The Anxiety Audit

Anxiety expert Lynn Lyons, whose advice appears regularly in Psychology Today and the New York Times, offers an eye-opening look at the 7 sneaky ways that anxiety and worry weave their way into our families, our friendships, and our jobs, and provides actionable steps to reverse the cycle and reclaim our emotional well-being.

Ask people to describe anxiety and they’ll start with the familiar physical symptoms: racing heart, sweaty palms, difficulty breathing. Anxiety, they might add, is “freaking out,” a panic attack, or a frightening loss of control. But anxiety isn’t always what we think it is, especially now. Anxiety has become the new normal, constant and simmering, disguising itself in patterns and responses we don’t even recognize as anxiety. These patterns include:

• Ruminating and worrying (and mistaking it for problem solving)

• Going global, or seeing the world through an overwhelming, all-or-nothing lens

• Isolating and disconnecting, all too common in our “new normal”

• Creating chaos and “busy-ness”, for example, over-scheduling and multitasking

• Embracing your irritability

• Confusing self-medication with self-care

The Anxiety Audit is a guide for us all: with no overly scientific or diagnostic language—just real talk and time-tested tactics from a respected therapist—itis a relatable and practical guide to untangling yourself from the grips of worry and fear.

Using stories, real-world examples, and helpful dialogues to retrain the way you think and react, trusted anxiety expert Lynn Lyons helps you recognize the sneaky ways these anxious patterns and cycles of worry take hold in your life. By making small and consistent adjustments, you can reverse their negative impacts and move forward with renewed clarity and confidence.