Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. It is our bodies response to try to keep us safe during stressful or uncertain situations. However, there are times when anxiety persists despite not being in danger anymore. Anxiety is often characterized as an emotional experience, but it is also a very physical experiences where our body mobilizes to protect us from a perceived danger.
Even so, not everyone who experiences anxiety has an anxiety disorder. Those who have an anxiety disorder experience significant levels of anxiety that impact their daily functioning and can be debilitating. Chronic anxiety can have a significant impact on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Here are some common symptoms of anxiety:
- Tightness in the chest
- Rapid heart rate
- Shallow Breathing or hyperventilating
- Perspiring
- Muscle tension
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Nausea
- Catastrophizing
- Avoidance
- Irritability
- Racing Thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating
- Restless, trembling and or shaky
- Dissociating (i.e, feeling out of body, on auto drive)
