It’s all well and good to talk about anxiety awareness, but first you need to know what to look for: What are the signs of anxiety and stress?
Your body signals oncoming panic and anxiety in a variety of ways, and if you know what to lookout for, physically and psychologically, then you can figure out the best anxiety treatment for you.
Many Ignore Warning Signs of Anxiety and Panic
The reactions and sensations associated with anxiety can significantly interfere with a person’s life, but a lot of people write them off. Warning signs of chronic stress or acute panic are often ignored because people may not realize that the signals their mind-body gives them form a pattern: A pattern of anxiety for which there’s help.
You can only effectively manage anxiety if you’re able to articulate what triggers your stress and panic. That’s easier said than done because many people, even those who experience anxiety attacks, aren’t aware of the wide range of ways anxiety can present itself, nor of how best to handle the situation when it does arise. And if you don’t know how to combat anxiety and stress, that can lead to a vicious cycle of uncertainty and worry that perpetuates panic and instills fear.
Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress
If you answer yes to one or more of the following questions then you may well be suffering from stress or anxiety:
• Are you deeply uncomfortable in enclosed or crowded spaces e.g. the supermarket, cars, or the elevator?
• Do you get very tense or uneasy in situations that would not have bothered you much in the past?
• Have you struggled with intrusive thoughts, images or impulses that won’t seem to go away or just stop?
• Do you fear driving over bridges, being stuck in traffic or at red lights?
• Have you felt irritable, restless or agitated most of the time, for a substantial period of time?
• Do you experience intense, apparently inexplicable fears of people, places or things?
• Do you feel the need to repeat certain behaviours and don’t really know why?
• Are you afraid of losing control?
• Do you spend a lot of the time wishing the world seemed safer, or avoiding activities because you are uncertain?
10 Early Warning Signs of Panic Attacks
Do you experience:
- Overwhelming fear you may be losing control, even going crazy?
- A racing heart with tingling sensations?
- Obsessive worries or unwanted, intense thoughts?
- Dizziness or nausea leading to panic?
- Chills, hot flushes or the sweats followed by waves of anxiety?
- Trembling or shaking?
- Unexplained weakness or numbness in parts of your body?
- Tightness in the throat or chest and shortness of breath?
- Feelings of disconnection from what is going on in your body and/or environment?
- The sense that anxiety may push you beyond what you can take?
If you’ve had a few of these anxiety symptoms at some point, no matter how long ago, then you were probably having an anxiety attack (take this panic attack test). Panic attacks often become a source of fear and worry. You may even begin to obsess over them and experience anticipatory anxiety if you aren’t recognizing and dealing with all your symptoms.
Remember that anxiety can present itself in many ways depending on the individual and their circumstances. So the more you know about what stress looks like for you, the more effectively you can target and treat anxiety.
i have a friend who is absolutely unwilling to figure out what his triggers are for his panic attacks. i find it so sad that he allows his life to be run by panic antacks and anticipating them – such that his denial is actually the biggest issue in his life. there is no getting through to someone who doesn’t want to face the reasons they are anxious – i just send my prayers to him that he finds his way because he doesn’t want my help.
thank you for this enlightening article – you helped me put this situation in perspective.
Hi Char,
Glad it could help. Sounds like a tough thing to go through with your friend.
I, too, have anxiety attacks. My clue is the feeling of confusion. Then, I do the slow-breathing exercises (yoga) to calm myself down. That usually relaxes me enough so that I can focus better and understand what set off this anxiety in the first place. Its a coping skill I’ve learned along the way.
Hi Tammy,
Yeah. That’s a very good point. Confusion and sometimes a bit more general spaciness hit for me.
Love yoga. Good one!
I too deal with OCD, panic attacks and anxiety attacks.
I had so many panic atttacks since the age of 20. I can’t count how many I seem to live through. I can’t remember most of it. Everytime I have one I lose part me. I know never come back as the same person. A stranger or some of my family members I can’t explain my reasons for the problems in relationships. Sometimes feels like I’am the problem for any guy. I can’t be certain the man would understand I might never completely change to something he needs in life. A woman isn’t broken or feels the pain in anything sexaully.
A panick attack happens if I’am intensely thinking about a problem. An image from the past is stuck in my mind. I hear voice of someone is stuck in a different place talking to me. I know this sounds cazy. Why would I hear voices in my mind? When would I see the girl screaming, she can’t be free? I stop calling myself “I” Knowing I had to remember anything in my relationships would cause pain. The pain is buried beneath the hopes someone would see her again.
I don’t like to be in crowded places. I look at other people. The thought I’am not there anymore. I can’t have any stable relationships at the age of 24 year-old. I never know when a panick attack will strike again in my life. This is a life no one should have to live in. I guess I learn how to push everything away.
Is there any support groups in Monroe?