Identifying The Signs And Symptoms Of Anxiety

Worry, fear, and anxiety are typical human emotions that nearly everyone experiences regularly. However, if these feelings do not go away or occur even if the situation does not warrant it, these could be symptoms of clinical anxiety, or a disorder. Read on to learn how to define anxiety, recognize its signs and symptoms, and what therapy can do to help you manage its effects. 

What is anxiety?

While occasional worry is a common response to stress, persistent anxiety may indicate a deeper issue. A persistent state may also increase the risk of developing other mental illnesses or worsen existing ones.

Anxiety that becomes constant and starts to affect daily can become a condition that falls under mental health disorders. Several types of anxiety disorders help describe the various ways this can affect you and interfere with your life. 

Causes and risk factors

Researchers believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors can cause anxiety and related disorders. Specific risk factors, such as experiencing a traumatic event, facing significant life events, or having a family history of mental health disorders, may amplify the risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder or other disorders. In addition, certain physical illnesses or medical conditions, such as thyroid disorders, heart disease, and diabetes, can further escalate this risk.

What are the common symptoms?

Anxiety can present differently from one person to another. When we talk about how it affects us, it's important to identify that its impact goes beyond just feeling worried. Anxiety can present as psychological, physical, and behavioral symptoms. Each of these categories encompasses different signs that our body is under stress. Below is a list of some common anxiety symptoms that may help you identify the signs of a mental health condition. 

Psychological signs

Psychological signs refer to how this can affect your mind and emotions. These include:

• Feeling confused or having trouble thinking clearly, often described as "brain fog"
• Feeling disoriented or lost, even in familiar situations
• Experiencing sudden changes in mood or feeling unusually irritable
• Having an overwhelming feeling that something bad is about to happen
• Feeling nervous or on edge without a clear reason
• Finding it hard to focus or concentrate on tasks
• Feeling like you can't stop worrying, even about small things

Physical signs

Physical signs involve the physical effects of anxiety or how it can show up in your body. These signs include:

• Experiencing headaches or stomach aches
• Sweating more than usual
• Feeling out of breath or having a tight chest
• Having neck pain or muscle tension
• Shaking or trembling, especially in stressful situations
• Noticeable increase in heart rate
• Breathing very fast, which is known as hyperventilation
• Feeling unusually tired or worn out

Behavioral signs

Behavioral signs highlight how anxiety influences your actions or behaviors. These are:

• Avoiding places, people, or activities that trigger you
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Procrastinating or avoiding tasks due to feelings of overwhelm
• Relying on substances like alcohol or drugs to cope
• Seeking constant reassurance from others
• Exhibiting compulsive behaviors as a way to reduce worry
• Engaging in nervous habits, such as nail-biting or pacing
• Decreased performance at school or work
• Overplanning for potential scenarios

If you or a loved one experiences symptoms, please speak to your doctor or mental health provider to seek professional help. 

Anxiety disorders

Nearly everyone experiences worry or fear about issues such as health, problems with family or finances, and many other things. However, those feelings typically will not linger for extended periods or cause a substantial impact on your life. When your fears and worries become persistent and pervasive to the point of severely impacting your behavior, mental or emotional state, and daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder. Whether you are managing anxiety or a disorder, you can seek mental health support with a professional therapist to learn strategies that help you understand why you feel the way you do and improve yourself overall. Potential disorders include the following:

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

People with GAD often experience persistent feelings of anxiety, dread, worry, or fear to the point that it interferes with their ability to function in daily life. Generalized anxiety disorder is not tied to a specific stressor. People with GAD often experience anxiety for months or even years. Signs of GAD may include:

• Persistent worry disproportionate to the impact of the stressor
• Overthinking plans and solutions, often for improbable worst-case scenarios
• Perceiving a threat that is not present
• Trouble handling uncertainty
• Indecisiveness
• Difficulty relaxing, being restless, feeling on edge
• Trouble concentrating or mind “going blank”

Panic disorder

A panic disorder often involves sudden periods of overwhelming fear, which can last for several minutes. You may experience these panic attacks without warning or apparent cause, often causing increased fear about future occurrences. Signs may include:

• Repeated, unexpected panic attacks
• Fear of or avoiding places where you had a previous panic attack
• Feeling a sense of impending doom, feeling out of control, fearing death or other adverse events
• Extreme worry over the next panic attack

