January 21, 2026 · Anxiety
How to know when it's a problem
By Dr. Rachel Larkspur, PhD · 5 min read
Everyone worries. The question I hear most often — usually whispered, half-apologetically — is whether what's happening inside deserves professional attention at all.
1. It doesn't switch off
Healthy worry spikes and resolves. Clinical anxiety hums in the background for months — through weekends, vacations, and good news alike. If you can't remember the last calm week, that's data.
2. Your world is shrinking
Skipped dinners, declined trips, meetings you'd rather email through. Avoidance feels like relief, but each avoided situation teaches your brain the world is dangerous — and the cage gets smaller.
3. Your body keeps the score
Tension headaches, stomach trouble, broken sleep, a jaw that aches by noon. When worry lives in the body for weeks, it's no longer "just stress" — it's a system asking for help.
4. Reassurance stops working
You Google, you ask, you check — and feel better for an hour. Then the question returns, slightly reshaped. Reassurance-seeking that never sticks is one of anxiety's clearest fingerprints.
5. People you trust are worried
Partners, friends, colleagues mentioning you've changed. We adapt to our own anxiety and stop seeing it; the people around us often notice first. Believe them a little.