Anxiety Disorder Can Take Over Your Life
It is useful to understand the difference between anxiety and fear--not so easy since they both feel exactly the same.
Anxiety is what you feel when you're worried that the bogeyman might jump out of the bushes and grab you.
Fear is what you feel when he actually does.
Fear is a life-preserving emotion that makes you ready for fight or flight.
Anxiety is a life-destroying emotion that can cripple your initiative, prevent rejuvenating rest and worry you to death.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is not the same as Panic Disorder in which the feeling of fear becomes briefly intense and then subsides.
Nor is it the same as a phobia in which the focus of anxiety is a specific thing or situation.
Nor, again, is it the same as Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety which results from an identifiable stressor event and begins to resolve itself once the stressor is removed.
Some people tend to worry more than others.
This is not necessarily a disorder if it doesn't disrupt your life too much.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder definitely disrupts your life and probably those of the people around you.
If your excessive worrying is accompanied by other symptoms such as irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration or restlessness you could have GAD.
If you have felt these or similar symptoms for six months or more, much or all of the time, not just during panic attacks and not in response to a real and frightening situation then you, by definition, have GAD.
Living in a state of hypervigilance is unnerving, to say the least.
In short order you become depleted, even exhausted.
Your body gets worn out and your immune system is weakened.
Inner peace is nonexistent.
You need help! Now for the good news.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is very treatable.
Some combination of psychotherapy, stress management techniques and medication will most likely help you to calm down and get your life under control again.
Your family physician can help you decide whether you ought to seek the help of a mental health specialist.
Anxiety is what you feel when you're worried that the bogeyman might jump out of the bushes and grab you.
Fear is what you feel when he actually does.
Fear is a life-preserving emotion that makes you ready for fight or flight.
Anxiety is a life-destroying emotion that can cripple your initiative, prevent rejuvenating rest and worry you to death.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is not the same as Panic Disorder in which the feeling of fear becomes briefly intense and then subsides.
Nor is it the same as a phobia in which the focus of anxiety is a specific thing or situation.
Nor, again, is it the same as Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety which results from an identifiable stressor event and begins to resolve itself once the stressor is removed.
Some people tend to worry more than others.
This is not necessarily a disorder if it doesn't disrupt your life too much.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder definitely disrupts your life and probably those of the people around you.
If your excessive worrying is accompanied by other symptoms such as irritability, muscle tension, sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration or restlessness you could have GAD.
If you have felt these or similar symptoms for six months or more, much or all of the time, not just during panic attacks and not in response to a real and frightening situation then you, by definition, have GAD.
Living in a state of hypervigilance is unnerving, to say the least.
In short order you become depleted, even exhausted.
Your body gets worn out and your immune system is weakened.
Inner peace is nonexistent.
You need help! Now for the good news.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is very treatable.
Some combination of psychotherapy, stress management techniques and medication will most likely help you to calm down and get your life under control again.
Your family physician can help you decide whether you ought to seek the help of a mental health specialist.