Everyone gets nervous or anxious from
time to time — when speaking in public,
for instance, or when going through
financial difficulties. For some people,
however, anxiety becomes so frequent,
or so forceful, that it begins to take over
their lives.
How can you tell if your everyday anxiety
has crossed the line into a disorder? It’s
not easy. Anxiety comes in many different
forms—such as panic attacks, phobia, and
social anxiety—and the distinction between
an official diagnosis and “normal” anxiety
isn’t always clear.
Here’s a start: If you experience any of the
following symptoms on a regular basis, you
may want to talk with your doctor.
Excessive worry. The hallmark of
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)—the
broadest type of anxiety—is worrying too
much about everyday things, large and
small. But what constitutes “too much”?
In the case of GAD, it means having
persistent anxious thoughts on most days
of the week, for six months. Also, the
anxiety must be so bad that it interferes
with daily life and is accompanied by
noticeable symptoms, such as fatigue.
The distinction between an anxiety disorder
and just having normal anxiety is whether
your emotions are causing a lot of suffering
and dysfunction.
Sleep problems. Trouble falling asleep or
staying asleep is associated with a wide
range of health conditions, both physical
and psychological. And, of course, it’s not
unusual to toss and turn with anticipation
on the night before a big speech or job
interview.
But if you chronically find yourself lying
awake, worried or agitated—about specific
problems (like money), or nothing in
particular—it might be a sign of an anxiety
disorder. By some estimates, fully half of all
people with GAD experience sleep
problems.
Another tip-off that anxiety might be
involved? You wake up feeling wired, your
mind is racing, and you’re unable to calm
yourself down.
Irrational fears. Some anxiety isn’t
generalized at all; on the contrary, it’s
attached to a specific situation or thing—
like flying, animals, or crowds. If the fear
becomes overwhelming, disruptive, and
way out of proportion to the actual risk
involved, it’s a telltale sign of phobia, a type
of anxiety disorder.
Although phobias can be crippling, they’re
not obvious at all times. In fact, they may
not surface until you confront a specific
situation and discover you’re incapable of
overcoming your fear.
Muscle tension. Near-constant muscle
tension—whether it consists of clenching
your jaw, balling your fists, or flexing
muscles throughout your body—often
accompanies anxiety disorders. This
symptom can be so persistent and
pervasive that people who have lived with it
for a long time may stop noticing it after a
while.
Regular exercise can help keep muscle
tension under control, but the tension may
flare up if an injury or other unforeseen
event disrupts a person’s workout habits.
Chronic indigestion. Anxiety may start in
the mind, but it often manifests itself in the
body through physical symptoms, like
chronic digestive problems. Irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS), a condition characterized
by stomachaches, cramping, bloating, gas,
constipation, and/or diarrhea, is basically
an anxiety in the digestive tract.
IBS isn’t always related to anxiety, but the
two often occur together and can make
each other worse. The gut is very sensitive
to psychological stress—and, vice versa, the
physical and social discomfort of chronic
digestive problems can make a person feel
more anxious.
Stage fright Most people get at least a few
butterflies before addressing a group of
people or otherwise being in the spotlight.
But if the fear is so strong that no amount
of coaching or practice will alleviate it, or if
you spend a lot of time thinking and
worrying about it, you may have a form of
social anxiety disorder (also known as
social phobia).
People with social anxiety tend to worry for
days or weeks leading up to a particular
event or situation. And if they do manage
to go through with it, they tend to be
deeply uncomfortable and may dwell on it
for a long time afterward, wondering how
they were judged.
Self-consciousness. Social anxiety disorder
doesn’t always involve speaking to a crowd
or being the center of attention. In most
cases, the anxiety is provoked by everyday
situations such as making one-on-one
conversation at a party, or eating and
drinking in front of even a small number of
people.
In these situations, people with social
anxiety disorder tend to feel like all eyes
are on them, and they often experience
blushing, trembling, nausea, profuse
sweating, or difficulty talking. These
symptoms can be so disruptive that they
make it hard to meet new people, maintain
relationships, and advance at work or in
school.
Panic. Panic attacks can be terrifying:
Picture a sudden, gripping feeling of fear
and helplessness that can last for several
minutes, accompanied by scary physical
symptoms such as breathing problems, a
pounding or racing heart, tingling or numb
hands, sweating, weakness or dizziness,
chest pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot
or cold.
