A little nervousness or anxiousness affects everyone’s wellbeing now and then, so how can you tell if that anxiety is actually a mental health problem? If anxiety takes over your life with frequent episodes, it may be time to seek help from a medical health professional. Look out for these symptoms:
1. Excessive worry: This is the hallmark of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), and basically involves worrying too much about everyday things, large and small, on most days of the week for six months. Sally Winston, PsyD, co-director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorder Institute of Maryland, explains, ‘The distinction between an anxiety disorder and just having normal anxiety is whether your emotions are causing a lot of suffering and dysfunction.’
2. Sleep problems: On its own, sleep deprivation can indicate a number of physical and psychological wellness problems, but if you find yourself lying awake with worry or feeling agitated about lots of different things, it might be a sign of GAD. Moreover, you may wake up feeling wired, with your mind racing, and you’re unable to calm yourself down.
3. Irrational fears: Your anxiety may not be generalised, but rather attached to a specific situation or thing. Overwhelming, disruptive and out-of-proportion fears – of animals, crowds, flying etc – indicate phobia, which is a type of anxiety disorder that can go undetected until you’re presented with a crippling situation that you’re unable to overcome. According to Winston, ‘A person who’s afraid of snakes can go for years without having a problem, but then suddenly their kid wants to go camping, and they realise they need treatment.’
4. Muscle tension: If you clench your jaw, ball your fists, or flex the muscles throughout your body often, it could be a sign of anxiety. Although regular exercise can help to keep this under control, your tension could come back with a vengeance if something gets in the way of your workouts. ‘Suddenly [the tense person is] a wreck,’ says Winston. ‘Because they can’t handle their anxiety in that way and now they’re incredibly restless and irritable.’
5. Chronic indigestion: Although anxiety is primarily to do with mental health, it can manifest through your digestive system. Winston explains that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which causes stomach aches, cramping, bloating, gas, constipation, and/or diarrhoea, ‘is basically an anxiety in the digestive tract.’ IBS isn’t always anxiety-related, but the two often go hand-in-hand.
6. Self-consciousness: You may suffer with social anxiety disorder if you’re greatly uncomfortable with 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. You might feel like all eyes are on you, which leads to symptoms like blushing, trembling, nausea, profuse sweating, or difficulty talking.
7. Panic: This is a sudden, gripping feeling of fear and helplessness that can last for several minutes. It’s often coupled with scary physical symptoms like breathing problems, a pounding or racing heart, tingling or numb hands, sweating, weakness or dizziness, chest pain, stomach pain, and feeling hot or cold. The fear of another panic attack can make the condition worse, and begin a vicious cycle.
8. Perfectionism: If you have a finicky and obsessive mind-set, Winston asserts that it ‘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.’ This is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which has long been viewed as an anxiety disorder. Winston notes, ‘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.’