Understanding Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms & Ways To Reduce Your Anxiety
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorder is the most common mental health condition in the United States, affecting about 40 million Americans, or 18% of the population 18 and older.
However, not everyone experiences anxiety disorders in the same way. There are multiple types of anxiety disorders, and understanding the signs, the various types, and treatment options can help you identify and manage your own symptoms—or support others in your life who may be experiencing the disorder’s effects.
Understanding anxiety disorders and their possible appearances
Everyone might experience nervousness as a normal reaction to stress or anticipation. But when you sense the effects of anxiety disorders most of the time, or it starts to impact your daily life, it can be a sign that you might be living with an anxiety disorder—and that you may benefit from mental health support.
Understanding anxiety: Who’s most likely to show symptoms of anxiety disorders
Some people may be more likely to experience anxiety disorders than others, including:
- Adults and early childhood survivors of trauma
- People who have experienced acute or chronic stress due to a medical illness
- People who have let stress build up and have no healthy release
- Individuals who might align with anxious personality types
- Individuals with a family history of anxiety
- Individuals with a history of substance use
Signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders
There are many different types of anxiety disorders, each of which can present with a range of manifestations. People with anxiety disorders may notice the following symptoms and signs in themselves or others:
Poor memory, focus, and concentration
If you have an anxiety disorder, you may have difficulty concentrating on tasks. You might also find yourself to be distracted or overwhelmed.
Tension, irritability and worry
If you’re living with anxiety disorder, you may notice muscle tension and aches and pains—or you might be more easily irritated with people and situations. You might also worry often, possibly finding it difficult to turn the intrusive or negative thoughts “off.”
Sensing a loss of control and nervousness
People who live with an anxiety disorder might believe they have no control over their life or that they’re losing control. Fear of impending danger or inevitable misfortune is another common symptom. As a result, they might find it difficult to leave the house, attend social events, work or sleep at night.
Rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, and dizziness
Anxiety disorders can also manifest as physical symptoms. Many who live with an anxiety disorder might find that they can become so nervous that their heart rate and blood pressure increase. This can lead to a range of symptoms as a result, including rapid breathing or difficulty breathing. Dizziness and vision changes might follow, depending on the severity of the symptoms experienced.
Sweating
Some people who live with anxiety disorders might become so nervous during the course of their daily activities that they begin to sweat, which can be a side effect of other physical changes (such as rapid heart rate, fast breathing, and shaking).
Shaking hands and body
If you are experiencing nervousness as a result of an anxiety disorder, you may start to shake. This reaction can occur as a result of increased adrenaline flowing through your system due to nervousness, which can trigger the body's response to fear and stress.
Increased fatigue with associated sleep issues
Sleep problems that can be related to anxiety disorders may present in many ways: too much sleep, too little sleep, difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, tossing and turning all night, and daytime drowsiness.
Fearing the worst
People who live with anxiety disorders may constantly fear the worst—possibly worrying that something will go wrong, even if there is no obvious reason for this fear. This is generally known as catastrophizing, in which one might fear the worst possible case scenario.
Restlessness
If you’re living with the effects of an anxiety disorder, you may have trouble relaxing and feel like you can't turn off your body or mind. As a result, your mind may race, and your body may not be able to settle down and get comfortable as it fears it will need to flee or move.
Headaches and migraines
If you have a history of migraines and headaches (and even if you don’t), anxiety disorders can prompt them to come on more frequently, and they may be more intense in nature. These symptoms might be rooted in the constant tension you experience in your body.
Nausea or vomiting
Some people can become so nervous due to anxiety disorders that they become nauseous from the stressful thoughts and physical reactions happening in the body. This can cause chronic, low-grade, or high-grade nausea that may or may not be accompanied by vomiting.
The many types of anxiety disorders: A brief overview
There are many types of anxiety disorders, including the following.
Generalized anxiety disorder
People who live with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) might often be nervous, many times without knowing the root cause in a definitive, concrete way. Their symptoms may be more physical than emotional, ranging from shakes to chest pain. Some might also experience an emotional component to the condition, which can cause mood swings and intense nervousness.
Panic disorder
Panic disorder can take many forms and generally includes symptoms such as physical panic attacks and fear of having a panic attack. As a result, many might experience a cycle of panic and constant nervousness, which can cause future attacks to seem more intense. These attacks can be so severe that some people may think they are having a heart attack when they aren’t.
Social anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder generally centers on the belief that no one likes you or no one will like you in new social or work situations. Some people might think of this as shyness, but it is much more for many people. Rather than just discomfort in crowds, the disorder can manifest in other experiences—generally appearing with both physical and mental symptoms.
Individuals may experience significant distress in social situations due to the fear of being negatively evaluated by others.
Separation anxiety disorder
Separation anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive fear concerning the separation from those to whom an individual is attached. This anxiety is diagnosed when the attachment is developmentally inappropriate and leads to functional impairment.
