When you have a physical ailment, more often than not, it’s relatively easy to identify because all you need to do is have a few medical tests done that can physically show you where the problem lies, and what you need to do to find the solution. When it comes to mental illness, however, it’s not as simple as that.
This is because when you begin to suffer from a mental ailment, it’s more difficult to pinpoint and treat because it is not something that’s physically tangible. With the passage of time, we have become more knowledgeable about the symptoms of mental illnesses to help us identify them and treat them, and this is great news.
Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States has an anxiety disorder? Most people believe that anxiety is a state of worry, unease, or unrest. It is, but it may sometimes get too much. When someone has an anxiety problem, intrusive, persistent thoughts frequently affect how well they can operate.
If you are suspecting that you might be suffering from a form of anxiety, then check to see if you have any of these signs.
1. Trouble Sleeping
Sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety, spurring a negative cycle involving insomnia and anxiety problems.
Lack of sleep affects mood and emotional health, which may exacerbate the challenges posed by anxiety disorders. Worrying results in bad sleep, which in turn increases anxiety and creates additional sleep problems.
Many of us experience issues with our sleep, and this could be for a number of reasons. You’ll know that it’s related to anxiety if you find that the thoughts you have before bed are numbing and worrisome. If you can’t help thinking of negative things before going to bed, or if you feel stiff, clammy, and sweaty, then the chances are, you’re not able to sleep because of your anxiety. You’ll find that even after you finally do fall asleep, you don’t have a restful sleep and probably suffer from nightmares, cold sweats, and in some cases sleep paralysis does occur. The brain is on overdrive so it reacts as such.
Any individual who experiences frequent, severe anxiety and/or sleeps issues should consult a physician, who can best evaluate their situation and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the many therapy choices that might be appropriate for them.
In addition, you may also try relaxation techniques that can help identify ways to get rid of anxiety and make it easier to fall asleep quickly and peacefully. You may also want to try scheduling times to actively worry, as this may eliminate worrying time as you lay down for sleep. Deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and guided imagery are just a few approaches to relaxation that can help put your mind at ease before bed or if you wake up during the night.
2. Inability to Focus
You’ll find that with cases of anxiety, each symptom begets or contributes to the next. If you find that you’re having restless or lack of sleep, then this, in turn, will affect your ability to focus. Not only that, anxious thoughts do tend to distract and make it extremely difficult for you to stay focused on any task, this is where you might start to feel agitation as well.
The first step in creating a strategy for managing anxiety and the inability to concentrate is understanding how anxiety might affect cognitive functioning. By accepting that you will have to make some adjustments to work or study habits, you can begin to put into practice these new methods and begin to improve your mental focus. This will increase your productivity and confidence. Some tips to boost cognitive functioning at work include taking a short break, creating a to-do list, practicing mindfulness, and many more
3. Nervous Habits
Most of us have a few nervous habits, from cracking our knuckles to chewing our pencils. But some of these traits may be bad for your health.
Agitation, which is a prevalent sign of an anxiety disorder, is bound to bring up nervous habits. Many times, people are not even aware of when they start having these habits because they do this subconsciously. There are a number of people who fiddle with their hair, and if not noticed and treated, this can escalate to a habit of even pulling the hair out. If you look at the information found on this site, you’ll find that there are support groups and communities that relate to this. Having a support network is essential to identifying and admitting to having these harmful habits. This can also include nail-biting, scratching, clenching of the hand and jaws, nervous tick in the eye, and many more.
You will be surprised to know that these habits are a clear-cut sign that your mental well-being is being compromised. Over some time, these habits become your body language and become a part of who you are.
4. Physical Signs
As mentioned in the point above, nervous habits can be brought on by anxiety. This is where the physical signs come in as well. We had just mentioned how you can develop a nervous tick in the eye, and there are many people that start off by doing this to alleviate tension in the head or stress, and then it starts to happen without their control. Because of the incredible stress that people with anxiety are under, this affects the nervous system, as well as the digestive system as well, so watch out for migraines, shoulder and neck pains, and indigestion issues. Others may also have an increased heart rate, which is stemmed from panic attacks, which we’ll take about in the next sign.
Because anxiety can have such an impact on health, it is essential to get help. Mild anxiety may go away on its own or after the event causing the anxiety to be over, but chronic anxiety often persists and may get worse.
The type and severity of your anxiety symptoms will determine how you should be treated. The two major forms of treatment for anxiety are therapy and medication. When you receive talk therapy or anxiety-relieving medication, bodily symptoms that you feel frequently get better as well.
5. Panic Attacks
What a panic attack is, in essence, is the presence of fear or paranoia, be it rational or irrational, that causes the person to sometimes hyperventilate and have an irregular heartbeat. Experiencing a panic attack comes along with difficulty breathing and excessive sweating. If you find that you’re experiencing these, then it’s time to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, you should not have to live in a constant state of worry and stress. If you frequently experience anxiety, it is essential to reach out for help. Therapy, lifestyle adjustments, or medications can all help get anxiety manageable.
6. Worry & Paranoia
We just mentioned the factor of fear coming into play. Worry and paranoia go hand in hand with fear, and these feelings are what work up to a crippling sense of fear. Those who suffer from anxiety tend to worry more than usual, and can be paranoid about a lot of things that most people don’t really consider or think about.
However, paranoia and anxiety can be different cases and can also arise from each other. Paranoia can cause significant fear and anxiety based on a person’s belief in delusions, and anxiety may lead to paranoia. However, this is not always the case.
Both can cause similar bodily feelings like a racing heart or an anxious feeling, but each illness has a different way of thinking.
Each condition may have similar treatment options, like therapy, medication, or both. However, the focus of this treatment is different for each condition, and the medications are not necessarily the same.
7. A Need for Isolation
We all need to have some time for ourselves once in a while. It helps give you a bit of a “recharge” after a long day. But for most people, there is a limit to how long that alone time is useful. After a while, you may find yourself spending more and more time alone.
Because of the crippling emotions and stress that a person with anxiety experiences, they will slowly but surely step away from social gatherings, confrontations, and situations in general. This is because it causes them too much stress, or they feel they cannot handle human interaction at times.
Managing anxiety often requires distractions. You need to quit overthinking and start living. It is something that is much, much harder to do when you are alone with your thoughts. Even if you could manage your anxiety on your own, you occasionally can. The reality is that you generally have more negative thoughts for a longer amount of time when you are alone and isolated.
Anxiety is no simple ailment by any means. If left untreated, it can completely deteriorate at a person’s mental well being and it will only get worse from these. It is not a disease that stagnates- it does escalate. This is why it’s so important to always look into what you’re feeling and analyze it to see if you may be suffering from anxiety and if so, seek help immediately.