M.J. Higby, Contributor
Waking Times

Arthur Somers Roche once said, “Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”

If you’ve been affected by anxiety, you not only understand this quote, but you can viscerally feel it. If its owner doesn’t lead the mind, the mind will instead lead. If you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, your stream of thoughts, untamed as they are, often lead to an ocean of worry that defines your daily existence. Drowning in this ocean of worry, you no doubt crave a vacation on a mental island called peace, even if just for a few minutes.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the U.S. affecting 40 million adults or 18% of the population. According to a study commissioned by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety costs the U.S. 42 billion dollars a year, over one-third of the yearly U.S. psychiatric expenditure. The suffering that it causes each individual is immeasurable. Likely the result of the accompanying stigma, only one-third of those affected seek treatment. This stigma is unfortunate for two reasons. The first is that when balanced, anxiety can be a useful trait, otherwise it would not have survived evolutionary pressures. The second is that when the layers are peeled away, anxiety, as well as other mental disorders, appear to be just as physical as other common diseases that are more “acceptable” to have.

SNIP