By Claralynn Schnell of Contemporary VA

Do you struggle with social anxiety? Work anxiety? Anxiety of all sorts? Do you find it difficult to control anxiety you may be feeling?  Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation. In moderation, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help you stay alert and focused, spur you to action, and motivate you to solve problems. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities, it stops being functional—that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal, productive anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders.

So how can you tell when you have crossed from a normal level of anxiety to a disorder? Take this quiz to find out your anxiety level! Anxiety is not only treatable but very manageable with the right team in place. There are different types of anxiety, from general anxiety to OCD and Post traumatic stress disorder.  Each body and mind will react to situations in a different way, it is essentially the minds way of coping with problems or concerns in a way that feels safe and secure.  However, at times, anxiety can hold you back from a life that you want to live and deserve to live.

Some self-help tips include daily meditation, learning triggers and avoiding those, and writing. These techniques can help to reduce unwanted anxiety and allow for a relaxing time where you can step back and understand what is going on in the situation and possibly avoid the problem in the next situation.  Although anyone with a serious anxiety issue should seek help from a trained professional.  If you are suffering, or know someone who is, contact Paul and he will help you.