Experiencing stress and anxiety is a very NORMAL part of life. Oddly enough, both can actually be beneficial in many different situations. Stress occurs from an external source/event while anxiety is an internal experience. The emotion of anxiety, and the stress response (fight/flight/freeze) evolved to keep us safe and adapt to changes in our environment. If we didn’t have access to our stress response, we wouldn’t know to run away from a bear charging us in the woods or move to shelter during a tornado. A certain amount of stress and anxiety can help us anticipate what will happen next, become more attuned to our surroundings, and stay organized. Anxiety can also help us determine what isn’t working in our lives by pushing us to examine the root cause of our challenges and make necessary changes. It’s when this internal experience becomes a chronic experience that we start to run into trouble.

Up to 20% of adults are affected by an anxiety disorder each year. Anxiety disorders are known to be caused by long periods of increased stress, chronic health conditions, childhood adversity, genetics, past trauma (emotional abuse/physical abuse), major life transitions, ignored emotions, chaotic environments, and substance abuse. Anxiety disorders cause significant distress and impairment in social and occupational areas, and also, increase the likelihood of depression, insomnia, drug and alcohol use, GI problems, social isolation, issues functioning at school/work, impaired quality of life, and suicidal thoughts.