5 Signs You

You hear it all the time. Its okay to be nervous. And to an extent, people are right. Everybody gets nervous before a big event. Whether thats public speaking, hosting a dinner party, or meeting the in-laws. Its natural, and sometimes it helps to have adrenalin running through your body and giving you energy to feed off of. However, when these anxious feeling start impacting you in a debilitating way, your everyday anxiety may have crossed the line into a disorder. But how can you be sure? In truth, you cant really be sure. But if you experience any of the following symptoms, you may want to see a doctor.

1) Excessive worry

The most recognised symptom of General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is excessive worry. This means worrying about everyday things for a prolonged period of time. For me, this included fretting over handing homework in on time, double and triple checking that my dogs water bowl was filled up, and feeling like I had 100 things on my mind all the time. I was always a nervous person, so I didnt really notice that much of a difference in my feelings until I found it difficult to go to school. It got to a point where I couldnt remember the last time I felt at ease, this is often the case with people suffering with untreated anxiety, so its important to know your feelings.

2) Difficulty falling asleep

This was a massive problem for me. Often, when youve got a big event, the night before its difficult to sleep. Your brain wont stop churning thoughts over, and thats normal. But I found myself tossing and turning almost every night, my mind bouncing from one thing to the other, unable to quieten. And once I did eventually drift off, my dreams would be disjointed and Id often wake to tears on my cheeks. Not having enough sleep then made me more anxious, as I wasnt sure what was going on with my body.

3) Perfectionism

Its okay to take pride in your work, but beginning to obsess over it is when it could be linked to anxiety. This was probably the biggest indicator that my anxiety was damaging my overall well-being. If I had an assessment in school, I would stay up all hours of the night to do extensive research, aiming to be the best on the subject. Id also have an incredible amount of self-doubt over my work, often not wanting to hand it in, in case of criticism. Worrying about my grades would add to my sleepless nights, which in turn would add to my anxiety and overall mood.

4) Muscle Tension

Often when youre anxious, your muscles tense up. Typically its jaw clenching, balling your fists, and bunching your shoulders up. When youre feeling anxious for prolonged periods of time, this can lead to pain in your muscles. This indicates that its happening every day. Because these symptoms can be so persistent, you dont often notice when youre doing them. But since youre reading this now, check down your body and see if your body is tensing up. If it is, release the tension in your muscles.

5) Heart pounding

Physical symptoms can also play a massive part when youre suffering from anxiety. Separate from panic attacks, which are often an isolated incident, a pounding heart when thinking or doing something that makes you nervous could be a sign of anxiety. This happened to me when talking on the phone. My hands started shaking, my mouth went dry and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. This didnt lead to a panic attack, but I felt the similar dread and fear that accompanies a panic attack.

Anxiety is a very debilitating thing. If youre experiencing any of these symptoms, then its best to get it checked by a doctor and get the help you need.

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