Anxiety… on the rise..

Anxiety…..a word thrown around a lot but without any meaning. The medical definition is ‘excessive and persistent sense of apprehension, with physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations, and feelings of stress.’

A lot of individuals are unaware/denial that they suffer from anxiety, as they’ll brush it off as an overreaction or nothing at all until the symptoms get worse. Symptoms vary with different individuals but for me in general when my anxiety is at its highest it will affect me physically and mentally.

The rise in social media, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat etc does not make it any easier and it sometimes makes me think that this is where the real problem starts from. We are so concerned with our image, what will people say if I don’t go to University, get married or get a good job that we cause ourselves this unnecessary stress therefore creating these issues ourselves.

Not everybody goes through the same life experiences as others and not everybody copes with things life throws at them well. As there has been a big emphasis on mental health especially in the Asian community in the last year or so, it was something that I wanted to bring to Punjab2000 followers attention. Especially as the elder generation and even some of the youth today do not fully understand mental health issues. If you have read/watched ‘The boy with the top knot’ by Sathnam Sanghera then this is a clear example of how we as a community ignore issues with the state of mind!

TheBoyWithTheTopKnot

There are coping mechanisms for anyone who deals with Anxiety or any other ‘mental health issue’. On a personal level, I tend to distract myself with reading, switching off from social media and meditating! If you are reading this and can relate to it, do not suffer in silence whatever you are going through, speak to a friend/family member or even a helpline!

By Tazz Kaur