Anxiety And Women

Anxiety And Women

Studies have shown that while 19 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders each year, of that number, the majority of them are women. Feeling anxious is quite normal -- until and unless it starts interfering with one's day-to-day life, or preventing one from reaching their goals. In fact, normal anxiety is a contributing factor to helping us get things accomplished -- especially in women.

What most people don't realize is that many women suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. Women are "natural born worriers" for the most part, but there are those women who worry a bit more than others. Women who suffer from GAD worry about everything, and that worry brings about physical problems, such as headaches, muscle tension, an inability to relax, fatigue, lack of focus, and more.

Would you believe that many of these women first develop GAD during childhood? It is true -- and because of this, they never even realize that there is a problem. In fact, they often will assume that everyone worries as much as they do. It's completely "normal" as far as they are concerned, because it has always been a part of their lives. Most of these women cope very well with the anxiety -- simply because they are used to it.

Then there are those who have never suffered from GAD, and who have really never worried more than anyone else about things. Suddenly, they are overwhelmed with anxious feelings, and because this is new, and they are not used to it, it becomes a very big thing to worry about -- on top of whatever else they may be worrying about.

Often, for women, the cause of the anxiety in this situation is hormonal changes. Estrogen and progesterone levels change over time. In fact, a woman is likely to experience more anxiety during PMS, perimenopause, menopause, and even pregnancy. Estrogen affects the levels of serotonin that the brain is producing. This serotonin gives us our "sense of well-being."

For many women, the anxiety passes as either time or medication puts the hormone levels back into check. Other women may discover that they have been suffering from GAD for most of their lives, with the change in hormone levels drastically elevating the condition. In any case, there is treatment and help available -- and you really can go through life without so much worry.