Anxiety is a state of intense sadness, uncertainty, and fear rising from real or imaginary situations. Anxiety symptoms alert a person where he either chooses to tackle the situation or run away from it. It also interferes with a person’s daily life and affects his work, social life, and relationships. It can cause both physical and mental pain to humans.
What is Anxiety?
Everyone worries about one or the other situation. Sometimes you worry about your performance in the office, sometimes you feel uneasy about your upcoming results or sometimes you get nervous about being late to your office. At these times, worrying is normal. Also, worrying is good because it prepares your body and mind to tackle tough situations. However, when you constantly worry and fear everyday situations, even for small things in your life, you are suffering from anxiety.
Anxiety can be for a short period or persist for a long time. However, when it persists, interferes with your daily chores, and affects your productivity. At this moment, it becomes necessary for you to consult a nearby psychiatrist.
Do you know what could be the science behind anxiety, and what are the ways to tackle anxiety? This article will help you understand the anxiety symptoms, causes, and ways to treat anxiety so that you can lead a happier life.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety?
Anxiety symptoms are not the same in everyone, they may vary from person to person, however, there are signs and symptoms that can be found in different magnitudes in humans.
- Continually tensed, restless, and nervous
- Fear of danger, or death
- Panic attacks
- Rapid heart rate
- Trembling and jerking
- Heavy sweating
- Weakness and lethargy
- Gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD
- PTSD – Post-traumatic stress disorder – Anxiety about past negative experiences such as the death of loved ones or a recent breakup.
- Lightheadedness or feeling faint
- Insomnia
- Paresthesia – Numbness or itching for no real reason
- Turbulent body temperature – Feeling hot or cold
- Feeling chocking of heart
- Chest pains
- Palpitations
- Shortening of breath
Category of Anxiety Symptoms
Below is the list of common Anxiety Symptoms:
- Body Anxiety Symptoms
- Chest Anxiety Symptoms
- Fears Anxiety Symptoms
- Head Anxiety Symptoms
- Hearing Anxiety Symptoms
- Heart Anxiety Symptoms
- Mind and Thinking Anxiety Symptoms
- Mood, Emotions, and Feelings Anxiety Symptoms
- Mouth, Voice, Stomach Anxiety Symptoms
- Sensory Anxiety Symptoms
- Sight, Vision, and Eyes Anxiety Symptoms
- Skin Anxiety Symptoms
- Sleep Anxiety Symptoms
Causes of Anxiety
So far there is no clear-cut explanation for the causes of anxiety, however, doctors cite past traumatic experiences, stress, unhealthy lifestyle, improper sleeping schedule, and even genetics as the causes of anxiety. Several factors that cause anxiety are as follows:
- Panic disorder – The disorders incorporate dizziness, palpitations, increasing heartbeat, and hard taking complete breath. These can be caused by caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, hyperthyroid, abnormal heart rhythms, or other heart-related issues like Mitral Valve Prolapse.
- Stress at work, from school (to perform well and burdened homework)
- Stress in family
- Financial stress
- Stress from unpredictable situations
- Stress from the past negative experience such as separation from loved ones or death of your family member or your beloved
- Drug interaction with your body
- Symptoms of medical illness such as heart attack, or hypoglycemia
- Lack of oxygen while trekking in high altitudes. Symptoms are the sickness of high altitudes, long-term lung disease, and the formation of a blood clot in the vessel of the lung (pulmonary embolism) also causes anxiety
Effects of Anxiety on the Body
- Loss of Libido
Anxiety affects testosterone levels in humans. It is said that men have 40 times more testosterone levels than women. When this level goes down, men show less or no interest in sexual desire or libido.
- Excessive fatigue
Anxiety keeps you wiped out at various points and makes it hard for you to have proper sleep.
- High Blood pressure
When anxiety levels up, blood pressure also rises. High bp in men is the major reason for ED or erectile dysfunction in men.
- Body aches
Anxiety may give you unexplained body aches such as body pain and headache due to the lack of oxygen supply to your brain. Headaches because of constant worry and stress may lead to migraine (which is very common these days).
- Indigestion
Anxiety makes it hard for you to intake foods on a proper schedule. Thus, improper eating or an unhealthy diet can cause indigestion.
- Depression
Chronic anxiety or depression interferes with your daily tasks and gives you a feeling of loneliness, and social withdrawal and you feel less or not interested in things you used to do earlier.
- Panic Attacks
When anxiety takes a toll on your mental health, you get frequent heart palpitations, chest pain, and lightheadedness. You may feel high body temperature as well.
Home Remedies to Cure Anxiety
In the long stress hour, luckily, you can find the home remedies that can help you subside the effects of anxiety:
- Getting exercise (as per your body’s stamina) helps your release a happy hormone Dopamine that can reduce anxiety levels.
- Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs (such as Morphine, hallucinogens, cocaine, or heroin)
- Avoid caffeine or carbonated beverages
- Take healthy diets such as fruits, dry fruits, whole grains, green vegetables, and proteins such as chicken and salmon fish.
- Practice stress-management techniques such as Vipassana meditation (or any technique you prefer), Yoga, or some visual techniques in the early morning (you can view some proven YouTube videos for the same), or do some enchanting.
- Getting 7-8 hours of sleeping keeps you from mood disorders, overthinking, worry about the next day’s task, and therefore, anxiety disorders.
- Take the support of your friend, or write down your thoughts, be real, and do not let things or people control you.
- Be social and try managing your time intelligently so that you give time to your work, family, friends, and your partner.
When to See a Medical Professional?
When you do not get effective results from the above measures, it is high time to consult a psychiatrist before it gets late.
Above all, anxiety is a natural part of the human condition, a proper treatment can reduce your anxiety levels.