Anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, and unease. It can be mild or severe, and it can last from a few minutes to several months. There are many types of anxiety disorders that affect the way you feel, think, or act. Some people feel anxious all the time, while others only feel it in certain situations.
The symptoms of anxiety may include:
trembling or shaking
sweating
heart palpitations (a feeling that your heart is beating faster than normal)
shortness of breath (dyspnea)
dry mouth or nausea
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can range from mild to severe. Anxiety can occur before or during a stressful or unsettling event, or it can be a response to stressors.
The physical symptoms of anxiety are similar to those of other illnesses, but the psychological symptoms are more specific. The following are common signs of anxiety:
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Trembling and shaking
Fatigue, tiredness, and exhaustion (feeling “worn out”)
Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
People with anxiety may experience symptoms such as:
Feeling tense, shaky or nervous
Sweating, heart palpitations and muscle tension
Shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat and chest pain
Dizziness, lightheaded or faint feelings
Nausea and abdominal distress (stomach pains)
Anxiety is a common mental health disorder. It can be experienced in varying degrees. In some cases, it’s so severe that it interferes with your daily life and/or causes physical symptoms.
Anxiety can make you feel tense, nervous and on edge. It can also cause physical symptoms like muscle tension, headaches and nausea. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States — nearly one in five adults experiences anxiety at some point.
Anxiety disorders affect people of all ages, including children and teenagers. They’re often first diagnosed in late adolescence or early adulthood when someone seeks help for seemingly uncontrollable panic attacks or chronic worry. However, anxiety disorders can occur at any age as well as in children who have been abused or neglected by their parents or caregivers.
Anxiety is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse or other mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In fact, many people with anxiety also suffer from other mental illnesses such as phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders like bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.
What are 5 symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences. A healthy amount of anxiety can actually be beneficial; it can motivate you to succeed and do your best. But when anxiety becomes excessive, it can have a negative impact on your life.
The most common symptoms of anxiety include:
Feeling tense or keyed up
Worrying too much about things that don’t matter
Having trouble concentrating on things that used to be easy
Being irritable or impatient
Having trouble sleeping, or sleeping too much (insomnia)
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful events. It can also be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.
The brain and nervous system are involved in every aspect of our health, including how we feel, think, and act. Anxiety may result from chemical imbalances or genetic predispositions that are triggered by stressors such as trauma, major life changes, or financial problems. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States.
Anxiety symptoms may include:
Feelings of panic or dread
Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue and low energy
Sleep problems (insomnia)
Anxiety is a complex condition that can range from mild to severe. It’s commonly associated with feelings of fear, nervousness and uneasiness.
Anxiety can be short-term, or it can last for several years. It can also be chronic, which means you experience symptoms over a long period of time.
People often think that anxiety isn’t a serious condition, but it can have serious consequences if left untreated. If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s mental health, visit our page on how to get help for anxiety.
While everyone experiences anxiety differently, there are some common symptoms to look out for:
Feeling tense all the time
Feeling restless
Becoming easily irritated
Being unable to relax
Having difficulty sleeping
There are many different types of anxiety. The most common type is generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which can be caused by stress, trauma and other factors.
Symptoms of anxiety can include:
Feeling tense, on edge or worried for no reason.
Having physical symptoms such as sweating, heart palpitations or tremors.
Having panic attacks where you feel like you’re going to die or lose control.
Being unable to concentrate on things because your mind keeps going back to your worries.
Trying to avoid situations that make you feel anxious (such as public transport) so that you don’t have to deal with the physical symptoms.
How do you know if you are anxiety?

Anxiety is physical, mental and emotional. Your body reacts to it with physical symptoms like:
a racing heart, shortness of breath and tension in the muscles.
anxiety can also make you feel edgy, jittery and irritable.
Symptoms of anxiety may be similar to other health conditions. But anxiety is different from fear. Fear triggers a natural “fight or flight” response in the body, which helps protect you from danger by speeding up your heart rate and releasing adrenaline into your system. This prepares your body for physical action, such as fighting or fleeing from danger. Anxiety doesn’t cause this kind of reaction — instead it creates a sense of worry or panic that something bad will happen if you don’t take immediate action to stop it.
