Stress and Anxiety
What is Anxiety?
In moderate amounts, anxiety can be helpful. It can increase our alertness, focus, and motivation to take appropriate action in challenging situations. For example, feeling anxious before an important exam or presentation may motivate us to study or prepare more effectively.
Anxiety becomes a concern when it becomes excessive, persistent, or disproportionate to the actual threat or situation. Anxiety disorders occur when anxiety levels become chronic, interfere with daily life, and cause significant distress. These disorders can involve excessive worrying, irrational fears, avoidance behaviors, and physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or muscle tension.
While anxiety is a normal emotion, it can become problematic when it interferes with an individual's ability to function and enjoy life. In such cases, seeking therapy or other appropriate interventions can help individuals manage and reduce anxiety symptoms.
FAQs
- People-pleasing
- Over-committing
- Worrying about being liked
- Excessive worrying
- Fear of messing up/failure
- Feeling nervous about seeing family and friends
- Difficulty saying no or sticking to boundaries
- Feeling like an imposter in the workplace
- Work
- Dating
- Family
- Moving to a new location (same state, new state, new country)
- Starting a new job or career
- Starting college
- New romantic relationship
- Getting married
- Recently married
- Dating
- Family (birth of a child, death of a loved one, divorce, imprisonment)
Anxiety levels can vary greatly among individuals. What may cause anxiety in one person may not affect another person in the same way. Factors such as genetics, past experiences, personality traits, and environmental factors can influence an individual’s susceptibility to anxiety.