Topic question: How does anxiety affect our mental health?
I noticed my peers and I are very anxious, especially in the final year of high school. I wanted to know why we feel anxious and if it is beneficial to our mental health. For example, I noticed anxiety sometimes motivates me to study harder for a difficult test. I try my best to take walks and breaks to not get too anxious, but it does not always help. I wanted to research the most effective ways to get an adequate amount of anxiety. This also affects everyone because we are all stressed and anxious throughout our lives. For example, some common events that can trigger anxiety are marriage planning, grades, family, or retirement. I hope to help the global population to be mentally stronger to easily accomplish their goals.
Subquestion: How does anxiety positively or negatively affect our mental health?
I wanted to research how anxiety positively or negatively affects our mental health. For example, is being too relaxed not beneficial because we are not as determined? Next, I wanted to understand the precise statistics or surveys about how anxious people think anxiety affects their health. This will help me to find a non-bias answer by researching both point of views. Before doing the research, I think it is mostly negative because anxiety affects our digestion and sleep patterns. However, I would like to do more research to make a final decision.
It is important to realize that anxiety is one of the most common reactions to stress (1). Mild levels of anxiety is beneficial because it helps us stay alert in dangerous situations (1). For example, it is important to stay awake if a there is a thief trying to break into your house (1). Moreover, stress focuses our attention, so we can excel in finishing a task (2). For instance, a quick deadline for a project will help us to use our time productively to accomplish the project before the deadline (2). Anxiety is informative because it can be a self-awareness tool to adjust our life for the better (3). For example, if a relationship with your partner takes too much stress, it may be an indication that the relationship is no longer working (3). Anxiety is also great quality in a leader (4). Anxiety will help leaders be aware of what could go wrong, and make them more cautious when making decisions (4). It is important to remind ourselves that anxiety is temporary, so we can always overcome anxiousness (4).
Excessive anxiety can be a threat to a productive life(5). Excessive anxiety can negatively affect job performance, school homework, and most importantly, personal relationships (5). It is essential to ask for help from a therapist if you realize that anxiety negatively affects your daily tasks (5). If you feel uncomfortable to ask for help, it is still healthy to share your experiences with others (6). Other friends can help you to feel ready to share this experience with a therapist (6).
Some warning signs that we have anxiety is that we feel hopeless and depressed (7). Furthermore, it is when we have frequent mood swings. Being mad is a normal emotion, but it becomes an issue if we keep on switching between mad and happy (7). Another warning sign is that we are so anxious it affects our sleep schedule and our eating schedule. Having a stress level where we are motivated to do better is great (8). However, if we are so stressed that we cannot commit to our schedules like school, sports, and hangouts it may become an issue (8). If we feel like our mental health is low, it is important to reach out to an important adult in our life like our teachers, parents, grandparents, etc (8).
ALL SOURCES ARE PEER-REVIEWED:
1)“Are There Potential Benefits to Having Anxiety?” Verywell Mind, https://www.verywellmind.com/benefits-of-anxiety-2584134. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
2)“How Anxiety Can Be Helpful.” Cleveland Clinic, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-anxiety. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
3)Symptoms, Signs, and Side Effects of Anxiety. 18 July 2018, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322510.
4)Icard, Michelle. “The Surprising Benefits of Embracing Your Anxiety, According to Someone Living with It.” CNN, 3 May 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/health/haley-weaver-anxiety-graphic-novel-wellness/index.html.
5)Doorley, James D., et al. “The Momentary Benefits of Positive Events for Individuals with Elevated Social Anxiety.” Emotion (Washington, D.C.), vol. 21, no. 3, Apr. 2021, pp. 595–606. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000725.
6)Anwar, Yasmin. “What Use Is Worry? Psychologist Explains Anxiety’s Pros and Cons.” Berkeley News, 20 Mar. 2020, https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/03/20/what-use-is-worry-psychologist-explains-anxietys-pros-and-cons/.
7)Mitchell, Kristin, and WebMD Editorial Contributor. “All About Anxiety Disorders: From Causes to Treatment and Prevention.” WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/anxiety-disorders. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
8)Hathaway, Bill. New Way to Combat Childhood Anxiety: Treat the Parents | Yale News. 12 Mar. 2019, https://news.yale.edu/2019/03/12/new-way-combat-childhood-anxiety-treat-parents.
Thank you,
Sarah Kim
Hello Sarah,
This was a fascinating read! I like how you looked at both the positives and negatives of anxiety, especially since it’s something so many of us deal with. Your points are well-researched and insightful! If anything, maybe adding a few smoother transitions could make it flow even better, but honestly, this was such an engaging and thoughtful post!
– Ishani Balachandran
This is such an insightful post! I really appreciate how you explored both the positive and negative aspects of anxiety, especially in the context of high school stress. Your point about anxiety being a motivator really resonates with me – sometimes, a little pressure helps me stay focused, but too much can feel overwhelming. I also liked how you included research-backed perspectives, making your discussion well-rounded.
If you’re interested in exploring more, this article from Harvard Health explains the science behind anxiety and its effects on the brain: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-you-feel-anxious.
It would be interesting to hear more about strategies to maintain a balance between healthy and excessive anxiety. Looking forward to your future posts!
Amazing post! Laura
This is such an insightful post! I really appreciate how you explored both the positive and negative aspects of anxiety, especially in the context of high school stress. Your point about anxiety being a motivator really resonates with me – sometimes, a little pressure helps me stay focused, but too much can feel overwhelming. I also liked how you included research-backed perspectives, making your discussion well-rounded.
If you’re interested in exploring more, this article from Harvard Health explains the science behind anxiety and its effects on the brain: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-you-feel-anxious.
It would be interesting to hear more about strategies to maintain a balance between healthy and excessive anxiety. Looking forward to your future posts!
Amazing post! Laura
Hi Sarah,
Great blog post first of all not a lot of people talk about the positives of something as feared as anxiety and in my opinion, it would be very interesting if you delved into the origins of anxiety in a person and if it will lead to any positive or negative outcomes in the future. A lot of the problems we face in life are self imposed and a lot of them stem from when we were younger so if you would like to do some research into that it would be very cool.