Anxiety can include a variety of issues, from generalized anxiety disorder to phobias, 30 students who attended the “Feeling Fried” workshop discovered Tuesday night.

“A lot of people can’t define anxiety without using the word anxiety,” said Linda Anderson, counselor and speaker at the workshop, which discussed the different scopes of anxiety.

She said anxiety is the general feeling of being uncomfortable.

Many people experience anxiety in many different ways. People may have any range of anxiety – however, in moderation, it is a normal part of life, Anderson said. This range of emotion happens because people are born with a natural programmed anxiety level. Also, the way individuals were raised plays a key role in how they react, she said. Some people have generalized anxiety all the time.

One student said during the first two weeks of school, she would wake up every two hours.

Carrie Ochs, a junior family services major, said though her reason for being at the seminar was because of a class, she had suffered from panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder in the past because of prescription medication.

“Anything can trigger panic attacks,” Ochs said. Fortunately, people like Anderson are on campus to help, Ochs said.

When experiencing anxiety, several different physical occurrences may happen. For example, one can experience a change in sleep patterns; a lack of concentration; physical symptoms such as stomach cramps, headaches and shaky knees; or an increase or decrease in appetite, Anderson said.

She said the crisis of Sept. 11 may cause some across the nation to experience post-traumatic stress disorder, which is a form of anxiety that is caused by a traumatic event that may trigger flashbacks and unpleasant images. People may begin to relive this event in their thoughts to a point that they may have nightmares, cold sweats and finally break down in their normal activities.

“This is educational. People need to learn about anxiety,” Anderson said.