FATHER SATURNINO URIOS UNIVERSITY

San Francisco St. Butuan City 8600, Region XIII Caraga, Philippines
Nursing Program

Type of Anxiety Definition Signs and Symptoms Coping Skills

Generalized Generalized Anxiety  Feeling restless, Social Coping Strategies
Anxiety Disorder Disorder (GAD) is wound-up, or
characterized by on-edge For some people, social coping strategies can help manage symptoms, overcome
persistent and  Being easily fear, and even improve social life for an overall better quality of life. Effective
excessive worry fatigued options include the following.
about a number of  Having
different things. difficulty Get Involved
People with GAD concentrating;
may anticipate mind going When we feel anxious it is common to want to pull away from others and
disaster and may be blank disconnect. This leads us to feeling removed from others, our family, and our
overly concerned  Being irritable community. Finding events to participate in can help foster a sense of belonging
about money,  Having muscle and allow us to feel purposeful. Not only are we keeping our bodies busy, but
health, family, work, tension our minds as well.
or other issues.  Difficulty
Individuals with Talk to Someone
controlling
GAD find it difficult feelings of
to control their Anxiety can lead us to believe that we are alone in our experience and no one
worry
worry. They may will be able to relate. This is not true. Find a trusted person to talk with about
 Having sleep
worry more than your challenges. Share with important people in your life the experiences you are
problems, such
seems warranted struggling with and don't be afraid to open up conversation. Being open about
as difficulty
about actual events your challenges can also allow other people the space to share their struggles.
falling or
or may expect the staying asleep,
worst even when Recruit Support
restlessness, or
there is no apparent unsatisfying
reason for concern. Finding a support system is important when we are struggling with
sleep anxiety.2 There are a variety of support resources available, both in-person
options and online, that can be of great help. A community of people who not
only understand but can offer tips and suggestions for helpful coping strategies
can be valuable.
Emotional Coping Strategies

Mindfulness

There are varied practices of mindfulness that can help with anxiety. Using
techniques like mindfulness, prayer, and deep breathing can help slow down our
anxious processing of thoughts and emotions. By slowing down we are learning
to be more present rather than hyper-focused on trying to anticipate and
prepare for the future, which is what anxiety makes us focus on, even when
there are no threats present.

Learn Your Triggers

As you practice slowing down and becoming more mindful, it will be helpful for
you to pay attention to the situations that seem to trigger your anxiety. Although
it won't always be an option to avoid those triggers, being aware of them can
help you gain clarity and take steps toward managing stress in those specific
situations. Learning cognitive ways to challenge your anxiety can help, such as
diffusing anxious thoughts and calming the need to keep asking "what if."

Practice Acceptance

Remember that anxiety is not something you are experiencing because you are
flawed in any way. Anxiety is influenced by a host of factors such as genetics,
neurobiology, family history,4
and life experiences. There is no one cause of GAD and it is something that many
people experience. As impossible as it may seem, it can be helpful to learn to
accept the journey and embrace it as an opportunity to learn and care for
yourself in healthy ways. Accepting your emotions can improve your overall
emotional health.5 Identifying the emotions is the first of multiple steps to
achieving this.

Keep a Positive Attitude

There is no need to lose hope for better living. Many people challenged with
anxiety, such as with generalized anxiety disorder, lead full, productive, and
joyful lives. The key is taking time to learn what strategies work well for you, stay
connected to others, and remain positive. Find inspiration through quotes,
verses, music, nature, social connections, etc. We are surrounded by positive
examples of hope and inspiration.

Physical Coping Strategies

Physical coping strategies, like eating well, exercising, breathing, and establishing
a relaxing bedtime routine, can help with emotional symptoms as well.

Eat Well

What we put into our bodies can influence how we feel physically and
emotionally. Although foods do not cause anxiety, foods can impact our mood.
Eating things like sugary snacks and processed foods can lead to quick highs and
lows in our blood sugar that can influence feelings of restlessness and fatigue.

Exercise

Moving your body can be a great way to manage stress. Exercise helps to boost
our endorphins and relieve tension. Try something new or go with an old favorite
activity you enjoy. Any way that you choose to exercise will be of benefit. Keep a
consistent schedule and try to incorporate exercise three to four times per week
or more. You may also try massage or progressive muscle relaxation to help ease
muscle tension that is often experienced with anxiety.

Get Enough Sleep

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), only one in three adults in the
United States get the recommended seven hours of sleep at night. Although it
can be difficult to sleep when we experience anxiety, creating a reliable
nighttime routine can help us relax and prepare for quality sleep. Things like
progressive relaxation, reading, journaling, and turning off electronics at least
one hour before bed can help you prepare your mind and body for rest. Doing a
"brain dump," or writing a to-do list or worry log as part of your bedtime routine
can also help if you struggle with racing thoughts and anxiety.

