About Anxiety.
Anxiety is a normal response to stress and is very common. It can manifest in many different ways, for many different people.
For some, anxiety may appear as if out of nowhere. This in itself can promote anxiety and can then be self-perpetuating.
For others, the cause of anxiety may be known but the treatment may seem out of reach.
Anxiety can persist; whether you know the cause or not. It can make you imagine that things in your life are worse than they really are, and can prevent you from confronting your fears – you might even think you’re going crazy. However, it’s important to realise that anxiety is normal and is part of your body’s protective system.
Symptoms of anxiety
People often experience physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms when they feel anxious or stressed.
Some of the most common physical symptoms are:
- Increased heart rate or increased muscle tension
- Tingling in the hands and feet
- Hyperventilation (breathing too heavily) or dizziness
- Difficulty in breathing or a tight band across the chest
- Wanting to use the toilet more often
- Feeling sick
- Tension headaches
- Hot flushes or increased perspiration
- Dry mouth
- Shaking or palpitations
- Choking sensations
Some of the most common psychological symptoms include feeling that:
- You might lose control and/or go ‘crazy’; or you might die
- You might have a heart attack/be sick/faint/have a brain tumour
- People are looking at you and noticing your anxiety
- Things are speeding up/slowing down
- You want to run away/escape from the situation
- You’re on edge and alert to everything around you
The most common behavioural symptom involves avoiding the situation that makes you feel anxious. Although this can produce immediate relief, it’s only a short-term solution. The anxiety often returns the next time you’re in that situation – and avoiding it will only reinforce the feeling of danger. And it means that you’ll never find out whether your fear about the situation and what might happen is actually true