Anxiety – Harmful or Healthy?

Anxiety is a very normal part of life and can actually be a good thing. Anxiety is also known as the “fight or flight” response. If you are in a dangerous or a stressful situation, your adrenaline kicks in and helps you to cope with the situation. This type of anxiety can be a real protection. Unfortunately, anxiety has become a danger to human society. Millions of Americans suffer from severe anxiety disorders. Instead of feeling a normal, healthy dose anxiety for a brief period of time, anxiety becomes controlling, debilitating, and inescapable.

Which type of anxiety are you dealing with – healthy or harmful?

 

Ask yourself:

 

• Have I experienced excessive anxiety and worry about daily activities, such as work or school performance?
• Does my anxiety or worry interfere with my normal routine, job performance, social activities, or relationships?
• Are my worries accompanied with physical symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, hot flashes, lightheadedness, breathlessness, nausea, and frequent trips to the bathroom?

 

If you find yourself answering “yes” to the questions in the above paragraph, you may be dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. It’s chronic and filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. Having this disorder means always anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family, or work. Even though the source of the worry is hard to pinpoint. Simply the thought of getting through the day can provoke anxiety.

Do not get discouraged if you are suffering from an anxiety disorder such as GAD. There are many treatment options available such as medication and a variety of psychotherapy options, but be sure to seek help immediately. Visit Coping with Anxiety Disorders for more in-depth information.