Not everyone who has a panic attack has
an anxiety disorder, but people who
experience them repeatedly may be
diagnosed with panic disorder. People with
panic disorder live in fear about when,
where, and why their next attack might
happen, and they tend to avoid places
where attacks have occurred in the past.
Flashbacks. Reliving a disturbing or
traumatic event—a violent encounter, the
sudden death of a loved one—is a hallmark
of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
which shares some features with anxiety
disorders. (Until very recently, in fact, PTSD
was seen as a type of anxiety disorder
rather than a stand-alone condition.)
But flashbacks may occur with other types
of anxiety as well. Some research suggests
that some people with social anxiety have
PTSD-like flashbacks of experiences that
might not seem obviously traumatic, such
as being publicly ridiculed. These people
may even avoid reminders of the
experience—another symptom reminiscent
of PTSD.
Perfectionism. The finicky and obsessive
mind-set known as perfectionism goes
hand in hand with anxiety disorders. If you
are constantly judging yourself or you have
a lot of anticipatory anxiety about making
mistakes or falling short of your standards,
then you probably have an anxiety
disorder.
Perfectionism is especially common in
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
which, like PTSD, has long been viewed as
an anxiety disorder. OCD can happen
subtly, like in the case of somebody who
can’t get out of the house for three hours
because their makeup has to be absolutely
just right and they have to keep starting
over.
Compulsive behaviors. In order to be
diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive
disorder, a person’s obsessiveness and
intrusive thoughts must be accompanied by
compulsive behavior, whether it’s mental
(telling yourself It’ll be all right over and
over again) or physical (hand-washing,
straightening items).
Obsessive thinking and compulsive
behavior become a full-blown disorder
when the need to complete the behaviors—
also known as “rituals”—begins to drive
your life. If you like your radio at volume
level 3, for example, and it breaks and gets
stuck on 4, would you be in a total panic
until you could get it fixed?
Self-doubt. Persistent self-doubt and
second-guessing is a common feature of
anxiety disorders, including generalized
anxiety disorder and OCD. In some cases,
the doubt may revolve around a question
that’s central to a person’s identity, like
“What if I’m gay?” or “Do I love my husband
as much as he loves me?”
In OCD, these “doubt attacks” are especially
common when a question is unanswerable.
Source: Business Insider
time to time — when speaking in public,
for instance, or when going through
financial difficulties. For some people,
however, anxiety becomes so frequent,
or so forceful, that it begins to take over
their lives.
How can you tell if your everyday anxiety
has crossed the line into a disorder? It’s
not easy. Anxiety comes in many different
forms—such as panic attacks, phobia, and
social anxiety—and the distinction between
an official diagnosis and “normal” anxiety
isn’t always clear.
Here’s a start: If you experience any of the
following symptoms on a regular basis, you
may want to talk with your doctor.
Excessive worry. The hallmark of
generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)—the
broadest type of anxiety—is worrying too
much about everyday things, large and
small. But what constitutes “too much”?
In the case of GAD, it means having
persistent anxious thoughts on most days
of the week, for six months. Also, the
anxiety must be so bad that it interferes
with daily life and is accompanied by
noticeable symptoms, such as fatigue.
The distinction between an anxiety disorder
and just having normal anxiety is whether
your emotions are causing a lot of suffering
and dysfunction.
Sleep problems. Trouble falling asleep or
staying asleep is associated with a wide
range of health conditions, both physical
and psychological. And, of course, it’s not
unusual to toss and turn with anticipation
on the night before a big speech or job
interview.
But if you chronically find yourself lying
awake, worried or agitated—about specific
problems (like money), or nothing in
particular—it might be a sign of an anxiety
disorder. By some estimates, fully half of all
people with GAD experience sleep
problems.
Another tip-off that anxiety might be
involved? You wake up feeling wired, your
mind is racing, and you’re unable to calm
yourself down.
Irrational fears. Some anxiety isn’t
generalized at all; on the contrary, it’s
attached to a specific situation or thing—
like flying, animals, or crowds. If the fear
becomes overwhelming, disruptive, and
way out of proportion to the actual risk
involved, it’s a telltale sign of phobia, a type
of anxiety disorder.
Although phobias can be crippling, they’re
not obvious at all times. In fact, they may
not surface until you confront a specific
situation and discover you’re incapable of
overcoming your fear.
Muscle tension. Near-constant muscle
tension—whether it consists of clenching
your jaw, balling your fists, or flexing
muscles throughout your body—often
accompanies anxiety disorders. This
symptom can be so persistent and
pervasive that people who have lived with it
for a long time may stop noticing it after a
while.
