|
Feel like your physical problems are becoming your emotional problems? Anxiety symptoms have often been thought of as a connection between the physical (body) and the psychological (mental/emotional).
How Anxiety Helps You
It’s really important to recognize that anxiety plays a big role in keeping us alive and healthy. Without any nervousness or fear, how would we know when we are in danger?
Does the snarl of a grizzly bear make your anxious? Good, it should! The bear might be planning to eat you.
Does climbing to the top of an 80 story building and looking over the edge make you at least a little nervous? Good, it should! If you were to go over the edge you most certainly would not land on your feet.
So let your mind relax a little bit and take comfort knowing that anxiety is adaptive (good) and has helped you (and all humans) to live and thrive.
How Do You Know if Anxiety is Hurting You
As a general rule, if the anxiety you are experiencing is getting in the way of doing “normal”, daily activities, you may have a problem.
If you are worrying a lot and it has caused you to miss enough work that your job in on the line, your anxiety may be hurting you.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and panicked by your recent discovery of a yeast infection, your anxiety is probably not getting the best of you.
Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety can look and feel like different things to different people. The type of anxiety and the cause can create different levels of severity.
Anxiety symptoms might include the following:
- Fearfulness or worry
- Nervousness
- Palpitations
- Muscle aching or tension
- Trembling or shaking
- Restlessness
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Fear (of many things: death, losing control)
- Trouble Breathing
Is It Anxiety or Something Else?
When thinking about your anxiety symptoms you should keep in mind that there may be something else causing them. Medical illnesses, other mental health challenges, and drugs may be able to explain your anxiety symptoms.
Consulting with a trained mental health professional (social worker, psychologist, marriage and family therapist) can help you get back on track emotionally and physically.
|
Anxiety 
