Anxiety is a common word used to describe the feelings associated with the stresses of modern-day life - including that chaos that is just 2020 in general.

But how do you know if your body is naturally responding to a stressful situation, or if you suffer from an anxiety disorder?

Michael Ledden, a Psychotherapist with Abate Counselling and Anxiety Ireland, explains that there is a difference between having anxious thoughts and suffering from anxiety.

Michael told RSVP Live : "Worries and stress about expected or unexpected life events is normal and can be helpful, but when anxiety strikes we may feel worked-up all the time over everyday tasks and may struggle to control it.

“So when we are looking at ourselves to see if we are anxious it could be good to look at a few different areas.

“Anxiety can manifest itself in ways that are Mental, Emotional, Physical, Behavioural or Social”.

People who suffer from anxiety will often struggle with negative thoughts about more than one area in their lives, explains Michael.

“Typically with anxiety the sufferer will be thinking a lot of negative thoughts about themselves, the world, things that might happen and the future. If you recognise many of your thoughts start with ‘What If’ this or that happens, or ‘what if’ they think this about me, then this can be a tell tale sign of anxiety.

Michael points out that anxiety can also manifest itself in ways that aren’t mental, including your physical health.

“Physically a range of symptoms may point to anxiety, such as poor sleep/ concentration, feeling jittery or tense, tightness of breath or elevated heart rate, stomach issues, sweating, or general agitation.

“Emotionally we always associate fear/dread with anxiety, but it can also encompass feeling sad, lonely, guilty, powerless, hopeless and angry either at ourselves or generally at the world.

“Behaviourally we see a lot of double checking, avoiding things or places that bring on anxiety, avoiding certain topics, needing company to do things and seeking comfort in things like food, drugs or alcohol.

“Socially we can see a general withdrawal from situations, tuning up late or leaving early, losing interest in things/people or over censoring/judging oneself in social situations.

“Not everyone has all these symptoms but if enough of them resonate it might be worth considering if anxiety is at play, speaking to a G.P. or a psychotherapist. This is often better done earlier as anxiety symptoms can worsen over time."

If you’re struggling, Anxiety Ireland have a team of accredited psychotherapists who work with thousands of people with anxiety every year.