What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, dread, fear, or even overwhelm in response to a stressful situation. Sometimes, anxiety can show up as a normal reaction to stress or when an individual is placed in a difficult situation.
There are physical symptoms and mental symptoms of anxiety. Physically, you may notice that your heart is racing or your palms are sweaty. Mentally, thoughts may cloud your mind and ultimately causes excessive worry about anything.
Having anxiety every now and then is pretty normal. When an individual experiences anxiety on a daily basis and it interferes with their ability to function during daily tasks then it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
Examples of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (social phobia), specific phobias and separation anxiety disorder. Knowing the signs and symptoms of anxiety can help decipher between normal anxiety and having an anxiety disorder.
Let’s take a look at some common signs and symptoms of anxiety.
Common signs and symptoms of anxiety
Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:
Feeling nervous, restless or tense
Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
Difficulty controlling worry
Difficulty sleeping (staying asleep or falling asleep)
Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
Poor concentration or limited focus
Having an increased heart rate
Sweating
Trembling
Fatigue
Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety
Types of anxiety disorders
There’s a large umbrella under anxiety, so there are several types of anxiety disorders that many people struggle with. Most anxiety disorders carry similar symptoms of anxiety, but what isn’t similar is that these types of anxiety disorders have very clear specifiers that differentiate them from one another.
Here are some types of anxiety disorders:
Agoraphobia is when a person has a fear of being in places or situations where they are unable to escape from. The individual may avoid places or situations that may bring on panic and/or they may feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed.
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about generally everything. The word ‘excessive’ is used because the worry is out of proportion to the actual situation. The worry is difficult to control and may cause physical symptoms.
Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is when an individual has high levels of anxiety, fear and avoidance of social situations due to feelings of embarrassment, self-consciousness and concern about being judged or viewed negatively by others.
Specific phobia is an intense fear or having major anxiety when an individual is exposed to a specific object or situation and having a desire to avoid it. For example, a person who has a fear of bridges may avoid traveling across bridges, even if it means taking a longer route.
Separation anxiety disorder is a childhood disorder that involves having anxiety that's excessive for the child's developmental level and related to separation from parents, caregivers, or others who have parental roles. The child may fear losing the parent or caregiver which sparks high levels of anxiety.
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror. The individual may experience shortness of breath, feelings of impending doom, chest pain, or a rapid, fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations). These panic attacks may lead to worrying about them happening again or avoiding situations in which they've occurred.
Other specified anxiety disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder are terms for anxiety or phobias that don't meet the full criteria for any other anxiety disorders but the symptoms are significant enough to be distressing and may be disruptive.
When to seek help?
Reach out for help if:
You feel like you're worrying too much and it's interfering with your work, relationships or other parts of your life
Your fear, worry or anxiety is upsetting to you and difficult to control
You feel depressed, have trouble with alcohol or drug use, or have other mental health concerns along with anxiety
You think your anxiety could be linked to a physical health problem
You have suicidal thoughts or behaviors — if this is the case, seek emergency treatment immediately
If you or anyone you know are struggling with these issues, and others, please feel free to reach out.
