Anxiety: What it is and how to manage it with mindfulness-based practices

America’s state of anxiety

On March 20, 2023 the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey found that “…half (50%) of adults ages 18-24 reported anxiety and depression symptoms in 2023, compared to about a third of adults overall. The data also show that young adults are more likely than adults of any other age group to experience mental health symptoms.”

One-third of American adults reported anxiety and depression symptoms.

Half of Americans aged 18-24 reported anxiety and depression symptoms.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “Many young adults have come of age in an era of pandemic-related school closures, remote work and job and income loss, all of which may contribute to poor mental health. Additionally, young adults in college settings may encounter increased difficulty accessing treatment.”

The most common anxiety symptoms

The most common symptoms of anxiety are not always obvious to those who have experienced low levels of anxiety the majority of their life. Most individuals seek help when anxiety increases and the life skills one has historically used no longer work. At this point, it is most likely that a person’s personal life and professional career have been negatively impacted. Education is the key to recognizing when your mental health is being challenged. Empathetic communities are the key to empowering a community member to ask for help and take the needed actions to return to a healthier state.

Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment. The Anxiety and Depression Disorder Association states:

• People with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor and six times more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than those who do not suffer from anxiety disorders.

• Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events.”

Educated, empathetic communities are the key to empowering a community member to ask for help and take the needed actions to return to a healthier state.

The most common symptoms of anxiety are brain fog, shaking legs, overall fidgeting, sweating, rapid heart beating, pressure in the chest, pain in the gut/stomach, lack of appetite, and insomnia. The symptoms presented are unique to the individual. A person suffering from anxiety may have one symptom while another person has 3 symptoms. What is not unique is the ability for the practice of mindful breathing and movement to decrease the anxiety symptoms and allow a person to live a productive, healthy life.

The development of mindfulness-based anxiety management programs

In 2015, I was asked to create a mindfulness-based stress and anxiety management program to educate substance abuse patients on an adjunct holistic modality of self-care in a local behavioral health hospital. Over a four year period the stress and anxiety management program was customized to meet the needs of adult psychiatry units, military outpatients, and adolescent units.

Mindful focus on the physical body and breath relieved many of the patients anxiety symptoms in the moment. Continued use of mindfulness-based practices has been proven to increase the tone of the tenth cranial nerve and decrease the physical symptoms of anxiety increasing emotional regulation.

The mindfulness-bases stress and anxiety management program was expanded to develop a 30-day corporate program for a regional bank and a mindfulness based program for an adolescent sex trafficking unit on a residential behavioral health facility. It was also the foundation for my scholarly work at the Clinton School of Public Service where I created two mindfulness-based yoga programs for educational institutions.

If you would like to participate in an upcoming class or workshop, please click here. If you are interested in creating a program for your work or community organization, please click here.

References

Anxiety Disorders and Depression Association. (n.d.). https://adaa.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z3umpQaQbKHFrMlnoBAMFCtsvBxiWos2ZNIwSyKozkqfX23WydAGHBoCIgQQAvD_BwE

Kaiser Family Foundation. (2023, March 20). Latest Federal Data Show That Young People Are More Likely Than Older Adults to Be Experiencing Symptoms of Anxiety or Depression. https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/press-release/latest-federal-data-show-that-young-people-are-more-likely-than-older-adults-to-be-experiencing-symptoms-of-anxiety-or-depression/