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What Type of Meditation Is Best? | Psychology Today
Meditation is meant to be a daily, lifelong practice to improve your mind and body. As a primary-care internal medicine specialist for over ...
anxiety
I also reviewed a meta-analysis comparing all techniques on which trait <anchor>anxiety</anchor> had been previously studied. The subject populations included in the study were college, high school, adult, psychiatric or drug abuse patients, children, adult prisoners, juvenile offenders, and the elderly. Subjects with initially high and low levels of anxiety were also studied. The techniques studied were the Transcendental Meditation technique (Automatic Self-Transcending), a form of Focused Attention, a form of Open Monitoring, and various placebo techniques.
Anxiety | Psychology Today
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# What Is Anxiety?

[Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff](/us/docs/editorial-process)

Anxiety is both a mental and physical state of negative expectation. Mentally it is characterized by increased arousal and apprehension tortured into distressing worry, and physically by unpleasant activation of multiple body systems—all to facilitate response to an unknown danger, whether real or imagined.

The cognitive feelings of dread in anticipation of some bad outcome, and physical sensations such as jitteriness and a racing heart are designed for discomfort. Anxiety is meant to capture [attention](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/attention "Psychology Today looks at attention") and stimulate you to make necessary changes to protect what you care about. Occasional bouts of anxiety are natural and can even be productive. Anxiety can be considered the price we humans pay for having the ability to imagine the future.

**_When anxiety becomes a disorder_**

But persistent, pervasive, or outsize anxiety can disrupt daily life, whether at school, work, or with friends—the mark of an anxiety disorder. Nearly [one-third](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml) of adults in the U.S. will grapple with out-of-control anxiety at some point in their life.

Anxiety is often accompanied by [depression](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/depression "Psychology Today looks at depression"), and the two share many symptoms and involve many of the same brain pathways. Biology can contribute to vulnerability to anxiety, as can [childhood](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/child-development "Psychology Today looks at childhood") experiences such as early [trauma](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/trauma "Psychology Today looks at trauma") and [parenting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/parenting "Psychology Today looks at parenting") practices such as overprotection.

It is neither possible nor desirable to eliminate anxiety entirely, as it plays a crucial role in keeping us alert and alive. Treatment is geared to keeping anxiety at manageable levels. Anxiety can be treated successfully using [therapy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/therapy "Psychology Today looks at therapy"), [medication](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/psychopharmacology "Psychology Today looks at medication"), or both. Lifestyle measures, such as regular exercise and deep-breathing, are also extremely important in controlling anxiety.

For more on causes, symptoms, and treatments of anxiety disorders, see our [Diagnosis Dictionary.](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder)

Why Anxiety Is On the Rise


![fizkes/Shutterstock](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_180x180/public/2020-10/shutterstock_1419584867_0_small.jpg?itok=zecBzGTX)

Anxiety is now the leading mental health problem around the world, and the incidence of anxiety is still rising, especially among youth. Increasing numbers of children and adolescents are being diagnosed with the disorder.

One often-cited reason for the general rise in anxiety is the burden of uncertainty in almost every domain of modern life, in response to an array of economic and cultural shifts. Uncertainty doesn’t cause anxiety, but it provides breeding grounds for it.

Two important factors contributing to anxiety among the young are [parenting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/parenting "Psychology Today looks at parenting") practices that overprotect children and the rise of [social media](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/social-media "Psychology Today looks at social media"). Technology provides new opportunities for connecting people, but it also leads to new experiences of negative social comparison and new pathways for social exclusion.

For more see [Children and Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/children-and-anxiety)

article continues after advertisement

How to Recognize the Signs of Anxiety


![fizkes/ Shutterstock](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_180x180/public/2020-08/fizkesShutterstock_1196187577.jpg?itok=_5Rt9qwY)

Anxiety declares itself not just with endless loops of worry in the mind but with heart-pounding discomfort in the body, from general jumpiness and trembling to ringing in the ears and shortness of breath.

The body symptoms of anxiety can be highly misleading. Not only are they often misinterpreted as signs of a heart attack and impending doom—a cardinal feature of panic attacks—but they often lead to odysseys of medical misdiagnosis. Physical symptoms may be assumed to be the result of physical causes, and in a misdirected search for them, the true source of the problem can continue undiscovered and unaddressed.

