Anxiety is often defined as the extreme fear or dread of something bad happening. This could be the result of a past trauma or it could be the result of being born with a phobia.

Further Explanation

Anxiety affects a person both physiologically (physically) and psychologically (emotionally and mentally). This unpleasant feeling often is described as apprehension, fear, or worry as well as traumatic dreams and nightmares.

It also may be accompanied by heart palpitations, sweaty palms, nausea, fatigue, chest pain, or shortness of breath. Headaches or stomach aches and/or flu and cold symptoms may also be another by-product of anxiety.

This condition often occurs as a result of a trigger, such as in the case of post-traumatic stress disorder. It also can happen independently of a “stimulus” or “cause.”

Of course, the cause of the anxiety may not be known. This is usually the case in the event someone is experiencing memories but they are repressed. In this case, a person has no idea why he or she is acting a particular way.

Types of Anxious Conditions

There are numerous different types of anxious conditions and/or anxiety disorders. You may have heard of some of them. One of the most common is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which often is induced by triggers and reminders of past trauma.

Another very common disorder is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This may or may not be related to any stimulus that triggers physical or psychological fear symptoms. It basically is the “fear of everything” and often excessive worry and obsession is common in people suffering from this condition.

A more severe condition than the generalized anxiety disorder is the panic disorder. This often is characterized by an attack that is similar in effect as a heart attack. A person might even experience chest pain and trouble breathing and/or heart palpitations as if they are having a heart attack.

The major difference between a panic attack and a heart attack of course is that the panic attack is psychological. The person who experiences a panic attack has vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate that measure at “normal.”

Yet, they fear dying of a heart attack because that is pretty much what it feels like. Other types of anxiety disorders and anxious conditions have nothing to do with the physical though.

Other people may experience performance anxiety, which manifests itself in many forms. For instance, maybe they get “stage fright” while attempting to act out a part in a play, giving a speech, or singing a song.

In this case they often will tense up and forget what they are supposed to do-lines or lyrics or thoughts to express. The feelings of hopelessness or helplessness than arise as they begin to feel no good.

There are other types of anxious conditions that are very closely related to neuroticism, and this is known as “trait anxiety.” Often this may occur when a person greatly fears making a bad decision which sometimes can backfire.

In other words, a person who is extremely neurotic or terribly anxious might make a worse decision than they would normally had they not been so anxious. This can be tied to fear of failure, fear of disappointing a loved one, and/or (ironically) fear of encountering danger.