Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, and unease that everybody has felt at some point in their lives. Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress, and it often occurs when people face unfamiliar or difficult situations. While everybody is likely to experience some anxiety during challenging circumstances, at times it seems that the anxiety won’t go away. When anxiety doesn’t stop and begins to interfere with typical life activities, it’s helpful to seek professional guidance. Knowing what causes anxiety may help people determine when to seek outside advice.
Environmental Stressors
Many different life stressors can cause anxiety. Circumstances involving work, school, relationships, finances, or just navigating daily life can cause feelings of anxiety. People may feel anxiety when thinking about global issues. Death or loss of a loved one, including situations like separation or divorce, can cause anxiety. Job changes, moving, or changes in living arrangements can cause environmental stress that leads to anxiety. Also, perfectionists and high achievers may develop anxiety if they feel they aren’t performing up to their full potential.
Trauma
In addition to life stressors, anxiety may result from exposure to negative or stressful circumstances or other traumatic events, especially during early childhood. Experiencing or witnessing traumatic events as a child leads to a higher risk of experiencing anxiety as an adult. Military combat and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can lead to increased anxiety. Any ongoing trauma, including situations like a war or chronic illness, can cause individuals to feel high levels of anxiety.
Genetics
Anxiety disorders can run in a family. If relatives have a history of anxiety or other psychological issues, an individual may be more likely to experience anxiety. While people may have a genetic predisposition toward anxiety, a relative with an anxiety disorder doesn’t necessarily mean a person will develop similar problems. However, there can be a hereditary factor involved, and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder is greater for those whose parents have had an anxiety disorder.
Medical Causes
Chronic illness or health issues may cause anxiety, such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Other disorders, such as depression, can cause or heighten anxiety. Stress from an intensive surgery or prolonged recovery can cause anxiety. Often, the individual worries about the situation, treatment, and the possibility for the illness to worsen, and this increases their feelings of fear and anxiety.
Drug/Alcohol Use or Medication
Using recreational drugs or alcohol can cause or increase anxiety. Although some individuals use substances like drugs or alcohol to manage anxiety, this can actually aggravate anxiety in a person.
Every individual is different, and it’s most often a combination of factors that contribute to anxiety. While it may not always be possible to identify the cause of anxiety, knowing the symptoms is important because that can let a person know when it’s time to seek advice or support from a professional.
The experienced staff at Horizon Counseling Services can diagnose anxiety disorders and help treat individuals with anxiety. Anxiety is manageable with treatments such as therapy and medication. Contact us for more information on coping with anxiety.