Many people experience a fear of rejection, ridicule, or embarrassment in social situations. Social anxiety disorders typically involve the persistent fear of social situations, particularly those with exposure to unfamiliar people or involving performance. Signs may include:

• Extreme self-consciousness and worry over being judged
• Excessive worry over being humiliated by behavior
• Quiet voice and rigid body posture
• Difficulty making eye contact or relaxing

Phobia-related disorders

A phobia is an intense fear or aversion to a specific object or situation. Phobia-related disorders often involve irrational fears of something with little or no risk of real danger. However, despite the lack of probable threat, you may experience extreme reactions when encountering the source of a specific phobia. Simple phobias include fear of things like heights, needles, blood, flying, etc. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces, claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces, and social phobia is the fear of social situations. Signs may include:

• Excessive worry or disproportionate fear of the phobia subject
• Immediate and intense worry when encountering the feared object
• Taking action to avoid the feared subject

While many people miss or worry about their loved ones when they are not together, a separation anxiety disorder often involves excessive and intense fear when parted from attachment figures or people to whom you have formed a deep emotional connection. Signs may include:

• Extreme fear when separated from attachment figures
• Frequent nightmares with separation themes
• Physical symptoms during separation from attachment figures
• Actively avoiding time alone and being separated from attachment figures

What it looks like in children and teens

Anxiety can present differently in children in teens. Young children may not understand or express their emotions, and physical signs are often more common. Further, children will experience anxiety distinctly from adults and may have different symptoms. Children with anxiety may complain of frequent stomach aches or headaches. Teens often show more behavioral signs, such as moodiness, being confrontational, or social isolation. You may notice a drop in school performance or changes in sleep or eating patterns. 

How common are anxiety disorders?

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), these disorders are the most common type of mental health condition in America, with as many as 40 million adults (19.1%) experiencing anxiety symptoms. The ADAA said these disorders are highly treatable, but only 36.9% of people with anxiety receive treatment. 

Treatments and solutions

Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, is one of the primary treatments for anxiety disorders. It has proven highly effective in the treatment of these disorders, helping patients to manage and reduce signs. While all therapy sessions are uniquely tailored to the client, your therapist may help you identify the psychological reasons underlying an anxiety disorder. Common psychotherapeutic approaches include: 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help you identify and replace negative thought patterns and behaviors.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) uses mindfulness and goal setting to reduce discomfort.
• Certain medications may help relieve symptoms. Common medications for anxiety treatment include anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs, such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and beta-blockers. 
• A support group can allow you to connect with other people experiencing similar situations. Being around others who understand what you’re going through can be helpful. In addition to experiences, you may also learn some practical coping strategies from other group participants while giving and receiving support. 

The following techniques might be useful in managing anxiety without or in addition to psychotherapy and/or medication:

• Focus on positive thinking. Try to shift your perspective and develop positive affirmations to help reassure yourself through tense situations.
• Meditation and mindfulness can help you calm your anxious reactions. 
• Deep and slow breathing techniques have been shown in studies to improve anxiety by stimulating the relaxation response in the body, including lowering heart rate and calming the mind.
• Write about your feelings in a journal. A written record not only helps calm you through the act of writing but also provides a way to track your anxiety triggers and helpful coping strategies. 
• Healthy diet and exercise have been shown in studies to help build resilience against stress response and improve symptoms. 
• Take a walk in nature or with a friend. 

Reach out for professional support and guidance

Managing the symptoms of an anxiety disorder can be challenging on your own. If you have difficulty handling your anxiety, consider reading out for professional support and guidance from a qualified therapist. In therapy, you can learn to understand your emotions, replace maladaptive thought patterns and behaviors, and develop healthy, practical coping skills to manage your stress. Therapists can also help you develop emotional intelligence and literacy so that you can understand and communicate your feelings.

How therapy can support you

Working with a licensed therapist online through a virtual therapy provider like BetterHelp can offer numerous benefits. Internet-based therapeutic interventions are available with flexible appointment formats, which let you easily fit therapy into your busy schedule, often with lower costs and shorter wait times. A qualified therapist can help you learn practical coping skills to manage your symptoms and live a productive life with anxiety. 

A recent study showed that teletherapy effectively treated anxiety disorders. The study authors reported that the efficacy and benefits of therapy were increased by the number of sessions attended. Many patients also reported in the study that online treatment was easier to maintain reliably due to the convenience of attending from home.