Anxiety To be anxious or even sad are natural responses to life's stressful events. There is nothing wrong with having an anxious response to a given situation i.e the fight or flight response is the perfect example. These are <PERSON>-given emotional responses that are key to survival. They tells a person rather they should fight or flee. Anxiety may be experienced while trying to make this decision. On the other hand, anxiety becomes concerning when it impairs daily functioning in relationships, school, community and work over a set period of time determined by the DSM-5. Anxiety becomes a disorder when a person meets all of the criteria determined in the DSM-5 and are diagnosed by a qualified health professional. A person can have anxiety but not necessarily have a disorder. You can start by taking this self-assessment to get an idea of the level of your anxiety. Again, don't attempt to diagnose yourself to have or not have a disorder. Just let this be a start for you to put into perspective what you're experiencing and a guide to communicate with a professional your experience. If you are having any symptoms of any kind that are disturbing your ability to function at your healthiest, talk to someone.