Everyone suffers from anxiety sometimes. It may be the first day at work, an important presentation or doctor’s visit that gets your blood pressure rising and your heart racing. It’s uncomfortable but the hormones that it produces may help you to perform better.
For some people, though, anxiety is an everyday lived experience. Anxiety disorders are as serious as physical disorders and can have a major negative impact on your health. The constant worry suffered by people with an anxiety disorder can interfere with their daily lives.
According to statistics, up to 18% of people in the US suffer from an anxiety disorder, including 8% of teens and children. Teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 are particularly prone to anxiety. As many as 31.9% of them may suffer from the disorder. This can affect their academic performance and socialization. They may be tempted to indulge in substance abuse, which is hardly surprising judging from the effects of the malaise.
This infographic should help you to identify the effects of anxiety on those around you. You don’t have to live with a disorder, it is treatable and there is also plenty of self-help advice out there.
Anxiety typically results from stress, so take time out, exercise regularly, and try meditation. Relax and live life to its fullest.