Note: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are no longer classified as anxiety disorders.
How do I help someone who lives with an anxiety disorder?
People who live with anxiety disorders might live with a great deal of distress during the day, which possibly affects their ability to function. It can be helpful for many when partners take the time to learn about the condition and the possible ways that they can help, empowering them to provide as much support as possible as they work through distress and nervousness.
Understanding anxiety: How to support someone with severe anxiety disorder symptoms
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some of the most impactful ways that you can assist someone living with severe anxiety disorder symptoms can include :
- Educating yourself regarding health information that can be related to anxiety as a mental health disorder (or other related disorders)
- Encouraging them to seek health care treatment, such as one-on-one therapy or support groups.
- Helping them with breathing techniques if they are experiencing difficulty breathing
- Helping them to set goals for the day that can support their overall ability to function
- Showing them encouragement and support
- Providing them with validation
Untreated anxiety may worsen over time.
Ways to reduce your anxiety: Anxiety treatments and supportive strategies
Common anxiety disorder treatments include prescription medication and psychotherapy, though some research shows that psychotherapy can be more effective than medication. It can also be more available to many.
Options range from online treatment to support groups that connect you with people with panic disorder and those who are experiencing anxiety in their lives. Some individuals may also turn to self-help books that teach cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods designed to treat anxiety, control fear, and cope with anxiousness.
It’s all about finding the right treatment for you. It’s best to speak with your primary care provider for recommendations on how they’d like to see your anxiety treated based on your medical history, genetics, and environmental factors. Recommendations might range from anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications to acceptance and commitment therapy. Additionally, anxiety may increase your risk of heart attack, so it’s good to let your physician know about the condition even if you’ve already found treatment through a mental health provider.
Find support from a mental health professional via online therapy
If you’re experiencing symptoms of anxiety disorders and are curious about mental health treatment, you might consider online therapy with a mental health professional. Online therapy may be more readily available than traditional methods to those who live with anxiety disorders. This can be for several reasons and generally depends on the needs of the individual. For example, Some people with anxiety disorders may find it easier to speak with a therapist from the distance and safety of being behind a screen. They might also appreciate the scheduling flexibility of online therapy compared to that of an in-person setting.
Is online therapy effective?
Multiple sources have found details that support the hypothesis that online therapy can be effective at treating multiple types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders, and social anxiety.
Ready to learn more? Consider reaching out to a BetterHelp therapist to get started.
Takeaway
What causes anxiety?
Anxiety can be influenced by a variety of factors. People with anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder (previously known as social phobia“), other anxiety disorders, and other mental health conditions with anxiety components (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder) may have the following traits and experiences:
- A large number of stressful events in one’s day-to-day life
- Substance use disorder (formerly known as “substance abuse disorder”)
- Traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood
- Family history of anxiety or other mental health disorders
What are the five stages of anxiety?
While there are no formal clinical stages of anxiety, informal analyses of anxious feelings have determined that anxiety typically fits into one of four classifications. These include mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, severe anxiety, and panic-level anxiety.
How do I break my anxiety cycle?
The anxiety cycle refers to a cycle in which noticing anxiety symptoms causes more anxiety. One of the more effective ways to break the anxiety cycle is controlled exposure to situations that provoke anxiety (e.g., social situations for a person with social anxiety disorder). With the help of a licensed professional, you can practice exposure through formal exposure therapy, in which you will gradually expose yourself to anxiety-inducing situations and, in recognizing that the situations are typically not as bad as you expect they will be, learn to calm your nervous system and prevent anxious reactions to situations in the future.
What are the three P's of anxiety?
There are no three P’s of anxiety specifically, but there are three P’s in a model for understanding psychological influence on disease progression for a variety of different medical conditions, both physical and mental. These three P’s are predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors - what increases the likelihood that someone will develop a condition, what leads the condition to actually develop, and what causes the condition to continue.
When is anxiety at its peak?
Anxiety peaks for different people at different points in their lives, but generally speaking, most people in the U.S. with generalized anxiety disorder receive their diagnosis in their early 30s.
What food helps with anxiety?
Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked in preliminary studies to lower anxiety levels. Fish, nuts, seeds, oysters, caviar, soybeans, and seaweed are all foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
What is the most severe form of anxiety?
While all anxiety disorders can result in severe mental and physical symptoms, excessive anxiety symptoms may manifest in panic attacks, which, depending on the frequency of panic attacks, can lead a person to be diagnosed with panic disorder. Panic disorder often co-occurs with other mental disorders.
How do I relax my mind from overthinking?
Stress is a common cause of overthinking and can make a person anxious. Stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, journaling, and practicing mindfulness can help to relax your mind and may even relieve anxiety symptoms. Talk therapy with a licensed professional counselor can also be beneficial for stress management, as sometimes talking to a neutral party can help improve one’s perspective on stressors.
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