For more see [Signs of Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/signs-anxiety)

How to Treat Anxiety


![Anamaria Mejia/shutterstock](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_180x180/public/2020-09/shutterstock_1351652228.jpg?itok=smUP1KJd)

Anxiety disorders can often be addressed successfully with [psychotherapy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/therapy "Psychology Today looks at psychotherapy"), alone or in combination with [medication](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/psychopharmacology "Psychology Today looks at medication"), and with lifestyle shifts. [Cognitive behavioral](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-behavioral-therapy "Psychology Today looks at Cognitive behavioral") therapy (CBT), tailored to an individual’s specific anxieties, is one of the most effective options. Patients learn to challenge distorted thought patterns that create so much distress.

Exposure therapy, in which patients are safely and gradually exposed to their fears so they no longer avoid them, is an essential part of most behavioral treatments for anxiety. Medication is often used to help patients control symptoms enough to focus on talk therapy.

Lifestyle changes play an important role in the long-term [management](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/leadership "Psychology Today looks at management") of anxiety. Exercising, deep-breathing, and programs of [meditation](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/meditation "Psychology Today looks at meditation") all target very specific facets of the disorder.

For more see [Treatment of Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/treatment-anxiety)

When Is Anxiety an Illness?


Occasional bouts of anxiety are entirely normal and one of the unavoidable costs of being—and staying—alive. However, sometimes worries get out of control.

They may arise for no discernible reason, or be disproportionate to the situation, or last beyond moves to solve any possible problem. Or the worry or physical symptoms prompt you to avoid situations that may trigger discomfort. Anxiety becomes a disorder when it consumes too much mental activity or interferes with activities and performance.

For more see [Anxiety: Is It an Illness?](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/anxiety-is-it-illness)

What Are the Types of Anxiety?


Anxiety displays itself in a few diagnostically distinct ways. Generalized Anxiety disorder, in which concerns reflect any of the major domains of life—work, love, money, health—is most common among older adults. [Social Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/shyness "Psychology Today looks at Social Anxiety") Disorder, more narrowly focused on [fear](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/fear "Psychology Today looks at fear") of negative evaluation by others, is on the rise among younger adults.

Phobias generally target specific objects or experiences. Sometimes anxiety roars onto the scene in a sudden, intense burst and builds to a terrifying crescendo in minutes. Panic attacks can strike seemingly randomly, out of the blue, or they may occur with incapacitating frequency. Anxiety in all its forms is amenable to treatment.

For more see [Types of Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/types-anxiety)

What Causes Anxiety?


The real cause of anxiety is being human with the capacity to imagine a future. It finds fertile ground in uncertainty, and there is much uncertainty in the world these days.

Anxiety is unique in that it can be triggered by events in the real world—an upcoming doctor’s visit, relationship conflict, a rent increase—or it can be generated wholly internally, through thoughts of real or imagined threats (not knowing what to say when the boss calls on you in a meeting).

For more see [The Causes of Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/the-causes-anxiety)

What Is the Best Therapy for Anxiety?


The first-line treatment for anxiety is some form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Practical and present-oriented, therapy helps people recognize the cognitive distortion that anxiety forces on them, helps them confront their fears safely, and provides techniques for reversing reactivity.

Like all treatment, the goal is to restore calm. But it does much more. It helps people regain control over themselves when worry threatens to overtake them.

Therapy has the added value of taking place in the presence of a real human being. As social creatures, we have nervous systems exquisitely attuned to the influence of others. The presence of a helpful person constitutes a powerful signal of safety, directly and deeply countermanding the (mistaken) alarms of threat that define the disorder of anxiety.

For more see [Therapy for Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/therapy-anxiety)

Natural Approaches to Anxiety


Anxiety requires active treatment; otherwise it constricts life and tends to become a chronic condition. But that doesn’t mean it requires a prescription or medical intervention. Some of the most effective ways to control anxiety involve lifestyle or behavior changes.

Calming the mind through meditation is an Eastern technique finding favor in Western cultures. Regular activity such as running or walking helps release the muscle tension that creates so much distress. It also changes the brain. One of the most effective measures of all may be deep (also call diaphragmatic) breathing. It has a direct effect on the [nervous system](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroscience "Psychology Today looks at nervous system"), inducing a state of calm and curbing feelings of threat.

For more see [Natural Approaches to Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/natural-approaches-anxiety)

What Is the Biology of Anxiety?


Regardless how real or imagined the threat you’re reacting to, anxiety is both a mental and physical state. It’s orchestrated by a cascade of [hormones](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/hormones "Psychology Today looks at hormones") that affect almost every system of your body, from [attention](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/attention "Psychology Today looks at attention") to energy metabolism.

