Where Does Anxiety Come From?

Temporary anxiety is a natural response to stressful situations. Everyone experiences mild anxiety from time to time. But what about chronic, long-lasting anxiety that doesn’t seem to let up, even when nothing is really “wrong?” If you’re living with chronic, clinical anxiety, you might be deeply frustrated by your symptoms. Maybe you're wondering why you seem to struggle with anxiety while others don’t.

Figuring out the root causes of your anxiety is a critical step towards healing your symptoms and finding relief. The source of anxiety can be a little different for everyone with this condition. Let’s explore a few common factors that contribute to anxiety.

Responding to Uncertain Circumstances

Sometimes you experience long-term anxiety because your circumstances are genuinely unsustainable and uncertain. For example, you may be living with family members who do not support or respect you, leaving you walking on eggshells. Yet if you moved out, you might notice your anxiety levels drop dramatically.

If you’re facing bullying or toxicity in the workplace, you would predictably feel anxious going into the office. However, if you landed a new job, you would likely feel much calmer on a daily basis.

When you’re used to anxiety-inducing circumstances, they can feel normal. If you’re used to high levels of stress, you might have trouble pinpointing the source of your anxiety.

Environmental Factors

Your surroundings can have a major impact on your mental health. Living in a noisy, unsafe area can put you on high alert. Additionally, if you live far away from your loved ones and you spend most of your time alone, you can end up ruminating and dwelling on your insecurities. If you’re in a community where you face prejudice for things you cannot change, you can also end up dealing with anxiety over loneliness and feeling as though you don’t fit in.

Lifestyle Habits

Certain lifestyle habits can fuel anxiety. For instance, if you’re not getting enough sleep, or you’re consuming lots of caffeine, you might feel irritable and anxious. A lack of exercise can leave you without an outlet to process your stress. Additionally, too much screen time can prompt you to worry about issues that are outside of your control. This exacerbates anxiety and makes you feel hopeless about the future.

Childhood Experiences

For many people, anxiety stems from childhood experiences. Growing up with abusive or neglectful parents, trying to adapt to unstable situations within your family, or facing ongoing bullying at school can all result in anxiety that continues after childhood.

Many people do not realize that their childhood experiences were detrimental. They might assume that everyone deals with the same issues as kids. People who were told that reacting to these situations with sadness or anger made them weak may try to suppress these feelings. But it can be a factor in developing anxiety.

Trauma at Any Life Stage

The anxiety that stems from childhood trauma can affect you into your adult years. However, plenty of people who suffer from anxiety were quite comfortable and happy in childhood. Yet dealing with tumultuous, challenging situations in adulthood can also drive anxiety.

It’s important to note that in this context, “trauma” doesn’t just refer to major events like grieving the loss of a loved one or escaping an abusive relationship. Going through a difficult break up, losing a job or struggling to find your career footing, dealing with ongoing family conflicts, financial setbacks, and other issues can all contribute to persistent anxiety that lasts long after the inciting problem is solved.

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If you’re struggling to address your anxiety, we invite you to contact our practice to learn how anxiety therapy can help you uncover and resolve the root cause.