You're sitting in your car, in the parking lot at work. You start to wonder, if you turned off the lights and locked the door before you left home. You're in the supermarket shopping and you try to remember if you locked your car door, before you went in. Those types of thoughts happen to a lot of people during the day. Most people deal with their uncertain thoughts in a rational calm manner. But what about those people, who allow their uncertain thoughts to get the best of them. How do they cope?

Unfortunately, there are millions of people whose lives can unravel just from negative or uncertain thoughts. This behavior has become so common, that there's actually a name for it. It's called anxiety. Anxiety is when someone has strong negative feelings, like, worry, fear and dread; and these feelings are enhanced because they can bring on physical illness, like, nausea and chest pains. People whose anxieties are extreme are considered to have anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are a form of mental illness and can make it hard for people to lead normal lives.

There are many types of anxiety disorders, including, generalized anxiety disorder, this is more common in women. This type of anxiety isn't focused on anything in particular. Panic disorder, this anxiety can strike suddenly. Panic attacks can cause shaking, sweating and dizziness. Social anxiety disorder, this anxiety lurks in people who have a fear of being judged by others. Obsessive compulsive disorder, this anxiety causes people to think about and do certain things over and over; like, constantly washing their hands and re-checking the door, to make sure it's locked. Phobias, most people probably have some form of this anxiety. Phobias can include, fear of flying, snakes, spiders and elevators.

What causes people to have anxiety? Sometimes it's just the stress of life that causes anxiety. This stress can come from financial problems, the death of a loved one or some other major trauma. Anxiety can also be hereditary. It's possible that other family members had an anxiety, long before it was passed down to someone else. A lot of people feel that a major cause of anxiety is a chemical imbalance, but this theory hasn't been proven as fact. And sometimes an anxiety attack is nothing more than the side effect of another illness; like people with asthma may get anxiety when they lose their breath, but once their asthma is treated, the anxiety goes away.

What can people do to help relieve their anxiety? Of course, there are different forms of medications people can use. Valium is one drug used to help with anxiety. Xanax can be used for panic attacks, but this drug is also very addictive. Psychotherapy is also used in the treatment of anxiety. Hypnotherapy has also been used as a treatment, but it's not considered good for the long term. There are also ways for people to help themselves, these include, a healthy diet, relaxation techniques, regular sleeping habits, exercise and walking.