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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.
Stress and anxiety often go hand in hand (stress can lead to anxiety symptoms, and anxiety can make stress worse). When you're overly tense, you may also turn to other behaviors that make anxiety worse such as smoking, abuse of drugs, or abuse of alcohol. Remember that stress and anxiety are often accompanied by physical symptoms such as stomachache, headache, dry mouth, dizziness, and sweating. If you have unexplained symptoms of anxiety, talk with your doctor. Anxiety disorder is treatable.