5 Warning Signs You Have Anxiety Disorder And Don’t Know It

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Last Updated on December 23, 2020

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Worldwide, Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 300 million in the world and 40 million people in the US suffer from some type of anxiety disorder.

The five major types of anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder (or social phobia), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

While anxiety is a normal occurrence in our lives if a certain situation or problem triggers it, it becomes a disorder when it is irrational and excessive when the situation does not even call for it.

Anxiety disorders interfere with your daily interactions, relationships with other people, and your overall ability to lead a normal life.

Most people have some type of anxiety disorder without even realizing it or what it specifically is. Studies also show that this lack of awareness prevents people with anxiety disorders from receiving proper treatment.

Don’t stay in the dark and read this list of 5 signs you have an anxiety disorder without knowing it.

5. You worry excessively

It is perfectly normal to worry over a problem or feel anxious when big changes or events are taking place in your life. However, if you’re constantly worried and anxious about every little thing or situation in your day-to-day life, you could be suffering from generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common type of anxiety that is marked by an irrational, overexaggerated worry that disrupts your social life, work-life, and other parts of your life.

This anxiety disorder is accompanied by physical symptoms like sweating, fatigue, headaches, nausea, etc.

4. You have trouble sleeping

Sleep problems or sleep disorders are linked to various conditions including environmental issues, psychological issues, chronic pain from certain health conditions, and anxiety disorders.

While it is not unusual to have difficulty sleeping at night due to stress or anticipation before a big day, if you chronically feel distressed and dreadful that it even physically hurts, leading you to lose sleep every night or most of the time, you could be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

The lack of sleep on top of anxiety can mess up your life and health, so don’t hesitate to seek the help of a professional.

3. You avoid or fear social situations

Do you often find yourself sweating, trembling, experiencing shortness of breath, nausea, and feeling like your heart will leap out of your chest from how fast it beats when you’re at the center of attention? Or, in more severe cases, when you’re just going grocery shopping, walking the street, or using a public bathroom? This is called social anxiety, or social phobia.

On a side note, it is important to differentiate between social anxiety and shyness. Shyness is considered a normal characteristic of a personality and shy people only experience shyness in specific situations.

Whereas, social anxiety is a constant and is not at all a normal “trait” of personality. It accompanies you throughout your everyday life and causes you stress and feelings of embarrassment when no situation warrants it.

People with social anxiety find it difficult to make eye contact with others, have trouble interacting with friends, strangers, or even their own family members, they can’t attend parties or social gatherings due to their anxiety, etc. Shy people do not necessarily have those problems. Instead, they only need to warm up to people before they let their guard down and feel comfortable.

Now that you know the difference, make sure to seek psychological counseling or therapy to help you with your anxiety.

2. You’re scared for no reason

Irrational fear is another sign of an anxiety disorder. When you suffer from a type of anxiety, you experience mild or intense fear from literally nothing. Or, from a specific event, normal interaction, or confrontation, which is also one of the signs of social phobia we’ve mentioned before.

Fear is also attached to some situations that have nothing to do with social situations or something like public speaking, etc. It has to do with the different types of phobias like fear of flying, fear of animals, fear of blood, fear of spiders, or fear of thunder and lightning, claustrophobia, etc.

These phobias can cripple you, which is all the more reason to seek treatment. Some phobias remain dormant for years and only get triggered in certain situations, so be watchful of any reactions you may experience.

1. You have panic attacks

When you have an anxiety disorder, you could experience anxiety attacks as well as panic attacks.

Anxiety attacks occur when you fear a specific event or problem that could arise in the future which causes you to feel restless, stressed, and become unable to breathe properly as your heart races.

Anxiety attacks are different from panic attacks which hit you suddenly and cause you intense feelings of fear, hyperventilation, and even fainting.

Nevertheless, both of these attacks can occur when you have an anxiety disorder.

If you detect any of the aforementioned signs of anxiety disorders in yourself, speak to a therapist who will give you proper treatment and help you out of this psychiatric disorder.

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