You may not be struggling with anxiety. Your mind may simply be drawing something to your attention that you need to address.

When your anxiety becomes persistent, or overwhelming, or reaches levels beyond your control, you may be struggling with an anxiety disorder.

Like other mental health conditions, the causes for anxiety are complex. It includes different parts of the brain (the amygdala and the hippocampus among others) that generate neurotransmitters that create that anxious feeling.

When you are in danger, such feelings can save your life. But when your brain is “stuck” on a fearful memory, or is simply over-functioning in response to unconscious triggers in your environment, you may have an anxiety disorder.