We all get anxious at times of public speaking, examination fevers, presentations, and workloads or in financial difficulty. Stress has become the most important health issue. But for some people, anxiety becomes so frequent and forceful that it begins to take over their lives. It is hard to know when your everyday anxiety crosses the line onto a disorder. So here we will provide you a start: if you are experiencing any of these symptoms you need to stand up and visit your doctor.
General symptoms of anxiety disorder:
#1 Sleep problem
- A person may experience sleep problems due to over thinking and getting occupied with negative thoughts in mind.
- If you find yourself lying awake, worried or agitated about specific or nothing, in particular, it might be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
- Most of the people suffering from general anxiety disorder have sleep problems.
#2 Irrational fears
- Some anxieties are not general but are related to a particular reason, for example, fear of situations like- flying, animals or crowds.
#3 Muscle tension
- A person may experience problems like clenching jaw, balling your fists, or flexing muscles throughout your body. Anxiety disorder makes a person restless and irritable.
#4 Irritable bowel syndrome
- Our gut is sensitive to the psychological aspects of our brain. Due to anxiousness a person may feel discomfort in the digestion of food which is known as irritable bowel syndrome
#5 Self-consciousness
- A person gets too conscious in making one-on-one conversation at a party, or eating and drinking in front of people at social gatherings.
Some of the major types of anxiety disorders are discussed here which may help you in identifying if you suffer from anxiety disorder:
#1 SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER (SAD)
- It is an irrational fever of social meetings, public gathering or during public speaking. Most of the people face these problems in mild level which is perfectly reasonable, but if it starts to disrupt your normal life, then it indicates that you might be suffering from anxiety disorder.
SYMPTOMS that are clear signs of social anxiety disorder are:
- Fear of unfamiliar situations and meetings
- Overwhelming anxiety during public speaking
- Nervousness with the idea of social situations
- Facing problem while meeting new people
#2 AGORAPHOBIA
- Agoraphobia is a type of anxiety disorder in which a person perceives the environment to be unsafe. A person may feel trapped in such situation with no easy way to get away.
- These situations are that of social meetings, open places outside the home, etc.
SYMPTOMS that are clear signs of agoraphobia:
- Panic attacks outside the home
- Dizziness in public places
- Feeling of dying
- Pounding heart
You might also be aware deep down your heart that your personal fears are preventing you from going outside.
#3 POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
- Post-traumatic stress disorder is a syndrome which develops after a person has experienced a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred to him/her or a very close person.
- Families who lose their loved ones in some accidents may also witness this disorder.
- PSTD may affect individuals and their family members years after an incident has taken place. An expert medical help is needed in such situations.
SYMPTOMS that are clear signs of PSTD:
- People may relive flashbacks, hallucinations, and nightmares
- Experiencing problems of becoming emotionally numb or feel they will die.
- Getting triggers due thoughts about the incident
- Difficulty in sleeping
#4 OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER(OCD)
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic disorder in which a person exhibit behaviors and fears due to reoccurring thoughts (obsessions).
- Obsessions are caused by the preoccupation of negative thoughts in mind. No matter how hard people try, it becomes impossible for them to let go these thoughts from their mind.
- Compulsions are the behaviors that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over often in an accurate, precise manner.
- People having OCD can experience compulsions or obsessions and in worst case both.
- The symptoms can affect the life of the individual if not given a proper medical counseling.
SYMPTOMS that are clear signs of OCD are:
- Experiencing aggressive thoughts towards oneself
- Doing the same action and repeatedly task, for example, locking and unlocking door, repeating same things, hair pulling, etc
- Obsession over particular type of sounds
- Unreasonable thoughts and fears
