Anxiety can be a complex subject to navigate and you may not know where to begin. An Anxiety Type is how your anxiety presents. There are three different Anxiety Types that your anxiety may fall under: decision anxiety, fatigue anxiety and defensive anxiety. Knowing your anxiety type can significantly help with prevention and treatment!
Everyone has an anxiety type and you can find out what your’s is by taking this quiz
Do you want to get to know the woman who coined the Anxiety Types?!
Dr. Katies Thomson Aitken is a Naturopathic Doctor practicing in Guelph Ontario. Dr. Katie has a passion for mental health and loves helping people find their calm and live life with less stress!
Why is it so Hard to Make Choices When I’m Anxious?
Sometimes the overwhelm of anxiety makes it hard to know what to do next. People who experience this may have something known as Decision Anxiety.
What is Decision Anxiety?
Decision Type Anxiety is when anxiety makes your daily life overwhelming. This type of anxiety can feel paralyzing as people with Decision Type Anxiety struggle to make decisions regarding their daily life. In its most basic form, this type of anxiety can present as procrastination. Decision Type Anxiety can create challenges that range from mild to severe. Mild challenges that someone may face could be about what to make for dinner whereas severe challenges affect tasks regarding hygiene and cleanliness.
What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?
Decision Type Anxiety most commonly presents during times of routine shift. Individuals dealing with challenges to executive functioning, such as ADHD or post-concussion syndrome, may also be more vulnerable to this anxiety type.
Major life changes can be challenging to navigate, and someone with Decision Type Anxiety may reflect this struggle in their day-to-day life. Times of great change such as a new job, retirement, a change in living situation or family structure (e.g., a new baby) can impose great stress on an individual with Decision Type Anxiety. Decision Type Anxiety is also often associated with challenges regulating blood sugar, ADHD, feelings of shame and negative self-talk.
What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?
If you believe that you struggle with Decision Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to alleviate stress. The biggest tip is to have a routine - even for simple things like sleeping and eating. Making decisions in advance in order to create uniform routines for the day (e.g., morning routine and before-bed ritual) can assist in resolving some of that paralyzing pressure caused by anxiety. Finally, cultivating self-compassion to replace negative self-talk can help you accept yourself and overcome the feeling of being overburdened in your day!
Is My ADHD Making Me Anxious?
ADHD is often associated with Decision Type Anxiety and can even make one more vulnerable to this type of anxiety presentation. This is because people with ADHD struggle with executive dysfunction and get distracted easily. ADHD can make daily tasks seem impossible to complete as individuals can feel overwhelmed by not knowing what order to complete tasks. Those with ADHD may also forget to eat, which can cause issues with regulating blood sugar. Individuals with ADHD may also struggle with regulating time as they may accidentally stay up too late or even be late to events due to time blindness.
Kids with ADHD get corrected more often than neurotypical children as they may be told to sit still and to pay attention. This can erode the self-esteem of young people which can, in turn, lead to feelings of shame and negative self-talk, especially as kids grow and develop! Adults with ADHD may second-guess themselves more than their neurotypical peers which can cause great anxiety and lead to struggles when making decisions.
Find out more about the link between ADHD and anxiety HERE
Why Does Anxiety Make Me so Tired?
Sometimes anxiety can make it hard to keep up with yourself. People who experience this may have something known as Fatigue Anxiety.
What is Fatigue Anxiety?
Do you feel exhausted by your anxiety? If so, you may have Fatigue Type Anxiety. In its mild form, Fatigue Type Anxiety can make you feel like you can’t keep up with your life - you are too sleepy! As Fatigue Type Anxiety becomes more severe, individuals with Fatigue Type can struggle to leave the house or even get out of bed.
What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?
Fatigue Type Anxiety most commonly presents during times of physical, mental or social depletion. The depletion of one’s energy stores is reflected in the exhaustion that Fatigue Types feel in their daily lives.
