About Anxiety

In its simplest form, anxiety is a reaction that serves as the body's natural alarm system whenever threat or danger is perceived. This reaction may include physical sensations such as sweaty palms, accelerated breathing and heartbeat, queasy stomach, tense muscles, and trembling legs or hands. These varying symptoms of anxiety are the result of a sudden increase of chemicals such as adrenaline which prepare the body to quickly flee from danger. The average person experiences normal cases of mild anxiety from time to time. However, there are more severe cases of anxiety which may need to be treated with cognitive-behavior therapy or medications like Alprazolam or Wellbutrin.

Normal vs. Severe Anxiety

Since everyone experiences some form of anxiety at one time or another, a distinction must be drawn between what is considered to be normal anxiety and what is described as severe. Generally, anxiety is triggered by challenging situations such as an important test, a big date, or a major presentation. Normal anxiety typically manifests as short-lived feelings of nervousness or uneasiness. However, severe levels of this condition tend to surface in the form of dread, fear, or panic. In these severe cases, a person can become completely overwhelmed and even immobilized by these intense feelings.

How Anxiety Disorders Affect People

The symptoms of anxiety disorders can be both strange and upsetting to those who are affected by such conditions. Others may even feel defensive, unprotected, and scared for no apparent reason. Furthermore, continual worry over insignificant matters often overwhelms anxiety sufferers and even causes some to lose confidence, appetite, sleep, and concentration. Because of the highly introspective nature of generalized anxiety disorders, some sufferers find themselves feeling ashamed or embarrassed about their condition because they feel it is a sign of weakness or personal failure.