Anxiety is not the presence of fear. Fear occurs when there is real and immediate danger it is adaptive and necessary and helps us to perform and react appropriately. Anxiety is when there is a fear response in the absence of or out of proportion to the threat. Anxiety tends to be based on worrying about the future or past difficulties rather than on the immediate situation. It can be maladaptive and unnecessary and may hinder performance at extreme levels. It is important for even young children to understand that it is not a bad thing to have fear and worries but when it becomes anxiety then it is important to go through steps to lower these levels of anxiety. Throughout life chronic anxiety can lead to suppression of the immune system, digestive disorders, premature coronary artery disease and heart attack. These negative physiological manifestations of anxiety can greatly impact a person throughout their life. Often, children are not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but this does not mean that they are not affected by anxiety in their life.