Highlights
- Everyone feels anxious sometimes, especially when they’re facing stress or danger. But generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is different from everyday anxiety because it’s more excessive and longer-lasting.
- “Normal” anxiety usually passes after the stressful situation is over. GAD can last for months or years, even when there isn’t one clear trigger.
- A combination of therapy, medication, and coping strategies can help you manage the symptoms of GAD, but getting the right diagnosis is the essential first step.
We all feel anxious from time to time. You might be preparing for a first date, or facing heavy pressure at work. It’s normal, and human, to feel some level of anxiety when we’re faced with stressful or scary situations. But for some people, this feeling becomes so overwhelming and long-lasting that it develops into a mental health condition called generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD.
Generalized anxiety disorder is different from everyday anxiety because it lasts longer and feels harder to control. It’s important to understand the differences between “normal” anxiety and GAD because an anxiety disorder requires treatment.
Here, we’ll talk about how to tell the difference between everyday anxiety vs. an anxiety disorder, and when it may be time to seek support.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural human emotion that we all face from time to time. It’s how we feel when we’re presented with something that makes us feel unsafe, or suppose something bad is about to happen.
The
Different things make different people feel anxious. But common triggers include:
- Work or school pressure
- Relationship conflict
- Financial stress
- Health concerns
- Major life changes
- Social situations or comparison
- Safety concerns
- Triggering events in the news
Just like other emotions, anxiety isn’t “good” or “bad.” It can be uncomfortable to experience, but it serves a purpose.
Anxiety comes up when your nervous system is in a stress response — also known as “fight or flight.” When you feel stressed or anxious, your body undergoes changes that help you prepare to tackle whatever threat (real or perceived) is in front of you.
Your breathing gets quicker to get more oxygen into your bloodstream. Your senses get sharper. Your heart starts beating faster and harder to pump more blood out to important muscle groups.
You might also experience emotional effects of anxiety. You may find yourself having racing thoughts about whatever you’re worried about. You might have a harder time sleeping at night or relaxing.
“Normal” anxiety usually goes away after the trigger has passed. For example, you might have been anxious about an upcoming presentation at work. But once you’ve successfully presented, your nervous system returns to baseline.
What Is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
Some people experience anxiety to the point where it becomes dysfunctional. When anxiety doesn’t go away or starts to get in the way of your daily life, you may be diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Generalized anxiety disorder is a clinical mental health condition that’s formally recognized in the medical community. It’s listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Anxiety disorders as a whole are the
GAD is characterized by persistent, excessive, and uncontrollable worry about various aspects of life. It’s more than just “normal” anxiety that you might feel about a specific event or trigger. It has a much wider range, and lasts for a much longer time — months or even years.
Living with an anxiety disorder like GAD can severely disrupt your daily functioning. It can affect your relationships. It can make it difficult or even impossible to study or be productive at work. You can’t stop worrying, even when you may know, logically, that you’re not in danger.
Anxiety is a natural human emotion, but GAD isn’t a “normal” part of life. You don’t need to keep feeling this way, and treatment can help.
Key Differences Between Anxiety and GAD
The most important difference between anxiety and GAD is that anxiety is an emotion, while GAD is a mental health condition that’s diagnosed when that emotion becomes too intense or disruptive.
Here are some of the other, more specific differences between anxiety and GAD.
Everyday anxiety | Generalized anxiety disorder | |
Triggers | Usually connected to a specific situation | Targets many different areas of life, not one clear trigger; caused by a combination of different risk factors |
Duration | Usually short-term and improves after the stressful situation passes | Lasts for months or years |
Proportionality | Usually matches the situation you’re facing | Feels excessive compared to the actual level of danger or stress |
Impact on daily life | May feel uncomfortable, but doesn’t usually stop you from functioning | Can disrupt daily routines and make it harder to function at work or in relationships |
Ability to control worry | You can usually calm yourself down or distract yourself with time | Worry feels very difficult to control; it affects you at all times of the day |
Symptoms of GAD
The symptoms of GAD are
- Restlessness or feeling on edge
- Being very tired or fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating; experiencing brain fog or a “blank mind”
- Irritability
- Muscle tension or pain
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
To be diagnosed with GAD, you must have experienced at least 3 of the above symptoms almost every day (or more days than not) for the past 6 months.
