Signs Of Anxiety: Physical, Mental And Emotional

Medically reviewed by Julie Dodson, MA, LCSW

Updated October 8, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions, with research showing that over 19% of adults in the U.S. (40 million people) experience an anxiety disorder every year. Despite anxiety disorders being common, there causes can vary widely. For example, you might worry about a project at work or an event where you have to speak in front of a group of people. Anxiety might also arise because you need to confront someone about an uncomfortable topic or you have bills you don't know how to pay. Sometimes people with anxiety experience it without understanding why.

Whatever the reason for anxiety, it can manifest in various ways. This article examines the signs, symptoms, and types of anxiety, and what you can do to overcome them.

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What are the symptoms of anxiety disorders?

The symptoms can be mild, moderate, or severe. The disorders can vary considerably, from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) to selective mutism. Not everyone has the same symptoms, and they can manifest in physical, emotional, and mental changes. It can be helpful to know the various possible signs so that you can recognize symptoms in yourself and others.

Physical symptoms

Some people think anxiety only affects a person’s state of mind. While this condition can affect mental and emotional health, it can also appear in physical symptoms. Below are some of the most frequent physical signs of anxiety:

Insomnia

Insomnia refers to difficulty falling or staying asleep. Anxiety often keeps people awake at night as they worry about events from their day or how they will solve personal problems. Insufficient sleep can also cause more feelings of anxiety, leading to a vicious cycle that affects a person’s overall well-being. People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or panic disorder may be more susceptible to insomnia. Research shows that sleep disturbances are commonly associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Waking up in a panic and being concerned about having panic attacks can also disturb sleep.

Respiratory symptoms

When anxiety intensifies, it can cause you to take shallow breaths, depriving your body of sufficient oxygen. Too little oxygen feeds the fight-or-flight response, potentially increasing symptoms of apprehension. Shallow breathing can also make you feel dizzy and lightheaded and even make you faint. Learning deep breathing techniques can be an effective way to control these symptoms.

Stomach anxiety symptoms

People with anxiety often have a variety of digestive symptoms. These can include a feeling of knots or butterflies in the stomach, cramps, indigestion, and stomach aches. Anxiety can also cause a lack of appetite, a desire to overeat, and nausea. In some cases, stress can result from or contribute to an imbalance of healthy gut bacteria.

Weakened immune system

When you experience high levels of stress over an extended period, it can weaken your immune system. A weak immune response can make a person more susceptible to infections like the common cold and the flu, as well as skin conditions, digestive problems, and other health concerns.

Sweating

Anxiety can be a response to feeling threatened. Therefore, physical and emotional threats can trigger the fight-or-flight response, pumping excess stress hormones into the blood, and resulting in sweating.

Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Because anxiety activates the autonomic nervous system, it can often lead to a heart palpitations and elevated blood pressure. Anxiety alone does not necessarily cause hypertension, but if prolonged, high blood pressure from stress can damage the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels.

Emotional signs of anxiety

If you experience anxiety, it can impact your overall mental well-being. Some milder physical and emotional signs of anxiety include feeling nervous or tense, having a dry mouth, and being unable to relax. Symptoms can also include racing thoughts that lead to difficulty concentrating.

These thoughts can consist of unpleasant situations from the past and concerns about what will happen in the future.

Another emotional symptom of anxiety is feeling uncomfortable around other people. For example, you might think that all eyes are on you and everyone is judging you. This is related to another symptom of anxiety: hypervigilance. This is a severe form of hyper-alertness to potential danger that is a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is especially the case for people dealing with social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety is characterized by irrational and excessive fear around everyday social situations, and it can have a significant impact on everyday life.

Another emotional anxiety symptom is feeling disconnected from reality, also called dissociation. You might feel like you are having an out-of-body experience or problems recalling events. In extreme cases, it can feel like you are losing touch with reality.

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Emotional symptoms

When you are experiencing anxiety, it can become difficult to control your emotions. You may be feeling restless and find that you have more intense reactions to everyday social situations. The emotions triggered by anxiety may include sadness, fear, anger, grief, and hopelessness.

