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Anxiety: It’s Natural, But It Can be Debilitating

Along with depression, one of the most widespread forms of mental “unwellness” is anxiety.

There are two points in this thought: anxiety is among the most frequently experienced forms of mental stress, and it’s not always a mental illness in the traditional sense.

First, some anxiety is normal. It’s a human condition that helped keep us alive. We became anxious when there wasn’t as much food to eat in a place we’d been for weeks or months. So we moved to hunt and gather elsewhere because, if we didn’t, we’d run out of food. Before strategic thinking and long-range planning were well developed, anxiety was a great motivator.

Today we have a somewhat different situation, with the result that anxiety seems to be increasing. Some of this involves things we should be anxious about, like COVID or inflation. Some of this may be the result of our environment, including the air we breathe and food we eat. Too much processed sugar or caffeine and we can experience symptoms that include excessive anxiety. Not surprisingly, many are seeing anxiety cases increase, not just in the U.S. but globally.

We also live in a world where frequent, sustained exercise require thought and effort. Unlike our hunter-gatherer days, most of us lead sedentary lives. Exercise in many ways is the best, single anti-anxiety “medication” available. It can literally burn off stress. It helps us generate natural hormones that lower stress and anxiety. It takes a conscious effort and precious time, but it’s hard to beat.

There’s a lot more, however, and finding the right combination of processes, medication and counseling is not easy. To help you get started, here are five links to additional information that offer unique insight into anxiety and possible solutions:

• Mayo Clinic Coping with Anxiety

• Healthline Coping with Anxiety

• ADAA Anxiety Tips

• Johns Hopkins How to Help Someone with Anxiety

• NAMI Managing Anxiety