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Anxiety

Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling similar to fear. The main difference is that we fear a specific threat while the cause of anxiety is not obvious. For example, seeing a snake may cause fear; feeling fearful when there is no snake present is anxiety. A form of anxiety related to a specific situation and which causes us to avoid that situation, is termed as phobia.

Many people experience mild anxiety, which can be helpful in stressful situations due to increased alertness.

Severe anxiety, however, can be counterproductive, causing physical symptoms which include fast heartbeat, nausea, difficulty breathing and muscle tension.

If anxiety is severe, lasts over a long period of time or is phobic, treatment may be necessary. Treatments include relaxation techniques, sometimes with short courses of medication. Phobias respond to more specific forms of treatment.