Breathing

Shortness of breath can be a common physical symptom of anxiety, along with a

tightened chest and muscle tension. In those moments we often forget to
 breathe and take rapid, shallow breaths. Practicing how to take slow abdominal
breaths can help.

Obsessive- Obsessive- 1. Greet Your OCD

Compulsive Compulsive Obsessions are
Disorder (OCD) Disorder, OCD, is an repeated thoughts, OCD can feel like an uncontrollable force that is just waiting to pounce, sort of
anxiety disorder and urges, or mental like the monster that use to live under your bed when you were a child. Instead
is characterized by images that cause of allowing your OCD to be a faceless villain, give it a name and a shape. Maybe
recurrent, unwanted anxiety. Common you want to call your OCD Bully, Bob, or Buddy. Whatever name you give it will
thoughts symptoms include: help bring your OCD out of the shadows and into the light, making it easier to
(obsessions) and/or acknowledge its existence. Next, give your OCD a shape; it can be anything from
repetitive behaviors  Fear of germs or a purple blob to a cheetah.
(compulsions). contamination
Repetitive behaviors  Unwanted 2. Keep an OCD Journal
such as hand forbidden or taboo
washing, counting, thoughts involving You may have seen some people keep food journals to keep track of what they
checking, or cleaning sex, religion, or eat every day while on a diet, well an OCD journal plays the same role. An OCD
are often performed harm journal can help you keep track of your triggers or find new ones, and help you
with the hope of  Aggressive assess the state of your overall OCD. Carry your OCD journal with you
preventing obsessive thoughts towards everywhere you go and record what happened after you have completed a
thoughts or making others or self compulsion.
them go away.  Having things
Performing these so- symmetrical or in a 3. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
called "rituals," perfect order
however, provides ERP is a common way of facing and possibly relieving OCD. When using ERP one
only temporary Compulsions are exposes him or herself to a situation that results in an obsession and then does
relief, and not repetitive behaviors not engage in their compulsion. Try building an OCD ladder by listing out your
performing them that a person with fears and subsequent triggers on a 10 rung ladder in order of severity from 1-10.
markedly increases OCD feels the urge to
anxiety. do in response to an 4. Refocus Your Attention
obsessive thought.
Common compulsions If you are experiencing OCD compulsions or obsessions, or you feel one coming
include: on try to refocus your attention from the situation. Refocusing your attention
can be done physically or mentally. If at the end of the refocusing period you still
 Excessive cleaning feel the need to complete your obsession try repeating the session again.
and/or
handwashing 5. Reward Yourself for Success
 Ordering and Make sure that while you are working to cope with your OCD, you are taking the
arranging things in time to celebrate your successes. Battling OCD is hard, so when success is
a particular, achieved it should be celebrated just like any other accomplishment. Determine
precise way your rewards before challenging yourself. For example, you could decide that if
 Repeatedly you can wait 20 seconds before completing your compulsion, then you are going
checking on things, to order pizza for dinner! You don’t need to have rewards or create expectations
such as repeatedly for every scenario, because that could create more stress. Maybe at the end of
checking to see if the week you could reward yourself for any progress you’ve made, or if you do
the door is locked decide to face a compulsion head on then reward yourself right away. The
or that the oven is balance is up to you.
off
 Compulsive 6. Keep Your Stress at a Minimum
counting
Living with and battling OCD is hard work that can be made even harder when
Not all rituals or habits stress is present. Stress has been shown to significantly increase OCD in people,
are compulsions. so keeping your stress level down is crucial. Be sure to include time to destress in
Everyone double your daily schedule. Whether you decide to go for a run, read a book, or watch
checks things some TV, finding an hour of time every day to destress can be incredibly
sometimes. But a beneficial.
person with OCD
generally: 7. Remind Yourself of the Facts

 Can't control his or It’s easy to spiral into a loop of self-doubt and blame, but try to break that cycle.
her thoughts or If you start feeling guilty for having OCD remind yourself that you have a
behaviors, even diagnosed medical condition. Would you be angry at your friend who had
when those asthma if he needed to stop and take his inhaler? Of course not, so you don’t
thoughts or need to feel guilty when you perform behaviors that are out of the norm or
behaviors are cause a slight delay. You have a medical condition and are working with it. End of
recognized as story, no guilt needed.
excessive
 Spends at least 1
hour a day on
these thoughts or
behaviors
 Doesn’t get
pleasure when
performing the
behaviors or
rituals, but may
 feel brief relief
from the anxiety
the thoughts cause
 Experiences
significant
problems in their
daily life due to
these thoughts or
behaviors

