Anxiety and worrisome thoughts often interfere with a person’s ability to concentrate on one single task. It is also often hard for them to stop the worry when it starts.
A person often doesn’t recognize or know the source of their anxiety, which can perpetuate the anxiety further, creating feelings of “going crazy,” which, in turns, puts a troublesome cycle into motion.
Symptoms of anxiety include:
- inability to cope with stress
- restlessness or feeling “on the edge”
- being easily fatigued (learn about other causes of fatigue)
- difficulty concentrating (learn about other causes of difficulty concentrating)
- irritability (learn about other causes of irritability)
- muscle tension
- shakiness (learn about other causes of shakiness)
- headaches
- disturbed sleep, including difficulty falling asleep, or restless sleep
- being startled easily
- cold, clammy hands
- nausea (learn about other causes of nausea)
- diarrhea (learn about other causes of diarrhea)
- feeling of a “lump in the throat”
- symptoms of depression
Panic Attacks
People who suffer from anxiety may also experience panic attacks, or sudden attacks of unexpected worry or fear. These can be fears that a catastrophe is imminent, such as death, insanity, and losing consciousness, and can often make a person feel trapped.
Physical symptoms of a panic attack include:
- rapid heart beat
- shortness of breath
- shaking
- sweating
- dizziness
These attacks usually last between 10 to 20 minutes, but they can feel endless to the person suffering from them. Following the attack, a person can feel anxious, exhausted, and shaken.
People who often suffer from panic attacks may also have anxiety about these attacks.
