Strong emotions can trigger anxiety attacks. All it takes is absorbing too much outside stimulus or inner turmoil. Beware of your amplified feelings!

Anxiety is bad all by itself, it doesn’t need a partner or trigger to get going. I understand this completely! So, it’s no surprise that random feelings can cause anxiety attacks in some of the most put-together individuals. But what happens when other strong emotions trigger a loss of control?

When life gets to be too much, you are no longer behind the wheel.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of being me is dealing with my lack of self-control. I have moments when I am floating on air, making progress and getting things done. I feel great and no one or nothing can pull me down from my proverbial cloud nine. Well, I would like to believe that.

It’s such a curious thing. There’s a moment in time, somewhere between overexcitability and irritability, where things just change. Sometimes these changes serve as a push into an anxious state.

Social Anxiety and Strong Emotions

I can attest to this emotional erosion by using the examples of hosting my own fashion show, going to a concert or even attending a party. At first, I am ready to give this social thing a try, but then out of nowhere, come these strong emotions – they are so suffocating and they hold me down. Then I know, I must vacate the premises because an anxiety attack is on its way.

Then there are memories which can do the same thing. But if I’m going to discuss the effects of memories on anxiety, then I guess I should break down a few other stimuli and explain why these strong emotions trigger such undesirable ends.

Memories

The loss of a loved one, the moment you met your one true love, and the birth of a child – these are all strong memories which trigger emotional responses. There is love, there is grief and there is excitement!

All these emotions, wrapped into one, can cause an already anxious person to become worse. With these various feelings, it can all be too overwhelming and panic is probable.

Frustration

This one usually happens when no one wants to cooperate with you. What I mean is, when you have an appointment and you family isn’t ready on time. Or the kids need to get to school but they just can’t seem to get it together – yeah, that.

The feeling of frustration rises up like a flame. It’s not anger yet, just simmering irritation. This can quickly turn into panic. Strong emotions such as these can sneak up and attack you from behind. Pay attention.

Anger

Strong emotions have anger listed up there at the top. It might not be the strongest, but it gets your attention well enough. Being angry at someone for prolonged periods of time will trigger headaches and rapid heartbeat, not to mention many other emotional and physical responses. If you are already on the edge, anger can push you over, causing a stress-induced attack that’s not easy to halt.

Worry

There are so many of us who worry too much. Although worry and anxiety aren’t exactly the same thing, they are closely related and respond negatively to each other. If anxiety is something you deal with every day, then worry can only exacerbate this. If your adult child isn’t answering his phone or you don’t know how to pay your bills this month, anxiety will feed on these concerns.

Happiness

Now this one may sound strange to you. It’s obvious that all the negative aspects of emotion can aggravate anxiety – anger can cause stress, worry can cause nervous anxiety – but what of happiness? How can happiness ever be a negative thing?

If you happen to suffer from Bipolar Disorder or know someone who does, then you might understand this. Happiness, for some people, is too strong an emotion to handle. Just as with anger and worry, the heart rate increases when you are happy. Many other things change in your body’s chemistry, which can cause an odd effect. Being too happy can actually trigger a panic attack!

Experiences and Trauma

Obviously, life experiences carry with it a plethora of emotions. You can experience happiness, frustration, and worry in a manner of minutes. This swirling concoction is unstable and can cause an immediate increase in anxiety. This is one of the hardest situations to control, considering the strong emotions aren’t always your choice.

It’s sad but it’s true

Most people who suffer from anxiety walk on eggshells, and this is the reason. We never know what will trigger our episodes. It doesn’t just help to “calm down” and “be happy” because these strong emotions can also cause panic attacks due to the capacity of our thoughts.

Anxiety is bad all by itself, so let’s try to make it easier. All it takes is understanding and learning a way to help each other cope with our strong emotions. I never said it was easy and I probably never will, but you know the rest.

Yes, It’s worth it.


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