We all have worries or feel nervous from time to time. But sometimes a high level of anxiety about future problems can itself become a problem.
Are you:
- anxious in many different situations
- usually anticipating the worst outcomes
- unable to stop worrying
- afraid of situations that you know pose little actual threat
- tense for no reason you can identify
- unusually irritable
- losing sleep
These are some of the symptoms of an anxiety problem.
Anxiety — the fear of possible future danger — is actually part of a healthy human survival mechanism. When it’s working well, anxiety helps us stay aware of potential hazards and makes us do something about them. But when anxiety becomes intense, or pervasive, it can overwhelm us and become a major problem all on its own.