Anxiety disorders are the leading underlying causes of absenteeism, job loss, substance abuse and alcoholism in the USA and other countries all over the world. The alarming thing about anxiety disorders is that many of the sufferers don’t realize they have it until it’s too late. By too late, we mean the disorder may have developed into something worse, like a persistent mental illness, insanity or depression. The best way to deal with anxiety disorders is to prevent these from taking over a person’s life. If you see the signs, do something that can snap you back into your usual self.
Here are some of the common physical, emotional and behavioural symptoms of anxiety disorders:
Physical Signs of Anxiety
- heart palpitations at random moments
- dizziness when pressured by work matters
- shortness of breath in a crowded place
- nausea
- lack of apetite
- insomnia
- lethargy
Emotional Signs
- feeling like you forgot to do something
- unrealistic worrying about things you cannot control
- extreme fear with no apparent cause
- feeling all alone
- the sensation of being out-of-place wherever you may be
- feeling like no one understands you
- feeling like you cannot do anything right
- inferiority complex
- trying too hard to ‘act normal’
Behavioral Signs
- checking or rechecking if you did a task well
- sudden belief in superstition
- morbid fascination about the future
- the impulse to check everything inside the house
- obsessive-compulsive behavior
- preoccupation with phobias
Fear is one of the common characteristics of all types of anxiety disorders, and this fear is constantly fed by many factors, whether imagined or real, that seem to justify it and can lead to an anxiety attack. For instance, a person fearing death could see the death of a relative or a neighbour as a sign. Some news article about a family in a nearby state may trigger various fears, including those related with job security, losing financial stability and family separation. The fear could crop up without provocation, and are seemingly random. Many people that suffer from this kind of fear find it difficult to seek help from friends because they feel like no one can really understand what it’s like.
People under this kind of stress have to open up and share their fears with someone they trust. Having a good friend beside you when these fears start eating up your consciousness is a blessing. When a person tries to hold it all in, he becomes a sitting duck for a more horrible condition, depression. A person that’s losing the fight against anxiety because he does nothing to help himself may turn to various things like alcohol or drugs to alleviate his feelings of loneliness and dread.
Many sources have delineated signs of anxiety, which often occur in individuals under intense pressure. These signs are general reactions to stressful situations. However, they become a cause of worry when they occur frequently and randomly. When these signs become chronic in nature, that’s when you know you need help.
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