Anxiety that arrives without a reason

Anxiety in these years is often described as free-floating: a physical sense of dread that arrives before any thought does.

The mind then finds a candidate, whether that is work, money or a family member, and the worry attaches itself there. That can make it feel like the situation is the cause when the feeling came first.

Recognizing the order of events does not remove it, but it makes it less convincing.

Treating it as a physical state to be managed with movement, food, breath and daylight, rather than a problem to be solved by thinking harder.

Writing down what the anxiety is currently claiming. Seen on paper, it is often much thinner than it felt.

New or worsening anxiety deserves a proper conversation with a doctor. There are several possible contributors and they are not all hormonal.