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, and unease. It is the normal reaction to a threat. Anxiety disorders are conditions that cause you to feel excessively anxious and worried, often without reason. If you have an anxiety disorder, you are likely to experience chronic or recurrent episodes of intense fear and worry. You may also be on edge, easily startled, and quick to react to situations as though they are threatening.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. They affect 40 million adults over the age of 18 (about 18%) in a given year. Women are twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder or Social Phobia. About 7% of children and teenagers experience an anxiety disorder (ADHD) annually.
People with an anxiety disorder who have other mental health problems, such as depression or substance abuse issues often need treatment for those problems as well.
Symptoms can include sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, nausea or abdominal distress, racing heartbeat and dry mouth; some people may even feel like they’re dying when panic attacks occur for the first time(s). Symptoms usually begin in late adolescence or early adulthood
Anxiety is a common problem. Many people feel anxious or nervous from time to time. But anxiety disorders are different than normal feelings of nervousness or worrying about something. Anxiety disorders make it hard to function and can be disabling.
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has a few similarities with OCD, but is generally differentiated by its cause: GAD is usually triggered by stressors that lead to intense worry about finances, health and relationships, while OCD is usually triggered by obsessions about dirt or contamination or other more specific fears.
When you have an anxiety disorder, you may have trouble controlling your worries. You may get trapped in a cycle of worry that makes you feel like you’re going crazy. You may try to deal with these feelings by avoiding situations that make you anxious.
You may have trouble sleeping because the thought of sleeping brings up scary images of what might happen in your dreams. Or you might wake up after a bad dream and not be able to fall back asleep until morning comes around again.
People with anxiety disorders often experience physical symptoms such as:
Trouble concentrating
The first step to take in treating your anxiety is to learn how to recognize the symptoms. Here are some common signs that may indicate you have an anxiety disorder:
Physical symptoms like:
Muscle tension or aches
Headaches and stomach pains
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping too much (hypersomnia)
Fast heartbeat and shortness of breath
Sweating and trembling
Nausea, diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal problems
What causes anxiety?
There are many causes of anxiety, including a genetic predisposition to be anxious and life experiences. Some of the most common anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD have a chronic, exaggerated worry about everyday situations. They tend to anticipate the worst possible outcome in any given situation, even if it’s highly unlikely. They worry excessively about money, health problems, family issues, or work problems.
Panic disorder. People with panic disorder experience sudden and repeated panic attacks — intense feelings of terror that strike without warning or provocation. Panic attacks are often mistaken for heart attacks and other medical emergencies because they feel so extreme. The diagnosis can be made after ruling out other conditions with physical symptoms, such as hyperthyroidism or anemia.
Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). Social phobia is characterized by overwhelming fear of being scrutinized and judged by others in social situations that make one anxious or uncomfortable. Social phobia is sometimes referred to as performance anxiety due to the overwhelming feeling of shame and embarrassment experienced when anticipating being judged negatively by others who are present during such an event.
Specific phobias involve intense irrational fear responses that occur in response to specific stimuli (such as snakes, spiders). These
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., with about 18 percent of the adult population affected at some point in their lives. Anxiety is normal and can help us respond to danger by speeding up our thinking and increasing our heart rate, blood pressure and level of alertness.
However, it becomes a disorder when these feelings begin to interfere with daily activities, relationships and causes significant distress. There are many factors that contribute to anxiety disorders including:
Genetics: Anxiety is highly heritable, meaning that if one or both of your parents suffer from an anxiety disorder, you’re more likely to develop one too. It’s also thought that an imbalance in brain chemistry may play a role in anxiety disorders.
Environment: Experiencing stressful situations like financial difficulties or losing a loved one can increase your risk for developing an anxiety disorder.
