Anxiety: An Overview - Part I of a Series on Anxiety

There are more people suffering from anxiety and anxiety-related problems than ever before. The current political and economic climates have contributed to an increase in the level of stress felt across the general population. The result of this has been a universal intensification of our anxiety levels that has manifested itself in an upsurge in the prevalence of anxiety disorders, ranging in severity from obsessive-compulsive disorders and panic attacks to generalized anxiety and adjustment disorders.
But what is anxiety and how does it become a problem? Anxiety is experienced by everyone at different levels of intensity and for varying amounts of time. It is a condition that affects both the mind and body and is characterized by increased feelings of apprehension, worry, fear, and uneasiness.
Anxiety in its more adaptive form is a normal reaction to stress and can occur in response to feelings of being overwhelmed or helpless. This response developed as an evolutionary means of survival and is the basis for the flight or fight response to dangerous situations. When we sense danger, a cascade of chemicals is released into our systems that increases our sense of awareness of our surroundings and puts us on edge, in preparation for dealing with a threatening situation. In this way, anxiety can be helpful, alerting us to a threat or motivating us to action, helping us to solve problems or meet important deadlines.
This anxious response can become troublesome when it develops into a habitual way of dealing with problems. This type of maladaptive anxiety often grows out of a tendency to feel that things are unsafe when they aren’t in our control. If something happens that leaves us feeling powerless or if we are worried about something in the future that we have no control over, our anxious response takes over, releasing the chemicals that increase our state of anxiety. But in many cases, there is no way to actively respond to our worries and we are stuck with our anxious feelings and with no apparent way to discharge them.
For example, if you have a trip planned and are worried about going through airport security, your anxious response has been activated and might not abate until after you have successfully arrived at your destination. Oftentimes we can’t let go of our feelings of apprehension and tension until the actual event we are worrying about takes place. This leaves us feeling physically and emotionally burdened with the effects of anxiety and with no hope of changing a situation that seems to be out of our control.
But we can learn to successfully manage our anxiety. If we can understand the unrealistic expectations and irrational beliefs that lie beneath our feelings of worry, we can learn to empower ourselves and change the way we approach situations that leave us feeling helpless or overwhelmed.
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