Signs & Symptoms: Do I Have Anxiety or An Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety: A Natural Response That Can Sometimes Feel Overwhelming

Anxiety is your body’s natural alarm system, designed to alert you to potential danger or help you prepare for important events. It’s normal to feel occasional worry or fear, especially during stressful situations. This typical anxiety comes and goes without heavily impacting daily life.

However, excessive anxiety or an anxiety disorder can make everyday tasks feel overwhelming. It may cause persistent fear, irritability, unwanted thoughts, or interfere with sleep and daily activities. Too much anxiety can leave you feeling drained, frustrated, or even afraid to engage in normal routines like going to work, school, or socializing.

Even small tasks—like doing dishes or homework—can feel daunting. But it’s important to know that anxiety is common and treatable. You’re not alone, and there’s no shame in seeking support or help.

Is it normal anxiety or GAD?

*The examples of typical anxiety above are short-term and do not impact our functioning

Normal anxiety crosses into significant or potentially levels of anxiety when we need help, when the anxiety is:

• Higher than the situation calls for.
• Excessive, overwhelming, or seemingly uncontrollable.
• Persists despite reassurances that everything is ok.
• Interferes with daily activities or negatively impacts quality of life.

People with GAD worry a disproportionate amount about realistic concerns.

Relationships, health, money, deadlines, world affairs—you name it. We all have plenty to worry about. But people who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD (aka the “worry” disorder), experience excessive and unrelenting worry that goes on almost every day. People with GAD don’t know how to stop the worry cycle, which they feel is beyond their control, and it interferes with daily living. They often jump to the worst-case scenario, anticipate the potential bad things that can happen, and spend a lot of time worrying about or ruminating on the future. They feel a need to plan for all possible outcomes and have difficulty turning off the worry or letting it go.

Signs and symptoms

GAD is diagnosed if you have worried excessively about a variety of topics or everyday problems or future events more days than not for at least six months. In addition to worry, you must experience three or more of these symptoms that cause clinically significant distress:

• Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge.
• Being easily fatigued.
• Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank.
• Irritability.
• Muscle tension.
• Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless, unsatisfying sleep).

If you're experiencing anxiety or think you might have an anxiety disorder, check in with yourself using the self-assessment, and do not hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional if you need support.