Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I’m Bruce Gulland.
And I’m Liz Waid.
Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.
It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
A man is sitting at his desk, typing at his computer.
Outside of his window, the sun shines brightly.
Birds are singing. It is a very pleasant morning.
There is nothing frightening around him.
But he is very worried.
He is so worried he cannot concentrate.
There is a tightness in his chest.
There is a feeling of heat on his shoulders.
His body is telling him to run.
It is signaling to him that, somewhere, there is danger.
The man knows there is no danger.
But he cannot stop these feelings.
He does not even know why he is afraid!
This man is living with an anxiety disorder.
These psychological differences in the brain
cause people to be afraid of things that do not make sense.
Or they cause people to worry too much.
But many people have anxieties, even if they do not have a disorder.
Today’s Spotlight is on anxiety, and how to live with it.
There are many different kinds of anxiety disorders.
Some, people are born with.
Other people get anxiety later in their lives.
But all people with anxiety have one similarity: an overactive amygdala.
The amygdala is a part of the brain.
It keeps emotions even and regular.
It also tells the body when something dangerous is around.
It causes the emotion of fear.
In a healthy person, the amygdala does not activate much.
But in a person with anxiety, the amygdala is very sensitive.
It can activate because of things that do not make sense.
Or it can activate for no reason at all.
Anxiety disorders can make people’s lives very difficult.
An anxiety disorder can cause people to act strangely.
This can be very distressing.
And it can hurt their lives, socially.
One of these disorders is called obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD.
A person with OCD has disturbing thoughts.
These fears will not go away.
But a person with OCD will try to get rid of them.
She will perform particular actions to get rid of her anxiety.
For example, if she is afraid of getting sick, she might wash her hands.
But this does not make the fear leave.
So she will wash her hands many times in a row.
She will wash until her fears go away.
Sam Wicky is a sculptor. He has OCD.
In 2020, he talked to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America about his OCD.
“My OCD began at age seven.
I remember sitting on a chair in front of my family.
I opened my mouth wide, and inhaled a lot of air.
I was looking at my mother.
I then held up my hand and blew out the air onto it.
I would repeat this action over and over.
But no one would say a word.
They would watch in confusion.
As more time passed, my OCD got worse.
I began acting out other strange rituals.
It was becoming difficult to get dressed every day.
I would count as I put my clothes on.
I would have to redo my actions if I started thinking of something bad.
I knew something was wrong with me.
But I could not talk about it.
I then became frightened that my brothers would
become like me - that they would also act out strange rituals."
Anxiety can also make it difficult to be in society.
Some people with anxiety have a hard time doing their jobs or going to school.
Kathleen Munro is an employee at Anxiety Canada. She has panic disorder.
This condition caused her to have sudden, intense times of panic, or panic attacks.
During these panic attacks, fear would overwhelm her.
She would not be able to move, because she was shaking so badly.
It made her feel like she was going to die.
She wrote for Anxiety Canada’s blog:
“I could not control it.
It left me feeling helpless.
I could not commit to anything.
I could end up caught in my panic at any time.
I missed events with my friends because I did not want to admit I was struggling.
I was so tired from pretending to be ok, and to avoid making others uncomfortable.
I struggled to feel safe.
And this kept me from fully living.”
One of the best things a person with anxiety can do for themselves is to be with other people.
Talking to others can help them change the way they think.
If someone you know has anxiety, it is important to keep in contact with them.
Be available to listen, even if they do not respond.
People with anxiety also often suffer from depression.
Offering encouragement and support can help distract them from their fears.
It can help put them on the way to getting real help.
But do not try to solve their anxiety.
And do not try to eliminate causes of anxiety.
This can actually make the disorder worse.
And it could make them depend on you.
Joseph McGuire is a doctor at John Hopkins University. He writes,
“Trying to get rid of someone’s anxiety seems really thoughtful and sweet.
But anxiety does not usually go away.
Over time, if people avoid difficult situations, the anxiety grows.
And the person begins to ask more and more from you instead of working on their problem.”
If you have anxiety, there are many ways of working through these disorders.
There is no single cure. Anxiety disorders do not go away.
Instead, these are changes that you can make to your life that may help.
Here are some ways of dealing with anxiety:
Get regular exercise.
Keeping active helps reduce stress, even in people with severe anxiety.
Avoid caffeine, tobacco, and other stimulants.
These substances can make anxiety worse.
Drink lots of water.
Not having enough water can make anxiety more difficult to deal with.
Slow down and find time for yourself.
Anxiety can often come from living under stressful circumstances.
Avoiding those circumstances can help.
But sometimes it is enough just to take a break.
Seek medical help.
While there is no cure for anxiety, there are many treatments that work.
Medications called anti-depressants are very effective.
Talk to someone or go to therapy.
Talking to a professional can help you understand your mind.
A therapist can give you methods of working through your anxiety.
They can help train you to overcome many of your fears.
Anxiety does not have to rule your life.
Do you have anxiety?
Do you know anyone with anxiety?
What do you do to help?
You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com.
You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The writer of this program was Dan Christmann.
The producer was Michio Ozaki.
The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States.
All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight.
This program is called: Living with Anxiety.
Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices.
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.