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WARNING ABOUT ANXIETY SYMPTOMS: While all of the anxiety symptoms
mentioned on this page can be fully attributed to anxiety, the same symptoms
could also be caused by other illnesses. Therefore, it's a good idea to
get a physical examination from a medical professional to confirm that
your symptoms are not indicative of a more serious condition. This list
should NOT be used as a method of diagnosis.
Some of the most common symptoms of "severe anxiety" (which I define
simply as anxiety levels high enough to prompt a person to seek help)
include the following:
ANXIETY ATTACKS: Anxiety attacks (also known as panic attacks)
are best described as an intense feeling of doom, like a dread that something
terrible is about to occur like you might die or lose your mind. These
experiences can be extremely frightening, especially since they can occur
just about anywhere without warning or obvious reason. For example, many
people experience anxiety attacks while driving, lying in bed, or even
just watching TV. Anxiety attacks may seem unusual at first, but they're
a quite common manifestation of 'anxiety overload'.
DEPERSONALIZATION: Do you sometimes feel as if the world around
you is "unreal"? Or that you are somehow disconnecting from reality? This
dreamlike feeling can be very disturbing, especially if you perceive it
as some sort of serious mental illness. However, it is MUCH more likely
that the feeling of unreality that you're experiencing is the common anxiety
condition known as "depersonalization" or "derealization"
- a simple result of the increasing inward awareness that all your inner
adversity is receiving.
DEPRESSION: Anxiety can interfere with your ability to enjoy the
present moment, and may create a pattern of worry and inaction that leads
to mild depression. This can make life seem gloomy and undesirable. However,
there is usually a big difference between the mild depression brought
on by simple anxiety, and the major depression that can lead to suicide.
An anxious person might ponder suicide, but not have a clear intention
of really carrying it out. However, if you are not feeling afraid of suicide,
if you're experiencing severe hopelessness, if you are considering methods
of suicide or feeling comforted by the thought, then you should get help
from a qualified mental health professional. Speak to a doctor, check
your phone book for suicide hotlines, or call 911 for a referral. For
the rest of you, know that once you begin making progress on overcoming
your current anxiety issues, your energies levels and mood should also
begin to lift.
SOCIAL ANXIETY: Social anxiety is usually a reflection of the
desire to avoid one or more emotional energies encountered in social situations
- such as feelings of nervousness, awkwardness, insecurity, rejection,
embarrassment, etc. Whatever the feelings are that you fear, know that
once you learn to dissolve the feared energies that you're now avoiding,
social anxiety will also dissolve.
AGORAPHOBIA: If you look in the dictionary, agoraphobia is defined
as "fear of open spaces". However, agoraphobia is really fear of the anxiety
sensation itself. As anxiety spreads through your life, and as you associate
more and more activities with anxiety, the number of places or people
in your life that feel comfortable grows smaller and smaller. Eventually,
some anxious people become so limited in their number of safe/comfortable
places, that even leaving their homes can be difficult. If this is you,
rest assured that there is a solution - agoraphobia is one of the most
common phobias there is!
HYPOCHONDRIA: Because many anxiety sufferers have a tendency to
engage in "what if" thinking and imagine "worst case" scenarios, they
often interpret many physical sensations (even common anxiety symptoms)
as signs of serious health problems (such as heart attack, cancer, stroke,
etc). Sometimes prolonged fear of catastrophic health issues even results
in self generation of symptoms.
Other symptoms frequently mentioned by anxiety sufferers (in their
words) include:
- Tension headaches, migraine headaches, stress sensations, tense feelings
- Disturbing thoughts, overwhelming worry, overly analytical, paranoia,
desire to escape, compulsions, obsessions, obsessive thoughts
- Arm pain, back pain, chest pain, chest tightness, body tension, heartburn,
leg pain, lower back pain, muscle soreness and tension, neck pain, shoulder
pain, muscle aches, jaw pain
- Avoid going outside, avoid interacting with people, introversion,
social isolation, shyness, emotional withdrawal, feeling alone, low
self-esteem, feelings of embarrassment
- Butterflies in the stomach, general fearfulness, uneasiness, nervousness,
malaise, insecure, self-conscious, apprehensive, on edge, shakiness,
trembling
- Frequent worrying, thoughts of danger, feelings of panic, worry about
death, worry about illness, worry about the future, various phobias,
fear of dying, fear of public speaking, fear that you're going crazy,
feeling out of control, feelings of unreality, easily startled, jumpiness,
intense fear, feelings of doom and dread
- Increased awareness of the heart beat, heart palpitations, heart pounding,
irregular heart beat, rapid heart beat, mitral valve prolapse, health
anxiety, hypochondria
- Diarrhea, frequent indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, nausea,
stomach cramps, stomach problems, upset stomach, acidic stomach
- Difficulty relaxing, difficulty sleeping, insomnia, sleep too much,
restlessness, sleep disturbance, sleeplessness, trouble falling asleep,
trouble staying asleep, constant fatigue, easily tired
- Memory problems, dizziness, dreaminess, confusion, difficulty concentrating,
trouble thinking clearly, lightheadedness
- Dry mouth, feeling cold or clammy, grinding teeth, chills, cold feet,
cold hands, excessive sweating, sweaty palms
- Irritability, impatience, hostile feelings, irritation with others,
overreactions, mood swings, moodiness, loss of sense of humor, argumentative
thoughts
- Tingling in fingers, tingling in hands, numbness in hands, tingling
in toes, cold feet
- Difficulty walking, rigid body movement, rubbery legs
- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing
- Acne problems and other skin problems
As you can see, anxiety can come to the surface in a myriad of symptoms
- and this is by no means a complete list!
Again, please remember that while the anxiety symptoms listed on this
page are often associated with anxiety, they could also be indicative
of other illnesses. Therefore, do NOT use this information as a method
of diagnosis - get a physical examination from a medical professional
to confirm that your symptoms are a result of anxiety.
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