You're not alone
Youth
Anxiety can negatively affect cognitive performance by impairing attentional control
Studies have found a statistically significant association between high levels of self-reported anxiety and poorer academic performance among students aged 8–16
There is a direct link showing how anxiety negatively effects brain structure in adolescence
The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
Anxiety numbers for children in the United States
There's been a 160.75% increase in diagnosed anxiety
Adults
40+ Million adults in the US experience anxiety
12 Billion days lost in work because of anxiety
The American Institute of Stress reports that job stress costs U.S. employers more than $300 billion annually due to absenteeism, turnover, decreased productivity and direct medical, legal and insurance costs.
The WHO estimates depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity.
Fun Facts
My Snow Globe of Chaos
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Did you know moderate stress and anxiety can heighten alertness, improve immunity, and creativity for a short time, but too much of a "good thing" can lead to the uglier aspects of stress and anxiety.
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The "butterflies" feeling you get in your stomach when you're anxious is real! It's caused by the body's fight-or-flight response, which diverts blood away from the digestive system to the muscles, preparing you to either fight or flee. This reduced blood flow can cause the stomach to feel fluttery or queasy.
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Yawning isn't just about tiredness; it's also a response to stress. Some theories suggest that yawning helps to cool the brain and improve alertness, which is why people might yawn more when they’re anxious or stressed.
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Your body can react to stress just by thinking about a stressful situation. This is because the brain can't always distinguish between actual events and imagined ones, so simply imagining a stressful event can trigger the same physical responses, like increased heart rate and sweaty palms.
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Chronic stress can actually shrink the size of your brain. It particularly affects the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for memory and learning. This is why people under long-term stress may have trouble concentrating or remembering things.