Is It Just Anxiety? Or Should I Be More Worried?

Is it just anxiety, or should I be more worried?

I'm sure we can all think of times when our anxiety has gotten the best of us. But when does anxiety stop being something everyone experiences and starts becoming a problem that needs professional help? Here are a few signs that you many need some extra help dealing with your anxiety.

• Are you using alcohol or drugs to calm yourself down? It might not be a problem to have a glass of wine every now and then, but turning to a harmful or potentially-harmful substance can create a dependency problem that will create a lot more stress than it relieves. The same goes for smoking and overeating.
• Does your anxiety get in the way of your normal daily activities? For instance, does it cause problems at work? I have had it where my anxiety caused me to make mistakes at work and alienate my co-workers. Does it keep you from doing the things you want to do? Do you find yourself excessively irritable, or otherwise having problems getting along with people that you didn't have before?
• Are you completely unable to control your anxiety?
• Is your anxiety disproportionate to the situation? For instance, do you immediately start worrying that your husband has gotten into a terrible car wreck every time he's late coming home from work? Are you worrying more about something that others would see as 'no big deal', or when you don't have a real reason to worry? Are you unable to 'shake' your concerns, even after they've been proven to be invalid?
• Have you basically tried everything you can think of to help get rid of your anxiety (yoga, exercise, etc), but nothing helps?
• Are your sleeping or eating patterns disrupted? Do you have problems with restlessness or concentration?
• Is your anxiety caused by any particular event, or has it been going for several months with no real discernible cause?

If you think you may have a problem with anxiety or anything else in your life, you owe it to yourself to at least have it looked into. It's perfectly normal to have anxiety or worry about difficult situations in your life. For instance, if you lose a job or have a death in the family, it's normal to spend some time grieving or worrying. In fact, I would say it is expected! However, if the worrying gets in the way of your daily life or starts causing problems in your relationships, it's time to talk to your doctor. Even if you haven't been diagnosed with a specific medical condition such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), depression or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, (OCD) you could still benefit from seeing a therapist. A therapist can teach you techniques to help you deal with things in your life in a more productive way. Sometimes medication helps, but only your doctor can tell you which course of treatment is best for you. Either way, it's worth the effort to get your life back.