Signs You Have Anxiety
Anxiety can be disruptive and make it difficult to sleep, focus, and function. It can impede your ability to work and fulfill family obligations. Anxiety is different from an anxiety disorder, which is an umbrella term for various conditions including panic, social anxiety, and phobias. If you experience the following symptoms, you may have anxiety or an anxiety disorder; counselling can help.
Signs of Anxiety Disorder:
Excessive worry - A certain amount of worry occurs for everyone on occasion, but persistent, anxious thoughts lasting for weeks or months can interfere with the ability to function. The difference between an anxiety disorder and regular anxiety is whether your emotions start causing dysfunction. The anxiety may manifest as a general worry that ends up feeding on itself, or causing the sufferer to ruminate.
Insomnia - Chronic difficulty sleeping can point toward anxiety, especially if you spend that time worrying. People with anxiety often have difficulty winding down at the beginning of sleep. Other problems also take the form of restless sleep or waking up with a tense feeling.
Inability to focus - If you find yourself unable to concentrate at work, it may be due to anxiety. Sufferers often have difficulty paying attention to their job or find themselves distracted by other thoughts that impede productivity.
Low energy - Anxiety disorder can cause a person to feel as if they don’t have the energy to make it through the day. This can be traced to interrupted sleep and resulting fatigue. Anxiety also puts a body into a consistent fight-or-flight state. Coupled with constant worry, it’s not a surprise sufferers feel they have no energy.
Self-consciousness - Anxiety isn’t always caused by large crowds or public speaking responsibilities; it can be provoked by everyday situations like lunch with friends. People with social anxiety may feel as they’re being watched, making it difficult to make or maintain relationships.
Muscle tension - Since anxiety sends the body into fight-or-flight mode, muscle tension can result (e.g. a balled fist or clenched jaw). This can be a pervasive symptom and become virtually unnoticeable if you live with anxiety for some time.
Chronic indigestion - Anxiety can be experienced in the digestive tract, in the form of cramps, indigestion, constipation, and diarrhea. The digestive system is sensitive to psychological stress, and digestive problems can make people more anxious, compounding the problem.
Anxiety disorders often have physical symptoms. If you think you are feeling anxious or unable to handle work, call for counselling and professional assistance.
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