Does every seem to have anxiety now?

[Bondibeechtree]

Is it just me but does everyone seem to have anxiety these days? I don't know if it's just my friends but I'm finding it pretty draining now and then I feel guilty for finding it draining. It's not their fault for having anxiety.

Examples:

1. Friend rang me at 3.45am crying and struggling to breathe with work anxiety. She needs to get signed off but won't as she's too anxious about letting people down. She barely sleeps and isn't coping.
2. Friend #2 messaged last week to say her dog had run away and she'd had to run after her. All fine and caught within a minute. She'd come home and was shaking and was actually sick. My own dog does stuff like this occasionally and I'd barely even see it as an event.

There's loads of other examples but it's got me thinking about whether anxiety is everywhere or whether it's my friends. How can I support them without it draining me and making me feel like things are only a 1 way street?

I think it is normal to be anxious about some things. It doesn't mean you have an illness called anxiety.

I think having anxiety and feeling nervous or uneasy from time to time get mixed up.

I am not an anxious person, but sometimes when I feel life get too much, I have low feelings, but what that really means for me personally is that I’m uncomfortable,
emotional and lacking the strength I usually have.

So I don’t suffer with anxiety, I sometimes have moments where I’m nervous, sad, feeling overwhelmed or emotional.

I think there might be an issue of anxiety and depressed being self diagnosed and overused.
Meaning people who do have serious issues get overlooked.

**Stressedoutmammy · Today 08:39

Controversial but I feel like it is taught in school these days, they won't give children exams like we had because they'll get anxiety, it's almost like they are being told if you get a difficulty situation you should have anxiety. I think everyone does have anxiety over different things but it used to just be called emotions.**

Children do do exams, in fact, I think they do even more, and more in their younger years these days with SATs etc. However, I agree that in schools the teachers are asked to address mental health issues to the point that children feel they 'should' be suffering with an issue. PSCHE lessons are largely about this and it raises awareness for those who might be struggling, but for those that are fine it puts ideas in their head of all sorts of conditions and problems that they never even knew about, and makes them question themselves.

I think it's reached the point in society that mental health and personality disorders, and certain disabilities like ADHD and Autism have been falsely glamorised that some people feel that if they don't have some kind of issue they are not 'special' enough.

I really hate how "panic attacks" is massively overused to mean "I got really upset"

I agree with those who think the word is overused, especially as a condition instead of a feeling.

Example number 1 I'd call a large amount of stress.

@FluffyFanny put so much better than me! My DS is in comprehensive school and I expected him to be sitting exams for every subject each year as I did, but he hasn't had to revise for anything. They seem to have spot checks for maths and being told, "just seeing what you have learned, no need to revise". Almost as if the school is scared of causing "anxiety" when it's perfectly normal to feel "anxious" about an exam. That's what I meant, but I rushed my comment out earlier.

My DD's experience of school wasn't like that @Stressedoutmammy She was tested regularly, with exams at the end of each academic year and there certainly was a degree of pressure- but I'm a believer that a little pressure and having high expectations of children is a good thing and we as parents set expectations of her to work hard and revise for exams etc. There has to be balance. Yes, exams cause stress, but the right amount of exam stress leads to good results. It shouldn't lead to anxiety disorders.
This was a state grammar

There is absolutely no comparison between feeling anxious about a specific situation and having an anxiety disorder / depression.

I have always worked full time in a stressful job (Apart from maternity leave.) Gone through a number of extremely difficult life events which I have coped well with.

But when I hit a period of depression / anxiety it's like a switch goes off. I can't cope with day to day never mind anything more serious. It is completely devastating and takes a huge fight to get out of.

This

@FluffyFanny I need to find this school! I agree with you completely, I think it's good to have exams each year to built up to GCSE, A levels and further. We have graduates in my office failing professional exams because they don't know how to revise or exam technique which is causing so much more stress than school exams would have. I wish my son was learning that now in school.

@AllProperTeaIsTheft

There's a lot of continuous assessment where before it used to be just exams.

Or a much much changed proportion of the two in terms of what determines the final grades (in whatever stage) anyway.

You are way out of date. GCSEs are mainly terminal exam, even practical subjects have at least one written exam now.

In my mind, you have it spot on. Social media and instant internal access isn't good and COVID came along and put the nail in the coffin with regards to minimising social interaction and social skills, combined with the trauma it gave most of us.

I'm frustrated with myself for not quitting the things I know make me worse though.

everyone needs a word, a descriptive word, a position, an affliction or a diagnosis.It is dreadful. All those futuristic movies, where there is a human cull are now more realistic than ever. And those who truly have particular afflictions are not heeded.