10 signs you have anxiety
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10 signs you have anxiety
Everyone gets nervous from time to time, but not everyone has an anxiety disorder. Here are ten signs you may have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety makes you feel like youβre the only one suffering. You need to understand that anxiety disorders are common in people of all ages. They can range in severity from mild to debilitating. I mean look at me.
I have unruly bouts of hysterical concern. I rage against logic depending on the dramatic scenarios fluttering in my head. Maybe I stay up all night trying to figure out if I made anyone mad or wondering if the thing I did three years ago, is finally going to catch up with me. When you add it all up, I donβt worry; I simply go insane.
Itβs called generalized anxiety disorder, also known as my every day.
I think itβs important to understand as much as you can though. Yes, itβs complicated, and the signs you have anxiety disorder can be confusing. But what in life isnβt? When you think about your world during this pandemic, thereβs enough to worry about for ten generations βwithout even naming your day-to-day hiccups.
Even if thereβs no reason, you should be tense, thatβs doesnβt erase your current reality.
So, if youβre in this situation, I can relate. Iβm a stressed person by nature. Nevertheless, even for the most anxious, there are ways to ease the pain of anxiety and eventually eliminate it. But before you can work toward fixing it, you must identify why you do the things you do.
Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder
- Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge.
- Being easily fatigued.
- Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank.
- Being irritable.
- Having muscle tension.
- Difficulty controlling feelings of worry.
- Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health
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Here are 10 signs you may have an anxiety disorder
Everyone gets nervous from time to time βwhen public speaking, for example, or when going on a blind date. For others, however, anxiety becomes so frequent, or so forceful, that it begins to take over your life. When a person has anΒ anxiety disorder, they may feel fearful or uncertain almost all the time.
According to the Mayo Clinic, anxiety disorders can have several different causes. Many people are predisposed to due to their genetic makeup.
Some cannot handle stress.
In other cases, you may have an anxiety disorder without experiencing any of these causes. The funny thing is, most of us with some form of anxiety have similar personality traits and characteristics.
1. Youβre smart, but you may have trouble concentrating
Youβre instinctively creative. From the beginning, your intellect was obvious. You asked questions that maybe your mom and dad couldnβt answer. Chances are, you were bored in school, and so you made terrible grades because you didnβt listen βnot by choice though.
The thing is, according to Charter Health Coach, Mely Brown, successful anxiety types are wired differently from 80-85 percent of the general population.
If youβre always thinking about who you should be but arenβt, and what you should be doing but canβt, understand that valuing your achievements and signature strengths can allow you to show yourself as you indeed are, more comfortably βeven when youβre the odd one out.
Because maybe your intellect caused trouble for you then, and it still does now. Youβre a thinker, dreamer, explorer, and seeker, which gives you more to worry about. It never really ends, you just get used to it (or at least try).
2. You overanalyze just about everything
The hallmark of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) βthe broadest type of anxiety βis worrying too much about everyday things, large and small. Youβre still thinking about the stupid something you said four years ago βwhen the person you said it to hasnβt thought about it for even a second. You hold on to things, and therefore, itβs harder to let go (even if you know itβs bad for you).
Youβre a creature of habit, and you struggle at the slightest hint of change. Partly because you like the familiar. You have your routine, and it makes you feel safe.
3. You donβt think youβre good enough
Real talk. You feel like a fraud most of the time. You replay those negative thoughts in your head as if they are facts. Because of this, you struggle socially. These thinking and behavioral patterns disrupt your life and relationships. Brown says that impostor syndrome isnβt exclusive to those with anxiety.
βMany conscientious and high achieving people fall victim to this nagging fear,β she suggests. βBut the simmering discomfort about being found out is often constant for a person battling anxiety.β
And why wouldnβt it be? βconsidering youβve spent a lifetime trying to fit in. βBut even if you grew up displaying your anxiety with pride,β Brown interjects. βItβs unlikely you escaped the cultural pressure motivating you to disguise your real self.β
Because you are good enough, those whispering voices filled with self-doubt are false. I think itβs fear that fuels this negativity, as a child and even today. You imagine the worst if something is going wrong (or also if itβs not) because maybe, it happened one time ten years ago. And when meeting new people, inside, you have no confidence.
I mean according to those voices, youβre not good enough. As a result, all is lost before it even begins. Unfortunately, this is how you still think, for the most part. And so you isolate.
