Anxiety and Depression Workbook For Dummies. Laura L. Smith

of aches and pains for no good reason.8. When I’m nervous, my chest feels tight.9. I have no energy lately.10. My heart races when I’m tense.11. I’ve been constipated a lot more often than usual.12. I feel like I can’t catch my breath.13. I’m eating all the time lately.14. My hands are often cold and clammy.15. I’ve lost my sex drive.16. Sometimes I hyperventilate.17. Every move I make takes more effort lately.18. I get dizzy easily.

      

The symptoms in this quiz can also result from various physical illnesses, drugs in your medicine cabinet, or even your three-cup coffee fix in the morning. Be sure to consult your primary care provider if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms in The Sad, Stressed Sensations Quiz. It’s always a good idea to have a checkup once a year, or more frequently if you experience noticeable changes in your body.

      Although physical sensations overlap in anxiety and depression, even-numbered items in the quiz above are most consistent with anxiety, and the odd-numbered items usually plague those with depression. There’s no cutoff point for indicating a problem. The more statements you check off, though, the worse your issue.

Add up your answers and reflect on your results in Worksheet 1-6. Think about other physical problems you may have that don’t appear on the list that may be related to your emotions and jot those down as well.

Worksheet 1-6 My Reflections

Emotions of Anxiety and Depression

      Emotions erupt in response to what happens in the present, what happened in the past, and what might happen in the future. Emotional reactions involve physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses. People across the world express six primary emotions:

       Happiness

       Sadness

       Anger

       Fear

       Disgust

       Surprise

      From those basic emotions, more subtle expressions emerge. For example, from happiness springs joy, contentment, cheerfulness, or pleasure. From sadness, depression, gloom, despair, despondency, low self-esteem, or shame occur. Fear may bring anxiety, terror, worry, embarrassment, or panic. Disgust usually leads to distaste or feelings of grossness. Surprise is a brief emotion. What follows surprise varies depending on what brought forth the initial response. Surprise may turn into curiosity, amusement, disgust, relief, or fear.

Emotions guide behavior. Fear increases alertness and avoidance, anger produces aggression, and sadness involves withdrawal. Although most people have a variety of emotional experiences, those with anxiety or depression are likely to experience more sadness and fear, or possibly anger and disgust.

Which primary emotions do you experience the most frequently? Think about a typical day and reflect on what you’re feeling. Think about what happened just before your feeling. Were you thinking about the past or the future? Record your experience in Worksheet 1-7.

Worksheet 1-7 My Reflections

Reflecting upon Relationships

      When you’re feeling down or distressed for any length of time, odds are that your relationships with those around you will take a hit. Although you may think that your depression or anxiety affects only you, it affects your friends, family, lovers, coworkers, and acquaintances. Even the strangers you interact with, such as waiters, flight attendants, clerks, and bank tellers, can suffer from your emotional state.

Take the quiz in Worksheet 1-8 to see if your emotions are causing trouble with your relationships. Check off any statements that apply to you.

Worksheet 1-8 The Conflicted Connections Quiz

1. I don’t feel like being with anybody.2. I get very nervous when I meet new people.3. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.4. I’m overly sensitive when anyone criticizes me in the slightest way.5. I’m more irritable with others than usual.6. I worry about saying the wrong thing.7. I don’t feel connected to anyone.8. I worry about people leaving me.9. I don’t feel like going out with anyone anymore.10. I’m plagued by visions of people I care about getting hurt.11. I’ve withdrawn from everyone.12. I feel uptight in crowds, so I stay at home.13. I feel numb around people.14. I always feel uncomfortable in the spotlight.15. I feel unworthy of friendship and love.16. Compliments make me feel uneasy.

      You guessed it; there’s no cutoff score here to tell you definitively whether or not you’re anxious or depressed. But the more items you check off, the more your relationships likely suffer from your anxiety, depression, or both. Odd-numbered items usually indicate problems with depression, and even-numbered items particularly accompany anxious feelings.

      

Many people are a little shy or introverted. You may feel anxious meeting new people and may be uncomfortable in the spotlight — these feelings aren’t necessarily anything to be concerned about. However, such issues become problematic when you find yourself avoiding social activities or meeting new people because of your shyness.

Reflect on your results and write about which relationships are most affected by your emotions in Worksheet 1-9.

Worksheet 1-9 My Reflections

Plotting Your Personal Problems Profile

      The Personal Problems Profile provides you with an overview of your problematic symptoms. (If you skipped the quizzes in the previous sections of this chapter, go back and take the time to complete them; your answers to those quizzes come into play in this exercise.) The profile exercise in this section helps you identify the ways in which anxiety and depression affect you. One good thing about this profile is that you can track how these symptoms change as you progress through the rest of this book.

      

Tyler, a middle-aged chemical engineer, doesn’t consider