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Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or fear about an event or situation. It is a normal reaction to stress. It helps you stay alert for a challenging situation at work, study harder for an exam, or remain focused on an important speech.
Some degree of anxiety when under stress is expected. Anxiety is your bodyâs way of communicating that something either makes you feel temporarily unsafe or stressed. Your body responds to anxiety in many different ways, causing more numerous and intense symptoms as the level of anxiety increases. The founder of psychiatric nursing, Hildegard E. Peplau, described 4 levels of anxiety: mild, moderate, severe and panic. Each level of anxiety can be experienced differently.