Another day, another worry about how you’re going to get through. In truth, we all live with a certain level of stress and anxiety in life. In fact, it’s actually healthy. But when the line is crossed between being nervous and having worries consume every waking moment and interrupt your day-to-day life–well, that’s not something you have to live with.
So what is anxiety? What kind of symptoms comes with it? How do you know if you have anxiety or depression, and what different kinds of anxiety are there? If any of these questions have crossed your mind, we’ve got you covered.
What are typical anxiety symptoms?
Different types of anxiety
No matter where you are on your journey in life, there different types of anxiety that manifest in different ways.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
This type of anxiety disorder is anxiety that stays with you long-term (six months or more). You might notice your focus is off, or that you find it hard to concentrate because you’re preoccupied with irrational, uncontrollable worry. It isn’t necessarily triggered by any specific event in your life, but it does disrupt your day-to-day functioning.
Prenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum anxiety
These three types of anxiety are triggered by all things pregnancy-related. Whether you’re having anxiety about your pregnancy and baby’s development or your worries about whether or not you’re cut out to do this whole parenting thing, anxiety can happen, and you aren’t alone in the experience. Likewise, postpartum anxiety can plague you well after you’ve had your bouncing bundle of joy. If you find yourself in a panicked worry about things having to do with your little one, let your doctor know.
Separation anxiety
This type of anxiety is most common among children and adolescents. While it’s normal for kids to be apprehensive about new experiences they have away from their parents (like a sleepover or outing with a friend). But when they begin experiencing extreme worriedness and distress over just thinking about being apart from you, it’s something worth mentioning to their pediatrician.
