Can you relate to any of the following?

• Feeling like a relentless swarm of unwanted thoughts haunt you and hold you back from enjoying even the simplest things in life.
• Feel restless, nervous or tense.
• Have a sense of impending danger that often lead to panic attacks
• Increased heart rate that’s prompted by everyday situations
• Excessive sweating and trembling
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry.
• Feeling weak and tired.
• Have trouble sleeping.
• Experience gastrointestinal problems
• Have difficulty controlling worry.

Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, one out of ten Americans suffer from anxiety that feels like it’s taken over their lives. These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. It can cause them to withdraw from family and friends simply to avoid the chance of a panic attack.

If you’ve mentally checked off three or more of the above symptoms, chances are you’ve been unable to live life to the fullest. Most of your time is spent trying to manage or avoid people, places or things that may trigger a panic attack.

If this rings true for you, know that help is not just on the way—it’s right here, waiting for you.

Although depression may occur only a handful of times in your life, some people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:

• Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness, or hopelessness.
• Angry outburst, irritability or frustration, even over small matters.
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, including sex, hobbies or sports.
• Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much.
• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort.
• Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for certain foods and weight gain.
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness.
• Slow thinking, speaking or body movements.
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame.
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things.
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches.
• Greater impulsivity.
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs

For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause notable problems in day-to-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why.

If you’ve mentally checked off three or more of the symptoms noted above, know that hope isn’t on the way—it’s here.

Grief is the experience of coping with loss. Most of us think of grief as happening in the painful period following the death of a loved one. But grief can accompany any even that disrupts or challenges our sense of normalcy or ourselves. This includes the loss of connections that define us.

You may grieve the loss of:

• A friend, family member, partner or pet
• A marriage, friendship or another form of kinship
• Your home, neighborhood, or community
• Your job or career
• Financial stability
• A dream or goal
• Good health
• Your youth

The five common stages of grief are:

• Denial. You may have difficulty accepting that a loss is real.
• Anger. You may direct anger at multiple sources, including people who couldn’t save a loved one, God, yourself—or even no one in particular.
• Bargaining. You may imagine reaching an agreement, so you don’t have to deal with a loss. You may also regret past actions that you imagine could have spared you the loss.
• Depression. You may experience the complex emotions associated with depression, including emotional detachment.
• Acceptance. Eventually, most people embrace the reality of loss even if the pain’s still there.

Many people reduce these stages to linear steps everyone must experience to grieve. But the stages aren’t (and were never intended to be) rules. Not everyone who grieves experiences these stages, and they don’t have to happen in any particular order.

The challenge comes when you find yourself seemingly stuck in one or more of the grief stages and can’t seem to move forward. In real-time, all grief is complex. In certain circumstances; however, grief can evolve into something even more complex—prolonged grief. This often involves physical ailments and behavioral changes.

It’s important to remember that grief doesn’t fit into neat boxes or timelines. Also, there’s never a time where you’re “done” with grief. But when prolonged grief takes over your life and keeps you from moving forward, it’s time to seek help.