Over the last 10 years I have noticed something strange evolving. I have patients coming in with their chief complaint being, “I am anxious all the time.” I have family members and friends telling me the same thing. But what has changed? Has the change occurred in our genetic makeup, or is something in our lives increasing our anxiety levels? Something certainly seems to be causing the increase in anxiety.

What is anxiety?
In order to understand how to cope with anxiety, you must understand what it is to begin with. Anxiety is commonly defined as "distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune." It is medically defined as "a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder." Anxiety is often called fear, foreboding, worry, and apprehension. It’s the opposite of certainty, serenity, and tranquility.

Anxiety shares a Latin root with the word angst. In philosophy, angst means the dread caused by man's awareness that his future is not determined but must be freely chosen.

Stress and Anxiety
Today, anxiety is commonly referred to as stress. The two, however, are slightly different.

Stress is the result of the meaning you give the things around you. It has little to do with what is happening to you. If stress was directly related to the things happening to you, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies would be stressed all the time. Yet by most accounts, they all seem happy and stress free. Stress is an internal phenomenon directly related to the story you tell yourself about the things that happen to you.

Anxiety is a fundamental part of life. Our bodies were designed to naturally respond to things using either the “flight or fight” response. This response makes us more aware of our surroundings and improves our performance. It becomes detrimental to our health, however, when we internalize it and let it get out of hand.

Fear vs. Faith
Fear is another word for anxiety. An easy way to get rid of fear is to have faith. Fear and faith cannot co-exist.

Fear says, " I am afraid of the future and worried about what might happen."

Faith says, "I do all I can do and leave the result in the hands of a higher power."

You are responsible for your actions, but you are not always responsible for the results. It is up to you to do the right thing and leave the outcome of that thing in a power higher than your own. With faith your realize everything happens just as it is supposed to. It is up to you to figure out why those things happen and how you can use the lessons they create.

Faith allows you to turn your story around. Fear allows you to become a victim.

Inner Peace
The opposite of anxiety is inner peace. Stress arises when we let outside forces trump our inside desires and thoughts.

To answer the question we started with, stress is directly related to our society. I don’t believe our genetic code has changed. I believe we spend so much time dealing with external distractions that we do not take time to deal with what is going on inside off us.

When was the last time you took time to exercise, meditate, journal, take a nap, go for a walk, get back to nature, fish or golf?

We live in a world of constant connection. We are committed to answering calls, checking e-mails, texting, playing on Facebook, and generally staying so busy every waking hour that we do not take enough time to care for our inner self.

Your inner self craves nourishment. That nourishment comes in several ways. If you want to manage your anxiety, I recommend you make time for you. If that is a new concept for you, consider doing these things: exercise, journal, meditate, walk, schedule think time, and practice good breathing. If you need help learning to do these things, I highly recommend my book Health Plan for Life: 10 Days to a New You.

Remember, anxiety is something you internalize. There are two things you should not worry about:
1. Things you can do something about.
2. Things you can't.

You are too blessed to be stressed.

[Ed. Note: Share your thoughts about this topic below. Want Dr. Tim to help you get healthy? Check out his book Health Plan for Life: 10 Days to a New You.]

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Tim Reynolds founded Living Every Minute in 2009 to allow him to share his passion for finding success in every minute with others. He dedicates countless hours each week to helping other people change their lives through mentoring, life building, giving inspirational talks and writing for his free weekly newsletter.

Life wasn't always the picture of perfection it is now for Dr. Tim. In fact, he was the first member of his family to graduate high school. He joined the military shortly after graduation, where he graduated from the Special Forces Q-course in July of 1982. He served as a Green Beret medic on an A-Team, as the Battalion medic and eventually as a Special Forces Battalion Surgeon for the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He served both enlisted and as an officer for 17 years.

After getting out of the military, Dr. Tim decided he wanted to go to college to be a doctor. His guidance counselor told him he was too old. He would be 32 before he finished his degree. He told her, "I'm going to be 32 either way." He went on to graduate college with honors.

It was his passion for helping people that inspired him to become a medical doctor, and in 1993 he graduated Summa Cum Laude with an MD degree from the University of Utah. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Texas A&M Scott and White in 1996 and is board certified in emergency medicine. He is the managing partner for HealthCARE Express, a group of urgent care clinics rapidly expanding across the United States.

Prior to starting HealthCARE Express in 2006, Dr. Tim held numerous positions across the medical field, including: medical director of the Wadley Regional Medical Center Emergency Department and level II trauma center; president of E-Med Services, LLP and of E-Med Billing Solutions, LLP; associate clinical professor for the Area Health Education Center at the University of Arkansas; and founding member of the Greater People’s Clinic of Texarkana Board of Directors.

In addition to his medical experience, Dr. Tim is also an entrepreneur and successful businessman. He is currently the chief executive officer of TL Reynolds Properties, LLP, a real estate investment company; and he is a managing partner of JJET Developments Ltd., a real estate development company.

Dr. Tim has served on numerous other committees and boards throughout both the medical and business communities and is published in various journals and publications. He is sought after as a presenter at many national conferences.

In his leisure time, Dr. Tim enjoys spending time on his Ranch in Atlanta, Texas, where he lives with his beautiful wife, Pam, and their five amazing children. He holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, is a SCUBA rescue diver, and a pilot. He also enjoys body building, golf, and hiking.

Dr. Tim is a world traveler, having visited over 40 countries on six of the seven continents. He is a firm believer in Living Every Minute of life and teaching others to do the same.

Learn more at www.LivingEveryMinute.com