How Do You Know If You Have Anxiety?: Signs And Symptoms Of Anxiety
Occasional anxiety can be a natural response to stress, pressure, or a threat. But depending on the level of anxiety and how often it occurs, anxiety could also signal something more significant, such as generalized anxiety disorder. If mental and physical anxiety symptoms disrupt your everyday life, it may be time to seek help from a professional. You might schedule a session with a therapist in your local area or connect with a therapist through an online therapy platform. You can also try various self-help strategies to relieve anxiety, such as leaning on your support system, practicing relaxation and stress management techniques, getting plenty of rest, and limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption.
How do you know if you have anxiety?
Many life experiences can cause anxiety. The feeling of anxiety is usually related to the body’s fight-or-flight response. That response can get triggered in challenging situations such as test-taking, a job interview, or doing something for the first time, such as going on a date. Such anxiety may be beneficial because it can help you stay focused and motivated. You’re likely to work harder on your test or be on alert when out alone at night if you are anxious and alert. While anxiety in small doses may be helpful, it may become a problem when it occurs frequently and at a level of intensity that isn’t equal to the threat at hand.
Identifying the cause of worry
For example, if you have social anxiety disorder, you may avoid being around people, even if you know them. Problematic anxiety may include anxiety symptoms so intense it can become hard to socialize with people at home and work. If you experience excessive worry and anxiety, you may have generalized anxiety disorder. You may feel anxious about a variety of things for an extended time, or you may experience anxiety for what seems to be no particular reason. You could also experience physical anxiety symptoms, such as headaches or stomach aches.
Signs and symptoms of anxiety that can affect your daily life
Some forms of anxiety can be helpful to raise awareness or keep you alert. Yet, intense anxiety may sometimes make things more challenging. Such anxiety symptoms may be common for people with generalized anxiety disorder, but sometimes people may not realize they have a problem with anxiety. Experiencing anxiety doesn’t always mean an anxiety disorder is present or that you have a high risk of developing an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can impact your life in different ways, including your relationships and how you socialize with others. Here are some examples of an anxiety disorder affecting your daily activities:
Signs that your anxiety and stress are affecting your daily life
- You feel so anxious about work that you decide to stay home.
- You decide to skip socializing with friends because of anxiety.
- You find it hard to establish or maintain a relationship because of feelings of anxiety.
- You worry too much about things, sometimes having trouble concentrating on daily tasks.
- You don’t enjoy certain activities like you used to or have trouble engaging.
- You are unable to relax and enjoy your leisure time because you are feeling restless and anxious.
- You have trouble falling or staying asleep at night because anxiety sometimes keeps you awake.
Physical symptoms of anxiety
- Restlessness, agitation, or tension
- Nervousness, irritability, or a feeling of dread
- Feeling panicked or in danger
- Heavy sweating, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate
- Muscle trembling or anxiety twitching
- Lack of concentration due to worrying
- Difficulty sleeping, insomnia, and fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Tense muscles
- Physical discomforts, such as an upset stomach, diarrhea, constipation, or gas
- Avoiding socializing with others
Types of anxiety disorders
There can be many different anxiety disorders associated with anxiety, and they are all accompanied by a unique set of anxiety symptoms.
Generalized anxiety disorder
When anxiety affects your life, or you find yourself struggling to get basic tasks done, it may be time to talk to your doctor to identify what type of anxiety disorder you may be experiencing and what your treatment options for anxiety are.
If you experience intense anxiety more often than not for six months or longer, you may have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The National Alliance on Mental Illness asserts that worrying can consume hours a day for someone with GAD. Over 3% of the US population has generalized anxiety disorder.
Panic disorder
2.7% of Americans have anxiety panic disorder, and women are twice as likely to have anxiety panic attacks. A panic attack typically occurs suddenly and may include some of the previous anxiety symptoms mentioned, along with potential chest tightness, dizziness, fear of losing control, or feeling detached from reality.