The emotional symptoms of anxiety can vary depending on the situation. For example, if you are anxious over upsetting test results about a medical condition, it could cause you to experience different emotions than what you might feel before starting a new job. Also, two people in the same situation don’t necessarily experience the same emotions. For example, anxiety over a broken relationship can cause one person to feel angry and another to feel sad.

If you are experiencing anxiety, you might also watch for signs of depression. Anxiety and depression are mental health conditions that frequently occur together. According to some estimates, 60% of people with anxiety also have clinical signs of depression. The reasons for this connection are unclear, but researchers believe it is due to a common underlying biological mechanism in both conditions. Symptoms of depression include ongoing sadness, fatigue, lack of enjoyment of activities that were once pleasurable, and physical complaints, such as headaches, back pain, and digestive issues.

What you can do if you have signs of anxiety

Anxiety is a highly treatable mental health condition, and there are various steps you can take by yourself to begin to overcome an episode of anxiety. These include:

Mindfulness practice and meditation: Mindfulness involves keeping your attention on the present. It is one way to experience emotions without judging them or allowing them to consume you. Instead, you learn to sit in the present moment and acknowledge your feelings without reacting to them.
Exercise: Exercise can have a profound and positive effect on physical and mental health and the control of anxiety. It can keep your stomach and digestive system running smoothly and can help to boost your mood. Exercise can also be a great way to relieve tension and stress and improve sleep.
Deep breathing: With deep breathing, you can distract your mind by focusing on something neutral. In addition, breathing techniques replenish your body with oxygen, which can reduce feelings of stress. Deep breathing also helps to lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
Journaling: Journaling can be an effective way to process what's going on in your mind. Writing down your thoughts and feelings can also improve your sleep by letting you get your worries out of your head and onto paper.
Aromatherapy: Some people experience relief from anxiety symptoms by using essential oils for aromatherapy. Citrus scents relieve some people’s symptoms of anxiety and depression and boost their mood. However, you might check with your doctor first, be mindful of allergies, and follow the instructions that come with any essential oil.
Eating right and sleeping enough: Eating unhealthy food and not getting enough sleep can contribute to anxiety symptoms. Consuming healthy foods and getting at least seven or eight hours of sleep each night can help reduce anxiety symptoms.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol: The effects of caffeine and alcohol can contribute to or worsen anxiety symptoms. Reducing or eliminating these items from your diet can help.

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.

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Therapy can help with anxiety symptoms

If you find that anxiety is impacting your daily life and you cannot control the symptoms within a couple of weeks, talking with a therapist or doctor might help. While occasional anxiety can be a normal part of life, symptoms that affect your mental well-being on a daily basis may be signs of an anxiety disorder. Regardless of whether there is a psychological or medical cause, there is help available. Mental health professionals can help you learn skills for coping with anxiety or help you resolve past experiences that are contributing to your symptoms. Also, a doctor can sometimes prescribe medications to reduce severe anxiety symptoms.

Research shows that online therapy is an effective treatment option for many people who experience anxiety. Online cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Whether you are struggling with generalized anxiety disorder, your child is dealing with seperation anxiety, or you need to discuss certain health topics, talking to an online therapist may be as effective as attending in person sessions. With BetterHelp, you can connect with a licensed therapist from the comfort of your home, which may be helpful if anxiety makes it difficult to leave the house. You can communicate with your therapist via audio or video chat, in addition to contacting them in between sessions via in-app messaging.

Takeaway

Anxiety can manifest in many ways, including physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that can affect your ability to carry out your daily activities. When anxiety symptoms are severe and persistent you may be diagnosed with a mental health condition like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Many people overcome anxiety symptoms on their own through exercise, mindfulness practice, deep breathing techniques, and similar strategies. However, when a person cannot control anxiety on their own within a few weeks, consulting with a mental health professional or doctor is worth considering. If you’re having difficulty controlling your anxiety, you don’t have to face it alone. Take the first step toward healing and contact BetterHelp today.

Frequently asked questions

Read more below for answers to questions commonly asked about anxiety.

How can coping skills help you deal with anxiety?

