The Science of Anxiety

This is one of the best articles I've found for explaining how anxieties form.  Enjoy!

Why do we worry ourselves sick? Because the brain is hardwired for fear, and sometimes it short-circuits

By Christine Gorman Posted Sunday, Aug. 18, 2002; 16.38 a.m. BST

It's 4 a.m., and you're wide awake — palms sweaty, heart racing. You're worried about your kids. Your aging parents. Your 401(k). Your health. Your sex life. Breathing evenly beside you, your spouse is oblivious. Doesn't he — or she — see the dangers that lurk in every shadow? He must not. Otherwise, how could he, with all that's going on in the world, have talked so calmly at dinner last night about flying to Florida for a vacation?  

How is it that two people facing the same circumstances can react so differently? Why are some folks buffeted by the vicissitudes of life while others glide through them with grace and calm? Are some of us just born more nervous than others? And if you're one of them, is there anything you can do about it?

The key to these questions is the emotional response we call anxiety. Unlike hunger or thirst, which build and dissipate in the immediate present, anxiety is the sort of feeling that sneaks up on you from the day after tomorrow. It's supposed to keep you from feeling too safe. Without it, few of us would survive.  (Read the rest of the article here...)

Anxiety? How to beat it with self-hypnosis

Are you one of those white-knuckled passengers who is not actually afraid of flying, just the take-offs and landings? Perhaps you are an effective employee or a truly diligent manager but then you get "the memo." You have to introduce the next kick-off campaign at the annual company conference and you suddenly feel as if you are under a giant microscope. Maybe your particular trigger for anxiety is the dread of death. Your concern might be centered on your own demise or your loved ones. In nearly 20 years of private practice, I have never been surprised by what terrifies an otherwise rational adult.

You are not alone. Anxiety is one of those phenomenons that everyone has to face at some time in life, with sweaty palms, pounding pulse, queasy stomach, ringing or buzzing in the ears, (read the rest of the article here)...