It's natural to have anxiety from time to time. Whether it's something concrete, like waiting for a job interview, or an amorphous fear of something unknown, anxious thoughts and sensations are a normal and acceptable response.

But what if your anxiety becomes uncontrollable, overwhelming, or without apparent cause? When anxiety no longer appears to be a legitimate response and your well-being is at risk, you must take action.

In the following article, we will look at all sorts of anxiety and how to deal with them. We also discuss how to manage ordinary fears and how to cope when everyone feels more apprehensive than usual.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress or a perceived threat. It is a collection of unpleasant feelings about yourself or others, such as uneasiness, concern, and fear.

Specific scenarios, such as sending your child to school for the first time or finding you're lost in a foreign location, might create anxiety.

It could also be a reaction to your ideas about events that have already occurred or are on the future. That's why you can be concerned about if you upset someone a few days ago or are nervous about presenting a big presentation at work in a few weeks.

Anxiety is a very frequent and growing problem. In 2017, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 300 million people globally suffered from problematic anxiety. [1] An American Psychiatric Association poll in 2019 found that, for the second year in a row, nearly two-thirds of respondents were "extremely or somewhat anxious about health and safety for themselves and their families." [2] Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has contributed to rising anxiety all over the world, particularly among older adults and students. [3][4]

There are numerous other explanations for the growth in anxiety. Concerns about the economy or the environment, as well as concerns about our looks, social standing, and professional success, are examples of these.

Many factors of modern life may also be to blame. For example, studies have identified a link between social media use and greater anxiety. [5] A separate study found a correlation between increasing air pollution and higher anxiety. [6]

Anxiety Symptoms

Sweating, shaking, feeling ill, and being unable to sleep are all physical indicators of anxiety. The mental affects are also diverse, ranging from cloudy thinking and difficulties concentrating to over-active imagination and hyper-alertness at one extreme. Anxiety is sometimes accompanied by misguided sentiments of humiliation or shame in some people.

Anxiety, like other related illnesses, can range in intensity from moderate uneasiness to severe, even paralyzing distress. It can also vary in length, from brief to extended - and, in some extreme situations, continual.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress or a perceived threat. It's most likely a hard-wired safety response, part of the "fight or flight" response. When we or someone we care about is in danger, our brain prioritizes the threat and focuses all of our attention on overcoming it.

Complex thought processes are turned off to allow us to focus on the danger at hand. Meanwhile, signals are sent to our bodies to prepare them for action. As we prepare to fight or flee, our breathing quickens and our heart begins to beat quicker, sending more blood to our muscles. Both the mind and the body adjust to provide us the best chance of survival until the threat passes.

When there is no immediate physical danger, the same responses can be elicited. Just thinking about a threat, past or future, can cause tremendous anxiety. And because there is no obvious end point to the threat, all of these worried feelings may persist. In certain situations, anxiety might deteriorate into something dangerous.

Feeling a bit nervous before a large exam, for example, may focus your attention and motivate you to perform at your best on the day. However, if it gets excessive, it may cause you to feel ill, keep you from sleeping correctly, and leave you with a shaky hand and a wandering mind when the exam begins.

Anxiety, on the other hand, can become a recognized disorder in severe circumstances. It is critical to understand what these are so that you can seek appropriate counsel and support.

Best Ways to Deal With Anxiety