Anxiety

From Conservapedia

Anxiety is a human condition that affects many people. It affects how we feel, how we behave and has very real physical symptoms. It feels a bit like fear but whereas we know what we are frightened of, we often don't know what we are anxious about. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating. Anxiety is small word which can describe a large set of emotions.

Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety is often triggered by stress in our lives. Some of us are more vulnerable to anxiety than others, but even those who become anxious easily can learn to manage it well. We can also make ourselves anxious with negative self-talk - a habit of always telling ourselves the worst will happen.

How to Recognize Anxiety

As well as feeling apprehensive and worried (possibly without knowing why), you may experience some of the following physical symptoms:

• Tense muscles
• Trembling
• Churning stomach
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Backaches
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness or "pins and needles" in arms, hands or legs
• Sweating/flushing

It is easy to mistake symptoms of anxiety for physical illness and become worried that you might be suffering a heart attack or stroke. This of course increases anxiety. We all become anxious from time to time. It becomes a problem when it interferes with life in the absence of real threat, or goes on too long after the danger has past. Avoiding situations that make you anxious might help you feel better in the short term. The trouble is the anxiety keeps returning, and has a habit of spreading to other situations. This can lead to you avoiding things like shops, crowded places, lectures or tutorials. So although avoidance makes you feel better, that relief is only temporary and you may worry about what will happen next time. Every time you avoid something it is harder next time you try to face it. Gradually you will want to avoid more and more things.^{[Citation Needed]}