In addition, GAD can lead to other symptoms that affect you emotionally, behaviorally, and physically. Here’s what providers look out for:
Emotional Signs
- Feeling constantly worried or afraid
- Feeling like something bad is about to happen
- Having racing thoughts
- Feeling unable to relax
- Feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty
- Feeling irritable or on edge
Physical Signs
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Stomachaches or digestive issues
- Fatigue
- Sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Fast heartbeat
- Trouble sleeping
Behavioral Signs
- Avoiding situations that make you anxious
- Asking for frequent reassurance
- Using drugs or alcohol to cope
- Overplanning or preparing excessively
- Procrastinating because anxiety feels overwhelming
- Having a hard time making decisions
When to Seek Help
Since everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives, it can be tricky to know when it’s “normal” and when it’s time to seek professional support.
Remember that you don’t need to (and shouldn’t) wait for anxiety to become a crisis before getting help. If your anxiety feels unmanageable, or if it’s getting in the way of the life you want to live, then you deserve support.
Some signs that you may benefit from anxiety treatment include:
- You feel anxious most days
- Your worry feels hard to control
- Anxiety is affecting your sleep
- You avoid important tasks or situations because of anxiety
- You have physical symptoms, like tension, stomach pain, or a racing heart
- You feel anxious even when things are going well
- Other people have noticed that you seem worried or on edge
- Anxiety is affecting your work, school, or relationships
Self-assessments may help you start getting some answers about whether your experiences are within the “normal” range of anxiety, or if you’re experiencing an anxiety disorder. But only a licensed mental health professional can diagnose you. It’s important not to make assumptions about what you’re going through based on what you read online.
Coping Strategies and Treatment Options
If you’re just feeling anxious because of something going on in your life, then you may be able to use coping strategies to manage. These techniques can also help you manage life with an anxiety disorder, but they can’t replace professional treatment.
- Use breathing techniques, like taking slow, steady breaths (this physically relaxes your body’s stress response)
- Limit caffeine if it makes your anxiety worse
- Get regular physical exercise
- Journaling; write down worries so they feel less jumbled in your mind
- Prioritize getting enough sleep as consistently as possible
- Talk to someone you trust or join a support group
- Practice mindfulness or grounding exercises
If you are living with generalized anxiety disorder, then you need and deserve treatment. GAD doesn’t typically go away on its own, and it may even get worse if left untreated. A healthcare provider can help you understand what’s going on and walk you through your treatment options.
The most effective treatment approaches for generalized anxiety disorder are therapy, medication, or a combination of both.
- Therapy (Psychotherapy) helps you understand the patterns behind your worry and learn new ways to respond to anxious thoughts. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the
most common approaches for GAD[5] . It can help you challenge anxious thinking and practice coping skills in real life. - Medication can help target the regions and chemistry of your brain that are affected by GAD. Antidepressants, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are typically the first choice to treat anxiety disorders. Some people may also benefit from anti-anxiety medications like buspirone, beta-blockers, and benzodiazepines to reduce the immediate effects of intense anxiety. Ask your provider for more information, because some of these medications can come with side effects and carry a risk for abuse.
Conclusion
Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but generalized anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that can affect your life in significant ways. The biggest difference is that GAD is persistent and disruptive. You may not be able to avoid ever feeling anxious, but you don’t need to live with unmanaged GAD forever.
You don’t need to wait until anxiety becomes unbearable to get help. If your worry has lasted for months, feels hard to manage, or keeps you from living the way you want to, treatment can help you feel better.
Schedule an appointment today to connect with a licensed provider on MEDvidi and learn more about available treatment options for anxiety.
FAQs
How is an anxiety disorder different from everyday anxiety?
Everyday anxiety usually happens in response to a specific stressor and improves once the situation passes. An anxiety disorder lasts longer and interferes with daily life.
How does generalized anxiety disorder differ from other anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder involves ongoing worry about many areas of life, rather than fear tied to one specific situation. Other anxiety disorders may focus more on panic attacks, social situations, specific phobias, or memories of a traumatic event.
Do I have an anxiety disorder or am I just anxious?
If your anxiety is persistent (has lasted over 6 months) and is affecting your sleep, relationships, work, or daily functioning, it may be more than everyday anxiety. A mental health provider can help you understand what you’re experiencing and make sure you get the right diagnosis.
At what point does anxiety turn into an anxiety disorder?
Anxiety may be considered a disorder when it becomes excessive and causes significant distress or problems in your life. For GAD, symptoms usually need to be present more days than not for at least 6 months.