Although coping skills may not cure generalized anxiety and other anxiety disorders, they may make them easier to manage. Coping skills can help reduce the severity of unpleasant emotions related to mental illnesses, such as intense stress, self-consciousness, and panic. This may allow people to get some space from their anxiety and decide how to respond to it with a calmer, clearer mind. Using healthy coping skills can also help to reduce the symptoms and avoid certain longer-term side effects, like physical illness.

How do I know if I have an anxiety disorder?

While it may help to learn about the common symptoms, only a medical or mental health professional can diagnose an anxiety disorder. It may help to speak with a doctor about risk factors and your medical history. They may evaluate you to rule out physical causes, such as thyroid problems. If medical causes are ruled out, they may refer you to a licensed therapist for treatment.

What are the coping mechanisms for anxiety in adults?

There are a variety of strategies that may help people of all ages cope, such as:

Getting proper sleep
Eating a balanced diet
Getting regular physical exercise
Practicing mindfulness, deep breathing, or other grounding activities
Finding ways to fill your spare time, like volunteer work or hobbies
Journaling
Joining a support group

It can be important to remember that coping strategies alone may not be a substitute for professional treatment. That said, adults who are experiencing acute or chronic anxiety may find coping mechanisms like these helpful.

How do you live with someone with anxiety?

Living with someone who has anxiety can be challenging, but a few strategies may make it easier to tend to your well-being while also supporting the other person. These include:

Setting and enforcing healthy boundaries
Practicing clear and healthy communication
Offering them support when possible
Gently encouraging them to seek professional help if they haven’t already done so
Using self-care strategies, such as exercise, healthy eating, and practicing healthy hobbies
Being patient and using active listening
Changing your living situation if it becomes unhealthy

How do you ground yourself when feeling anxious?

Grounding exercises aim to help people return their attention to their bodies and put their focus back on the present moment. There are a few methods of grounding yourself that may be helpful when you feel anxious. These include:

Putting all your attention on your breath as you breathe in and out
Finding something close to you and examining it with all your five senses
Paying attention to the feeling of your feet on the floor
Going for a walk and focusing on your footsteps
Practicing yoga, stretching, or another form of gentle exercise
Doing a mindfulness meditation

Grounding activities like these may help calm the racing thoughts and unpleasant emotions that anxiety can sometimes bring on.

How long does it take to get over anxiety disorder?

It may be worth noting that there are multiple types of anxiety disorders. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), these include:

Generalized anxiety disorder, which tends to cause persistent worry, not necessarily related to any specific object or situation
Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
Panic disorder, which tends to cause fear of future panic attacks (which can be frightening but not cause actual danger)
Separation anxiety disorder
Specific phobias

The length of time it takes to recover can depend on which type of disorder you have, as well as various other factors, such as:

Treatments, such as SSRIs or therapy
Whether or not you have another mental illness
The length of time you’ve had symptoms
Your support system

With proper treatment, some people with these disorders may start to feel relief within a few weeks. For others, the recovery process can take a year or more. This can be very individual.

How do you help someone with anxiety who doesn't want help?

When someone with an anxiety disorder doesn’t want help, it can be challenging to know what to do. Although it may not be possible to make them seek help if they aren’t ready, you may still be able to offer support. Some methods of doing this may include:

Expressing your concerns about their situation in a non-judgmental way
Asking them about their experiences and listening with an open mind
Offering suggestions on self-care strategies, such as exercising and mindfulness
Encouraging them to seek help without pressuring them
Asking them if there’s any support you can offer
Recognizing that seeking help can be a process

How does someone know if they have panic disorder?

A person may be diagnosed with panic disorder if they have had at least one panic attack, followed by persistent fear of another attack and/or a significant change in behavior related to these types of attacks.

Can a person overcome anxiety on their own?

Depending on the situation, it may be possible for someone to manage their symptoms on their own through self-care, stress management, and social support. That said, this can be highly individual.

It may be worth remembering that anxiety and other mental health disorders, if not properly addressed, can lead to longer-term side effects like worsening symptoms and even physical health problems. If you find yourself in need of extra support, or anxiety is severely affecting your life, it may be worth talking to a mental health professional.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. Support is available 24/7.

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