Combatting severe anxiety: 20 mental and physical signs
Combatting severe anxiety: 20 physical and mental signs
Anxiety can affect people differently. Some may be able to ignore those feelings and push through with their day, while others may find it debilitating. Learning how to spot the signs of severe anxiety, and work through your emotions, could help you to feel more at peace.
What is anxiety?
Feeling worried about certain events or memories can be a normal part of life. However, severe anxiety may prevent you from moving past them. Certain people may find that they are unable to let go of thoughts or their attached emotions, even decades into the future.
The NHS describes anxiety as ‘a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear’. This can lead to panic attacks or anxiety attacks which can have an impact on your overall well-being.
Understanding some of the physical and mental symptoms that may occur could help you to quickly identify whether you are experiencing anxiety, or if it is a mild worry. This could allow you to put measures into place to alleviate symptoms and get on with your day.
Mental signs of severe anxiety
As anxiety is primarily in the mind, you might want to first discover some of these symptoms. This can help you to change your thought patterns to try to avoid triggering any memories or thoughts that may make you feel anxious.
- Inability to stop worrying – Everyday setbacks that would usually become manageable only add to your levels of stress and concern. You may find yourself worrying about things that, normally, you wouldn’t pay much mind to.
- Feelings of dread or fear – Consider the level of fear you might feel when watching a horror movie. That fear, or concern for the future, shouldn’t exist within daily life. If you notice a sense of apprehension for no apparent reason, this may signal that your anxiety is becoming unmanageable.
- Ruminating on negative thoughts – Being stuck in the past may also be a sign that you suffer from anxiety. The majority of people may be able to think of an experience and then simply let that thought go. However, those with anxiety may constantly replay past occurrences in their mind, thinking about what they could have done differently and allowing those thoughts to gain control of the present. Practising mindfulness techniques can help you to channel your thoughts more on the here and now.
- Symptoms of depression – Negative thought patterns can harm how you feel within yourself. Low mood, sadness, and even self-harming thoughts may all present themselves when you struggle with anxiety daily.
- Worrying about being anxious – When you suffer from anxiety, it can be difficult to know when your next trigger will occur. Due to this, some people may find that their anxiety escalates simply through the fear of having an anxiety attack. While this may sound counter-productive, the individual often can’t simply make those feelings go away, creating a spiral.
- Depersonalisation – Your brain may disconnect from reality, making you feel like nothing that goes on is happening to you. Those who experience depersonalisation may feel like they are watching what is going on, rather than experiencing it.
- Derealisation – Alternatively, some may disconnect by feeling like nothing is real around them. This can include relationships with others as well as events. Derealisation could become quite dangerous, especially when it comes to partaking in risky behaviours.
- Unable to relax – Relaxing allows a person to unwind and let go of their stress. This could greatly help to reduce anxiety. However, a person in an anxious state may be unable to relax. They may struggle to simply sit and enjoy something, instead feeling on edge.
- Need for reassurance – Severe anxiety may have so much power over you that you doubt yourself. You may find yourself constantly asking those around you to reassure you that everything is alright, or even that you are worthy. While this can assuage some of your fears, it won’t help you work through the issues surrounding your anxiety or provide long-term solutions.
- Irrational thoughts – One of the most worrying aspects of anxiety can be that it makes you think irrationally. Severe anxiety can make you think you aren’t good enough, or that others would be better off if you were no longer a part of their life. This can lead to risky behaviours, as well as engaging in self-harm or attempting to take your own life.
Physical signs of severe anxiety
Although anxiety may be classed as a mental health problem, the effects don’t always remain in your mind. Those who struggle with anxious thoughts may find that they also exhibit physical symptoms.
- Strange sensations in your body – Tingling and strange sensations, particularly in your hands and feet, can be common when you have an anxiety attack. This can feel similar to leg cramps or pins and needles. Often, these sensations may make you feel even more uncomfortable and add to the anxiety.
- Shivering – Many who deal with anxiety find they cannot control any shaking or shivering that coincides with their heightened emotional state. Experts believe this to be due to an adrenaline rush, where your body’s fight or flight response has been activated. However, because there isn’t anything physical to fight or run from, you may find it difficult to curb. This shaking may continue even after other effects subside, and not be helped by warming yourself up.
- Nausea and vomiting – Stomach discomfort can be a particularly unpleasant effect of severe anxiety. While some may feel like their stomach is churning, others may experience vomiting when in an anxious state.
