5 Categories of Anxiety Symptoms.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations. But in some cases, it becomes excessive and can cause sufferers to dread everyday situations. For people with anxiety disorders, worry and fear are constant and overwhelming, and can be crippling. The symptoms are put into 5 categories:

Physical anxiety symptoms. Increased heart rate and blood flow, shortness of breath, restlessness, goosebumps/chills, sweating, shaking, headaches, stomach cramps, hot flashes, feeling faint, nausea, and sometimes even muscle aches and tension.
Cognitive anxiety symptoms. Worried about being judged, loosing control due to anxiety, overestimating the likeliness of something negative happening, underestimating their abilities to cope, “what if” thoughts. and lack of confidence.
Behavioral anxiety symptoms. Avoiding situations and actions that might trigger anxiety, overcompensate for anxiety by working extra hard, over checking, and under checking.
Affective anxiety symptoms (emotions). Irritability, fear, hopelessness, nervousness, feeling overwhelmed, uneasy, worry, jumpiness, dread, and apprehension.
Interpersonal anxiety symptoms. Reassurance seeking from partners, fear or being dependent or incompetent, avoiding activities with physical sensations similar to anxiety, such as sex, public speaking, and exercising.

Keep in mind that everyone experiences the symptoms of anxiety differently. If you struggle with managing your anxiety symptoms, seeking therapy is a step in the right direction. Therapy can help teach you techniques to change all social anxiety triggers with good thoughts. When you learn how to change how to think about certain situations then you will much more relaxed.

Call today to schedule an appointment and begin learning how to manage your anxiety! (813)244-1251