Brain chemistry: The chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters control feelings of fear and anxiety as well as moods such as depression and happiness. Serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are three neurotransmitters that affect moods, sleep patterns and stress responses.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations. Anxiety disorders, however, are more than just excessive worries about real-life issues. Anxiety disorders are characterized by feelings of panic and fear that occur in response to everyday situations. People who suffer from anxiety may also have physical symptoms of anxiety, such as increased heart rate and shortness of breath.
Anxiety disorders fall into four categories:
• Situational anxiety disorder: This occurs when people experience intense feelings of anxiety in response to specific locations or situations. Situational anxiety can be caused by things like public speaking, flying in an airplane or being in open spaces like shopping malls or stadiums.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): This disorder causes people to have repetitive thoughts and behaviors that they feel they cannot control. For example, if a person with OCD thinks that their hands are dirty, they might wash their hands until they become chapped and painful; this would make them feel better temporarily but would not get rid of the compulsion to wash their hands again later on.
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): People with PTSD suffer from flashbacks, nightmares and frightening thoughts after experiencing a traumatic event such as war or assault
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population every year. Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. $42 billion in direct costs and lost productivity each year.
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of people who seek treatment find relief from symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are at increased risk for a number of chronic health conditions, including obesity, asthma, heart disease and diabetes.
The following factors may contribute to anxiety:
Genetics : Anxiety disorders run in families, suggesting that they have a genetic component. Family members of people with anxiety disorders may also be more likely to develop them. It is unclear whether this means that genes directly cause anxiety or if they increase a person’s vulnerability to developing an anxiety disorder when exposed to certain environmental factors.
Brain chemistry : Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters control how individuals feel and behave — often without us even being aware of it. The neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin play an important role in regulating moods as well as sleep cycles and pain perception. Research suggests that low levels of these chemicals may trigger or contribute to anxiety disorders — but it’s not yet known whether
How can I calm my anxiety?
Anxiety can be a huge problem for people of all ages. It’s not just about feeling stressed out; it’s about having constant feelings of worry and fear that can really impact your life.
The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to help reduce anxiety. Here are some tips:
- Exercise regularly
- Eat well-balanced meals with plenty of fibre and fruit and vegetables
- Get enough sleep (at least seven hours per night)
- Try relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga (your GP may be able to recommend a therapist)
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be managed with practical strategies.
Here are some things you can do to overcome your fear and worry:
Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and yoga.
Identify what triggers your anxiety and avoid putting yourself in situations that cause you distress.
Don’t bottle up your feelings; talk to someone about what you’re feeling.
I don’t want to minimize your concerns. It can be very stressful, and it’s completely understandable that you’re worried about your health.
However, anxiety is a very common and treatable condition. If you’re having trouble functioning or feeling constantly on edge, then you may want to see a doctor about it.
Here are some strategies for managing your anxiety:
•Accept that anxiety is part of life. Everyone gets anxious sometimes and the more you try to avoid it, the more it will seem like something terrible is happening to you. Once you accept that everyone feels anxious sometimes, it’s easier to relax when those feelings come up.
•Take deep breaths when you’re stressed out (e.g., while driving). This can help calm down an anxious state and lower blood pressure at the same time!
•Exercise regularly — not only does this help with stress management, but also helps release endorphins which are natural mood boosters!
•Try meditation or yoga — these activities focus on breathing deeply and concentrating on things that aren’t stressful in order to help relax the body and mind!
•Get enough sleep each night — sleep helps regulate cortisol levels which is important for regulating stress levels!
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps us avoid danger and takes our minds off unpleasant thoughts. Anxiety disorders, however, involve excessive fear and anxiety. People with anxiety disorders often worry excessively about everyday situations, such as going to work or school. They may even avoid leaving home.
Anxiety disorders are treated with psychotherapy and medications. If you have an anxiety disorder, learn to recognize your symptoms and how to manage them.
Psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for anxiety disorders; most people who seek it get relief from their symptoms after 20 sessions or less.
Medications can also help reduce symptoms of anxiety in some people.
Is anxiety a mental illness?
