Everybody knows what it’s like to feel anxious – the butterflies in your stomach before a big event, the tension you feel when your boss is angry, the way your heart pounds if believe you are in danger. Anxiety boosts you into action. It gears you up to face a threatening situation. It makes you work harder on that project, and keeps you on your toes when you’re making a public speech. In general, it helps you to cope with life in a healthy way. But with the tension and fear that pervades modern society (war, terrorism, poor economy, etc), more and more people are experience acute anxiety that that has become more than they can handle alone.

If you have an anxiety disorder, this normally helpful emotion can do just the opposite – it can keep you from coping and can disrupt your daily life. Anxiety disorders aren’t just a case of “nerves” that you can simply overcome by sheer willpower. They are illnesses, often related to the biological makeup and life experiences of the individual, and they frequently run in families.

An anxiety disorder may make you feel anxious most of the time without any apparent reason. Or the anxious feelings may be so uncomfortable at times that to avoid them you stop doing some everyday activities. You may have occasional bouts of anxiety so intense they terrify and immobilize you, possibly causing symptoms of a panic attack (pounding heart, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness or nausea, shakiness, a feeling of being out of control or going crazy, etc).

There are several different types of anxiety disorders and symptoms. The good news is that anxiety disorders are very treatable through therapy with possible medication and other medical support. Don’t feel like you have to keep this secret and try to “fix” it all by yourself. Call Far West for an appointment today – we can help you take back control over your own life.