4. You prefer to be alone
Chances are, youβre an introvert. As a child, you had no problem with being alone, maybe you even preferred it. In this space, perhaps you created imaginary friends βthanks to that vast imagination of yours. And today, those same childhood quirks affect your adult life in ways you perhaps never realized. Itβs not like you donβt want to hang out and be the life of the party, but those irrational worries get in your way.
Maybe, in your head, you made it out the door to the dinner date you promised yourself youβd go to and you actually had fun. However, thatβs not always the case. In truth, you usually end up canceling a day or two before. This is not because youβre rude, itβs because you simply let your fears get the best of you.
The thing is, being alone doesnβt help. Instead, it allows your never-ending thoughts and emotions to churn and bubble as they swirl about in your jittery brain. Itβs quiet, and no one disturbs the process. I think itβs because you fear rejection and failure.
5. You try to be perfect
When you do try and do fail, you feel it that much harder. This evidence suggests anxiety can be so disruptive that it can be challenging to meet new people, maintain relationships, and advance at work or in school. It really is anΒ oxymoron. You want to be with people. You want to get that promotion, yet, at the same time, you want to shut it all off and stay at home in bed. Itβs like if youβre not picture-perfect, youβre the worst person in the world.
Itβs like you fear failure so much that you donβt start at all. This is known as the finicky and obsessive mindset called perfectionism. Oh and if things donβt go according to your original plan, maybe you freak out a little more than a friend going through the same situation would. And if the smallest detail is off, it can throw your emotional state entirely out of whack. This is definitely one of theΒ signs you have anxiety.
6. Youβre sensitive
Everything touches you, and as a child, you cried easily. Itβs not because you were a coward. No, your heart is big and soft, symbolically of course, and you find beauty in everything. This may cause you to remain overly sensitive to people and your environment.
Because everything touches you, both positively and negatively, you feel your feelings just a little harder than the βnormalβ guy or gal next to you.
7. You have flashbacks
Maybe thereβs a specific reason for your anxiety. Perhaps you also have a little pinch of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reliving a disturbing or traumatic event βa violent encounter, the sudden death of a loved one βis a trademark of PTSD, which shares features with anxiety. Until very recently, PTSD was seen as a type of anxiety disorder rather than a stand-alone condition.
However, flashbacks may occur with other types of anxiety as well. Some research, including a 2006 study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders, suggests that some people with social anxiety haveΒ PTSD-like flashbacksΒ of experiences that might not seem obviously traumatic, such as being publicly ridiculed. These people may even avoid events, situations, or reminders of the experience.
8. You donβt trust easily
As a result of your past experiences, you think most people are jerks. Youβre afraid theyβll take advantage if you open up. You watch your back and always stay guarded. Thereβs no way to fully relax if youβre not sure whoβs in front of you. And so, you white-knuckle life.
9. You canβt sit still
Call it energy or call it boredom, but when you bite your nails and tap your feet, you drive everyone around you crazy. Youβre only trying to distract the voices in your head from telling you to worry again. From the beginning, you fidgeted, and now you move about because itβs hard to wait for answers.
10. You donβt see yourself how others do
Self-esteem is the opinion you have of yourself. When you have healthy self-confidence, you tend to feel positive about yourself and life in general. It makes you able to deal with lifeβs ups and downs better. However, when your self-esteem is low, you tend to see yourself in a more negative and critical light βmaking it feel almost impossible to overcome the challenges life throws at you.
Perhaps you find it difficult to live up to other peopleβs expectations of you, or even to your own? The thing is, you donβt have to feel this way forever.
So, how can you tell if your everyday anxiety has crossed the line into an actual disorder? Itβs not easy. Anxiety comes in many different forms βsuch as panic attacks, phobias, and social stress. The distinction between an official diagnosis and βnormalβ anxiety isnβt always clear either.
Hereβs a start. If you experience any of these symptoms regularly, you may want to talk with your doctor. Because there is help available. You really can live a healthy, happy life. At the end of the day, you can either focus on whatβs tearing you apart or whatβs keeping you together.
Xoxo,
Macey bee

Macey Bee
Mental health issues are nothing to be ashamed of. Iβm a writer to the bones. Quotes and music are my life. Letβs change the world one word at a time.
Caption:
Everyone gets nervous from time to time βwhen public speaking, for example, or when going on a blind date. For others, however, anxiety becomes so frequent, or so forceful, that it begins to take over your life. When a person has an anxiety disorder, they may feel fearful or uncertain almost all the time.