I've always been uptight, but lately it feels a little out of control. Example: On the way home from Christmas dinner, I worried the roads would be slick; I worried my stomach would remain unsettled; I worried how we would manage to carry all of our stuff in without slipping on the ice; I worried about who would clean up everything once we got into the apartment; I worried how the girls would get to work in the morning; I worried that maybe I did something dumb in front of Craig's family.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 6.8 million Americans suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. "GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least 6 months. People with GAD can’t seem to get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They can’t relax, startle easily, and have difficulty concentrating. Often they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath, and hot flashes."
Well that certainly makes a lot of sense. Just mentioning something is enough for it to suddenly become top priority, bumping all other thoughts from my mind. You nonchalantly ask me where the tape is, but all I hear is "findthetapfindthetapfindthetape." Your inquiry becomes my obsession. Normal? Apparently not. Normal for me? Unfortunately.
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