Do You Worry Too Much?

When worry crosses into an anxiety disorder

Some people are just natural worriers. Worry is their default setting for life. Some people’s worry comes in the neon colors of hysteria. They’re called high-strung, tense, edgy. They’re called frantic, overwrought, nervous. Others appear to wear the duller tones of their worry as comfortable as another person might a favorite sweater. They’re called pessimists, worrywarts, moody. They’re called critical, sometimes thoughtful, but always negative. Still others hide their fear, pushing it so far into the background of their lives that it’s difficult to recognize. They’re called depressed, resigned, or apathetic.

So many people worry about so many things in so many ways. When is it just someone’spersonality? When is a fear justified? When is anxiety way out of proportion? Is it just you? Just how prevalent is worry? According to the National Institutes of Health, almost forty million American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder isn’t a temporary concern over a stressful situation, like meeting your future in-laws for the first time or making a presentation at work. Anxiety disorders show themselves by a couple of characteristics: they don’t go away, and, left untreated, they get progressively worse.  Continue reading.

Originally posted on Psychology Today.