventilate, which can lead to panic. Panic can occur when oxygen and carbon dioxide levels become imbalanced.

Reassurance Seeking

When you feel insecure or scared, you may seek reassurance from loved ones or the internet (“Dr Google” may sound familiar). However, reassurance seeking can actually worsen anxiety. While it may seem like seeking reassurance provides comfort and safety, it can also reinforce your fears by giving them more attention and energy. Additionally, reassurance seeking does not address the deeper fears that underlie anxiety.

Worry

Worry involves ruminating about problems or potential problems in an attempt to prevent them or solve them. However, worrying can prevent you from fully processing the emotional side of your fears. Instead, it keeps you focused on using cognitive processes to deal with your fears rather than allowing yourself to truly “feel” them. When you allow yourself to experience your fears, you can ride them like a wave that eventually settles into tiny ripples. By worrying, your fears are more likely to linger for longer.

Treatment for Anxiety

There are several well-researched therapies that are proven effective in the treatment of anxiety. The type of therapy recommended by a psychologist depends largely on the type of anxiety a person is experiencing, such as General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Attacks and Agoraphobia, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety is one of the most effective and widely used treatments. Supported by extensive research, it is typically a short-term, goal-focused therapy.

If you’d like to learn more about the different types of anxiety disorders, Beyond Blue’s Understanding Anxiety Disorders guide provides helpful information on symptoms, common anxiety disorders, and available support.

How can Peaceful Mind Psychology Help?

We are warm and empathic psychologists based in Melbourne who are experienced and trained in treating anxiety with CBT therapies. If you would like professional assistance, contact us at Peaceful Mind Psychology on 1300 766 870. We are located in Armadale, Hawthorn, Prahran and Glen Iris. Our psychologists also provide CBT via online therapy to you anywhere in Australia.