Anxiety: Depression's Cousin

O My Soul:

I have not written much about anxiety. I often experience anxiety more easily than depression. Take away the anxiety and then I can focus on the depression.

But what is anxiety?

Here is a quote from The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne:

You can can better understand the nature of anxiety by looking both at what it is and what it is not. For example, anxiety can be distinguished from fear in several ways. When you are afraid, your fear is usually directed toward some concrete external object or situation. The event that you fear is usually within the bounds of possibility. You might fear not meeting a deadline, failing an exam, be unable to pay your bills, or being rejected by someone you want to please. When you experience anxiety, on the other hand, you often cannot often specify what it is you are anxious about. The focus of anxiety is more internal than external. It seems to be a response to a vague, distant, or even unrecognized danger. You might be anxious about "losing control" of yourself or some situation. Or you might feel a vague anxiety about "something bad happening."

Anxiety affects your whole being. It is physiological, behavioral, and psychological reaction all at once. On a physiological level, anxiety may include bodily reactions such as rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, queasiness, dry mouth, or sweating. On a behavioral level, it can sabotage your ability to act, express yourself, or deal with everyday situations.

Psychologically, anxiety is a subjective state of apprehension and uneasiness. In its most extreme form, it can cause you to feel detached from yourself and even fearful of dying or going crazy.

Hope in Christ &
god bless you

-oms