Regular exercise can help keep muscle
tension under control, but the tension may
flare up if an injury or other unforeseen
event disrupts a person’s workout habits.
Chronic indigestion. Anxiety may start in
the mind, but it often manifests itself in the
body through physical symptoms, like
chronic digestive problems. Irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS), a condition characterized
by stomachaches, cramping, bloating, gas,
constipation, and/or diarrhea, is basically
an anxiety in the digestive tract.
IBS isn’t always related to anxiety, but the
two often occur together and can make
each other worse. The gut is very sensitive
to psychological stress—and, vice versa, the
physical and social discomfort of chronic
digestive problems can make a person feel
more anxious.
Stage fright Most people get at least a few
butterflies before addressing a group of
people or otherwise being in the spotlight.
But if the fear is so strong that no amount
of coaching or practice will alleviate it, or if
you spend a lot of time thinking and
worrying about it, you may have a form of
social anxiety disorder (also known as
social phobia).
People with social anxiety tend to worry for
days or weeks leading up to a particular
event or situation. And if they do manage
to go through with it, they tend to be
deeply uncomfortable and may dwell on it
for a long time afterward, wondering how
they were judged.
Self-consciousness. Social anxiety disorder
doesn’t always involve speaking to a crowd
or being the center of attention. In most
cases, the anxiety is provoked by everyday
situations such as making one-on-one
conversation at a party, or eating and
drinking in front of even a small number of
people.
In these situations, people with social
anxiety disorder tend to feel like all eyes
are on them, and they often experience
blushing, trembling, nausea, profuse
sweating, or difficulty talking. These
symptoms can be so disruptive that they
make it hard to meet new people, maintain
relationships, and advance at work or in
school.
Panic. Panic attacks can be terrifying:
Picture a sudden, gripping feeling of fear
and helplessness that can last for several
minutes, accompanied by scary physical
symptoms such as breathing problems, a
pounding or racing heart, tingling or numb
hands, sweating, weakness or dizziness,
chest pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot
or cold.
Not everyone who has a panic attack has
an anxiety disorder, but people who
experience them repeatedly may be
diagnosed with panic disorder. People with
panic disorder live in fear about when,
where, and why their next attack might
happen, and they tend to avoid places
where attacks have occurred in the past.
Flashbacks. Reliving a disturbing or
traumatic event—a violent encounter, the
sudden death of a loved one—is a hallmark
of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
which shares some features with anxiety
disorders. (Until very recently, in fact, PTSD
was seen as a type of anxiety disorder
rather than a stand-alone condition.)
But flashbacks may occur with other types
of anxiety as well. Some research suggests
that some people with social anxiety have
PTSD-like flashbacks of experiences that
might not seem obviously traumatic, such
as being publicly ridiculed. These people
may even avoid reminders of the
experience—another symptom reminiscent
of PTSD.
Perfectionism. The finicky and obsessive
mind-set known as perfectionism goes
hand in hand with anxiety disorders. If you
are constantly judging yourself or you have
a lot of anticipatory anxiety about making
mistakes or falling short of your standards,
then you probably have an anxiety
disorder.
Perfectionism is especially common in
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),
which, like PTSD, has long been viewed as
an anxiety disorder. OCD can happen
subtly, like in the case of somebody who
can’t get out of the house for three hours
because their makeup has to be absolutely
just right and they have to keep starting
over.
Compulsive behaviors. In order to be
diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive
disorder, a person’s obsessiveness and
intrusive thoughts must be accompanied by
compulsive behavior, whether it’s mental
(telling yourself It’ll be all right over and
over again) or physical (hand-washing,
straightening items).
Obsessive thinking and compulsive
behavior become a full-blown disorder
when the need to complete the behaviors—
also known as “rituals”—begins to drive
your life. If you like your radio at volume
level 3, for example, and it breaks and gets
stuck on 4, would you be in a total panic
until you could get it fixed?
Self-doubt. Persistent self-doubt and
second-guessing is a common feature of
anxiety disorders, including generalized
anxiety disorder and OCD. In some cases,
the doubt may revolve around a question
that’s central to a person’s identity, like
“What if I’m gay?” or “Do I love my husband
as much as he loves me?”
In OCD, these “doubt attacks” are especially
common when a question is unanswerable.
Source: Business Insider
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