Why Anxiety
Anxiety is "mostly" a good thing (!) - although it's difficult to accept this fact when one is in the throes of fear, fatigue, socially isolating, or a panic attack. And, let's be clear, that anxiety is not "a good thing."
Yet, think of anxiety is your "built-in" warning system...it's telling you to pay attention to something that is happening or might happen.
The volume, or intensity, of the warning (i.e., the anxious feelings you're having) varies - think of the range of notification you can experience to "get your attention"...from your phone in silent mode vibrating to its "ringing," and more, to an annoying buzzer to a clanging alarm to a screeching siren...! And this is usually "a good thing" - being warned of a threatening event or situation can help us 1) to prepare for and better manage, or 2) avoid or mitigate harmful, painful, and debilitating consequences.
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But then this built-in warning system (part of our Elephant brain) - and the anxiety it uses to communicate some potential threat - can also malfunction...as in the alarm can't be turned off (or down) and keeps ringing, or buzzing, or clanging, or blaring - which is manifest as fear, paranoia, sleeplessness, obsessive worrying, rumination, and/or panic attack...
...and this we can call dysfunctional anxiety, and it's what you may be struggling with. This is the stuff of DSM diagnoses like Adjustment Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, OCD, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, and more...
