I feel Anxiety in depression: 7 Tips on How to Stop Nervousness[Anxiety] If You Have Depression

Many of us suffer from the “WHAT IF” syndrome. 

“What if I make a fool of myself?”

“What if I fail?”

“What will I do if my partner leaves me?”

While these questions might be general worries for some, they might be a subject of intense fear for others. When you experience such feelings of nervousness and fear, it is called as anxiety.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a general feeling of worry or fearfulness. These feelings are our body’s natural response to threats. However, these feelings of worry can sometimes amplify and start to have physical implications on the body like sweating, trembling, restlessness and sleep disturbances. 

To understand anxiety better, let's take the example of Rutvi. Rutvi grew up with parents who fought all the time. Since her childhood, Rutvi has seen intense fights and emotional abuse.  Now that Rutvi is in a relationship, she is constantly riddled with thoughts about fighting with her partner, even when everything is fine in the relationship.

She also has a persistently sad mood that affects her daily routine. When she consulted a therapist, she got to know that she suffers from depression and anxiety disorder.

What Is Depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that is characterized by a state of low mood and a general lack of interest in most of the activities for at least two weeks. It is not just about feeling sad. A person in depression might feel hopeless and helpless. The prolonged feelings of sadness can result in a person losing interest in daily activities of life. 

To understand better, let us continue with Rutvi’s story. Her struggle to believe in healthy romantic relationships was evident. Rutvi felt bad that despite her partner’s attempts, she failed to feel happy. She was still stuck in the loop of her past, where her parents fought all the time.

She was constantly ruminating, and anxious and struggled to see the positive side of her relationship. She also doubted her decisions and often found herself crying out of sadness at night. 

What Rutvi is experiencing are classical symptoms of depression. But her anxious feelings and sleeplessness hint towards anxiety in depression.

Are anxiety and depression the same? 

No, anxiety and depression are not the same. Though both, anxiety and depression are mood disorders, the main difference lies in their symptoms. 

Depression is classified by the sadness, helplessness and lack of energy to do things while anxiety defines the constant feelings of worry, nervousness and feeling out of control.

Is anxiety a Symptom of Depression?

A person may experience anxiety as a result of their symptoms of depression. A lack of energy, interest, and fatigue makes it harder to carry on with daily life which may cause worry about their wellbeing.

Sometimes, feeling anxious and depressed can be a result of comorbid anxiety and depression. Comorbidity means two separate diagnoses overlap. For example, a person with comorbid anxiety and depression might experience restlessness, worries and fears, a loss of interest in activities, and reduced motivation at the same time. Fortunately, both anxiety and depression are treatable conditions, and help is available. If you feel you are feeling anxious and depressed at the same time, consult a mental healthcare provider to understand your treatment options. 

Does Depression Cause Anxiety? 

Depression and anxiety are closely linked but does depression cause anxiety? The answer lies in the environmental, social, and neurological factors. 

How Are They Linked?

Anxiety and depression are two different mental disorders that commonly co-occur together. Studies reveal that the following might be the link between both disorders:

1. Genetic predisposition: Anxiety and depression have been known to have genetic linkage with heritability being 40%. 

2. Exposure to intense childhood trauma: Emotional, physical or sexual abuse in childhood or differences in the parenting style is also a common link between anxiety and depression. 

3. Neuroticism: It is a personality trait that is associated with negative emotions. Neuroticism has been connected with both anxiety and depression. 

4. Alterations in prefrontal-limbic pathways: They are responsible for regulating the emotional regulation in our body. They are known to be connected with both anxiety and depression.

Why Do I Feel Anxious or Nervous When I’m Depressed?

Experiencing depression and anxiety together is a common phenomenon. A survey reveals that  Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder present in Indians. A study presented in the National Medical Journal of India states that comorbidity of anxiety and depression is fairly common with two-thirds of the people having comorbid symptoms. 

Some people might feel angry (fight) but want to run away from their problems (flight) at the same time. Due to these opposite instincts, they may feel overwhelmed and stuck (freeze) and are unable to do either. This immobilization can result in depressive feelings and increase the stress that a person experiences. To understand better, let us continue with Rutvi’s story. Due to her childhood experiences, she has not learned how to communicate her emotions.

When she is feeling upset she may have difficulty reaching out to get the support she needs. As a result, she may lash out or shut down but the underlying issue is unaddressed. It may make her feel entrapped, and more stressed, and aggravate her depression.