Those with a history of illness, disordered eating or postpartum are more vulnerable to this type of anxiety. This type of anxiety is often associated with a lack of adequate nutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a lack of sleep and feelings of guilt. A lack of adequate nutrition, deficiencies and a lack of sleep can perpetuate the fatigue that those with this anxiety type feel! Feelings of guilt can arise when an individual begins to blame themselves for the lack of ability to keep up with their lives.
What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?
If you believe that you struggle with Fatigue Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to feel more energized! Prioritizing rest in all forms is incredibly important to help with Fatigue Type Anxiety. Getting adequate sleep, naps, meditation and performing gentle movements are all ways to restore your energy. It is also essential to consume nourishing foods regularly, as well as, to assess and correct for nutritional insufficiencies. Through proper nutrition and rest, you can overcome the exhaustion of your anxiety!
Can a Poor Diet Give Me Anxiety?
When we don’t properly nourish our bodies, and do so regularly, we can put ourselves at higher risk of all kinds of health concerns including anxiety! Anxiety can show up from nutritional deficiencies, irregular eating and not eating enough nutrient-dense foods. A magnesium deficiency can contribute to feelings of anxiety and is commonly caused by not eating enough vegetables and whole grains. Low blood sugar can also contribute to anxiety and is caused by skipping meals or irregular eating patterns.
Find out more about Magnesium deficiencies and anxiety HERE
Find out more about how low blood sugar can cause anxiety HERE
Why Do I Feel So Defensive?
Sometimes anxiety can make you feel like you are being attacked. People who experience this may have something known as Defensive Anxiety.
What is Defensive Anxiety?
Defensive Type Anxiety presents because you feel backed into a corner. Those with Defensive Type Anxiety experience their anxiety as a type of defence mechanism that presents in potentially unsafe situations. With a normal functioning anxiety response, this is exactly what we want - protection in response to a threat. Though when one’s anxiety response becomes dysregulated, the response is more active and responds to more situations when danger is low or not even present.
What is This Type of Anxiety Associated With?
Defensive Type Anxiety can be present at any phase of life. Vulnerability to this type of anxiety encompasses those with a history of trauma and/or people who experience a lack of safety in the world due to their identity. A history of trauma and feelings of fear are closely associated with Defensive Types because of having to be on edge in unpredictable environments and hypervigilance of surroundings/sensations for protection.
Defensive Type Anxiety is often associated with high levels of stress from a variety of situations such as overworking or interpersonal relationships, dysregulated cortisol levels and healthy anxiety experiences.
What are Key Actions I Could Take to Help?
If you believe that you struggle with Defensive Type Anxiety there are some key actions that you can take in order to feel more at ease in your daily life! Establishing a regular breathwork or meditation practice can be extremely beneficial in regulating your nervous system. Another key action to take is to focus on boundaries to maintain safety. Having boundaries in place can assist help to ensure personal safety which can, in turn, assist in calming down your anxiety response. The last key action to take is to get an assessment of cortisol and stress response. Knowing about cortisol dysregulation is the first step you must take in order to regulate your cortisol levels!
Is My Nervous System Stuck in Fight or Flight?
When you get scared your nervous system fires up to protect you! But what happens when the stressor goes away? In a healthy anxiety response, the physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating and shortness of breath and the mental symptoms of worry or racing thoughts pass. In an anxiety disorder, some people get “stuck” in this elevated nervous system state and feel anxious even though the stressor is over.
Find out more about a “stuck” nervous system HERE
What to do From Here…
Did any of this information resonate with you? If so, you may suffer from one of the three described anxiety types; Decision Type Anxiety, Fatigue Type Anxiety and Defensive Type Anxiety. Though this can all seem daunting, no need to fear - Dr. Katie is here!
Do you have Anxiety?
Check out the Tranquil Minds Anxiety Program! This program is a personalized plan of action that is best suited for you and your specific needs.
https://www.tranquilmindnaturopath.com/anxiety-program