The definition of anxiety is “worry” and since everyone worries, everyone experiences anxiety. However, there is a fine line to tell when your anxiety level is too high. At no point in your life should your worry affect your ability to function. You should always be able to control your anxiety and when you can’t, that is when it becomes a problem.
The feeling of anxiety is not necessarily a bad one. Anxiety can be beneficial as it helps to keep us out of trouble. It lets you know if what you are about to encounter is something to be weary of and helps you know to escape danger. You can experience healthy anxiety when it is going to keep you from getting harmed. You experience unhealthy anxiety when you feel anxious, or worry, about things that you really shouldn’t. Unhealthy anxiety can take a huge toll on your life and affect how you live.
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Although it may be unpleasant, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help us stay alert and focused, spur us to action, and motivate us to solve problems. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities—that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders.
There are three major types of anxiety disorders, each with their own distinct symptom profile: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder.
Generalized anxiety disorder (or GAD) is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always expect disaster and can’t stop worrying about health, money, family, work, or school. In people with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear, and dread. Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person’s thinking that it interferes with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities, and relationships.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by unwanted thoughts or behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control. If you have OCD, you may be troubled by obsessions, such as a recurring worry that you forgot to turn off the oven or that you might hurt someone. You may also suffer from uncontrollable compulsions, such as washing your hands over and over
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), if you have a debilitating fear of being seen negatively by others and humiliated in public, you may have social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia. Social anxiety disorder can be thought of as extreme shyness. In severe cases, social situations are avoided altogether. Performance anxiety (better known as stage fright) is the most common type of social phobia. Read More
The best way to stop your stop anxiety attacks is to seek help from a medical professional. Your physician will give you options about the possible treatments that will completely cure the disorder. This way, you will be able to live a normal life again, without the fear of having those anxiety attacks.
