Chronic anxiety can make every day a struggle. Talk therapy and medication, if needed, can ease distress and bring a better day.

If you’re having difficulties at work or struggling with a family problem, it’s normal to feel anxious or concerned about the outcome. In most cases, you’ll meet the challenge at hand and move on.

But if you have an anxiety disorder, as do 18 million Americans, anxiety is a constant companion—even when your life is going smoothly.

“People with anxiety disorders, especially generalized anxiety disorder, are always tense and worried about what can go wrong,” says Lee Monday, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Hackettstown, N.J., and a spokesman for the American Psychological Association. “While their worries can range from feeling uneasy to all-out terror, they never really relax or let their guard down.”

When their anxiety is mild, people with chronic anxiety can function at work and at home. However, during periods of high anxiety, they can become incapacitated.

Learning about the signs, symptoms, and treatments for anxiety can help you seek help for yourself or a loved one.

Q: What are the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?
A: People who suffer from GAD experience daily exaggerated worry, tension, and fear about the circumstances of their lives, family members, finances, health, and other concerns.

Physical signs that result from this constant turmoil can include insomnia, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, sweating, and irritability.

The disorder is diagnosed when a person worries excessively for at least six months.

“Anxiety disorders are ‘biologically based,’ meaning people have a genetic predisposition for them, and when enough stress is added, the condition can kick in,” says Monday. “They can appear at any age but are more likely to begin during childhood or adolescence.”

Q: What’s the difference between being anxious and having an anxiety disorder?
A: Normal anxiety is tied to a specific event, such as a project deadline.

The anxiety felt by a person with GAD is often described as being “free-floating,” meaning it’s not tied to anything specific and is constant.

Q: How is anxiety treated?
A: Effective treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy and medications, such as antianxiety drugs, antidepressants, or beta-blockers, if needed.

“Cognitive behavioral therapy is an extremely useful treatment for anxiety because it helps you learn to deal with life as it happens, instead of worrying about disasters that might occur in the future,” Monday explains.

This type of therapy helps people identify, understand, and modify the thinking and behavior patterns feeding their anxiety.

“The essential antidote for anxiety is to ground yourself in the present and resist getting bogged down in ‘what-ifs’ concerning future events and circumstances,” Monday stresses.

Many people also find learning and practicing deep breathing, meditation, visualization, yoga, and other relaxation techniques can support their treatment and recovery.

Q: When should I seek treatment?
A: If chronic anxiety is affecting your work, relationships, and enjoyment of life, it’s time to get help.

“Certainly anyone who’s struggling with anxiety should see a mental health professional,” says Monday. “And you don’t have to be clinically diagnosed with GAD to benefit from the techniques and psychotherapies that have been proven to work.”

Barbara Floria spoke with Lee Monday, Ph.D., a psychologist in private practice in Hackettstown, N.J., and a spokesman for the American Psychological Association. For more information, visit www.apahelpcenter.org.

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