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Anxiety disorders are an overactive response to stress, which can cause undue distress and interfere with your ability to function in daily life.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting more than 40 million adults 18 years and older, or 18 percent of the population every year. Although it can occur at any age, anxiety tends to develop in late adolescence and peak during early adulthood. It affects twice as many women as men and is twice as common in whites compared with blacks.
Anxiety disorders are among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses, but they also are prone to relapse if left untreated.
What Are Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety disorders include a wide range of symptoms that affect how you feel and function on a daily basis. These symptoms might include:
Physical symptoms such as lightheadedness or nausea
Mental symptoms such as fear or worry
Behavioral symptoms such as avoiding certain situations
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life but with anxiety disorders, these feelings are persistent, overwhelming and interfere with a person’s ability to function.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting about 40 million American adults age 18 and older, or 18% of the population every year.* Anxiety disorders can be treated effectively with professional care, medication, or both. Treatment helps many people lead normal lives.*
Anxiety can be acute or chronic and can be caused by a variety of factors including genetics, medical conditions and environment. The main types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, but when it occurs frequently and disrupts your daily life, it may be a disorder. Everyone gets anxious at times. But anxiety disorders are different. They are chronic conditions that cause intense fear or discomfort and affect how you function on a daily basis.
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, social phobia, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These disorders are all different, but they can have similar symptoms.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) estimates that approximately 18 percent of adults in the U.S. experience some type of anxiety disorder in a given year — about 1 in 5 people over their lifetime will have experienced an anxiety disorder in the past 12 months.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Everyone gets nervous about something at some point in their lives.
But for some people, anxiety becomes a disorder that interferes with daily life.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the United States, affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population every year. Women are twice as likely to experience an anxiety disorder as men.
The three main types of anxiety disorders are:
Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive worry and tension, even when there is no obvious reason to worry. People with GAD often worry excessively about everyday situations such as personal health, work or finances. They may also worry excessively about possible future events such as getting injured or becoming ill.
Social anxiety disorder involves intense fear of social situations in which you may be judged by others or embarrassed because of your actions (or inaction). Social phobia can be so overwhelming that it makes it hard for people to leave their homes or interact with other people at all. Social phobia affects up to 15 million Americans each year and 2% of Americans will have this condition at some point in their lives. Social phobia typically begins during adolescence
How long can anxiety last?

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental conditions that cause people to feel frightened, distressed, and uneasy for no apparent reason. Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses, affecting more than 25 million adults in the United States alone.
While anxiety is a normal human emotion that can serve to protect us from danger or pain, it can also become overwhelming and debilitating when left untreated. Left unchecked, anxiety disorders can make it difficult to lead a normal life.
How long can anxiety last?
Anxiety disorders are typically classified as either acute or chronic. Acute anxiety refers to short-term episodes of intense fear or worry that lasts up to six months. Chronic anxiety refers to long-term anxiety that lasts for more than six months and interferes with daily functioning.
People who suffer from an acute episode of anxiety may experience several episodes over time before seeking treatment for their condition, which may lead them to believe that their symptoms are chronic when they’re not necessarily so severe as to interfere with their daily lives.
It’s hard to say how long anxiety will last. It depends on the individual.
Anxiety is a normal emotion that we all experience, but when it interferes with your life and causes distress, it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder. It’s estimated that about 18 percent of adults in the U.S. (about 40 million) have an anxiety disorder.
The length of time that it takes for someone to recover from an anxiety disorder varies from person to person and depends on many factors, including:
Age
Type of anxiety
Family history of mental health problems
Other mental health conditions (such as depression)
Anxiety disorders are a common type of mental illness.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress, but it becomes a problem when it interferes with your daily life. Anxiety disorders affect approximately one in five American adults. You can’t just “get over” anxiety disorders — they require treatment to help you feel better and manage your symptoms.
While the length of time that anxiety lasts varies from person to person, anxiety disorder is usually treated with psychotherapy or medication.
Anxiety disorders can also be treated with psychotherapy and medication.
