What is Anxiety?

In counseling people with anxiety, clinicians look at two types of symptoms, physical and emotional. Physical symptoms include feelings usually associated with nervousness, such as digestive upsets and dizziness. In addition to these symptoms, an anxious person may experience an unpleasant and vague feeling of dread or of being overwhelmed. This combination of reactions serves as a warning if there's a possible threat. If you notice a suspicious person following you on Sixth Street, these feelings are protective and healthy. Yet if the same symptoms occur over a period of time when everything is going well, you may suffer from an anxiety disorder.

 

Common treatments for anxiety disorders include learning to recognize and challenge negative thinking, and training in relaxation techniques. Most anxiety counseling also includes helping clients achieve balance in their lives to relieve stress.

The most common anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, is the form of anxiety that most people associate with the word anxiety. Articles concerning generalized anxiety are sometimes listed under the heading GAD. To diagnose generalized anxiety, counseling professionals assess clients for emotional symptoms such as excessive worrying, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, "going blank," and irritability, and physical symptoms such as fatigue, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, urinary frequency, nausea, trembling, and digestive problems. About 75 percent of people diagnosed with generalized anxiety suffer from another mental health disorder, often depression, and twice as many women as men receive a diagnosis of anxiety.