How to Cope With Extreme Anxiety

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionNormal vs. SevereSignsTypesGetting HelpCoping Tips

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Definition

Normal vs. Severe

Signs

Types

Getting Help

Coping Tips

Close

Anxiety is a normal part of life as everyone feels some level of worry or unease from time to time. But if you are experiencing severe anxiety that feels overwhelming or out of control, it could be asign of a mental health disorder—and anxiety-based mental health issues are highly treatable.

Learn more about what extreme anxiety is, as well as the difference between normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder. We also share things you can do if you feel like your anxiety is negatively impacting your life, including several steps you can take to find relief from severe anxiety.

What Is Extreme Anxiety?

‘Extreme anxiety’ is a phrase that people use to describe feelings of worry, panic, or fear that are intense or out of proportion to an actual threat. It’s important to understand that this term is not a clinical term ormental illness diagnosis.

How people experience anxiety can differ from one person to the next. One person may feel like they have small butterflies in their stomach, while another might have severe anxiety in the form of a panic attack. You can also experience different levels of anxiety at different points in time.

If you are experiencingcrippling anxietythat makes it difficult to function in various areas of your life—including work, school, and relationships—you might have an anxiety disorder.

Normal Anxiety vs. Severe Anxiety

The difference between normal anxiety and extreme anxiety is how it affects your ability to function and the level of distress that it creates.When anxiety is extreme or severe, it makes it difficult, if not impossible for you to function normally in certain situations.

With severe anxiety, you may not be able to work or socialize like you normally would. It can also create such extreme distress that you begin to altogether avoid situations that are likely to trigger these feelings.

What Are the Different Types of Anxiety?

Signs of Extreme Anxiety

If your anxiety is severe in duration or intensity, negatively impacting your life, or increasing over time, you may have ananxiety disorder.Only a physician or mental health professional can diagnose anxiety disorders, but there are both physical and mental symptoms to watch for.

Physical Symptoms

Extreme anxiety can show up in your body physically, in the form of:

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

Severe anxiety can also impact you mentally or emotionally, resulting in symptoms such as:

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Panic Attacks

Types of Severe Anxiety Disorders

There are many different types of anxiety disorders. If you have one of these disorders, your healthcare provider or therapist can evaluate your symptoms to determine which type you have.

Anxiety Disorder Prevalence

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that 19.1% of adults in the United States experience an anxiety disorder each year, and an estimated 31.1% will experience this type of disorder at some point during their lives.

Getting Help for Extreme Anxiety

If anxiety is making it difficult to function normally or creating significant distress in your life, it’s important to get help. Severe anxiety typically will not go away on its own and often worsens over time. Plus, many of the coping strategies that people use to decrease anxiety—such as avoidance—end up making the issue worse.

Fortunately, anxiety can be treated in a number of psychotherapeutic ways. Medications may also be prescribed to decrease anxiety symptoms or treat co-occurring conditions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapyis another approach used for treating anxiety, and it often results in positive outcomes.This technique involves being gradually and progressively exposed to what it is the individual fears in a safe, controlled way.

During this exposure, people also learn to practice relaxation techniques. Over time, the thing that triggers the fear elicits less of a response and people are better able to tolerate it without experiencing anxiety or panic.

How to Relax Your Body and Mind

Medication

Anxiety medicationscan also be used to help people manage their symptoms. Depending on your situation, your healthcare or mental health provider may prescribe a benzodiazepine or antidepressant such as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) to relieve your feelings of anxiousness.

Taking Magnesium for Anxiety: Does It Help?

Combination Approach

For many people, the best approach is a combination of anxiety medications and psychotherapy. Most of the time, using both anxiety treatments at the same time can greatly improve your quality of life.

Coping With Extreme Anxiety

Living with severe anxiety can present a number of challenges, but there are a few self-help strategies you can use to help manage your symptoms.

Mindful MomentNeed a breather? Take this free5-minute meditation focused on relieving anxiety—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.

Mindful Moment

Need a breather? Take this free5-minute meditation focused on relieving anxiety—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.

A Word From Verywell

Extreme anxiety can createconsiderable distressand make it very difficult to function in your normal everyday life. If you are dealing with symptoms of anxiety that seem severe, excessive, and out of proportion to the actual threat, talk to your care provider. There are effective treatments available that can help you find relief.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

15 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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National Institute of Mental Health.Any anxiety disorder.

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