About 264 million people worldwide suffer from anxiety and Brazil is the country with the highest number of anxious people in the world, according to the WHO (World Health Organization), and the pandemic has contributed greatly to this mental health scenario across the planet.

And what is anxiety?

• Excessive and persistent worry;
• Fear of everyday situations;
• A feeling that something very bad or very good could happen.

So we ask ourselves: But is a little anxiety normal?  

Yes, because it's a reaction of the body and mind; there are situations in which we can feel anxious before a meeting, a presentation or before a test, but it's not normal for the sensations to become a disorder that disrupts our daily lives and is called an anxiety disorder when we go beyond the normal limit and start to do ourselves harm.

When should we seek help? Below are some of the most common symptoms of anxiety that may need more attention:

• Constant fear;
• Insomnia;
• Palpitations;
• Chest pains;
• Shortness of breath;
• Dizziness;
• Boca Seca;
• Irritability;
• Speech accelerated;
• Agitation.

For this reason, when we feel that we are crossing the line of what is healthy and that these symptoms are present in our lives, it is a sign that we should go to a professional such as a psychiatrist or psychologist. Finally, today there are great professionals who can treat patients who are showing symptoms of anxiety disorder; only a medical professional can assess the patient and, if necessary, start them on medication, we shouldn't self-medicate.

In conclusion, and making it clear that anxiety is not a terrible feeling, because it's normal to feel anxious when we think we're in danger, but when we realize that we've lost control of both our actions and our reactions, we should be concerned and seek help.