Generalised Anxiety

Everyone worries. What makes generalised anxiety different is that the worry doesn't quite have an off switch. It moves from one thing to the next — work, health, family, money, whether you replied to that message the right way — and even when things are objectively fine, there's a background hum of "something is about to go wrong". A lot of people who live with this don't recognise it as anxiety for years. They just think of themselves as "someone who overthinks", or "a bit of a worrier", or "just wired this way".

This page is written to help you recognise the shape of it. Not to diagnose you, and not to prescribe what to do about it — that's a conversation for a trained mental health professional who can hear your particular version of it. But if some of what's below sounds like an accurate description of your inner weather, that's worth taking seriously.

What generalised anxiety can actually feel like

Worry that moves. As soon as one thing is resolved, another takes its place. The worry finds a new hook faster than you can put the last one down.

A body that stays braced. Shoulders that live near the ears. A jaw you didn't realise was clenched. A stomach that reacts before your mind has caught up — nausea before meetings, a churn before phone calls, IBS-style symptoms that flare in stressful weeks.

Trouble winding down. Even when you're on the sofa, on holiday, in bed — your mind is running through a list you didn't ask it to run through. Sleep either takes ages to arrive, or arrives fitfully, or lifts you at 4am to hand you tomorrow's worries early.

Restlessness. A difficulty just sitting with yourself. Reaching for the phone the moment there's a gap.

A sense of dread you can't attach to anything specific. It's not that something bad has happened. It's that something bad might.

Difficulty concentrating — not because you don't care, but because part of your attention is always parked somewhere else, scanning.

Physical fatigue from all of it. Being anxious is metabolically expensive. People with long-standing anxiety often describe a tiredness that rest doesn't quite fix.

How it's different from just being a worrier

The clinical distinction isn't whether you worry — most people do. It's whether the worry is out of proportion to the situation, hard to control, present most days, and starting to shape your life around itself (avoiding things, over-preparing for things, needing reassurance more than feels normal). Guidelines typically look for a pattern lasting six months or more, but you don't need to wait six months to notice you're struggling.

Signs it's time to see a mental health professional

• The worry is affecting your sleep, your appetite, or your ability to focus at work

• You've started avoiding situations, conversations, or decisions because thinking about them is too much

• You're using alcohol, food, or your phone to take the edge off more than you used to

• People close to you have gently pointed out that you seem "on edge" or "in your head"

• Physical symptoms — headaches, stomach issues, muscle tension, chest tightness — keep showing up and your GP hasn't found a physical cause

• You've been told by more than one doctor that "your tests are fine" and yet you don't feel fine

• You can't remember the last time your mind felt genuinely quiet

What a first consultation actually involves

Seeing a psychiatrist for anxiety is usually less clinical than people imagine. It's a conversation about how you've been feeling, how you've been sleeping, what your body's been doing, what your history is, and what's been running through your head. The point isn't to slap a label on you. It's to understand your particular version of what's happening, and to help you figure out together what next steps might make sense. Nothing gets decided in the first meeting that you don't have time to think about.

Frequently asked questions

Is anxiety just something I have to live with?
No. Anxiety is one of the most treatable things a psychiatrist sees. Learning to recognise it is the first step.

How do I know if it's anxiety or just stress?
Stress usually eases when the external pressure eases. Anxiety often doesn't. If your worry outlives the situation that caused it, that's a useful signal.

I've always been like this. Can that still be anxiety?
Yes. Long-standing patterns can absolutely be clinically meaningful. "I've always been anxious" is a reason to have the conversation, not a reason to skip it.

Will I have to take medication?
That's a decision that only ever gets made with you, based on your specific situation. Many people find non-pharmacological approaches sufficient. That conversation happens later, not on a website.

Can I bring someone with me?
Yes. Whatever helps you feel steadier walking in.

If some of this sounds like an accurate description of what your days feel like, that's a signal worth acting on. You can book a consultation with Dr Pragya Sharma — Consultant Psychiatrist — in person in Mohali or online across India.

Reviewed by Dr Pragya Sharma, MBBS, DPM, DNB Psychiatry — Consultant Psychiatrist, Repose Clinic, Mohali. Last reviewed: 1 August 2026.