Upworthy

If you're a chronic worrier, here's what you should know about your brain.

I worry a lot. I worry about my friends, my health, my planet. Heck, I worry about worrying too much.

Image from iStock.

It can keep me up at night wondering whether I've ruined my shoes by buying shoe polish, or it can make me read that one email 10 times before sending it off. It can be tempting to hate my brain for worrying so much.

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Family

Anxiety affects everyone differently. These comics offer some great coping tips.

Comic artist Sara Zimmerman drew her daily struggles with a little 'shoulder monster' called anxiety.

Anxiety is pretty common in adults.

It's so common, in fact, that it affects about 18% of us — 40 million adults ages 18 to 54 — in the U.S. every year.

Though anxiety looks different on everyone, it is typically a normal reaction to stress. However, for some people, anxiety can become excessive, and it can have debilitating effects. Post-traumatic stress disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders are just a few of the most common types of anxiety disorders that millions of Americans experience during their adult life.