Introduction

Anxiety is a normal part of life. It is your minds way of sending a warning signal to your body of something dangerous and you need to respond. Anxiety focuses all of your energy and attention on the identified threat and can be helpful if it results in an appropriate response to the situation. However, sometimes our mind sends signals about issues or situations that aren’t actually dangerous. It is important to pay attention to whether or not your anxiety is functional for you or if it is overwhelming and exhausting.

Depending on the nature of your anxiety, you may experience a variety of symptoms including:

• Intense fear or discomfort
• Uncontrollable chronic and excessive worry
• Persistent, intrusive, or distressing thoughts
• Exaggerated startle reflex and hypervigilance
• Fatigue, restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, & sleep disturbance
• Sweating, trembling, chest pains, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, nausea
• Frequent avoidance of feared object or situation

Take this confidential self-assessment to learn more about your anxiety symptoms.

There are many strategies available to reduce and manage anxiety symptoms including: 

• Understanding how your mind processes information
• Understanding how you respond when experiencing anxiety
• Learning how to worry less
• Learning how to respond effectively to anxious thoughts
• Learning how to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety (panic symptoms, hyperventilation, racing heart, etc)
• Learning how to reduce muscle tension and feel more relaxed
• Learning how to sleep better

The key is to find out which strategies work best for you. Additionally, you can practice staying more present and mindful, which is helpful in decreasing stress and anxiety.