How to Know You Have Depression If You Are Experiencing Anxiety:

By looking at the symptoms of anxiety and depression, it is understandable that the symptoms may overlap. They might occur sequentially or sometimes together. If the feelings of anxiousness and sadness have lasted for a long time and if symptoms co-occur together, there is a possibility that along with anxiety, the person is suffering from depression:

1. Restlessness
2. Sleep disturbances
3. Irritability
4. Difficulty in concentrating
5. Anticipating the worst

What to do when you feel anxiety and depression:

Fighting anxiety and depression can be exhausting. It limits us from leading a healthy life and can impact the way we approach situations. If you are wondering how to fight anxiety and depression, do not worry! We have some helpful strategies that you can implement to get deal with the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

7 Tips on How to Cope with feelings of anxiety and nervousness if You Have Depression:

Relaxation techniques: 

Incorporating meditation and breathing exercises into your daily routine can help you calm down your anxiety. It has been observed that deep breathing reduces anxiousness and promotes instant relaxation. You can also use guided imagery to promote a calming effect. 

Exercise:

Exercise releases hormones like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins which are responsible for mood regulation in our body. Hence, regular exercise is a lifestyle habit that is useful as a part of the treatment of anxiety and depression. 

Challenge your thoughts:

The root cause of anxiety and depression is negative thoughts. These thoughts have the power to paralyze us with fear and hence managing them becomes extremely important. We can learn to challenge our negative thoughts. This is done by identifying them in the first place. Once we identify them, we can trace the source of our triggers and work on improving them. We can also challenge our thoughts by focusing on the positive and expressing gratitude. 

Talk to a buddy:

Sometimes, all you need is a friend or a loved one to hear you out. Sharing your concerns with a friend takes the burden off your chest and you might feel lighter. You will feel assured about somebody having your back. If the feeling of anxiety is too difficult to manage, you can also talk to a mental health professional. 

Journal:

When you are in a state of anxiety, the brain functions at a super high speed. In such instances, writing down your thoughts can slow you down. Journaling helps you gain clarity and helps analyze your thoughts better. This can help you feel calmer.  

Alternative mental health therapies:

Many alternative mental health therapies like acupuncture, herbal remedies, aromatherapy, animal therapy, art and music therapy can help you relax better. They might not be permanent solutions to your problems but they act as an aid to the conventional therapies of anxiety management. 

Grounding exercises:

Grounding techniques are specially designed to calm down anxiety. The 5-4-3-2-1 technique and the 333 rule of anxiety purposely distract you from your thoughts and make a deliberate shift of focus to your surroundings using your senses. 

Treating anxiety in Depression:

The following treatments can be used for tackling anxiety in depression:

Medications:

Doctors have been recommending the use of medications for treating anxiety and depression for a long time. The use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and other anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines and beta blockers have been done extensively. Tricyclic anti-depressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are used for treating depression. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:

While medications do their part, therapy can also work to manage your anxiety in depression. CBT focuses on negative thought patterns and behaviours and attempts to restructure them. In simpler terms, it changes the way you approach a situation.  It can help you discover the root cause of anxiety and combat it. 

Brain stimulation: 

Another up-and-coming technique that is gaining popularity for treating anxiety with minimal side effects is brain stimulation techniques. Out of these, the use of Non-invasive brain stimulation technology like tDCS to treat depression anxiety is extremely effective. It uses mild electrical current to enhance the activity of the cortical regions of the brain (areas affected by anxiety and depression). 

Mave Health’s ARC-tDCS has shown promising results in treating anxiety and other mental health disorders as well.

Online Therapy Options:

If you are overwhelmed by the feeling of anxiousness, scheduling an online counselling session with the therapist can be a great option. They can help you address your problems and reframe your thoughts so you slowly change your perception towards them. They will also help you to take steps to improve your mental well-being. There are multiple online counselling platforms available to offer guidance and help to those in need. 

Mave Health’s Therapy Club is formed to make mental well-being accessible. If you feel hopeless in depression, you can simply schedule an appointment with any therapist of your choice. You can talk to them over a video call, talk about your problems and seek solutions.

When to Consult Your Mental Health Professional:

If the anxious feelings have persisted for a long time now, there is a possibility that you are suffering from anxiety. This anxiety can be a result of depression. If this anxiousness interferes with your daily life or you are having suicidal tendencies, you must seek professional help. 

Mental health professionals will help you reframe your thoughts and encourage you to have a positive outlook. They can help you learn tricks to make you more hopeful and adopt an optimistic attitude in life. 

They are trained to help you through difficult situations so do not feel embarrassed about having intense emotions. Mental health professionals will listen to all your concerns without any judgement and offer solutions that are free of any biases. 

Conclusion:

Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear. Though it might be a natural part of our body’s functioning mechanisms, it might affect the way we conduct our lives. If this anxiety is accompanied by depression, the need to tackle it becomes urgent. 

You can learn to manage your anxiety by implementing relaxation techniques, exercises and grounding techniques in your routine. You can soothe yourself with the help of breathing exercises. 

Figuring out how to stop feelings of nervousness can be overwhelming but remember that you are not alone in this. If you feel that handling it alone is getting difficult, you can always ask for professional help. Therapists are trained to guide you through this problem and help you feel at peace. 

References:

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4. Relaxation techniques for mental wellness. (n.d.). https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/relaxation-techniques-for-mental-wellness 
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