What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling or emotion defined by feelings of apprehension, fear, and worry. It’s often accompanied by physical symptoms such as increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, and difficulty breathing. Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion and can be helpful in motivating us to take action.

However, when anxiety becomes frequent and intense, it can become a debilitating disorder causing a person to withdraw from activities they once enjoyed. It can interfere with their daily life and lead to serious physical and mental health issues, such as depression and substance use disorders.

There are a variety of factors that can contribute to anxiety including genetics, environment, such as stress or trauma, and lifestyle such as diet, exercise and sleep. Because anxiety can be caused by a combination of the above it most likely needs a multifaceted approach to help manage it.

A few ways to approach managing anxiety are natural therapies, lifestyle changes, cognitive behavioral health, medications and more.