Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The experience of excessive anxiety can mean worrying about a variety of different concerns, such as events or activities like work or school performance often and simultaneously. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by experiencing this type of worry or apprehension for most days than not for at least 6 months. Although most people experience anxiety at some point in their lives, people who have GAD tend to be at a constant state of alertness and often hypervigilance. GAD is often characterized by concerns regarding a variety of things rather than a single topic or incident.

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Individuals with GAD often experience symptoms such as excessive thoughts about what could go wrong or avoiding certain tasks or events that could bring unwanted consequences. Anxiety can also manifest as physical symptoms and can include numbness or tingling, feeling hot, feeling unable to relax, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and experiencing a racing heart. People with GAD have a difficulty with managing their worries and how their body feels because of them.

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Some of the most common symptoms of GAD include:

- Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge

-Being easily fatigued

-Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank

-Irritability

-Muscle tension

-Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless, unsatisfying

sleep)

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Should you recognize some of these traits within yourself, know that you are not alone and solutions are available. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the first line of treatment for GAD that focuses on reevaluating unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors that can contribute to anxiety.