Is Your Body Telling You You’re Anxious?
Have you ever wondered if the physical symptoms you’re having might be related to anxiety?
Our bodies are great indicators of what’s going on with our mental and emotional health, but being able to be aware of anxiety and reduce it before it manifests into sometimes painful and/or debilitating symptoms isn’t always easy.
To help bring awareness to some of the common physical symptoms of anxiety, here are
9 Common Symptoms Of Anxiety And How You Can Reduce Them:
1. Rapid Heart Rate
If you feel your heart beating quickly and it becomes hard to breathe, this could be a sign your body is gearing up for a “flight or fight” response.
When this happens your sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This is helpful for life-threatening situations, but when it happens over things that are not actually threatening to your wellbeing, your body is responding to a “false threat”.
“False threats” cause anxiety because our minds and bodies are responding to a threat that isn’t actually there. This can make everyday tasks challenging.
2. Sweating
Sweating is of course normal when you are exercising, but when it happens randomly this could be a sign it’s anxiety.
Your body is again ramping up to have to run away or fight, so your blood is pumping to your extremities which can cause excessive sweating.
3. Shakiness
If your hands or legs begin to shake and you feel like you don’t have control this could be another sign of anxiety.
4. Fatigue
This may seem counterintuitive, but anxiety can also cause fatigue. This will sometimes follow panic attacks or can be more frequent. This could be due to insomnia which often occurs with anxiety, or from muscle tension.
Fatigue is also associated with depression, but if you experience fatigue along with excessive worry, this is more likely anxiety.
5. Brain Fog
Concentrating can be extremely difficult when you have anxiety. When your brain is already in overdrive with anxious thoughts, focusing on other tasks can feel overwhelming and sometimes impossible.
6. “Edgy-ness”
If others have told you you’re “being edgy” or you’ve noticed it yourself, this could be a sign your anxious. When you feel anxious, your senses are heightened. When you’re in this aroused state, outside stimuli can make you feel jumpy, annoyed, or irritable.
7. Muscle Tension
If your muscles feel tight, achy, or tense this could be a sign you’re experiencing anxiety. Experiencing muscle tension can also add to anxiety you may already be experiencing (causing it to compound on itself).
Muscle relaxation therapy is proven to help reduce worry in this case and can be a good option along with cognitive behavioral therapy.
8. Trouble Sleeping
Insomnia is a hallmark of anxiety.
Many people with anxiety find it difficult to fall asleep or find themselves waking up in the middle of the night unable to fall back asleep.
Seeing a therapist for anxiety can be very helpful in slowing your thoughts down so you can begin to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep.
9. Panic Attacks
Wondering if you’ve experienced a panic attack?
A panic attack is when you feel an overwhelming amount of fear that results in sometimes debilitating symptoms like shakiness, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, sweating, and feeling like you’re going to lose control or are dying.
Recurring panic attacks can be a sign of a panic disorder. Getting treatment for panic attacks is proven to help significantly in reducing these symptoms and their frequency.
Watch this quick video if you’re wanting to know more about panic attacks and how to stop having them.
So, you might be thinking: “Okay I can check the box for some or all of these symptoms, now what?”
How To Reduce Anxiety In Your Daily Life:
Limit your caffeine intake-we know you might love those cups of coffee or the diet coke in the afternoon. But caffeine is a stimulant that will add to your body’s already aroused state, which can make your anxiety worse.
Limit the alcohol, or cut it out completely-this one may seem counterintuitive, but alcohol is a “depressant” for your nervous system, and what goes down comes back up. Once the feel-good sensation goes away the anxiety will come back, but worse.
Cardio. Exercising about 4 to 5 times a week is proven to help with anxiety. This is a healthy way to release energy build-up that can occur from your body going into fight or flight mode and produces endorphins that help you feel better.
Eat well. A healthy and balanced diet can help you feel your best. Make sure you’re eating at regular times and getting a variety of food groups (and including as many different veggies as you can throughout your day!)
Mindfulness. Practicing grounding techniques, breathing exercises, and meditation can all increase your overall mental health and reduce anxiety. In fact, we’ve created a 10 minute guided meditation to help you get started!
Go to therapy. Seeing a therapist that can help treat anxiety can help you stay on track with your goals and gain freedom from many of these symptoms that can hold you back from living the life you want.
Want to know more about anxiety?
Check out our latest video where John talks about how mindfulness and being present can significantly reduce anxiety:
-CAC
