There are the physical symptoms of anxiety attacks that manifest themselves in the form of headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, tingling, pale complexion, numbness, difficulty in breathing, and sensations of tightness in the chest, neck, shoulders and or hands. These reactions are the body's fight-or-flight reaction which involves the hormones, muscles and the heart.
The behavioral panic attack symptoms include pacing, trembling, general restlessness, hyperventilation, pressured speech, wringing of the hands, and even finger tapping. Then the cognitive anxiety attack symptoms include recurrent or obsessive thoughts, feelings of doom, and morbid thoughts of death, confusion or the inability to concentrate.
The emotional anxiety attack symptoms can include feelings of tension or nervousness, feeling agitated, overwrought, and feelings of unreality, panic, or even terror. Then there are also the anxiety attack symptoms where the person's brain puts up a defense mechanism against the anxiety attacks.
These psychological defenses include repressing anxious thoughts or ideas out of the conscious awareness. Another anxiety attack symptom is where the sufferer will transfer the source of their anxiety to an object or an event. Phobias are an example of this anxiety attack transference. Then there are the times that a person who suffers from anxiety attacks will rationalize their anxious feelings by claiming that ordinary people would feel the same way were they placed in the exact situation.
The other method that the brain will use as a defense against anxiety attacks manifests itself in the form of physical complaints and illnesses. In this case the panic attack symptoms involve recurrent headaches, an upset stomach, and muscle and joint pains.
Delusions are one other way of the brain trying to defend the sufferer from the anxiety attacks. For these anxiety attack symptoms the person can formulate conspiracy theories or other similar scenarios. This gives the person an emotional outlet for their feelings of anxiety.
It doesn't really matter what form these symptoms show themselves in. What's really important is once you identify that these are signs of anxiety attacks that you seek and receive help and treatment for this condition. By catching these panic attack symptoms early you have a chance to stop it progressing to a more severe condition like agoraphobia where you may become housebound due to your excessive anxiety attacks. So don't delay if you feel that you suffer from anxiety attack symptoms, go see a qualified medical practitioner as soon as possible and get the proper help.
Symptom Of Anxiety Attack
If you are reading this article because you think you may have experienced an anxiety attack symptom, read on. Many people go through some form of anxiety in their lives at some stage brought on by a myriad of reasons. The scenario is usually the same; pounding heart, shortness of breath, feeling lightheaded and faint and an intense fear; one of losing control over a situation.
Truth is, many people simply don't know they are having an anxiety attack because they really don't know what it is. Sure, you would have heard the term anxiety used a lot, whether it was at home, at work or on television but do you really understand what it is?
A Brush With Anxiety
Take my case for example. I went through marital problems several years ago and yes, it affected me. As a professional broadcaster I call live sports action on a regular basis. I first met "Mr. Anxiety Attack" midway through the broadcast of a sporting event. It scared the heck out of me! When I got home all I wanted to know was what I went through so I set up an appointment with my doctor.
Describing what took place he calmly nodded his head and simply said..."You had an anxiety attack."
"A what!" I retorted. "An anxiety attack? No way!"
Then I asked him to explain what an anxiety attack is in plain language. This was the short definition... "Basically an anxiety attack is simply a strong, intense sensation which creates fear in a person. In fact, in many cases the person can actually feel they may be dying."
So there it was. Luckily for me, it was the only brush with anxiety I had experienced but for many, it's symptoms are a constant bane in their lives. I took action immediately. Many don't and this is mystifying. If you suffer the symptoms on a regular basis and have not sought medical advice then you should really consider doing so. You see, even though you are sure you're experiencing anxiety attack symptoms there is still the possibility another more serious condition may have been masked.
The Symptoms
A pounding heart is a classic tell tale symptom of anxiety attack. So is shortness of breath... that's what affected me most. Many people report a lightheaded or faint feeling while most will tell you they have an overwhelming fear of losing control. This symptom is usually experienced following the others.
The Cause
An actual cause is hard to determine. Perhaps the cause of anxiety attack symptoms is simply the body's way of reacting to any overwhelming feeling. Stressful episodes in people's lives or medical conditions or medication; no one really knows but if you suffer attacks regularly then there may be something more sinister at work and you should seek medical advice.
Both Kevin Andersen & Dean Caporella 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.