Social anxiety disorder
According to the American Psychiatric Association, social phobia impacts over 7% of the US population, causing extreme self-consciousness in everyday situations. Social anxiety can make it difficult for you to attend work or school, or the anxiety may make you feel physically ill just being in some situations. In more extreme cases, some people with anxiety may struggle to leave their homes, missing out on key life events with others.
Specific phobia
9.1% of Americans have specific phobias, such as the fear of needles, blood, heights, spiders, or another specific object or scenario. Feelings of anxiety and fear are out of proportion to the actual danger that the object or situation can cause.
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Receiving a diagnosis and seeking mental health treatment
Studies suggest that close to 20% of people in the United States may live with an anxiety disorder every year. While you may not know you have an anxiety disorder, it can be important to note that anxiety is usually treatable.
Receiving a proper diagnosis from a mental health professional
You may not get help because you don’t realize you need it for anxiety. Meanwhile, some people experiencing anxiety symptoms may want help but think you can’t get it if you don’t have health insurance. You might find it challenging to find an anxiety therapist. You may be pushed away by issues surrounding the mental illness stigma, believing there isn’t enough evidence to “prove” you are experiencing an anxiety disorder.
Seeking mental health treatment for anxiety disorders
Sometimes anxiety itself can keep you from getting help. However, there may be many options for available anxiety treatment, including online therapy, in-person therapy, and other support through local community health agencies. The National Institute of Mental Health also suggests support groups and stress management techniques to help manage your anxiety symptoms.
Self-help strategies for anxiety disorders
Taking control of your anxiety often includes making lifestyle changes and understanding healthy ways to cope with stress, such as the following:
- Connect with someone. Identify someone you can talk to when you feel alone or isolated. Seek self-help anxiety support groups online to connect with peers and others who relate. You may make new friends or establish another line of support.
- Practice stress management techniques. Being under high levels of stress may lead to chronic anxiety. Managing your stress may include getting others to help with your workload.
- Engage in relaxation techniques. Activities like meditation and exercise can be great for reducing and relieving stress. You can take up a hobby like dance or martial arts, or complete simple exercises such as running, walking, or playing with the dog or your kids. A recent study even found that regular meditation could be just as effective as medication in treating anxiety.
- Avoid worrying too often. Anxiety tends to be a habit, and habits can often be broken. A popular CBT technique typically includes identifying negative thought patterns that may be causing anxiety and replacing them with healthier ways of thinking.
- Get plenty of rest. More sleep can help the body create energy to keep you energized and refreshed during the day. It can also keep anxious thoughts away. Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
- Limit your intake of alcohol and caffeine. These substances can fuel anxiety and make it more challenging to calm yourself.
As you learn more about anxiety and how it affects your life, you may find out which methods to consider and how to integrate them into your daily routine.
Managing anxiety with online therapy
Sometimes, self-help strategies can be most effective when used with professional support. When anxiety interferes with daily responsibilities and socialization with others, it may be time to seek professional help.
You should seek professional support if your anxiety creates symptoms that you experience regularly. Your doctor may ask about your anxiety symptoms and rule out any underlying conditions. Your doctor will likely want to learn more about your living habits to get a better idea of what is going on behind your anxiety symptoms and how best to treat these anxiety symptoms. Together, they will help you create a treatment plan that typically includes a mixture of psychotherapy and certain anxiety medications.
Benefits of online therapy
Takeaway
What are some signs and symptoms of anxiety?
People who experience anxiety can have physical symptoms, mental symptoms, or both. Physical symptoms include sweating, racing heart, chest pain or other aches and pains, shaking, and feeling faint, while mental symptoms include fear, a sense of impending doom, restlessness, agitation, and difficulty focusing. People with anxiety may also have panic attacks.
How do you know if you have anxiety?
