Based on the CDC, the percent of adults over 18 with regular feelings of worry, nervousness or anxiety is about 11.7 percent of the population. But how exactly does anxiety manifest and why?

Is it within the stress you might feel about having to interact with someone who drives you up the wall? Does it occur when you’ve a giant project, public speaking engagement or event to organize for? Do you’re feeling it whenever you step in a room stuffed with people you don’t know and are expected to network? We hear a lot about anxiety (not anxiety disorders on this case, but the final feeling). But how do you understand whenever you’re coping with it?

To realize some clarity, ESSENCE quizzed creator, celebrated psychiatrist and YouTuber Tracey Marks, MD. She’s releasing a recent book on the subject titled Why Am I So Anxious? Powerful Tools for Recognizing Anxiety and Restoring Your Peace (August 16). She breaks down the signs of hysteria, if it’s more common today because of stressors from COVID-19 and more, and the way we are able to keep those feelings of great fear, dread and uneasiness at bay.

ESSENCE: What are signs that somebody is coping with anxiety? Can or not it’s something so simple as feeling nervous or stressed about an upcoming event? 

Tracey Marks, MD: Sometimes the signs aren’t obvious because some people will suffer silently. For instance, individuals with social anxiety can fear being judged by others but could also be too ashamed to confess it to people. They cope with these fears by avoiding social situations or overusing substances like alcohol to deal with their anxiety and appear “normal” in front of others.  

Feeling nervous or stressed about an upcoming event is a traditional emotional response. It becomes an anxiety problem when you may’t find ways to assuage yourself, and the nervousness has negative consequences for you (e.g., can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t think straight, etc.). More obvious signs that somebody struggles with anxiety are excessive hair pulling, nail-biting, or asking for reassurances concerning the things they worry about. 

Do you think persons are coping with anxiety now greater than up to now? In that case, why is that? 

I don’t imagine the general incidence of anxiety has increased significantly. Every generation has needed to cope with national and world events that caused distress to society at large. Nevertheless, what now we have now that we didn’t have 30 years ago is the impact of social media. Social media has had a positive effect of making an open dialogue about our psychological experiences. Demystifying and destigmatizing anxiety removes a few of the barriers to looking for help.

On the flip side, overconsumption of social media has introduced mental health problems by shortening our attention spans, creating unrealistic life expectations, and subjecting vulnerable people to cyberbullying.

What are ways we are able to deal with anxiety if it doesn’t appear to be completely debilitating to our everyday? 

I’d concentrate on optimizing your lifestyle to cut back your anxiety level. These lifestyle interventions could be: 

• Prioritizing your sleep to get seven to nine hours an evening
• Minimizing or eliminating processed food and taking probiotics
• Getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise each week

These three things work together within the background to cut back your anxiety, increase your resilience, and lessen the results of stress. Then, along with these foundational habits, spend half-hour to at least one hour a day doing something pleasurable and mentally soothing, preferably at the tip of your day, to assist you prepare for bed. I teach several ways you may unwind using meditation or journaling. But this time may include reading or engaging in a hobby you enjoy.  

What inspired you to write down Why Am I So Anxious? and what do you hope people take from this work?  

I’ve been motivated to coach people on mental health issues for the past 10 years through my website, then a podcast, and more recently through my YouTube channel. In my clinical practice, I’ve all the time found anxiety difficult to administer. I knew there have been many non-medication options, but when you’ve too many selections, you may develop into paralyzed with indecision and do nothing.

With this book, I need people to have a resource they’ll reference anytime to create a private collection of tools they know the way and when to make use of effectively.

Why Am I So Anxious? Powerful Tools for Recognizing Anxiety and Restoring Your Peace will likely be available August 16 wherever books are sold.