If your life has been impacted by feelings of anxiety or fear you are not alone. Please consider the following:
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States.
• An estimated 19.1 percent of U.S. adults have experienced an anxiety disorder during the past year. That number is much higher with our military population and Veterans.
• An estimated 31.1 percent of U.S. adults will experience an anxiety disorder some time in their lives. Again that figure is much higher for our military and Veterans.
• Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9 percent of those suffering receive treatment. The figure is even less for our military and Veterans.
What these statistics mean, is that feelings of anxiety and fear are commonplace, treatment options are commonplace, so are the treatments. If you’re feeling anxious, worried, fretful, or afraid, you need not suffer alone. Help is readily available. This is especially true for our military and Veterans. Those first entering the service and going through basic training have no idea of the stages of the training and fall into the fear and anxiety. However, they go through this stage with about 20 others and can work it out together. It can and does return throughout their service time and changes. The buddy system helps them recover.
They also face the problem when they are up for discharge and return to civilian life, They didn’t know if they would be accepted back into civilian life. This is one of the main problems that new veterans face. To help, monitor your media intake. Traditional media and social media share common goals to capture your attention and keep you engaged on their platforms. Various media outlets may use disturbing content, anger-inducing, inappropriate images, gratuitous violence, or sensationalized news to keep you turned in. So whether you realize it or not, the media may be adding to your anxiety and fears. The answer to this dilemma, of course is to monitor your media intake and act accordingly.
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