A notorious worrywart, Woody Allen once said: "If I get chapped lips, I think it's brain cancer". Sound familiar? Whether it's agonising over an unpaid bill while you lie awake at night, or biting your nails down to the quick as you sweat over the menu for your two-year-old's birthday party, we all have a little Woody in us.

Research shows that women worry twice as much as men - we're almost twice as likely to be among the 25 per cent of the Aussie population who'll develop an anxiety disorder at some time in their life, including generalised anxiety disorder (persistent and irrational worry about everyday things). And the younger you are, the more likely it is that you'll freak out about the germ buffet in the office bathroom. Experts say anxiety is most common in women aged between 18 and 33.

Genetics are partly to blame for all this obsessing: studies show that women have lower levels of the brain enzyme catechol-O-methyltranferase (COMT), which reduces anxiety. And women who have a particular variation of the gene called Val158Met2, that makes COMT, are likely to worry most of all. (Men who have the same genetic make-up are no more anxious than other blokes, however.)

Genetics aside, women are just different creatures psychologically and socially - we can get pretty worked up over pretty much anything from our ticking biological clock to the Mount Vesuvius-like zit in the middle of our foreheads. That's why we went straight to the experts to identify some of our most common obsessions and find out what you really need to know: which ones are worth obsessing about - and which aren't.

The personal safety obsession

Is that man giving me a creepy stare on the street going to ATTACK ME?

Obsess

We've all been given the gift of fear, so use it. "Be aware," says Greg McKenzie, a Thai kick boxer and former celebrity bodyguard who now runs Fight Back, a self-defence course for women (adrenalin.com.au). "Most assaults take place in the early morning or late at night, so at these times it pays to be more aware of your surroundings and people in them." McKenzie also stresses the importance of confidence. "Police interrogators say that assailants look for victims who look timid," he says. "They also look for long hair, necklaces and scarves as they offer extra grip." Make eye contact with anyone you suspect, nix the iPod when you're out at night and park your car in well-lit areas. And don't be afraid to shout. "Your voice is a weapon," McKenzie says. "Screaming NO! at an assailant shows you're willing to stand your ground."

The bad breath obsession

Maybe everyone is just too polite to tell me that my breath smells like something that just crawled out of a sewer...

Chill

First, a quick test: lick the back of your hand (make sure no one is looking before you do this). Wait five seconds. Now sniff where your tongue's just been. That, roughly, is what your breath smells like. If you don't like what you smell, some chewy, mouthwash or even a glass of water can ease a mild case of bad breath. If it's more severe, try the following:

1 Replace your morning coffee with a cup of black tea. Coffee dries out your mouth, and a dry mouth is a stinky mouth. But the polyphenols in tea attack bacteria on your tongue.
2 Drink water or chew gum to produce saliva, which washes away debris that would otherwise grow fetid.
3 Use the word "fetid". No, it doesn't help your breath, but a kick-arse vocabulary may distract people.

The "Am I good in bed?" obsession

I could never be as, er, dextrous as those women in porn films. But is that what my partner wants?

Chill

Well, let's see... do you have a bed? Is there a person in it? Do you occasionally have sex with that person? Congratulations, you are officially good in bed. "This whole idea that you are good or bad when it comes to sex, that's purely thinking like a woman. Men are just delighted that women are willing to have sex with them at all," says the incredibly reassuring Dr Drew Pinsky, a GP and host of US radio show Loveline, which offers health and relationship advice to callers. Forget about mastering exotic techniques and focus instead on something simple: enjoying yourself. Dr Pinsky says nothing turns a man on more than the idea that he's turning you on, so if what he's doing feels great - or if just being in bed with him feels great - let him know it with all the verve, energy and playfulness you can muster. "As God is my witness," says Dr Pinsky, "this is what men are looking for: enthusiasm."

WH sex expert Jacqueline Hellyer agrees."Worrying about not being good in bed will just make you worse in bed - just relax and enjoy yourself and you'll intuitively become a better lover." As for being like a porn actress? "You can't 'act' in the sex act," Hellyer says. "Then you're not being true to yourself." Amen.

The disaster obsession

Terrorists. Germs. Natural disasters. Maybe I'll just curl up and stay in bed.

Obsess

Granted, many fears are overinflated - bird flu, anyone? That's not to say swine (or bird) flu isn't a serious threat, but bad news tends to grab people's attention, so the media often leads with it. Still, it's smart to take precautions, says WH health expert Dr Ginni Mansberg. "Always wash your hands well, especially before eating, tactfully avoid putting your face in front of people who are coughing and sneezing, and don't put pressure on your co-workers to turn up to work if they're sick." It's also true that climate change, population growth and coastal and urban overcrowding are putting us at greater risk of natural disasters such as bushfires and floods. State Emergency Services recommend that all homes have a Home Emergency Kit prepared to help you respond in case of emergency. It should contain a portable radio and torch, spare batteries for both, a first aid kit, candles and waterproof matches, any important papers and emergency contact numbers. Keep it somewhere safe and regularly replace out-of-date batteries and the like.

The "Did my best friend secretly call me a bitch behind my back?" obsession

She denies it, but your mate's sister's cousin swore she did.

Chill

Women are conditioned to be good girls and to avoid confrontation. "That leads to duplicity and refusal to take responsibility," says Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls. In other words, you may only know your friend has a problem when you hear it from somebody else. If your friend is throwing around the b-word, Simmons' tips will help you rebuild trust:

1. Put your claws away and stop counting apologies. Both of you may have to do some apologising; self-righteousness will stop you from saying sorry.
2. Verify she said it. Tell her exactly what you heard she said, then how it made you feel.
3. Affirm the relationship. Conflict doesn't mean a social apocalypse. Peppering the chat with nice-isms like, "This friendship means a lot to me" will alleviate the fear in the female DNA that conflict means ending the relationship.
4. Put her on notice. Without being aggro, be very clear about the recourse if it happens again. Say, "I'll take your word for it this time, but if it happens again, it's going to be very hard for me to know what's the truth and what isn't".

The sexual health obsession

Do I have an STI I don't know about? And what if I get Toxic Shock Syndrome?

A bit of both

When you think sexually transmitted infections (STIs), you picture itching, smelly discharge, blisters and bumps on your skin (not to mention potentially relationship-killing conversations). Not so, says Dr Myron Cohen, an infectious disease expert. "Most of these signs aren't present in women with STIs, which is why you need medical intervention." Ask your doc for a comprehensive STI screening when you go for your annual exam. This should include a urine test, a swab test, a blood test and a general physical examination. For more info about what to look for and what to expect, go to sti.health.gov.au.

As for Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), while it's not a reportable illness in Australia (which means no local figures are available), in the UK the average number of confirmed cases of TSS is approximately 20 per annum - that's out of a population of 58 million. And only about half of these cases are tampon-related, so you really shouldn't spend your time worrying about this one. Although a breakout of TSS linked to tampons in the 1980s may have sent women flocking back to uncomfortable, bulky pads, it's totally fine to wear tampons. To further improve your odds, use the least absorbent size for your needs and change your tampons every four hours, says gynaecologist Dr Mary Jane Minkin. And keep your plumbing free for a few hours by wearing tampons in the day and pads during the night.