Anxiety is a feeling of dread, apprehension, or fear. It is accompanied by physiological arousal, manifested as increased heart rate, perspiration, muscle tension, and rapid breathing. Anxiety also affects cognition, throwing the individual into a state of confusion and making it difficult to think clearly or to solve problems.

As we noted above, virtually everyone experiences anxiety at one time or another. Without mild anxiety, bills would not get paid on time, term papers would not get written, drivers would not slow down on foggy mornings, and people would not get medical checkups. In addition, most people have difficulty in coping with some area of their lives. One person may worry about getting cancer at the first symptoms of a sore throat; another may be afraid to make decisions; a third may become tongue-tied in social situations; a fourth may have difficulty spending money. For most of us, such hang-ups do not severely limit activities or interfere with daily life. If we wish, we can adjust our routine to avoid situation that we find difficult. We can turn down a high-pressure job that would make us anxious or take the bus is flying makes us nervous.
While some inconvenience is involved in these evasions, life is still liveable.
For some people, however, one situation-or many-becomes a major source of anxiety, taking up more and more time and attention. Anxiety becomes so severe or so persistent that it interferes with everyday functioning-family life, social activities and work or school. This condition is classified as an anxiety disorder.