Beyond Stress
Anxiety affects twice as many women as men.
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Jeannie Crofts remembers the moment it all started.
After anchoring the morning news on WISH-TV one day, she returned to her desk to find an email from a viewer sent to both her and the producers. It accused Crofts of stumbling through every sentence and called her the worst anchor they had seen.
“I thought, I can’t believe anyone would be so hurtful,” she recalls.
As a 26-year-old relative rookie in the broadcasting world, it stung.
“I didn’t know how to handle that,” Crofts says.
After that, she developed a “paralyzing fear” of doing the job she had dreamed of since she was a little girl. Symptoms of anxiety, including sweaty hands, a racing heart and trouble catching her breath, took over.
“It became so bad that I couldn’t do my job anymore,” she says.
Jeannie Crofts
Anxiety is a condition usually characterized by feeling upset, irritable, on edge or overwhelmed, says Natalie C. Dattilo, Ph.D., assistant professor of clinical psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Too much stress usually triggers anxiety.
Anxiety disorders affect more than 40 million Americans 18 and older, and women are twice as likely as men to be affected by generalized anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Anxiety’s origins
Anxiety and stress are normal conditions that all humans experience, Dattilo says. In small doses, both can be healthy.
“They keep us motivated, interested. It’s normal to have anxiety before a really big event: the birth of a child, a big work project or moving. Those things generate as much stress as a tragedy or disaster.”
There’s no single explanation for why people get anxiety, Dattilo says. But in general, many inherit a genetic tendency toward the condition.
Oftentimes, it’s a learned behavior. For example, did your parents react to stress with tension and panic? Did they have an overly cautious view of the world or very high standards?
“When you feel anxious about something, your body engages in a ‘fight or flight’ response,” Dattilo explains. “You feel afraid, like you can’t face this. It becomes disruptive to our lives.”
That was the case for Crofts.
“I quickly dropped 15 pounds because I no longer had an appetite, and when I did eat, it usually didn’t stay down,” she says.
So why are women more susceptible to anxiety than men?
It may have to do with differences in brain chemistry, Dattilo says. Women’s fight or flight instinct is activated sooner and for longer, something that probably has been with them since the beginning of time, she explains.
“In my experience, women tend to be aware of their internal emotional state to a greater extent than men and are more likely to say something about it,” Dattilo says.
Then there’s that full-time job of being a wife, mother and employee.
“We have a tendency to take on so much, and it’s hard to say no.”
Looking for help
To overcome her anxiety, Crofts first went to a doctor to make sure she didn’t have any underlying physical problems. She saw a therapist and even a hypnotist to help her forget she had anxiety.
She started working out, “running and running until my lungs burned,” she recalls. She took medication, performed breathing exercises on the way to work and critiqued her on-camera performances.
“Looking back, I realize I was doing too much,” Crofts says. “You have to step away and say, ‘I’m not going to focus on it from now on.’ I focused on it too much.”
It’s important to identify the cause of your stress and know your stress signals, which often are having a hard time concentrating and making decisions, headaches and muscle tension, Dattilo says.
And make time to do something you truly enjoy, even if it’s five to 10 minutes a day, she recommends.
Moving on
Crofts was let go from WISH-TV in 2009 but says she’s thriving now.
“I decided that everything happens for a reason. For me, I found my happiness stepping away from (broadcasting).”
Crofts’ new therapy became writing. She has two blogs, is writing a book and will soon start her master’s degree in journalism.
To combat any anxious feelings, she runs and does yoga and Pilates.
Even though Crofts was devastated to leave behind the job she loved, she’s looking forward to easier days ahead.
“(Anxiety) is something you can get over,” she points out.
Info:
If you’re living with anxiety, you don’t have to suffer in silence. Here are some resources that can help,
Mental Health America of Greater Indianapolis,
P: (317) 251-0005
W: mhaindy.net (online anxiety screening)
Anxiety Disorders Association of America,
W: adaa.org
