Anxiety

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal human emotion characterized by feelings of unease, worry, and fear. At moderate levels, anxiety can be healthy and help us respond to stressful situations. However, for many people, anxiety becomes excessive, persistent, and disruptive to daily life. This is when it is considered an anxiety disorder.

Some key things to understand about anxiety disorders:

• They are the most common mental health condition in the US, affecting over 19% of adults each year. So if you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone.


• They develop from a complex mix of biological, environmental, and genetic factors. Anxiety is rooted in brain circuits and neurochemistry.


• They come in different forms like generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, phobias, panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD. The common link is irrational fear and worry.


• The symptoms go beyond normal anxiety and last at least 6 months. They include restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension, sleep issues, irrational thoughts, and more.


• Anxiety disorders are highly treatable through therapy, medication, or often a combination of both.

If you are struggling with difficult anxiety, know that you don't have to face it alone. At Balance & Renew Clinic, our compassionate providers can help identify the roots of your anxiety and craft a personalized treatment plan to help you restore inner peace and balance in your life. With advanced testing and holistic therapies, we help many patients find relief from stubborn anxiety, panic, and worry. Reach out today to learn more and take the first step in feeling better.

Now let's go over some of the major types of anxiety disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves persistent and excessive worry about many areas of life like work, relationships, health, finances, and more...

Social Anxiety Disorder

Those with social anxiety have an intense fear of social situations and being negatively judged by others. This can severely impact their ability to make friends, date, interview for jobs, and more.

Phobias

A phobia is an intense fear reaction to a specific object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes panic in the person. Common phobias involve heights, flying, animals, needles, and more.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder causes people to have sudden and repeated panic attacks even when nothing threatens them. These dramatic episodes of fear, heart palpitations, dizziness and more can happen anytime.

OCD

OCD causes unwanted intrusive thoughts that trigger intense anxiety. To cope, those with OCD feel an urge to perform repetitive behaviors like counting, arranging items, or excessive cleaning.

PTSD

PTSD can happen after a traumatic event like combat, assault, or disaster. Symptoms involve flashbacks, nightmares, being easily startled, angry outbursts, and avoiding reminders of the event.

The good news is effective treatments are available for all anxiety disorders. Don't lose hope! With the right help and self-care strategies, your anxiety can be overcome, and you can get your life back. Wishing you the absolute best in your journey towards mental wellness.