The good news is that there are effective treatments for anxiety — cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and certain medications — which can help reduce your symptoms and improve your quality of life. The first step is seeing your doctor or mental health professional and talking about what’s going on with you.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A type of psychotherapy that teaches people new ways to think about their problems and helps them learn how to manage difficult situations in better ways than before treatment started. Some medications may also be prescribed along with CBT for anxiety disorders, such as antidepressants or benzodiazepines
Anxiety disorders can vary in how much they affect your life. Some people have mild symptoms that they are able to manage, while others may struggle with more severe symptoms.
Anxiety disorders often cause feelings of fear, dread, or unease and can lead to a range of emotional and physical problems. Anxiety disorders usually develop in early childhood or adolescence, but they may begin at any age. These conditions include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They often occur along with depression or substance abuse issues.
Anxiety disorders are treated with psychotherapy and medication. Treatment may be provided by a mental health professional specializing in anxiety disorders (also called a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist), or by a primary care provider (such as a physician). In some cases, individuals may need both medical treatment and therapy to control their symptoms.
The most common symptoms of anxiety disorders include:
Feeling tense and having trouble relaxing
Experiencing excessive worry about small matters
Having an exaggerated sense of responsibility for things going wrong around you
Being easily startled or feeling tense when exposed to frightening situations
What does severe anxiety look like?
It’s hard to know how severe your anxiety is unless you know what it looks like.
You may be able to tell when someone else is anxious, but it can be harder to recognize what’s going on inside of yourself. If you have anxiety, there are certain things that tend to happen when it flares up. Here are some of the signs that suggest your anxiety is severe:
You feel like you’re going crazy or losing your mind
When you’re experiencing severe anxiety, it can feel like you’re losing control over yourself and your life. You may feel like there’s no way out of the situation and that no one understands what you’re going through. This is a very common symptom of severe anxiety — so common that many people who aren’t suffering from anxiety think that people with anxiety just want attention or pity when they complain about these symptoms.
You can’t sleep well at night because of worrying about things
If you’re experiencing severe anxiety, you probably have trouble sleeping at night because your mind won’t stop racing with thoughts about everything that could go wrong in the future. Your brain won’t stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong tomorrow, next week or next month — even if they seem unlikely right now — and this keeps
It’s hard to describe what anxiety feels like. The closest I can come is that it’s like walking around with a constant knot in your stomach, or like having your heart beat so fast and so hard that you can’t catch your breath. And if you have severe anxiety, the experience is almost certainly worse than that. Severe anxiety disorders are characterized by a lot of things:
Feeling anxious most days of the week
Having physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, dizziness or shortness of breath
Panic attacks that last for hours and feel like they’re never going to end
Being unable to stop worrying about things no matter how hard you try
Having trouble falling or staying asleep because you’re so anxious about what might happen during the day
Avoiding situations that make you feel anxious
Having trouble concentrating or remembering things because you’ve been worrying about them so much
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It can be triggered by stress, fear or worry. One of the most common symptoms of anxiety is a fast heartbeat and feeling lightheaded. Other symptoms are sweating, nausea and difficulty breathing.
Anxiety can also cause physical pain, such as headaches and muscle tension. In severe cases, the person may experience panic attacks that include chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or even fainting.
Severe anxiety can be treated with medication or therapy. The first step is to talk to your doctor about your symptoms so they can determine what’s causing them.
What does anxiety feel like in your head?
I am a travel blogger and I’m getting ready to travel the world. I’m also a photographer, so I have no problem with being alone and away from my family.
What does anxiety feel like in your head?
I have an anxious feeling in my chest. It’s a tightness that makes it hard for me to breathe. It hurts and it’s uncomfortable. But it’s not painful, just annoying and uncomfortable.
I get these feelings when:
- I’m alone for too long (like when I’m driving)
- When I’m doing something new (like traveling)
- When something bad happens to someone close to me
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness and unease about something with an uncertain outcome. Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate danger, whereas anxiety is the anticipation of future danger. People who suffer from anxiety may experience such as dizziness, sweating, trembling and muscle tension.
Symptoms of anxiety can be both physical and emotional. Physical symptoms include chest pains, shortness of breath and abdominal pain. Emotional symptoms include depression and irritability.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in America affecting 40 million adults (18%) in the United States age 18 years or older in a given year. Women are twice as likely as men to have an anxiety disorder (18% vs 9%).
