ORLANDO, Fla. – Stress is a normal emotion but when it turns into anxiety that is persistent and affects how you live your life, you should consider seeking professional help.
Every day, we might experience moments of stress. Whether it’s navigating I-4 traffic, starting a new job, facing a pressing deadline, or whatever might be putting strain in your life, feeling stressed is a normal human activity.
Recommended Videos
“Once the event itself has passed, so have the elements of stress,” said Dr. Marni Stahlman, president of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida. “Anxiety is different. Anxiety comes as a response to a fear that we have or a threat or an incident.”
Like stress, anxiety is also normal for humans. Stahlman uses an example of a car accident to illustrate the progression of anxiety to an anxiety disorder.
“If you have been in an accident and it was a bad accident, you may have anxiety about getting back into the car. You may have anxieties about if I get back in the car, is there going to be another accident?” Stahlman said. “The anxiety disorder occurs when that is persistent and prolonged and despite best efforts, doesn’t go away.”
According to an American Psychological Association study, 79% of psychologists reported an increase of anxiety disorders between 2020 and 2022.
“One of the things we talk about is COVID,” Stahlman said. “It was very stressful to find out what it was or not know what it was and all the things that were happening. Then we started to build anxiety over the event because it was prolonged. Usually in fight-or-flight, the situation doesn’t last for very long.”
Despite the reported increase in anxiety disorders, Stahlman stresses that it is very treatable. However, of those who are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, only 43% receive treatment.
“There’s just so much that goes into stigma, and normalizing conversation about this is just really, really important,” Stahlman said.
Mental health is as important as physical health, and checking in with yourself to make sure everything is working the way it should be is important to your quality of life.
“If your sleep has been interrupted or changed over a period of time for more than a couple of days, that’s an indicator [to seek professional help],” Stahlman said. “If you’re finding that you’re emotionally isolating or physically isolating or if your relationships with other people have become either withdrawn or more explosive, that’s also a big indicator.”
There are several ways you can go about managing an anxiety disorder, including exercise, talk therapy, breathing, and mindfulness.
“All of these are opportunities to use health and wellness to manage [anxiety disorders]. It’s something to incorporate into your daily routine,” Stahlman said.
If you believe you may have an anxiety disorder, reach out to the Mental Health Association of Central Florida Connections Program to get in contact with community mental health resources.