Whenever we talk about symptoms of Anxiety disorder, images of worried, tense, and fearful individuals come to our mind. Anxiety is a nagging feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Often it is a feeling of fearing and expecting the worst to happen. They often feel drained and tired or easily moved to tears. A person suffering from Anxiety is just unable to relax and stay calm for long.
Today I will be listing 12 very common symptoms of anxiety that are often neglected by the family and even your family physician. The next time , someone you care about complains about any of these symptoms, it should ring alarm bells for a possible mental health issue.
1. Fear
Most common fears in anxiety are –
- a fear of dark
- a fear of strangers (more common in children),
- a fear of being left alone
- a fear of animals
- a fear of heights
- a fear of crowded places
2. Sleep disturbances
Often disturbances in sleep are one of the first symptoms of anxiety disorder.
- Difficulty in falling asleep, disturbed sleep, unsatisfying sleep and not feeling refreshed on waking, feeling tired on waking, too many dreams, nightmares, night terrors.
3. Intellectual Changes
- Difficulty in concentration
- poor memory
4. Depressed mood
Sometimes instead of typical anxiety , a person may exhibit these symptoms of depressed mood
- Loss of interest in activities which they enjoyed earlier
- Not deriving pleasure from their regular hobbies,
- feeling depressed ,
- sudden waking up with a jolt ,very early in morning
- diurnal swing in mood – feeling more depressed in morning
5. Muscular Symptoms
- Pains and aches
- twitching, increased muscle stiffness
- sudden jerks
- grinding of teeth (often mistaken as symptom of worms by parents)
- unsteady voice
6. Sensory Symptoms
Symptoms of anxiety can cause altered sensations in the body
- Ringing in ears
- blurring of vision
- hot or cold flushes
- feelings of weakness
- pricking, numbing or tingling sensation in any part of the body
7. Heart Symptoms
A typical attack of anxiety /panic disorder can often mimic a heart attack
- Pounding heart (palpitations),
- pain in chest
- throbbing of vessels
- feeling of faintness
- missing one or more heartbeats.
8. Respiratory symptoms
Acute anxiety can cause the following symptoms:
- A feeling of pressure or tightness in chest
- feeling as if one would choke
- deep sighing or shortness of breath.
9. Abdominal symptoms
The most common symptoms of Anxiety Disorder are felt in the gut, they are :
- Problem in swallowing
- bloating
- pain in the abdomen
- burning sensations in chest or abdomen
- abdominal fullness
- nausea or vomiting
- loud gurgling gut sounds
- frequent or loose stool ,
- loss of weight
- constipation.
10. Sexual symptoms of Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder can commonly affect the sexual well-being of a person.
The common symptoms are :
- Frequent urge to pee
- Not getting your periods
- Getting a heavier than usual period
- Development of sexual frigidity in women
- Premature ejaculation
- Reduced desire for sex
- Erectile dysfunction ( inability to achieve or sustain an erection)
11. Autonomic symptoms of Anxiety Disorder
- Dry mouth
- Sudden flushing or turning pale
- Sweat a lot even in cold weather,
- Giddiness
- Goosebumps
12. Body Language in Anxiety Disorder
The body language of someone suffering from Acute anxiety is often a giveaway.
- Fidgeting
- Restlessness or pacing,
- Trembling of hands,
- Furrowed brow with strained face , pale face
- Sighing or rapid shallow respiration
- Constantly trying to swallow back , feeling a lump in throat
If you notice any of these symptoms in a loved one , do make sure to discuss it with your doctor… and don’t forget to share this with your friends!
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12 responses to “12 Commonly Ignored Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder”
This is such an important topic. Today morning, my daughter was telling me about one of her classmates who started to cry out of no where in the class. And I can see a few other similarities between your post and her explanation.
So many indications and still people forget to consider this till its too late. The taboo around mental health issues should end if people have to get out of the zone.
Thank you Rakhi!We have to keep up the efforts at awareness and acceptance till it is no more a stigma.
I had a question – one might not have all symptoms, have some symptoms listed from the above, also some may be facing these for only short durations. So how soon should one speak to a professional . Like if it’s couple of weeks or days ?
Thank you for putting this very important query.
More than the number of symptoms one may have , it is the intensity and frequency of the symptoms even if 1-2 only. If it is persistent and affecting a person’s quality of life, they should definitely consider discussing it with a professional. Once an evaluation has been done, the professional can tell you the need for treatment and the expected time needed.
This is a comprehensive list of symptoms – Thanks for sharing this, it will make it easier now to understand the people around and support them. And also pay attention to what could be going on under the surface.
It’s a wonderful post ..you have covered everything..every symptom ..mental health is very important or equally important as physical health.
I dont have anxiety disorder that all I can say but few of the points you stated above also exists with me and that is completely due to life stress and I need to work on that.
It is good that you already recognize the symptoms of Anxiety disorder, I wish you all the best on coping with it. Most people are able to cope with or without help when the symptoms are fleeting.
Anxiety awareness is essential for a happy and healthy life, there’s a lot that needs to be done for this mental health disorder. The occasional anxiety in everyday life is normal, but when that anxiety becomes frequent, intense, and starts to interfere with daily activities, it needs attention. Thanks for this detailed article to understand anxiety a bit better.
People ignore the anxiety disorder in Children and name them as stubborn or fickle minded. They all need to understand the importance of mental health and treat it.
This is so true, Anxiety is often ignored and considered as nervousness and people often feel trapped inside. in this fast-paced, competitive life, this is something we all should understand to keep our mind and soul healthy