Feeling Anxious? Learn How to Recognize the Symptoms of Anxiety

Everyone deals with a case of anxiety once in a while. This often happens when school or work deadlines are just around the corner, or when something distressing is about to occur (e.g. first date, oral presentation, an important sports competition). Nevertheless, when the distressing event ends, the worries are usually put to rest and life returns to normal once again.

A person suffering from anxiety, however, finds that the worrisome thoughts never seem to go away. Every day there is a constant battle in their mind which causes them to have difficulties in the differing areas of their life. As the fears start to override their thoughts, the person may find themselves moving backwards rather than forward in life.

A Sample Situation

Billy is a 30 year-old male who is working as an IT professional. Even as a young employee in the industry, he has always worried about various aspects of his life. He was unsure then and is still unsure if the company he is in is best for him. He wonders whether there are other opportunities out there and if he can continue to happily do the work of a programmer far into the future.

He worries about his current relationships and even his future ones with imagined kids and all. And he is still bothered about regularly making his monthly payments; and whether he is doing enough to stay healthy, especially since he is fond of sweets.

Fatigue has become a constant issue because of his thoughts. Often, he cannot fall sleep right away as the troubling thoughts of the day, as well as of his future concerns, bother him. He also often finds himself waking up in the middle of the night because of disturbing dreams.

He almost always suffers from body aches, particularly an aching right shoulder and a sore back. Attributing this to his desk job, he tries to stretch more often and uses muscle ointments daily, but all to no avail. Thinking that all these stressors are because of his field, he is now thinking (and rethinking!) his current career path, making his thoughts even cloudier than before.

Recognizing Different Symptoms of Anxiety

Although anxiety is not life-threatening, it can badly affect a person’s quality of life. This is why it is important to figure out if one is suffering from anxiety so they can get the help they need.

The following are some of the most common symptoms of anxiety that a person should watch out for:

Excessive Worry Perhaps the biggest sign of anxiety is that the person is constantly worrying about something. This can be a small thing, such as forgetting to lock the door or possibly missing the sports game later in the day; or it can be something much bigger like possibly messing up on their big presentation at work or not making enough to pay the rent. And even if the worry has been resolved or if the worry did not come true, the person often ends up worrying about something new.

Moreover, such a person often finds themselves always replaying past failures in their mind and then imagining the possible thoughts and reactions of others based on the failures. Are they still angry at me? Do they think poorly of me now? Are they genuine friends or fair-weather ones? What if they leave me? These negative thoughts are then added to their list of things to worry about.

Restlessness

When a person is suffering from anxiety, their mind is always disturbed, making it very difficult for them to relax and live in the moment. Instead, they are always stressed, anticipating that something terrible will happen to them or their loved ones. This causes them to be restless as they are always on edge; dreading the next text message, email, or even the next moment of whatever they may be doing.

Anxious thoughts cause the body to release adrenaline as part of its fight or flight response. But since there are no real dangers, just imagined ones, the adrenaline is not expended properly, causing the person to always feel uneasy as their body is in an agitated state.

Problems Sleeping

Compounding the problem of restlessness is the issue of sleep problems. When dealing with anxiety, the person often has a hard time going to sleep or maintaining a peaceful slumber. Anxious worries usually continue to trouble their mind, keeping them awake until the wee hours. This prevents them from getting sufficient rest as they still need to wake up early for school, work, or household duties.

The other concern is staying asleep. Oftentimes the troubling thoughts result in an increase of nightmares. Although the nightmares may not be directly connected to their worry; still, they disrupt their rest.

Constant Fatigue

Though all in the mind, excessive worry exacts a heavy toll on both the person’s mind and body. Their anxious thoughts sap their joy, making it hard to become enthusiastic about what they need to do. Furthermore, the restlessness they feel because of their anxious thoughts and their sleep problems causes their body to weaken even more, draining their remaining energy reserves.

Instead of being able to participate in their usual activities, even those they find enjoyable, someone suffering from anxiety finds it very difficult to move about, work, or study. Though they might try napping to rejuvenate themselves or sleeping longer to ensure they start the day off strong; oftentimes, the extra sleep is not enough. Because of this fatigue, performance at school, work, or even home may be greatly affected. Relationships may also be damaged as the person may choose to forego their usual social activities because.

Concentration Difficulties

Another sign of anxiety is when the person has difficulty concentrating on the tasks at hand, even if they believe they are well rested. As the worries constantly enter the person’s mind, it becomes very hard to think. The person often finds their mind drifting back to what is bothering them – even if most of these problems are just imagined.

Although almost everyone experiences difficult moments that affect their concentration (e.g. a lost wallet, a leaky roof at home, or an argument with their significant other), someone battling anxiety will experience this loss of concentration almost every day. Loved ones, classmates, or colleagues often notice this as the person’s performance drops.

Irritability

Irritability is a common symptom of anxiety. Similar to others who are having a bad day, anxiety’s other symptoms (i.e. lack of sleep, restlessness, fatigue, worries) often cause the sufferer to become easily frustrated or upset. A sufferer then finds that they may quickly snap at others, feel annoyed, and argue with those they might not usually argue with.

Sadly, since this irritability then becomes a constant in their daily life, there is a big impact on the person’s relationships as their loved ones’ feelings are hurt.

Body Aches

One final sign of anxiety is that the person experiences daily body aches as a result of the stress hormones flowing through their body. The usual result is muscle tension, particularly in the shoulders and neck, which makes the person feel very uncomfortable. They may also experience headaches, stomach aches, backaches, and other body pains.

Despite attempts to stretch or exercise to relieve the tension, the pain may recur, especially after more worrisome thoughts. Such tension adds to their concentration problems, restlessness, and irritability.

Christian Counseling for Symptoms of Anxiety

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:25-27

The various symptoms of anxiety can really be disruptive, impacting all areas of a person’s life. And since these symptoms are also present in other mental disorders or medical conditions, it really is necessary for a professional to determine if the person is suffering from anxiety, something else, or a combination of disorders.

However, whenever possible, it is best to seek assistance from a Christian counselor. Similar to secular therapists, the Christian counselor will use the latest therapeutic techniques to discover the underlying issue. Since constant worries are difficult to overcome on one’s own, it is imperative that the person receives the help they need to take control of their thoughts once more.

But most importantly, the faith-based counselor will introduce the sufferer to the love and power of our God through prayer and meditation on Holy Scripture. Constant worry often signals a lack of faith. True faith in an almighty God is what everyone needs as none of us ever knows what the future will bring.

Our God, who knows everything, expects us to trust in Him to provide and protect us, just as He has sustained all the other believers before us. This is why it is important for an anxiety sufferer to get to truly know Him so that their excessive, anxious thoughts can be stopped, bringing them the inner peace they desperately long for.

If you or a loved one is suffering from symptoms of anxiety, seek help from a Christian counselor. All that you need can be found in God.