Anxiety: When Worry Takes Over — and What Actually Helps

By Dr. Osamede Edokpolo, MD — board-certified adult psychiatrist, Minds Matters MD LLC

Almost everyone feels anxious at times. Anxiety is part of how our minds prepare us for a challenge — a big presentation, a difficult conversation, or a health concern. But when worry stops being occasional and starts running the day, it deserves attention. In my practice, I often meet adults who say the same thing in different ways: “I cannot turn my mind off.”

Anxiety does not only live in your thoughts. It can show up as a racing heart, a tight chest, shortness of breath, stomach discomfort, headaches, muscle tension, trembling, sweating, or trouble sleeping. Some people feel restless and on edge all day. Others avoid places, calls, or tasks because the worry feels too large to face. Over time, anxiety can shrink a person’s life — affecting work, relationships, health, and the simple ability to rest.

Anxiety takes several common forms, and they can overlap. With generalized anxiety, worry is broad and persistent. It may attach to work, family, finances, health, or almost anything, and it can be hard to set down even when things are going well. Panic involves sudden surges of intense fear that peak quickly, often with strong physical symptoms. Because those sensations can feel frightening, many people begin to fear the next episode and change their routines to avoid it. Social anxiety centers on fear of being judged, embarrassed, or rejected in social or performance situations.

If any of this sounds familiar, an evaluation can help sort out what is happening and what may help. Anxiety symptoms can overlap with other concerns, including mood disorders, trauma-related conditions, substance use, and medical issues such as thyroid problems. Sleep problems and high levels of stress can also make anxiety worse, and anxiety can make them worse in return.

At an initial evaluation, I ask about the pattern of your symptoms — when they began, how often they occur, what seems to trigger or ease them, and how they affect your daily life. We also talk about your medical history, current medications and supplements, sleep, work, relationships, and any past treatment — what helped, what did not, and what you would like to be different. From there, we can discuss a plan together.

Treatment is rarely one single thing. For many adults, it is a combination of therapy, practical skills, and, for some people, medication — chosen based on your symptoms, history, preferences, and overall health. Therapy approaches for anxiety often include cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and helps you test unhelpful patterns and build new responses. Other approaches may focus on gradually and safely facing feared situations, learning to observe anxious thoughts without automatically obeying them, or understanding how past experiences shape present reactions.

When medication is part of the plan, options may include categories such as antidepressant medications used for anxiety, or other options for ongoing or situational symptoms. I discuss the potential benefits, possible side effects, and alternatives for any medication we consider, and we review how it is going over time. No medication is right for everyone.

Daily habits matter, too. Regular sleep, movement you enjoy, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and making time to step away from constant news and notifications can all support treatment, though they are not a replacement for care when anxiety is significant. Small, repeatable steps — a brief walk, a breathing practice, writing worries down before bed — are often more sustainable than trying to overhaul everything at once.

You do not have to wait until anxiety feels unbearable to ask for help. If worry is taking over your days, help is available here in Springfield and by telehealth across Missouri, and it starts with a conversation.

To request an appointment, call 844-476-6600 or use the request form at mindsmattersmd.com/appointment, and our office will confirm your appointment with you.

This post is for general education only and is not medical advice. It does not create a doctor–patient relationship, and it is not a substitute for an individual evaluation.