Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. We get butterflies in the stomach, tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, start shaking and may even pass out. If we are afraid for a long time, we get stiff shoulders, pain, sleep problems or other ailments.

Fear and anxiety are important signals that we should listen to. There are signals that there is something outside or inside us that we need to deal with.

If the anxiety lingers for a long time, we are drained of energy. It can exceed our ability to concentrate and weaken us physically. It can lead to depression or burnout.

Sometimes anxiety/fear is due to a concrete danger: For those who live with a violent spouse or in a work situation where you never succeed in satisfying other people's demands, the solution may be divorce or a new job.

For some types of anxiety, for example fear of spiders, lifts and the like, there are good treatment programmes. Many people can get far by helping themselves, preferably with support from self-help literature or self-help groups. To overcome anxiety, we must challenge ourselves.

Anxiety can develop insidiously without us knowing why it occurs or what we are afraid of. Such anxiety is often linked to doubts about our own self-image and can lead to us limiting ourselves: We stop travelling, taking on new challenges, visiting friends, being called off sick from work and resisting when the family wants to involve us. Self-help groups can be of great help, but if the anxiety has been allowed to develop too far, it is important to seek professional help.

Taken from the booklet “ Simple Advice ” by the Directorate of Health.