People who suffer from anxiety or anxiety disorders may not know exactly what they’re struggling with. However, if you experience the above symptoms on a regular or ongoing basis, you may be dealing with anxiety. Explaining your symptoms to your primary care physician or a mental health provider can help you better determine if you have anxiety or not.
How does anxiety start?
People with anxiety disorders may first experience anxiety as a child; for example, they may have a fear of spiders that turns into a lifelong phobia. Certain triggers may worsen anxiety and a phobia can turn into excessive anxiety or even panic disorder. For some people, anxiety seems to come out of the blue; it can also be the result of a traumatic event, hormonal changes, medication side effects, or the product of a stressful period of time.
How do I manage symptoms of anxiety?
If you’re experiencing anxiety or other mental health concerns, it’s normal to want to find ways to make symptoms stop. Some lifestyle interventions, such as regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, journaling, and meditating may improve anxiety. Speaking with a counselor or therapist can also help, along with working with a healthcare professional to potentially try anti anxiety medications.
How do people with anxiety behave?
There are different types of anxiety disorders, for example, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and several other anxiety disorders. The type of anxiety a person struggles with may impact the way they act, but general anxiety symptoms include nervousness, restlessness, sweating, and shaking, among other symptoms.
These physical symptoms are the body’s response to overwhelming worry and fear. People with anxiety may respond to everyday situations with unrealistic worry, and their response goes beyond the normal reaction to the trigger, or potential danger. In the case of social phobia, for instance, the person may feel anxiety to the point that they avoid situations where they have to interact with others.
What can anxiety do to your body?
Anxiety and other mental health conditions can have an effect on your physical health. Excessive anxiety may lead to appetite changes, which can result in weight gain or loss; anxiety may also cause increased stress, which can lead to medical illness such as cardiovascular issues and gastrointestinal issues.
Beyond these physical conditions, anxiety can also cause physical sensations in the moment such as a pounding heart, muscle tension, trembling, and excessive sweating. Many types of anxiety interfere with sleep, causing poor quality of sleep and daytime drowsiness. If you’re having sleep problems or any of these other common symptoms, talk to your primary care provider or other healthcare professional to rule out any other medical condition.
What does anxiety feel like in your head?
Anxiety feels different depending on each person who experiences it and the different types of anxiety people may be living with. Someone with separation anxiety, for example, may experience intense fear and worry if they’re separated from a certain person. Someone with social anxiety, on the other hand, may feel intense fear and anxiety when in social situations.
What makes anxiety worse?
Most people have anxiety triggers that cause their anxiety to worsen. Some of these triggers may be stress, traumatic events, or big life changes like a new job or moving houses. For people with phobias, being exposed to their phobias can make anxiety worse. Mental disorders like PTSD and OCD can also worsen anxiety.
For example, post-traumatic stress disorder can cause intense flashbacks of a traumatic event, which in turn causes greater anxiety. Moreover, obsessive compulsive disorder can trigger intrusive thoughts that cause a person to experience severe anxiety. People with these conditions are encouraged to seek treatment for relief of these disruptive symptoms.
Other medical conditions and certain medications can also worsen anxiety. Talk to your doctor or other medical provider for ways to lower anxiety. They can use your medical history to determine any factors, including a medical cause, that could be contributing to your constant worry and anxiety.
Can anxiety be cured?
For many people, anxiety is a chronic condition. However, many people find great relief from anxiety symptoms with treatment. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental disorder but are very treatable with psychotherapeutic interventions.
The most common type of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders is cognitive behavior therapy, or CBT. This type of therapy combines elements of cognitive behavior and behavioral therapy to help individuals reframe negative thoughts and change behaviors that could be contributing to their irrational fear and anxiety.
Is anxiety a form of mental illness?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder, are types of mental illnesses. Panic disorder is another type of anxiety disorder that causes repeated panic attacks that interfere with everyday tasks. Other common anxiety disorders include specific phobias and substance use-induced anxiety disorder.
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