ALL ABOUT ANXIETY by Carrie Lewis illustrated by Sophia Touliatou beaming books MINNEAPOLIS
CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS ANXIETY Hello Anxiety Let’s get to know each other People talk about anxiety all the time but what do you think anxiety really is What does it feel like Is anxiety those butterflies you get in your stomach before taking a test Is it that nagging doubt you might have about whether or not you are popular with your friends Or is anxiety the same as being afraid afraid of the dark or afraid of strangers The truth is that many feelings can be called anxiety and many things can cause anxiety for different people Sometimes anxiety might feel like fear of a particular thing Sometimes it might be vaguer a little voice in your head telling you that something is going to go wrong 2
To feel some anxiety is normal and even healthy It helps us to be on our guard in particularly dangerous situations It also helps us to perform at our best on tests and in other stressful situations One thing is for sure EVERYBODY feels anxiety So when do we know that anxiety has stopped being normal and become a problem If you need to see a doctor about anxiety that’s usually because it has become a problem in your life This might be because anxiety is stopping you from enjoying your life and doing things you would like to do The worry might have become overwhelming and started to take up a lot of your time Or maybe other people have noticed that you are behaving in an unusual way or that you are unhappy We’ll get to know anxiety throughout this book as well as some ways to address anxiety and live with anxiety Read on and see what you recognize from your own life 3
