How To Tell If You Have Anxiety: Recognizing Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

If you feel anxious from time to time, this occasional anxiety doesn’t necessarily mean you have an anxiety disorder. The nervousness you might feel before an exam, interview, or presentation, for instance, is generally considered to be normal, as it tends to dissipate once the event is over. However, if you have chronic or regular anxiety that isn’t always based on specific scenarios and causes disruptions to your daily life, these symptoms of anxiety may qualify as a disorder.

Understanding anxiety disorders

As discussed above, most of us experience occasional anxiety, whether your anxiety is due to career challenges, a medical condition you may have, or conflicts you're experiencing with family members. If you’re experiencing regular anxiety, feelings of nervousness, apprehension, or distress that are persistent or intense, though, you may have an anxiety disorder. A class of mental health disorders characterized by excessive fear and worry, anxiety disorders can significantly impact several aspects of your everyday life. These disorders can benefit from professional treatment. 

How to tell if you have anxiety and how to seek mental health support

Determining if you are experiencing occasional anxiety or regular anxiety can be the first step toward seeking professional help. Below, we detail the signs that may indicate the presence of an anxiety disorder.

Generalized anxiety disorder and other types of anxiety disorders

The following are three of the most common anxiety disorders and symptoms that may help you identify how to find treatment. 

Generalized anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder

Panic disorder

How to tell if you have anxiety: 10 signs and symptoms of anxiety

Mental and emotional signs

There may be several mental and emotional signs of anxiety to be aware of.

Excessive worry

Feelings of impending doom

This sensation is especially common and may be more extreme in those with panic disorder, because it’s a typical symptom of panic attacks. However, a person with another type of anxiety disorder may also experience a frequent feeling that something terrible is going to happen. This symptom is likely a result of the body and brain’s anticipation of an impending perceived threat.

Avoidance of situations that may induce anxiety

Finally, it’s not uncommon for those with anxiety disorders to begin to avoid certain situations that may trigger symptoms. For example, a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may avoid people or places that remind them of a traumatic event they experienced in the past. Those with social anxiety disorder may avoid social situations altogether due to an intense fear of being judged or embarrassed. This is one way in which an untreated anxiety disorder can negatively impact a person’s work, school, relationships, and/or daily functioning.

Physical signs

There could also be physical signs of anxiety. 

Sleep disturbances 

As one study on the topic relates, sleep disturbances are “highly prevalent” in those with anxiety disorders—so much so that insomnia or nightmares have even been incorporated into the clinical definitions of some conditions like generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Racing thoughts or the fear of having a nightmare can make it difficult for an individual to fall asleep, and actual nightmares can interrupt sleep. As a result, anxiety symptoms may worsen because a lack of sleep can contribute to increased difficulty with continuing to try to control emotions. 

Fatigue

As mentioned, sleep disturbances are common in those with anxiety, which can result in fatigue during the day. However, even if an individual sleeps well at night, they may still experience fatigue during their waking hours as a result of anxiety. Coping with near-constant anxious feelings can be mentally and even physically draining, which can potentially make getting through the day more difficult. 

Increased heart rate

When faced with a situation that induces stress, a person may notice that their heart rate goes up or begins to feel irregular. They may also experience heart palpitations—feeling that the heart is fluttering, thumping, or skipping a beat. This is because the body enters “fight-or-flight” mode, a natural response to dealing with a threat. When this response is triggered frequently or for prolonged periods over time, such as in those with anxiety, it can lead to negative health effects because of the extended release of hormones. 

Sweating and hot flashes

A person may also experience an increase in body temperature as a result of the fight-or-flight response that anxiety can trigger. They may notice that they sweat more or overheat more often because their body is preparing them to respond to what their mind has labeled as a threat.

Trembling and shaking

There are several different reasons a person may experience physical tremors, such as neurological conditions like Parkinson’s Disease. However, the tremors associated with anxiety are usually caused by adrenaline as a result of the fight-or-flight response. They’re typically temporary, but the experience of one’s hands shaking uncontrollably can still be distressing and may contribute to even more anxiety in the moment.

What triggers anxiety in the body?

