Anxiety is a feeling of being keyed up and extra alert. Your heart may race or you may get "butterflies" in your stomach. You may feel short of breath or generally jittery. You're likely to have a feeling of impending danger. These reactions are the way our bodies prepare to cope with stress. All the senses become tuned up and on alert in the presence of a threat. These reactions derive from the primitive "fight or flight" response that enabled early humans to deal quickly with dangerous situations. The causes of anxiety disorder are not clear. Researchers are currently investigating a number of factors including chemical imbalances, enzyme deficiencies, hormones, the role of emotional traumas, and the interaction between emotions and brain chemistry.
