With million of Americans suffering from one anxiety disorder or another, this mental illness is considered one of the most predominate and costly in the country. An estimated $22.8 billion is spent on anxiety-related problems each year. Understanding why these disorders are so debilitating starts with taking a closer look at anxiety symptoms. In their worst forms, they can cause people to completely isolate themselves from the world outside.
Which anxiety symptoms will appear in a person does depend a lot on the severity of the condition and the type of anxiety disorder present. Some symptoms are fairly common in people with anxiety conditions, but others tend to center around one specific disorder or another.
Some of the more common anxiety symptoms include:
- Extreme worry and tension. This may or may not be related to an irrational worry or concern.
- Unrealistic views. When people continually make mountains out of mole hills, this can be a sign of anxiety disorder.
- Angst. People with anxiety symptoms tend to be a bit on edge and are generally quite restless.
- Headaches. This is a "physical" symptom that can go along with some anxiety disorders. Other physical manifestations include sweating, nausea, muscle tightness and frequent urination.
- Lack of focus. Having a difficult time concentrating is a potential anxiety symptom. This is especially the case when concentration is blocked by other concerns.
- Insomnia. This is a very common anxiety symptom. When a person suffers from insomnia, it can also lead to irritability and crankiness.
Anxiety symptoms can range a great deal from person to person. If panic attacks happen to be present, they will tend to present with their own set of symptoms. In addition to the above anxiety symptoms, a person who suffers from attacks might feel:
- Extreme, sudden fear. Some people describe panic attacks as if it feels like a bus is hitting them. Without warning, they strike and overwhelm a person with fear - irrational or otherwise.
- Heart palpitations. A racing heart that feels like it is beating out of a chest is a very common sign of a panic attack. This is one of the reasons why many people believe they are having a heart attack.
- Fear of dying. Because of the physical symptoms of panic attacks, some people truly believe they are succumbing to deal in the throes of an episode.
- Trembling. Uncontrollable shaking, sweating and other physical signs can go along with an attack.
Anxiety symptoms are felt by millions of people a year. In many cases, the symptoms are transient and might not ever return. For others, however, the symptoms become a part of life and generally require professional help to treat.
A few thousand years ago, when man was a hunter-gatherer searching for food in the great outdoors, anxiety played a very important role in preventing our ancestor from becoming some animal's next meal. If and when confronted by some ferocious beast, anxiety would come into play and give our great, great, great etc. grandparent the wherewithal to either stand and fight the threat or to run away to some safe haven.
In order for this fight or flight mechanism to be effective, certain physiological and psychological changes are temporarily made. These are as follows:
1. Body hair stands on end to give an overall appearance of being bigger.
2. Sweating starts to occur in the hands and feet to enable a better grip whilst running and/or climbing.
3. Adrenalin is released into the bloodstream to give an all-important boost of energy.
4. The body's normal functions of digestion and cell repair are put on hold and the resources are re-directed to the muscles to enhance strength.
5. Under extreme conditions, the body will excrete in order to reduce weight.
6. Normal breathing is replaced by much shallower breathing and the heart rate increases.
7. Both sight and hearing are heightened.
8. Psychologically, there will be a feeling of discomfort and agitation. This will increase as necessary in order to initialise some sort of action.
So, looking at the above example of our stone-age hunter, we can clearly see that anxiety was indeed a very necessary part of their day-to-day life and no doubt it was instrumental in saving quite a few lives at that stage in our evolution.
But, how on earth can such a mechanism be useful to us in our current society? In certain situations, such as when the job that you're working on is quickly running out of time, anxiety will help you to focus better by increasing your sight and hearing perceptions and the adrenalin will give you more energy to complete the task. I seriously doubt, though, that such a low level of anxiety would cause involuntary excretion.
However, there are other situations where anxiety rears its head and it isn't appropriate. Imagine that you're late for work and that you're stuck in traffic. No matter how anxious you feel the traffic won't flow any quicker and as for running away from or fighting the perceived threat that would be impossible.
It's situations similar to the latter that can bring about anxiety disorders in certain individuals. I know, I used to suffer from an anxiety disorder along with panic disorder and agoraphobia for many years. Until, after many years of searching, I found the cure.
Both Martin Richfield & Steve Baker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Martin Richfield has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Alternative Medicine and Religion. Martin Richfield has been involved in online business since 1996. He uses article marketing as his primary traffic source. He has been involved in a number of industries which gives him the knowledge to write on a broad range of subjects. For more details. Martin Richfield's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Steve Baker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mortgage, Panic Attacks and Cure Anxiety. Excessive stole everything that I loved about my life and turned it into a nightmare but it can be conquered. Please. Steve Baker's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.