Recognizing that You are Anxious: Signs of Anxiety

Anxiety is also commonly referred to as stress. Imagine that you are taking an exam. The day before, you are very anxious, very stressed. In this case, there is a context that explains the anxiety; it is normal. Another example: you are walking in a forest, and you hear the howl of a wolf: the fear or the anguish which appears at this moment is adapted to the situation of danger. Better still: anxiety alerts you and protects you by warning you of danger. It is the sign of anxiety: to indicate to you the imminence of what the unconscious has perceived as a danger. Anxiety is therefore not bad, and it is essential for survival.

On the other hand, anxiety is inappropriate when it appears inappropriately, that is to say, without an objectively valid reason. For example, presenting major signs of anxiety appearing in the presence of a fly or before going to a shopping center is part of the inappropriate anxieties. Phobias are also part of this type of anxiety. When the anxiety is inappropriate for the circumstances, it is a good idea to seek professional help. The most important thing is that the person is asking for this help.

Psychic signs of anxiety

• the feeling of dread/anxiety or fear
• the feeling of imminent death
• afraid of going crazy
• tendency to catastrophize things
• difficulty diverting attention from the object of stress
• inability to let go
• the feeling of loss of contact with reality (derealization)
• tendency to delay and procrastinate
• excessive guilt
• the emergence of traumatic memories
• impulsiveness: the person may have thoughtless actions to escape the anxiety
• tendency to disperse or evade questions
• reckless shopping for fear of running out
• need for permanent control (control freaks)
• haunting ideas
• aggressive behavior
• regressive behaviors

Physical signs of anxiety

• a lump in the throat or stomach
• abdominal bloating
• craving to urinate
• tremors
• sweats
• tension, stress
• increased heart rate or even palpitations
• difficulty breathing, apnea, or increased breathing rate
• nausea, vomiting, colic, diarrhea, stomach cramps
• tingling extremities
• visual disturbances
• dizziness, lightheadedness
• temperamental disorders, irritability
• insomnia or nocturnal awakenings
• sexual problems
• eczema, chronic disease outbreak (lupus, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, etc.)
• redness or pallor of the skin
• muscle tension
• contractures
• pain in the neck, shoulders
• chronic fatigue, especially with long-term anxiety

As you can see, these symptoms strongly resemble symptoms that can be seen in some physical illnesses. This is why the diagnosis of anxiety should be made by a psychiatrist, who is a doctor, and should only be made after ruling out physical illnesses.

The duration of an anxiety attack is generally around 20 to 30 minutes.

The timing of the anxiety, its triggers can distinguish the types of anxiety disorder:

• when anxiety occurs in attacks, mainly in a specific situation, it is usually a phobia. Usual situations: plane, car, animals, illnesses.
• If the anxiety occurs in crises, without a triggering factor, including in situations that should be pleasant (at home, in the bath, etc.), this suggests panic disorder.
• When anxiety leads to the relapse of a traumatic situation, it suggests a state of acute stress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• If the sign of anxiety is marked by the presence of obsessive and disruptive thoughts to ward off the occurrence of a feared consequence, we can evoke an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
• If the anxiety is continuous, chronic, without a real sign of anxiety attack, we will think of a generalized anxiety disorder.

Finally, there are anxiety themes where it is difficult to determine whether the fear is present or not. So it is with eco-anxiety, which is fear for the environment. In this context of global warming: can we decide whether it is founded or not? The particular context (societal, cultural, etc.) in which the anxiety arises will always have to be considered.

Even when triggered by legitimate reasons, major anxiety, crippling and problematic for the person, can appear.

What are the causes of anxiety?

We must distinguish between physical causes and psychic causes. Only a psychiatrist, the doctor, can make the psychiatric diagnosis to identify signs of anxiety and at the same time eliminate an entanglement with an organic cause.