Are you in your feels about the recent Supreme Court ruling? Do you have strong opinions about our nation’s involvement in overseas affairs? Maybe you struggle with the need for parades for LGBTQ+ members or you have concerns about gun control laws as it pertains to your children’s education institutions? While these are all important issues, their controversial matter can spark anxiety for many. And if you’re one of those individuals, don’t worry, we won’t be discussing any of those topics today. But…because we know that the aftermath and constant conversation of current events can often trigger unhealthy responses in our bodies, we do want to talk about THAT!
So, lets first discuss what anxiety may look like in our bodies—physically, emotionally, and mentally—so we can act on it before it becomes bigger than we feel like we can handle.
Physical traits of anxiety—This looks like body soreness, aches or fatigue and can be felt in the form of a headache, or tension in the neck or shoulders. You may also experience an increase in your heart rate or palpitations that can either be felt from within your body or by placing your open palm against your chest or a decrease in ease of breathing. Sometimes individuals experience sweating or hot flashes. Others will notice trembling or shaking usually in their hands, but sometimes in their legs (ie. bouncing or swaying) as a subconscious response.
Emotional traits of anxiety—This looks like excess amounts of worrying, sadness, or even anger. If you recognize you are more sensitive or touchy than usual, chances are you could be carrying around anxious thoughts and not even know it.
Mental traits of anxiety—This looks like overthinking about tasks that are often completed on “autopilot”. You may also find yourself struggling to focus or complete tasks.
So what?
Ok, so you’ve determined that the information you’re inputting into your body is causing anxiety. Now what do you do? Not everyone will respond to anxiety the same way, and for that reason, we’re lucky that there is a whole variety of tools to try.
We’d love to help you on this mental health journey!
Similar to the amount of ways anxiety can be experienced or expressed, there are just about the same infinite ways of how to best handle trigger and anxious responses from reading/hearing/engaging in conversations about current events. Remember to give yourself space and grace as you try different tools to best handle your unique responses.
Written by,
Ally Bremer, LCSW
Owner