Don.t.Let.Your.Anxiety.Run.Your.Life

32 Don’t Let A nxiety Run Your Life

reception; and you feel a constant dread. On the day of the

wedding , right before the reception, you feel as if you might

panic and notice you have hives on your face and upper

body. Fear or Anxiety?

While preparing dinner after a long day of work, you notice

a mouse scurry by your feet in the kitchen. A fter a split

second, you realize you have jumped up on the kitchen

counter and are screaming rather loudly. A lthough you no

longer see the mouse, you remain on the counter until you

can call for help from a neighbor, friend, or family member.

Fear or Anxiety?

For as long as you can remember, you have been a chronic

worrier. On any given day, you find it hard to concentrate

on your work, you feel restless or full of nervous energy, and

you find it increasingly difficult to fall asleep at night. Your

symptoms seem to be highly associated with your worries,

which are excessively focused on your health, your family’s

health, your finances, and even the state of the world. Fear

or Anxiety?

A nswers: 1. Fear; 2. A nxiety; 3. Fear; 4. A nxiety

The Components of A nx iety

Anxiety generally falls into one of two categories.
Tra n s i t o r y anxiety is characterized by moments of tempo-
rary anxiety, such as in response to an impending event or
something in your environment. Imagine an Olympic
athlete who, moments before his or her name is called or
even days before the games begin, experiences intense
anxiety due to the enormous pressure of the event.