Anxiety and anger feel a lot alike. An increased heart rate, feeling flushed, tense muscles, uncomfortable stomach issues -- these symptoms may be familiar to you if you experience chronic anxiety. They may also sound like things you felt the last time you were angry. 

One of the challenges I experience is when the past makes me anxious. I sometimes find that if I think about events from the past, and those events made me anxious, I tend to feel immersed in my memories. I find that it is almost as though I am reliving those events and experiencing all of the emotions all over again. I often compare it to watching a movie or an "episode" of my "show" over and over again.

You've heard that laughter is the best medicine. It is not only a figure of speech, but there is truth to the saying -- anxiety needs a good laugh.

If there is one thing I have learned since realizing that I struggle with chronic anxiety, it's the importance of a support system to lean on for help. While you can use many other coping strategies to manage anxiety symptoms, it is still essential to have others in your corner for support.

This past year was extremely difficult. Many good things happened throughout the year, but my family and I also went through some tough times. As so many recently have, we experienced loss. As a result, I would be remiss if I did not talk about how grief has impacted my anxiety and vice versa. Experiencing loss has made me stop to think about the emotional journey of grief. Furthermore, experiencing loss and the process of grief has taught me how to cope when enduring a deep ocean of emotions, which can be difficult to surface from.

There have been so many changes that have happened in the world this past year, leaving us with anxiety about the unknown. Along with that, I have personally experienced many changes in my life. Typically, I experience anxiety with any change that happens, and this last year has been no different. However, with so many changes happening throughout the world, it has become even more important to take specific steps to prevent from becoming overwhelmed with anxious feelings.

It's the start of a new year, and you may have decided on setting some New Year's resolutions for yourself. This is a great way to start the year, and it is something I try to do every year as well. What I have found over the years is that it is not only a great thing to set goals for myself, but it is also a helpful way to control my anxiety.

We are on the verge of a new year, and that's making some of us anxious. This has been a challenging year, to say the least, and as we get closer to the end of the year, we are still living in uncertain times. I know that, personally, these uncertain times continue to cause tremendous amounts of anxiety as we approach the turn of the year.

We are now in the holiday season, and even though things look a little different than they typically would around this time, remember that you can overcome anxiety with gratefulness. I know that anxiety is something many of us can't seem to avoid. We may even find that we are experiencing more anxiety than usual.

I noticed while trying to think of a topic for this week's article that I often write about anxiety in terms of the individual experiencing it, but up until now, that has not included asking for help when you're anxious. I'll sometimes bring up things like helping someone else with anxiety, but I rarely discuss how to ask for help when you feel anxious yourself.