Introduction
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, or nervousness that triggers the fight-or-flight response in your body. It includes many physical symptoms like rapid breathing, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating and muscle tension.
For people with anxiety disorders, the anxious feelings can be so intense they interfere with their ability to function normally. Anxiety can also be experienced as a physical symptom of an illness such as depression or chronic pain. The goal of treatment is to find ways to regulate your anxiety so you can live a satisfying life free from panic attacks or crippling fears that prevent you from doing what you want (or even just getting out of bed).
Symptoms of anxiety
Physical symptoms like sweating, trembling, and headaches may accompany anxiety. They may also be the first signs that signal major increases in anxiety levels. Physical symptoms sometimes have different meanings for different people. For instance, a whiff of perfume can trigger an overwhelming feeling of panic for one person, but another person may experience this smell as a classic sign of sexual desire. So it is important to clarify what the physical symptoms actually mean to you personally. Avoiding physical symptoms may lead to more anxious feelings and thoughts because you’ll be avoiding the triggers that cause them. Instead, focus on understanding what your body is telling you about your situation and how these sensations relate to your overall health.
Signs that are cause for concern and attention include:
Aches, aches, and more aches. This could be the result of long-term stress or an illness. If you have ongoing pain without any explanation, it is time to do an examination. Also monitor your blood pressure and cholesterol levels (which can be checked with a simple blood test).
Bloating, indigestion, constipation or other digestive upsets. They might be an indication that you are experiencing low-blood sugar symptoms or they could signal that you have an eating disorder. You should also ask a doctor about bloating that occurs every day or constantly even when eating healthily.
Confusion, disorientation and memory loss.
Depression.
Easily distracted. If you are easily distracted by noises or other sights, it could be a sign that you have anxiety or an attention deficit disorder (ADD). Attention deficit disorders occur when people can’t stay focused on schoolwork and tasks for more than short periods of time. An inability to concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time is another common symptom of these disorders. Seek help from your teacher or doctor, who may be able to prescribe medications to help focus or treat your conditions if they are caused by anxiety.
Fatigue. If you are experiencing extreme fatigue from the inside out, it could be a sign that your body is trying to protect itself from an illness or injury. You should see a doctor if your fatigue is from the inside out, you suffer from extreme tiredness even when sleeping and do not have any other identifiable health conditions. You might want to consider seeing a doctor about your symptoms if:
Frequent headaches. They could signal migraines that may require medical attention, or they could be some type of nervous tension headache (NTH) linked with anxiety. NTH headaches are very common among people with chronic pain conditions such as migraine headache , fibromyalgia and scoliosis .