- Diarrhoea – Likewise, digestive issues could also lead to diarrhoea. This can result in multiple trips to the bathroom. Those with IBS, or other existing bowel or digestive disorders, may be more likely to suffer from this symptom.
- Change in breathing – When you are frightened, you may find that your breathing speeds up or becomes more laboured. The same can occur when experiencing a panic attack. Focusing on your breathing and attempting to slow it down, or at least make it more comfortable, could be vital here.
- Heart palpitations – Changes in your heartbeat can be a completely normal side effect of anxiety. You might feel like your heart is beating out of your chest, or even skipping beats. Unless you already have heart problems, it is unlikely this is cause for alarm. However, if you are concerned about heart palpitations, even with anxiety, it is best to get them looked at right away.
- Sweating – Some people notice their body temperature fluctuates during an anxiety attack. While feeling cold can be normal, feeling overly warm may also be a problem. This can lead to sweating.
- Problems with sleep – When there’s a lot on your mind and your anxiety spikes, you may find that you are unable to switch off and sleep. Attempting to lay down in silence, with only those thoughts in your head, may give you more time to think about the issue and spiral further into anxiety. Speaking to your doctor about sleep problems and insomnia associated with anxiety may be the best course of action.
- Feeling faint – Dizziness can be another potentially hazardous effect of severe anxiety. You might notice that you feel unwell, or that the room seems to spin or look out of focus. Should this occur, it could be a good idea to sit or lie down until the feeling passes. If you do faint, you want to ensure as little risk as possible to yourself and others.
- Sensory overload – When dealing with an anxiety attack, everything around you may feel like it’s too much. This can include things you see, smells, noises around you, and things you touch. For some, sensory overload may make them feel claustrophobic. Calming or white noise sounds, as well as avoiding any triggering sensory objects, may help these feelings to pass.
When does anxiety become a problem?
Each of us may deal with concerns and setbacks as part of daily life. Worrying about something temporarily, or feeling negative for a short while, isn’t necessarily a problem.
When experiencing an anxiety disorder, an individual may find that these symptoms last more than just a few days. This can cause many problems including:
- Inability to maintain relationships
- Problems at work or school
- Failure to adequately look after yourself
- Problems with money and finances
The triggers for severe anxiety may differ depending on the person. What one person may find reasonable may be overwhelming for another. You might also find that some people have several trigger factors, while others may have anxiety with a recurring theme.
Dealing with anxiety is utterly exhausting. Those without mental health conditions, or experience of them, may not understand why you feel so tired. However, your feelings of exhaustion are valid, especially if you have tried to remain strong for quite some time.
In the worst cases, an individual may experience suicidal ideation. This may arise from feelings of low self-worth, or even be seen as a better alternative to experiencing regular anxious states.
If you suffer from anxiety and notice it getting worse, or becoming less manageable, it is imperative that you contact your GP or local crisis team. Mental health support may have a long waiting list, so making use of local services and the support of your family, friends, workplace, and even religious or social groups could help to keep you going.
What can I do to combat severe anxiety?
Talking therapies can be a great way of working through the issues that cause you anxiety. While some people may be able to forget about the issues, this is often only temporary. Burying your worries may result in them cropping up again in the future. Instead, you need to work through those thoughts and emotions until you have found a resolution.
Keeping a journal may also help you to note down any emotions and concerns you have. This could also show great insight into when your anxiety mostly occurs. It may be that you suffer more at night, or after going to a particular place. Until you have professional help in place, you may be able to use journalling to help you avoid triggers and document your journey.
Open communication can also be important. Speak to your partner, parent, or a trusted person about your concerns. They may be able to help alleviate some of the symptoms in the short-term, but also signpost and support you for long-term solutions.
Final thoughts
Dealing with severe anxiety can greatly impact your life. You may find you are unable to enjoy some of the nicer aspects of your day because those thoughts weigh heavy on your mind.
Accepting that you need support with your anxiety and wider mental health can be a great first step. You aren’t alone in your journey.
Have your say
Anxiety can affect anyone at any point in their lives, regardless of whether they have existing mental health problems or not. Learning how to spot the signs could allow you to overcome stressful situations and better understand your anxiety.
If you have some ideas regarding how to spot and cope with anxiety, or work on wellness in general, you might want to think about writing a guest post for Mindful Me.
Together, we can feel better both inside and outside ourselves, and break the stigma associated with struggles.
Freelance writer for 3+ years, currently working in marketing.
I love walks in the woods, Asian dramas, and cooking up delicious food.