Get Rid of the Anxiety Stigma, Get Rid of Anxiety

One hurdle that acts as an emotional and physical barrier when dealing with anxiety is the idea and perception that there is a social stigma attached to any disorder that is related to a mental illness or condition that people do not fully understand. A stigma is defined as a mark of shame put upon a persons reputation, it is this idea that leads people to belittle and demean the affect and severity of an anxiety disorder.

Why Is There a Stigma?

There are many aspects to how and why social stigmas are formed but anxiety and the ideas that surround it are caused and perpetuated by certain prejudices and stereotypes. For some anxiety can be related and classed under the mental illness umbrella which for some can evoke extreme negative emotions. There is a lot of information out there about anxiety but has not been utilised by those who have have not dealt with anxiety before, have not wanted to deal with or did not know how to deal with. For this reason anxiety is seen as something people should just ‘get over’ as it is nothing serious. Also an individual who suffers from anxiety can think that if people find out about their anxiety or even if they accept that they have anxiety that they will become isolated someway or are inadequate, all these factors create a stigma around the condition.

What is the Stigma?

The idea that an individual is somehow imperfect, contagious, different or not normal is something that can form a tight hold around an anxiety sufferer, whether they know they are showing symptoms or not, preventing them from dealing with the realities of anxiety. The term ‘Anxiety’ is one that can be deemed elusive as there are many different symptoms, coping mechanisms, types of people and reactions associated with it that leaves some people in the dark about what it actually is and how to actually deal with it.

Anxiety and Stigma

Anxiety can be defined as a mental illness, a social disorder or as a general sense of fear and worry but no matter how it gets described or basically understood many people ignore their anxiety or feel that they will not or cannot be supported by others as they will be judged negatively in some way. The fear of rejection, isolation and exclusion is the key factor here which ironically spurs anxiety on in people as they reaffirm their irrational, negative and detrimental thoughts, feeding their anxious tendencies.

Why Do we Need to Get Rid of the Stigma?

Because anxiety is a disorder that is misunderstood by many, words such as ‘crazy’, ‘insane’ or ‘ weird’ are commonly used; the media, jokes and everyday gossip offer skewed ideas of what anxiety actually is. It is education and understanding that is missing here. Without these, anxiety goes under the radar being misdiagnosed, mistreated, ignored, heightened and stereotyped.

How to Get Rid of the Stigma: Education is the Key

Attitudes are fortunately changing now, with an abundance of information, help and support being available to every single person. However, a social stigma does still remain but can be overcome by talking to those who are closest to you at first, your doctor, a support group or even your church. By starting with one person you will become at ease talking about the things you think and feel and therefore learn to deal with.

Education, communication and acceptance is the key to overcoming anxiety. It is something that millions of people in the world suffer from, so there is no reason to feel ashamed, if anyone does judge you for experiencing anxious thoughts and feelings then they are in the wrong for thinking that and not you. Just for taking control and trying to move forwards with your life is something to be proud of. Anxiety is something that can take your life over so easy and is something that should not be taken lightly if you are a sufferer.

Taking back control over your life can seem daunting but knowing what it is and how you can deal with it will give you that perspective to not worry about what others think and change that stigma. Many of us get so het up with what others think and ignore the fact that we are all so different and lead different lives that, that one stigma should not even exist. We need to take anxiety seriously as it is so common and affects so many people that it is something we need to broach with confidence and dedication rather than wariness and fear.