Condition Anxiety
Anxiety: when worry stops being useful
A certain amount of anxiety is healthy — it sharpens attention and keeps you safe. It becomes a problem when the worry is excessive, hard to control, and sticks around even when there is nothing specific to worry about, wearing on your sleep, focus, and body.
To gauge whether your anxiety has crossed into that range, the GAD-7 anxiety screening is the standard quick tool: seven questions about the last two weeks, scored privately here. It is a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnosis.
Clinically validated
Start the test Take the anxiety test
What anxiety can look like
Generalized anxiety tends to show up as a mix of mental and physical signs, more days than not:
- Feeling nervous, on edge, or unable to relax
- Worry you can’t switch off or control
- Restlessness, or a sense that something bad is coming
- Irritability
- Trouble concentrating
- Physical signs: racing heart, tight chest, tension, stomach upset
- Sleep that anxiety keeps you from
Read the full guide to anxiety symptoms →
When to seek help
- Worry is hard to control and has lasted six months or more.
- Anxiety is limiting what you do — avoiding places, people, or tasks.
- You have panic attacks, or physical symptoms you can’t explain.
Questions worth asking a clinician
- Is this generalized anxiety, panic, or something more specific?
- Which helps more for me — therapy, medication, or lifestyle changes?
- Are any of my physical symptoms worth ruling out medically?
- What can I do during a panic or high-anxiety moment?
If you're in crisis right now
Call or text 988 - the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and open 24/7.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. A screening is
an aid to understanding - always discuss your health with a qualified clinician.