Corrosive Anxiety

Daniel Reed
Professor Phebe Shen
English 98 OL
5 March 2009
Corrosive Anxiety

Although it may not be possible to convince society they should stop worrying altogether, there are many considerable reasons why people ought to relax more and worry less. Anxiety, according the World Health organization in their 2007 study discovered that 60% of all countries surveyed, (not including Canada), is the number one health issue humans face1. If unattended to, worry quickly changes over to anxiety, closely followed by a series of chronic illnesses, and finally a lack of productivity all together. Do not think this is something to be concerned about? Think again.

So, what really is worry and why do people do it? Worry, in its simplest form are the feelings all humans face when they realize there are things in their life they cannot control on their own that leaves the person feeling “uncertain” what is around the corner. It usually starts with a simple thought like, “I hope I did ok” or a question like, “do I look alright?” More often than not, these questions are unavoidable and the feeling of fear or concern about a situation passes once the situation that sparked the worry ends2. According to the Bible, the history of worry dates back to the beginning of creation when the serpent, God’s craftiest of creatures, tempted Adam and Eve and God’s authority was tested:

“Did God really say ‘you must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” the serpent inquired.

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil3.”

When the serpent challenged Eve about what was right, uncertainty lurched into motion. Worry entered the picture because trust was challenged from the serpents lie. Worry, more than anything is a questioning of trust, sparked from uncertainty. By itself, it is not much more than an uncomfortable feeling due to doubt. It gets a person in trouble though, when they begin to dwell on the doubt and take matters into their own hands without first checking to see if the “obstacle” or thing challenged is true.

Anxiety, “worry in action”4, really is what caused Adam and Eve’s downfall and many others after them. When they allowed doubt to enter their minds, they then took matters into their own hands. That worry enticed them to go other step further and eat the forbidden fruit because they wanted to know for themselves rather than trusting God’s authority. Anxiety grows when people stop worrying over if they did well or if they look nice and they start to dwell on their worries. The uncertainty of “not knowing” causes people to convince themselves they did lousy, and they change their outfit half a dozen times wanting to make sure no one possibly could tell them they did not look nice.

Some people argue that some anxiety is good for you5. Taking matters into your own hands forces a person to be on top of their game and prevents a person from being taken advantage of or a company to go out of business because they did not keep up with the trends. Moving into action when uncertain shows taking initiative to find out what the “problem” is. All these may be true, but the negative effects of anxiety far outweigh its positive. Anxiety stabs people in the back because it does not trust. It makes people zip through traffic lanes so they will not be late, endangering the lives of others by reckless driving. A good way to describe anxiety is a “nagging worry”6. “Anxiety bubbles beneath the surface, like a pot simmering on the stove, silent and potentially corrosive over time. And it can be hidden under the shell of a highly functional person7.”

Though it may not show symptoms like depression or someone who struggles with an addiction, anxiety cunningly enslaves the mind and If it is not controlled, it self-defeats the person from the inside out. Maybe at first it seems harmless, but when it matures, it becomes a deadly disorder. One of its greatest tactics is to convince its “subject” that admitting to fear or anxiety is a sign of weakness8. The person finds them self in constant worry. Their brain will not shut off. “What if” questions plague their minds at all hours9. As a result, Anxiety disorder not only plagues the mind, but it takes over your whole body. When a person cannot turn off their brain, how can they expect to sleep? Fascinating studies show how one poor night of sleep greatly reduces a person’s ability to think, cuts down on the body’s ability to heal itself, and new studies linked increase in obesity to improper rest10.When the body does not get proper rest, the body goes into sleep deprivation, which eventually leads to sleep insomnia or other sleep disorders11. In addition, sleep deprivation is only one of many chronic illnesses or health problems. Some quickly mentioned are Chronic Stress12 (a person can only imagine what kind of affect that would have on the body), Fatigue13 (the body drags all day long), Depression (along with increase suicidal thoughts14), increased sensitivity to allergies15, lack of sexual interest16, greater risk of diabetes17, and many more. As anyone can see, anxiety is not a friendly lifestyle to live. Unfortunately, the racing mind and increased risk of numerous other health problems is not the worst of the problems.

Above all else, anxiety’s worst trick yet is to cause anyone it its path a lack of productivity. It sucks the joy out of life and limits what a person physically and mentally can do without the help of others. Though certainly not all chronic illnesses are caused by anxiety, in a 2003 study, the U.S. spent nearly $277 Billion on health treatments and lost over $1.1 trillion in lack of productivity because workers were off work or could not perform affectively. By 2023, if nothing changes, it is estimated that the U.S. will lose and average of $4.2 trillion, and by 2050… nearly $6 trillion, not total, but yearly18! If it is not prevalent that chronic illnesses plays a significant role in the U.S. deficit, maybe anyone who argues needs their heads examined to see if they don’t have a mental health issue themselves. Although anxiety cannot be blamed for all of this loss of productivity, anxiety certainly is not helping make things better.

Because anxiety plays such a negative role not only in physical well being, mental health, but also in the economic downfall of the world, there is only one conclusion, stop anxiety. Easier said than done right? What in life is not? The first step to conquering anxiety is admitting there is a problem in the first place and turning for help. This helps fight anxieties lie that admitting for help is wrong. There is not a person on this planet that is perfect 100% of the time. Everyone needs help and there is nothing wrong with that. It is wise for a person to dwell in their problem or solve it? If the answer is not obvious to the struggler, waiting around doesn’t make the problem better. Turn for help. The next step in the right direction is facing up to the things in life that cause the anxiety in the first place. Many people turn to medication19, reading books20, unfortunately even harmful drugs to escape and get your mind off of life and relieve stress, but all those things only avoid the problem not solve it. Face up to the anxiety. Many times anxiety is a hereditary thing that plagues generation after generation21. Not only does avoiding the problem hinder the struggler, but it also teaches their children to fall into the same trap. Learning to catch the symptoms of anxiety before they start and break generational habits is the only healthy solution. If people could learn how to stop worrying altogether though, that would be even better.
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Works Cited

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1524873421&sid=11&Fmt=3&clientId=8125&RQT=309&VName=PQD

1. 2007 Study
2. Worry usually ends
4. “Worry in Action”
5. Anxiety good for you (argument)
7. “Anxiety bubbles beneath…”
8. Sign of weakness
9. What if questions
13. Fatigue
21. Anxiety/Generational



(Bible) Genesis 3:1-5
3: Adam and Eve Quote


New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary Vol. 1
1987 Edition, Lexicon publications inc. N.Y.
6. “Nagging Worry”


Can’t find my references 
10 & 11: Sleep Studies, 13: Diabetes


http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1620905091&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=8125&RQT=309&VName=PQD

12. Chronic Stress


http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1363251731&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=8125&RQT=309&VName=PQD

18. 2003 Study
19. Medication


http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1563481201&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=8125&RQT=309&VName=PQD

20. Reading Books