Anxiety: where normal ends and a problem begins
Anxiety is not a malfunction. It is a built-in alarm: it picks up a possible threat and readies the body to act. Feeling anxious before an exam, a job interview or a difficult conversation is normal — that is how the system is meant to work.
- Lyudmila Chernysheva, psychologist and hypnotherapist
- Updated: September 28, 2026
Anxiety becomes a problem when the alarm stops switching off: there is no threat, or it is disproportionately small, yet the body reacts as if it were real — for weeks on end[1]. The difference lies not only in how strong the feeling is but also in three signs: the anxiety outlasts its cause, spreads into areas it never used to touch, and starts to steer your decisions — you turn down plans, put things off, avoid people.
How it feels
Constant background tension, worst-case scenarios replaying in your head, trouble relaxing even when everything around you is calm. Sleep becomes light and the body tight — shoulders, jaw, stomach. Many people come to me not with the word “anxiety” but with “I’m tired all the time” or “I can’t switch my brain off”.
What the research says
According to WHO, anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in the world: in 2023 around 470 million people were living with them, and only about one in four gets any help[1]. WHO stresses that effective help exists[1], and a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials shows that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) works better than placebo[2]. The UK’s NICE guideline CG113 recommends that, when anxiety does not go away on its own, the first step should be psychological work[3].
What you can do yourself
Notice it and name it: “right now I am anxious about…” — once anxiety has a name, it has less hold over you. Give your body the basics back: regular sleep, movement, no skipped meals. Mundane, but it helps. Limit what feeds it: the news and social media before bed are the first things anxiety feeds on. And try breathing and grounding practices, for example from the free illustrated WHO guide “Doing What Matters in Times of Stress”[4].
When it is time to see a specialist
If anxiety lasts longer than a few weeks, gets in the way of work, sleep or relationships, or if panic attacks or avoidance have set in, that is a reason to work through it with someone rather than put up with it[1]. If there are physical symptoms (chest pain, prolonged sleep disturbance, weight loss), see a doctor first: physical causes need to be ruled out. Don’t put off talking to a specialist if you have started relieving tension more often with alcohol or sedatives not prescribed by a doctor. If thoughts of death, or of not wanting to live, have appeared, call straight away: your local emergency number (112 or 103 in Kazakhstan; in Almaty, psychological support 1303).
You can check yourself with the “Anxiety level” test on this site — it is the author’s own self-observation checklist, not a diagnosis, but a good starting point.
Sources
- World Health Organization (2026). Anxiety disorders (fact sheet). World Health Organization, URL www.who.int/
news-room/ fact-sheets/ detail/ anxiety-disorders - Carpenter J. K., Andrews L. A., Witcraft S. M., et al. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Depression and Anxiety, DOI 10.1002/
da.22728 - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2011). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management. Clinical guideline CG113 (updated 2020). NICE, URL www.nice.org.uk/
guidance/ cg113 - World Health Organization (2020). Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide. World Health Organization, URL www.who.int/
publications/ i/ item/ 9789240003927
The limits of this article
This article is for information only: it does not replace a consultation or a doctor's help.
If you feel very bad right now — in Kazakhstan call 112 or 103; free round-the-clock psychological help — 1303 (Almaty).
If anxiety is already getting in the way of sleep, daily tasks or decisions — in a consultation we can go through your own cycle of anxiety and find a first step that gives back a little control.
See also
- Anxiety testa self-observation checklist
- Individual therapyhow one-to-one work goes
- Bookingchoose a format and book
- Panic attack: what to doWhat happens in the body during an attack and what to do while it lasts.
- Why panic comes backWhy a single episode turns into a way of life — and where the loop can be broken.
- Bedtime anxietyWhy your mind switches on when the light goes out, and what you can change this week.