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or uneasiness. It is often accompanied by physical symptoms such as a racing heart and sweating. Anxiety can be appropriate, but when experienced regularly the individual may suffer from an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are a type of mental illness that causes some degree of anxiety. They can also produce physical symptoms. People with an anxiety disorder may have painful feelings of dread or apprehension, even when they are not in danger. They may constantly worry about things such as death or being hurt. They may avoid certain places and situations out of fear of embarrassment or being harmed in some way.
Anxiety disorders commonly occur with other mental health problems, including panic disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD). In fact, approximately one-half to two-thirds of people with MDD experience significant levels of anxiety during their lifetime and vice versa [1].
Anxiety disorders are highly treatable; however, only around one third of people who could benefit from treatment actually receive it [2].
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It’s a sense of nervousness, worry and fear about the future. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious before a big test at school or when starting a new job. But for some people, anxiety is more than just a feeling. It can interfere with their daily lives and make them feel very uncomfortable.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the past year — 18% of the population over age 18. Anxiety disorders are associated with high use of healthcare resources, including emergency rooms and medications, as well as lost productivity at work or school and avoidance of places where anxiety-provoking situations may occur
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (also known as social phobia), specific phobias (fear of certain objects or situations), generalized anxiety disorder (excessive worry that disrupts daily life), post-traumatic stress disorder (experiencing symptoms related to a traumatic event), obsessive-compulsive disorder (having unwanted thoughts or behaviors) and separation anxiety disorder (extreme fear when away from home or loved ones).
Can anxiety make you sick?

Can anxiety make you sick?
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems in the U.S., affecting more than 40 million adults ages 18 and older. Anxiety can affect your ability to function and disrupt relationships with family and friends. It can also hurt your job performance, since high levels of stress can cause you to miss deadlines, stare at the clock all day long or forget important details of projects. In addition, anxiety disorders are associated with high rates of depression, substance abuse, medical illness, and suicide attempts.
When anxiety gets out of control, it can be debilitating. But scientists have found that when managed properly, anxiety doesn’t have to interfere with everyday life — or prevent you from living it to its fullest.
“Anxiety is a normal part of life,” says Michael R. Liebowitz, MD, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. “We all get anxious at times.” For example: You may feel anxious before giving a speech or test-taking (often referred to as test anxiety). Or perhaps your heart races when you’re in a crowded room or driving on the highway (social phobia). But sometimes anxiety becomes so overwhelming that it causes significant impairment in
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in the U.S., affecting 18% of the population, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
In addition to the emotional toll that comes with an anxiety disorder, there’s a growing body of evidence that suggests anxiety can affect your physical health as well.
Research over the past decade has found that people with anxiety have a higher risk of developing other health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity — even when they don’t have any previous history of these conditions.
And some studies have found that people who develop an anxiety disorder later in life tend to have shorter lifespans than those who don’t have one.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It helps you adapt to new situations and deal with stress. But when anxiety becomes excessive, it can interfere with your daily life.
There are many different types of anxiety disorders. Some people experience panic attacks, while others may have persistent worries or phobias.
Anxiety is also common in people who suffer from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These conditions often occur together and make each other worse.
For some people, anxiety can be debilitating and difficult to manage on their own. There are a variety of treatments for anxiety disorders that can help you feel better and regain control over your life, including talk therapy (psychotherapy), medication, meditation and other self-help techniques.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It can be a response to stressful situations and help us cope with difficult or dangerous situations. But sometimes anxiety can become excessive, leading to serious problems such as panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
People with anxiety disorders tend to worry about things even when there is no real danger. Their minds are filled with thoughts of their health, money and other concerns that don’t make sense in light of the facts.
Anxiety disorders affect about 19 million adults in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). If you have an anxiety disorder, you may feel like you’re going crazy — but you’re not alone. In addition to feeling scared and helpless much of the time, people with anxiety disorders often suffer from depression and substance abuse problems.