Panic Disorder Panic disorder is an  Heart palpitations,

anxiety disorder and a pounding
is characterized by heartbeat, or an Use deep breathing
unexpected and accelerated
repeated episodes heartrate While hyperventilating is a symptom of panic attacks that can increase fear, deep
of intense fear  Sweating
accompanied by  Trembling or breathing can reduce symptoms of panic during an attack.
physical symptoms shaking
that may include  Sensations of If you’re able to control your breathing, you’re less likely to experience the
chest pain, heart shortness of hyperventilating that can make other symptoms — and the panic attack itself —
palpitations, breath,
shortness of breath, worse.
smothering, or
dizziness, or choking
abdominal distress.  Feelings of Focus on taking deep breaths in and out through your mouth, feeling the air
impending doom slowly fill your chest and belly and then slowly leave them again. Breathe in for a
 Feelings of being
count of four, hold for a second, and then breathe out for a count of four.
out of control

Recognize that you’re having a panic attack

By recognizing that you’re having a panic attack instead of a heart attack, you
can remind yourself that this is temporary, it will pass, and that you’re OK.
Take away the fear that you may be dying or that impending doom is looming,
both symptoms of panic attacks. This can allow you to focus on other techniques
to reduce your symptoms.

Close your eyes

Some panic attacks come from triggers that overwhelm you. If you’re in a fast-
paced environment with a lot of stimuli, this can feed your panic attack.

To reduce the stimuli, close your eyes during your panic attack. This can block
out any extra stimuli and make it easier to focus on your breathing.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness can help ground you in the reality of what’s around you. Since panic
attacks can cause a feeling of detachment or separation from reality, this can
combat your panic attack as it’s approaching or actually happening.

Focus on the physical sensations you are familiar with, like digging your feet into
the ground, or feeling the texture of your jeans on your hands. These specific
sensations ground you firmly in reality and give you something objective to focus
on.

Find a focus object

Some people find it helpful to find a single object to focus all of their attention
on during a panic attack. Pick one object in clear sight and consciously note
everything about it possible.
 For example, you may notice how the hand on the clock jerks when it ticks, and
that it’s slightly lopsided. Describe the patterns, color, shapes, and size of the
object to yourself. Focus all of your energy on this object, and your panic
symptoms may subside.

Use muscle relaxation techniques

Much like deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques can help stop your panic
attack in its tracks by controlling your body’s response as much as possible.

Consciously relax one muscle at a time, starting with something simple like the
fingers in your hand, and move your way up through your body.

Muscle relaxation techniques will be most effective when you’ve practiced them
beforehand.

Post-Traumatic Post-Traumatic Spend Time With People

Stress Disorder Stress Disorder, Re-experiencing
(PTSD) PTSD, is an anxiety symptoms include: It is common for people with PTSD to shy away from people, withdraw, and
disorder that can retreat.2 Fears, anxiety, anger, frustration, confusion, and the feeling of being
develop after  Flashbacks— overwhelmed are just some of the reasons why it might feel better to stay
exposure to a reliving the trauma isolated than be around people.
terrifying event or over and over,
ordeal in which including physical Spending time with supportive friends and family can make a significant
grave physical harm symptoms like a difference in your mood and outlook. Some ways to spend time with others can
occurred or was racing heart or include things like:
threatened. sweating
Traumatic events  Bad dreams  Going for a walk
that may trigger  Frightening  Have morning coffee
PTSD include violent thoughts  Play a card game
personal assaults,  Talk on the phone
natural or human- Re-experiencing  Share funny stories
caused disasters, symptoms may cause
problems in a person’s
accidents, or military everyday routine. The Exercise
combat. symptoms can start
from the person’s own Just as it is important to learn how to calm your mind, it is also important to get
thoughts and feelings. your body moving. Taking time to enjoy the outdoors, get some fresh air, and
Words, objects, or move our bodies can be a helpful way to regulate mood and emotions. Research
situations that are has shown that physical exercise can help our brains better cope with stress.4 In
reminders of the event fact, psychologists suggest that just a 10-minute walk per day can benefit our
can also trigger re- mood and help to relieve anxiety and depression. Here are some things to keep
experiencing in mind as you get started:
symptoms.
 Find an activity you enjoy
Avoidance symptoms  Set small goals
include:  Be consistent
 Listen to music or podcasts while you exercise
 Staying away from  Ask a friend to join you
places, events, or  Be patient with yourself
objects that are  Drink plenty of fluids
reminders of the  Make sure to dress for the weather
traumatic
experience Keep a Journal
 Avoiding thoughts
or feelings related Some people find it relaxing to journal their thoughts and have a consistent place
to the traumatic to go back to in order to write and process their experiences. Research has
event shown that people struggling with PTSD can find benefits in keeping a journal,
including decreasing flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive memories, helping
Things that remind a them slowly reconnect to people and places that they may otherwise want to
person of the avoid.6 Journaling can also aid in your counseling, as you can typically bring your
traumatic event can journal to sessions as things come up that you would like to process. Talk with
trigger avoidance your therapist and see if this might be an option for you.
symptoms. These
symptoms may cause a
person to change his
or her personal
routine. For example,
after a bad car
accident, a person who
usually drives may
avoid driving or riding
in a car.