Overwhelmed by negative feelings, your mind is activated to be on the lookout for danger. The increased physical arousal —all that jitteriness and muscle tension—is preparing your body to respond to a possibly adverse situation. It’s essentially well-meaning, intended to keep you alive.

For more see [The Biology of Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/the-biology-anxiety)

What Makes People Vulnerable to Anxiety?


Anybody can experience a bout of debilitating anxiety. But some people seem to be inclined to anxiety: Because of [genes](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/genetics "Psychology Today looks at genes") or temperament, possibly as a result of early experience, possibly through over- or underactivity of some area of the brain, they interpret neutral situations as threatening or overreact to threatening situations.

[Stress](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/stress "Psychology Today looks at Stress") is a major contributor to anxiety, and the two conditions overlap in many ways. Stress can both set off anxiety and be a response to it.

For more see [What Makes People Vulnerable to Anxiety?](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/vulnerability-anxiety)

Panic Attacks


Panic attacks are abrupt bursts of acute anxiety that can make you feel that you are about to die—but they are not life-threatening. The body sensations of anxiety become extremely intense—pounding heart, racing pulse, the feeling of difficulty getting enough air—and trigger even more anxiety, intensifying the panic.

Panic attacks can occur out of the blue, even during sleep, and the feeling of loss of control magnifies the terror. As dire and overwhelming as such attacks feel, they nevertheless can be controlled—even while they’re happening.

For more see [Panic Attacks](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/panic-attacks)

Children and Anxiety


As many as one in eight children may experience significant anxiety. Their first worries are about being separated from parents. But they worry about many things, from fires and disasters they can’t control to arguments between their parents might mean [divorce](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/divorce "Psychology Today looks at divorce"). They worry about the larger world, too, including terrorists and the effects of [climate change](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/environment "Psychology Today looks at climate change").

Normal worries become problematic when they interfere with sleep, going to school or paying attention in school, or engaging in activities with others. One major factor influencing the prevalence of [childhood](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/child-development "Psychology Today looks at childhood") anxiety—the rise of helicopter parenting.

For more see [Children and Anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/anxiety/children-and-anxiety)

[Next: Anxiety: Is It an Illness?](/us/basics/anxiety/anxiety-is-it-an-illness "Anxiety: Is It an Illness?")

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[5 Pitfalls When Talking With Your Doctor About Stress](/us/blog/the-aftermath-of-trauma/202409/5-pitfalls-when-talking-with-your-doctor-about-stress)

Chronic stress lies in a no-man’s land between acute stress and distress, which makes it the type of stress we tend to ignore. But left uncontrolled, it harms our health.


Chronic stress lies in a no-man’s land between acute stress and distress, which makes it the type of stress we tend to ignore. But left uncontrolled, it harms our health.


[![](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_288x288/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-09/shutterstock_2492837023.jpg?itok=mb5P_3ZO)](/us/blog/unpacking-anxiety/202409/is-your-overwhelm-a-sign-of-anxiety)

[Is Your Overwhelm a Sign of Anxiety?](/us/blog/unpacking-anxiety/202409/is-your-overwhelm-a-sign-of-anxiety)

Our culture glorifies busyness, but doing less can be the key to finding balance. Learn how to break free and find relief and peace.


Our culture glorifies busyness, but doing less can be the key to finding balance. Learn how to break free and find relief and peace.


[![](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_288x288/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-09/jayne-harris-EDTXcRCCVGk-unsplash.jpg?itok=pZ13u0vQ)](/us/blog/am-i-dying/202409/how-inherited-beliefs-and-external-messages-impact-anxiety)

[How Inherited Beliefs and External Messages Impact Anxiety](/us/blog/am-i-dying/202409/how-inherited-beliefs-and-external-messages-impact-anxiety)

Understanding the importance of both nature and nurture is a vital step in comprehending how our anxious thoughts have been formed and in beginning to challenge and change them.


Understanding the importance of both nature and nurture is a vital step in comprehending how our anxious thoughts have been formed and in beginning to challenge and change them.


[![](https://cdn2.psychologytoday.com/assets/styles/manual_crop_1_1_288x288/public/teaser_image/blog_entry/2024-09/pexels-rdne-7348662.jpg?itok=_lzKNKtk)](/us/blog/the-healing-body/202409/the-healing-power-of-nature-and-beauty)

[The Healing Power of Nature and Beauty](/us/blog/the-healing-body/202409/the-healing-power-of-nature-and-beauty)

Access to nature and art can contribute to psychological and physical health.


Access to nature and art can contribute to psychological and physical health.


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