Anxiety is one of the most troubling of human emotions. It is a state of ongoing, gnawing agitation and restlessness, usually accompanied by a churning feeling in the stomach, tight muscles, sweaty palms, shallow breathing and feelings of light-headedness. Anxiety is different from fear in that it usually originates from an inner conflict that the person may not be consciously aware of and therefore is not easily resolved. Anxiety can leave a person feeling immobilised and useless. Fear on the other hand is directed at a specific object such as an oncoming car and is useful because it mobilises a person to take immediate action: eg, getting out of the way. Action based on fear is sometimes described as "fight or flight".
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