Arousal and reactivity

symptoms include:

 Being easily
startled
 Feeling tense or
“on edge”
 Having difficulty
sleeping
 Having angry
outbursts

Arousal symptoms are

usually constant,
instead of being
triggered by things
that remind one of the
traumatic events.
These symptoms can
make the person feel
stressed and angry.
They may make it hard
to do daily tasks, such
as sleeping, eating, or
concentrating.

Cognition and mood

symptoms include:

 Trouble
remembering key
features of the
traumatic event
 Negative thoughts
about oneself or
the world
  Distorted feelings
like guilt or blame
 Loss of interest in
enjoyable activities

Cognition and mood

symptoms can begin or
worsen after the
traumatic event, but
are not due to injury or
substance use. These
symptoms can make
the person feel
alienated or detached
from friends or family
members.

Social Phobia (or Social Phobia, or  Fear of situations Nonverbal Communication

Social Anxiety Social Anxiety in which you may
Disorder) Disorder, is an Improving your nonverbal communication skills is another area in which you can
be judged
anxiety disorder employ self-help strategies if you live with social anxiety.
characterized by negatively
overwhelming Most people with social anxiety tend to adopt a "closed-off" stance; you may do
 Worry about
anxiety and this without even realizing it. Learning how to have a relaxed posture (e.g. hands
embarrassing or
excessive self- at your sides, good eye contact) encourages others to respond positively to you
consciousness in humiliating and makes you appear more approachable.
everyday social yourself
situations. Social Developing body confidence in this way will help you to become more confident
 Intense fear of in social interactions.
phobia can be
limited to only one interacting or
type of situation - talking with Deep Breathing
such as a fear of strangers
speaking in formal Having social anxiety means that you probably have strong emotional reactions
or informal  Fear that others in social situations. One way to reduce these anxious reactions is for your body
situations, or eating will notice that to be in a relaxed state. When your body is relaxed, your breathing is slow and
or drinking in front you look anxious natural, and your mind is free of negative thoughts, making it easier to enjoy
of others - or, in its being with others.
most severe form,  Fear of physical
may be so broad symptoms that
that a person may cause you Reducing Negative Thinking
experiences embarrassment,
symptoms almost If you live with social anxiety, you probably misinterpret comments or facial
such as blushing,
anytime they are expressions made by other people, which contributes to your emotional
sweating, reactions.5 In particular, there are two common thought patterns that can
around other
people. trembling or contribute to your anxiety.
having a shaky
voice

 Avoidance of
doing things or
speaking to
people out of
fear of
embarrassment

 Avoidance of
situations where
you might be the
center of
attention

 Anxiety in
anticipation of a
feared activity or
event

 Intense fear or
anxiety during
social situations

 Analysis of your
performance and
identification of
flaws in your
interactions after
a social situation
  Expectation of
the worst
possible
consequences
from a negative
experience
during a social
situation

References:
 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2021). What are the five major types of anxiety disorders? Retrieved from:
https://www.hhs.gov/answers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse/what-are-the-five-major-types-of-anxiety-disorders/index.html
 Cuncic, A. (2020). Living With Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/coping-with-social-anxiety-disorder-
3024836
 Tull, M. (2020). Healthy Ways of Coping With PTSD Anxiety. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-of-coping-with-anxiety-
2797619
 Priory. (2021). Coping with Panic Attacks. Retrieved from: https://www.priorygroup.com/blog/5-top-tips-for-coping-with-panic-attacks
 Miller, H. A. (2017). Strategies to Cope With OCD. Retrieved from: https://familypsychnj.com/2017/07/7-strategies-cope-ocd/
 Mayo Clinic. (2021). Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/social-anxiety-
disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353561