What is anxiety?

Anxiety can take many forms and has a broad range of symptoms from mild to severe. An anxiety disorder is different from everyday stress in that it is difficult to control and interferes with regular activites. Everyday worries can not be put off until later, are more distressing, and are of longer duration. The anxiety or worry will be present more days than not. Everyone has worries and stressors in their lives. The questions to ask are: does it interfere with your daily life and ability to function; is the anxiety negatively impacting your relationships?  

Some symptoms of anxiety:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Excessive worrying
• Avoidance of certain places or social situations
• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability
• The intensity and length of the worrying is out of proportion to the event
• Muscle tension
• Feeling shaky

What can I do right now?

• Practice deep breathing.
• Try yoga, massage or exercising.
• Visualize a calm scene like the beach or mountains when you are particularly stressed to help calm you immediately.
• Reduce caffeine, sugar and alcohol.
• Reach out to friends and talk about your worries.
• Find a therapist that you are comfortable with.
• In some cases, consider medication along with therapy if the anxiety is severe.