How Effects Of Anxiety Can Spread

Feelings of stress, fear, and dread are typically what is being referred to when we talk about anxiety. For many of us, anxiety seems to permeate our lives regardless of our situation or environment.

Anxiety is normal and most people will experience it from time to time; for example, it’s common to have a bit of anxiety in new social situations or professional roles. However, when you begin to experience mental and physical symptoms that interfere with daily life, an anxiety disorder could be the cause. Anxiety disorders like social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder can affect all areas of your life. 

In this article, we will explore the most common anxiety symptoms, as well as the major types of anxiety disorders, how their negative effects can spread throughout your life, and what you can do to stop them in their tracks. 

Symptoms of an anxiety disorder

These feelings, while very common, may indicate the presence of a disorder if they tend to persist. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. 

Effects of anxiety

There are many different types of anxiety disorders, but their symptoms tend to overlap. The most common symptoms may include: 

• Feeling nervous, restless, or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic, or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Having trouble sleeping
• Experiencing gastrointestinal challenges or other physical health problems
• Having difficulty controlling worry
• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger you

Along with these common symptoms, an article published by AmeriDisability calls attention to some of the more rare symptoms that anxiety may lead to. These other symptoms can include: 

• Indigestion
• Phantom ringing, or tinnitus
• Burning sensation on the skin, lips, tongue or eyes
• Excessive yawning
• Derealization, or the feeling of not being in reality
• Blurred vision, dilated pupils, or watery eyes
• Skin rashes
• Cold hands or feet

Anxiety disorder types

While a certain amount of occasional stress or nervousness is to be expected in everyday life, persistent anxiety that doesn’t seem to go away, or seems to worsen over time, could potentially indicate a mental health disorder. 

The following are a few common anxiety disorders:

GAD is a disorder characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry, and tension, even when there is little or nothing to provoke these symptoms.

Panic disorder

Social phobia or social anxiety disorder: an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations.

Separation anxiety disorder often leads people to experience excessive distress at the thought of being away from home or attachment figures. People with separation anxiety disorder may also experience fear when they are alone. 

While each anxiety disorders will present in different ways, leaving symptoms untreated may result in long term consequences that have the potential to spread throughout a person’s life in several ways. 

The long-term effects

When addressing anxiety symptoms, it is fairly easy to see how some of these can spread throughout a person’s life on a day-to-day basis. For example, the emotional manifestations of anxiety can easily cause disruptions at work or amid relationships, often leading to additional anxiety. 

Along with the psychological effects, recent studies show a strong link between anxiety and physical pain. An article published by Harvard Health details the overlap of anxiety and pain, noting it is particularly evident in chronic and sometimes disabling pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, low back pain, headaches, and nerve pain.

The article cites an example, stating that nearly two-thirds of patients with irritable bowel syndrome who are referred for follow-up care have psychological distress symptoms, typically related to anxiety. 

Thankfully, there are various types of effective treatments available for anxiety and other mental health disorders. Oftentimes, psychotherapy alone can be effective in treating both the psychological and physiological symptoms of anxiety. The most common types of psychotherapy utilized in anxiety treatment are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and relaxation training. 

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