What is Anxiety?

Is anxiety a real thing? Or just something people say when they are stressed?

Photo Credit: Tom Simpson Flickr via Compfight cc

Everyone can get stressed out or nervous when it’s their first time trying something new, or they are getting ready for something important – like studying for a test or going on a big trip.

These kinds of feelings – excess worry – become a problem when they get in the way of living the life you want to live.

Ask yourself:

Does worrying make you…

• Avoid people or places?
  • Like getting together with friends?
  • Going to a new place?
  • Or even going to school?
• Avoid trying new things?
  • Like learning how to drive?
  • Or trying a new sport/job/activity?

Do signs of stress show up in your body? For example…

• Breathing fast
• Having belly pain or feeling nauseous
• Getting headaches
• Trouble falling or staying asleep
• Or even having a panic attack with chest pain, trouble breathing, and feeling like the world is going to end?

These symptoms may be a sign that anxiety is getting in the way of you being who you want to be. The awesome news is we can retrain our brains to not feel this way. A lot of people who feel depressed also feel anxious – and a lot of the same treatments can help with both. Take a look for some more information about treatment and then talk to your doctor about what might work for you.

If you have anxiety and got better with treatment and you feel comfortable sharing – let us know a little about what worked for you below!