Anxiety is defined as a general, long-term feeling of dread or uneasiness. The emotional state often leads to a wide variety of symptoms that can negatively affect your emotions, cognitive function, physical state and behavior. If you have an anxiety or panic disorder and are looking to relieve yourself from the fear, then it is important to understand the symptoms of anxiety and how they can be managed.
Physical Anxiety Symptoms
Did you know that there are more than one hundred symptoms associated with anxiety? Luckily, not all related symptoms are felt by any one individual. The exact number and severity of symptoms you will experience depends on factors such as your chemical makeup, level of anxiety and type of anxiety disorder. Some of the most common physical symptoms associated with anxiety include:
- Racing heart
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain
- Sudden paleness of skin
- Excessive sweating
- Feeling of a lump in the throat
- Numbness or feeling of pins and needles in the extremities
- Stomach discomfort
- Trembling
- Skin rash
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
- Urinary tract infection
- Dry mouth
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headaches
- Jaw pain
- High sensitivity to light, sound, smell and touch
Psychological Anxiety Symptoms
When confronted with phobias or stress, physical symptoms are only one half of the equation. Anxiety can also cause a significant amount of psychological symptoms as well. Some of the most common include:
- Trouble sleeping
- Quick to anger
- Mood swings
- Gripping fear
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Hyperactivity
- Altered state of reality
- Derealization
- Desensitization
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nightmares
- Incessant thoughts
Are Anxiety Symptoms Harmful?
Generally speaking, symptoms caused by anxiety are not harmful. They may cause you to feel incredibly uncomfortable, stressed out or depressed, but these tend to be short-term symptoms. When anxiety subsides, the body's functions return to normal with virtually no long-lasting effects. However, panic attacks and other recurring anxiety disorders can certainly affect long-term mood and confidence. Therefore, it is important to learn how to properly manage stress so symptoms from anxiety can be kept to a minimum.
Treating Anxiety Symptoms
Now that you know the symptoms related to anxiety, it will be easier to identify them when they occur. Quick acknowledgement of oncoming anxiety can help you take preventative steps to reduce the symptoms and return to a normal state more easily. This can be most easily done by learning proper ways to cope with stress so that you don't become overwhelmed with feelings of fear or dread.
