Is This Normal? Am I Dying? Or Is This Anxiety?

TraumaAnxietyDepressionMalorie Malone
Written By Malorie Malone; LPC-Associate supervised by Dr. Stephanie Waitt, LPC-S, CEDS
 
 

Part 1: Navigating Anxiety… Recognizing, Assessing, and Finding Control

Malorie Malone, LPC-Associate specializes in Anxiety Disorders, and today she tells us more about what is anxiety and how to tell if you are struggling with anxiety.

 

Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but if left unchecked and unmanaged, or when life gets too much, that “normal” human feeling can feel very overpowering.

Anxiety can feel like being lost and stuck in your head. Feeling distracted and cranky and tired and unfocused. It also feels like you are “wound up” and like things are “NOT OK”. It is like an internal alarm system that just won’t quit.

Assessing Anxiety:

The GAD-7 Tool and 7 Questions for Insight


If you are curious if you may be struggling with anxiety - or just a lot of normal human emotion anxiety - ask yourself these 7 questions from the GAD-7 (an evidenced based tool for assessing anxiety). :

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by the following problems?


Is This Normal? Am I Dying? Or Is This Anxiety?

Rate each question using the following scale:

  • 0 = Not At All

  • 1 = Several Days

  • 2 = More Than Half The Days

  • 3 = Nearly Every Day

Questions:

  1. Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge

  2. Not being able to stop or control worrying

  3. Worrying too much about different things

  4. Trouble relaxing

  5. Being so restless that it is hard to sit still

  6. Becoming easily annoyed or irritable

  7. Feeling afraid, as if something awful might happen

If you checked any problems, how difficult have they made it for you to do your work, take care of things at home, or get along with other people?

Not Difficult At All?

Somewhat Difficult?

Very Difficult?

Extremely Difficult?

Decoding Your Score:

Understanding the GAD-7 Total Score

 

Add up your total score and GAD-7 total score for the seven items ranges from 0 to 21.

  • 0–4: minimal anxiety

  • 5–9: mild anxiety

  • 10–14: moderate anxiety

  • 15–21: severe anxiety


Know that any anxiety can feel like a lot and living with increased anxiety makes life hard and you are not alone. Malorie is here to let you know you can learn ways to manage your anxiety.


Would you like a video vlog on some ways to deal with anxiety? Let us know!


If you are wanting to start addressing your anxiety and finding more control in the chaos, Malorie is currently accepting new clients! Connect with Malorie and discover that there's hope and help on your journey to finding control.

Malorie Malone; LPC-Associate supervised by Dr. Stephanie Waitt, LPC-S, CEDS

Hello! I’m so glad you’re here. One of the most difficult parts of finding a therapist is finding a therapist that clicks with you. That’s part of the reason why I offer consultations prior to booking a full session with me! You and I both want to make sure that I’m someone that can help you in this walk of life that you’re currently in.

I believe that every person is going to go through seasons where they need someone to meet them where they are and allow them to be vulnerable about their needs.

https://www.texomaspecialtycounseling.com/malorie-malone
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