Anxiety does serve a purpose in life; it helps us get through threatening situations. Unfortunately, for some people (myself included) feelings of anxiety become persistent and start to have a negative effect on everyday activity. Anxiety disorders are quite common in today's society. They manifest in many forms, wich can make them difficult to diagnose. The symptoms for one person may be completely different from the ones experienced by another. They are also symptoms that are so common to other ailments, that it becomes a process of elimination to get to the diagnosis of anxiety. Some of the more common symptoms include:

• chest pain or discomfort
• choking
• chronic and exaggerated worry and tension
• dizziness
• fear of dying
• fear of going crazy
• feeling a lump in the throat
• feelings of unreality, detachment from the environment
• feeling tired
• flushes or chills
• inability to relax
• headaches
• hot flashes
• irritability
• muscle tension
• nausea
• numbness or tingling sensations
• palpitations ("fluttering" in the chest) or accelerated heart rate
• recurring unpleasant thoughts
• shortness of breath or smothering sensation
• startling easily
• sweating
• trembling
• trouble concentrating
• trouble falling asleep or staying asleep

It is quite an extensive list and by no means complete. What is obvious is that anxiety can seriously disturb a sufferer's life. There are many options for treating the symptoms, and some anxiety cures. For me, the choice was obvious. I tried medication, but did not like the side effects and worried about possible dependance. I chose a cure method and am so happy that I did!