What’s Worrying You? The Facts About Anxiety

Anxiety is an emotion -- you feel nervous or scared. Stress is a physical response to something you feel threatened by -- your heart beats faster, your breath comes quicker, and your muscles tense. It’s your body’s way of making you alert and prepared for action. Anxiety can be triggered by stress.

It may not be enjoyable, but it’s a normal emotion. And it can help you focus when you face a challenge or threat.

A loss of appetite or sleep every once in a while because of anxiety is normal for most people. But people who have extreme fear and worry that won’t go away or interfere with their jobs or relationships may have an anxiety disorder. Some examples are generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in the U.S.

Women are twice as likely as men to have one. Your risk is also higher if you're under 35 or you have a chronic disease.

You’re also at greater risk if you have money problems or have dealt with stressful life events.  

Medication can only manage the symptoms. The ones usually used to treat them are antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. Other medicines can help control physical symptoms like a fast heartbeat or shaking or trembling. But you also may need therapy for the underlying cause.

In one study, people who did regular, vigorous exercise were 25% less likely to develop an anxiety disorder. Talk with your doctor about how to ramp up your exercise plan.

If anxiety prevents you from doing everyday things and just won’t go away, you may have this type of disorder. You might also have a hard time concentrating, be irritable, or have muscle tension.

This disorder involves repeated panic attacks -- sudden, intense fear that makes your heart pound and causes sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath. You also may worry about when the next attack might happen and avoid places where you’ve had them before. For example, if you have one on an airplane, it can lead to a fear of flying.

You may feel nauseous and blush, sweat, or tremble when you’re around other people. You may be afraid of being embarrassed or judged, and may worry for days or weeks before a social event.

Called exposure therapy, it involves doing the things that make you anxious, with the guidance of a therapist. It’s usually used along with relaxation exercises. But studies have shown that it doesn’t work as well as cognitive therapy, which focuses on finding and addressing the reason behind your anxiety.