Understanding Anxiety: Signs, Symptoms, and When to Seek Help

Now anxiety has become very common in the population. It is a type of mental health illness and the most common mental illness in the world, affecting millions of individuals globally.

It’s a part of life but with anxiety, you can’t do your work properly because the feelings of anxiety and panic attacks disturb your whole day and may last after a long time.  Due to these feelings, you may avoid different occasions or places to prevent it. The symptoms of anxiety can start in childhood and teenagers and it may continue during adulthood. This disease looks normal but it can be very worse if you do not take care of it properly. For the proper treatment of this disease, it is important to first understand its concept, how it developed over time and what are its symptoms. All this basic information is important for you to recover from this disease. So let’s discuss this mental illness of anxiety in detail. 

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a disease that people face in response to stress and the functions they perform daily. In this mental health condition, the person has feelings of worry, fear, or unease. In the condition of anxiety, a patient feels sudden and serious feelings of anxiety and fear which results in repeated episodes of panic attacks when these feelings reach their peak. A common feeling of anxiety can be faced when a person has a problem during their work routine like working under pressure, going to an interview, or making some important decisions. And even sometimes this can be beneficial for a person as getting overprotective helps them to notice dangerous situations and get safe from them. But when this condition continuously happens with a person this can turn from nervousness to panic attacks which are not good for the mental health of a patient. Then patients need to consult a mental health specialist, they can also get the help of an online psychiatrist in Pakistan without having the need for an in-person visit. 

Common Types of Anxiety Disorders

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD also known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a type of anxiety in which a person has excessive and uncontrolled worry about different issues. Even when there seems to be no cause for alarm, people with this anxiety frequently predict tragedy. Like if a person’s job is stable and everything is fine still he has a fear of losing this job even without any reason. He thinks negatively all the time like something is going to happen. Physical signs of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) include agitation, muscle tension, and trouble concentration. 

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)

The main symptom of social anxiety disorder is a consistent depression of being judged by others or in social gatherings. If a person has social anxiety disorder then he tries to avoid social gatherings, public spaces, and public speaking in front of crowds. But if they attend any social gathering they face some symptoms like flushing, sweating, trembling, and a fast pulse.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

In this form of anxiety obsessions are unwanted, intrusive ideas that are followed by compulsions, which are repetitive actions or thoughts done to calm the distress that frequently occurs. Frequent compulsions include washing your hands excessively, checking things over and over again, and organizing things a certain way. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

When some bad tragedy happens or a stressful incident like violence, a natural disaster, or a major accident, then a person can be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A few of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are uncontrolled thoughts about the terrible incident, nightmares, and flashbacks. 

Common Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety

As there are different types of anxiety then the symptoms of anxiety also vary. These symptoms can be physical, emotional, and behavioral. It includes:

Physical Symptoms:

• Increased heart rate
• Lack of breath
• Trembling or sweating
• Headaches
• Weakness or insomnia
• digestive problems (such as diarrhea, nausea) 

Emotional Symptoms:

• Persistent fear or anxiety
• Irritation or restlessness.
• Having trouble focusing, tense feeling

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Avoid situations that cause anxiety.
• Social withdrawal
• Difficulties keeping personal relationships. 

When Does Anxiety Become a Problem?

Everyone in their life feels some form of anxiety. Normal anxiety is fine but when it turns into anxiety disorder then it is alarming for a person. And this disorder happens when a person has extensive fear or worry according to the situation and this persists over time. When you feel your routine gets changed due to anxiety and you can’t continue your work or do not function properly and if this anxiety creates extreme pain then it’s time to consult a mental health specialist like you can search for the best therapist near me and take proper treatment on time. 

Final Thoughts:

Anxiety can cause different diseases that are difficult to treat. That’s why it is important to completely understand anxiety, its symptoms, and when to get treatment so that you can treat this disease on time. Different treatment methods are available for the treatment of anxiety like CBT, medications, mindfulness meditation, and relaxation exercises.