What anxiety is and what it isn't

Anxiety is an evolutionary response. It arises when the nervous system reads something in the environment as requiring preparation or defense. In that basic function, anxiety has saved our lives for thousands of years.

What we call 'anxiety disorder' appears when that response stays activated in scenarios where there is no real threat, or when its intensity is disproportionate to the context.

[TODO PAOLA: complete with your clinical approach.]