Who hasn’t occasionally tossed and turned worrying about the what-ifs in life—job security, health concerns, money woes, or relationship issues? Angst is a natural response to life’s ups, downs, twists, and turns.
“A certain amount of worry and hyper-vigilance can be considered normal and healthy reactions to life circumstances or immediate threats,” explains Marni Goldberg, LMFT, LPCC, whose San Diego, California-based practice,
Mindful Matters Counseling, specializes in anxiety, sensitivity, and life transitions.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) characterizes GAD using the following criteria:
- Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least six months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance)
- Difficulty controlling the worry
- The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
- The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance
- The disturbance is not better explained by another medical disorder.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety
- Perpetual state of constant worry
- Inability to relax or enjoy quiet time
- Feeling tense all the time
- Muscle tightness or body aches
- Avoidance of stressful situations
- Inability to tolerate uncertainty