It’s common for people experiencing anxiety to report feeling “crazy,” but there’s a logical explanation for why we experience anxiety symptoms. It involves our body’s natural stress response called “fight or flight.”

Stress hormones and the fight or flight system

When the body perceives an imminent threat, it automatically releases stress hormones known as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare the body to fight the threat or flee, ensuring survival. Side effects of these stress hormones are a pounding heart, rapid breathing, and excessive sweating, for instance. When these symptoms happen in the absence of a clear threat, we refer to them as anxiety. 

Risk factors and possible causes of anxiety

Researchers have yet to identify the exact cause of anxiety. However, it’s likely due to a combination of different factors, including both genetic and environmental factors. 

Family history and genetics

A primary contributor to anxiety is often family history and genetics. If you have blood relatives who have diagnosed anxiety disorders, or even other mental health conditions, that could put you at a higher risk for developing anxiety symptoms or anxiety disorder. This isn’t something you can change, but it may be a good thing to be aware of when considering diagnosis and treatment.

Health factors and medications

If you’re taking certain medications for health conditions, this may be another contributing factor for your anxiety symptoms. Some medications known to be related to anxiety may include: 

• Antidepressant medications
• Steroids
• Asthma medications
• Decongestants
• ADHD medication
• Antihistamines
• Medications containing caffeine 

Anxiety and related conditions

Anxiety can be challenging to cope with on its own. Still, anxiety symptoms and disorders are often linked to other mental health conditions as well. 

Anxiety and depression overlap

It’s not uncommon for people who feel depressed to also experience anxiety symptoms and vice versa. Moreover, anxiety disorders and depressive disorders, including major depression, are often co-occurring. This means you can have both anxiety and depression at the same time. Since there are different treatments for these conditions, it’s important to report any and all symptoms to your mental health care provider. 

Anxiety and substance misuse risk

Anxiety disorders can commonly co-occur with substance misuse as well. Often, people turn to alcohol and other recreational substances to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, but this is not advised. Not only can substance misuse worsen anxiety symptoms, but it can also lead to substance use disorder. 

When to seek help for anxiety

Since nearly everyone experiences occasional anxiety, it can be difficult to know when to seek help. You may worry about overreacting to symptoms, or you could be impacted by stigma associated with mental health treatment. Here’s how to know when your anxiety symptoms warrant an evaluation from a professional. 

When symptoms are severe or persistent

When anxiety symptoms are severe or persistent enough to interfere with your daily life, it could be time to seek support from a mental health professional. Regular anxiety, or chronic anxiety, refers to anxiety symptoms that occur nearly every day over a long period of time (i.e., weeks or months). Severe anxiety is anxiety that causes extreme distress, not mild discomfort. Sometimes, severe anxiety can be a sign of a panic attack. Like anxiety, panic attacks can be normal when they are occasional. If they become more frequent, they may require professional support. 

When you feel unsafe or have suicidal thoughts

Anxiety that makes you feel unsafe may also require professional treatment. If you’re having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming others, seek immediate medical attention. Call 911 for local emergency resources, or you can call or text 988 to reach the Crisis & Suicide Lifeline.

Best treatment options for anxiety

Lifestyle changes to help reduce anxiety disorder symptoms

Medication options for anxiety disorders

Therapy for anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions

Practical ways to relieve anxiety day to day

In addition to proven treatments, there are also practical methods you can use to relieve anxiety on a day-to-day basis. Some of them are fast-acting while others may be best for managing anxiety long-term. 

Fast calming tools

These are good tools to have at your disposal and just learning about them can go a long way towards easing anxiety symptoms: 

• Deep breathing exercises like box breathing
• Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation
• Grounding techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 method

These techniques may be able to reverse the body’s stress response, taking you out of fight-or-flight mode and moving you into a calmer state.

Long term habits

Developing certain long-term habits and repeating them consistently can help modulate your body’s stress response, resulting in less anxiety. Some of these habits may include: 

• Exercising regularly
• Getting enough sleep
• Eating a balanced diet
• Eliminating caffeine and alcohol
• Practicing mindful awareness

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