01
What it is
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, unease or dread about what might happen. Everyone feels it sometimes, and in small amounts it helps you prepare. It becomes a problem when it is frequent, intense, hard to control, and out of proportion to what is actually happening.
According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders are the most common mental-health conditions in the world. They are also very treatable.
02
What happens in your body
Anxiety uses the same alarm system as stress. The amygdala, a small almond-shaped part of the brain, scans constantly for danger. When it fires, it starts the adrenaline and cortisol response, even if the “danger” is only a thought.
Normally, the prefrontal cortex, the brain's planning centre just behind the forehead, checks the alarm and calms it when there is no real threat. In anxiety, the alarm fires more easily and the calming signal is weaker, so the body reacts to “what if” as if it were “what is”.
03
Why it happens
- Long-term stress, which keeps the alarm sensitive
- Genes and family history
- Difficult experiences, especially in childhood
- Poor sleep, which makes the amygdala more reactive the next day
- Caffeine, nicotine withdrawal and some medicines
- Some medical conditions, such as an overactive thyroid
04
How it affects you
- Mind: constant worry, a sense of dread, trouble switching off
- Body: racing heart, tight chest, shaky hands, upset stomach
- Sleep: lying awake replaying the day or rehearsing tomorrow
- Behaviour: avoiding places or situations that might trigger it
Stress vs anxiety
Stress
Anxiety
Cause
A response to a pressure you can name
Worry that continues without a clear trigger
How long
Usually eases when the pressure passes
Can last after the pressure has gone
How it feels
Felt as overwhelm, tension, irritability
Felt as dread, unease, “what if”
What helps
Helped by solving or reducing the pressure
Helped by calming the alarm itself
Sources: WHO 2023
Text version
Stress vs anxiety. Cause: stress is a response to a pressure you can name; anxiety is worry that continues without a clear trigger. How long: stress usually eases when the pressure passes; anxiety can last after it has gone. How it feels: stress feels like overwhelm, tension and irritability; anxiety feels like dread, unease and “what if”. What helps: for stress, solving or reducing the pressure; for anxiety, calming the alarm itself. Both share the same stress-hormone system.
Avoidance brings quick relief but teaches the brain that the situation really was dangerous, so the alarm fires sooner next time.
05
What you can change
- Name it: saying “this is anxiety, not danger” helps the thinking brain step back in.
- Slow your breath, with longer out-breaths than in-breaths.
- Move: regular exercise reduces anxiety symptoms in many studies.
- Limit caffeine, especially if you notice it raises your heart rate.
- Face small fears step by step instead of avoiding them.
- Keep regular sleep and wake times.
06
When to see a doctor
See a doctor or counsellor if anxiety lasts most days for several weeks, stops you doing things you need or want to do, or comes with panic attacks. Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) work well, and medicines can help when needed.
Tele-MANAS on 14416 offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day. In an emergency, call 112.
07
The Ayurvedic view
In Ayurveda, anxiety is mainly linked with aggravated Vata (the dosha of movement) affecting the mind, often alongside excess Rajas (agitation) and too little Sattva (clarity and calm).
The classical approach steadies the routine, favours warm, regular meals, and uses calming practices such as gentle yoga and breathing. Medhya herbs such as Brahmi (traditionally used for the mind) are part of the tradition. Their research is limited, and they should not replace proven treatment.