Anxiety: what do you worry about?

• Everything that’s going on in the world:
  • Major disasters in the news every day?
  • Crazy weather?
  • World Economics?
• Your job?
• Your kids?
• Your parents?
• Health insurance?
• The health and welfare of your loved ones?
• Paying the rent?
• Driving in heavy traffic?

There’s certainly enough going on in the wider world today to create anxiety for many of us. Add to that our own daily struggles, and it’s not surprising that anxiety disorders are on the rise. But there are many things we can do to let go of or manage our anxiety. For some of us it’s dealing with the stresses of our daily lives. For others it’s finding a balance between knowing what’s going on in the outside world but not being overwhelmed by it or why we became anxious in the first place.

There are many different types of anxiety including:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder–anxiety about most things
• Panic Attacks or Disorder
• Acute Distress Disorder
• PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• Specific Phobias
• Social Phobia
• OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

Each of us has our own list of worries which affects us in an individual way and sometimes it’s difficult to know if we are actually suffering from an anxiety disorder. But if your anxiety (or that of a loved one) is interfering with your daily activities, then it’s time to do something about it. There are many things we can do to reduce and manage anxiety. Sometimes we need a little help to learn new coping skills and decide what works best for us. It can really help to talk to a neutral person like a therapist to see what it is you might need.