When you have an anxiety disorder, it might be difficult to tell the difference among regular nervousness, true fear, and persistent anxiety, which causes excessive worry or distress about a present or future moment, like ruminating about how people will judge you at a party or excessively dwelling on a work deadline. You might also be anxious about seemingly nothing at all. Even more confusing, anxiety disorder symptoms can range from that telltale worry and straight-up irritability to physical side effects like a racing heart or trouble sleeping.
“Everybody has a day or two that are bad, everybody has a day with symptoms that are triggered by something that’s going on in your life,” Jessi Gold, M.D., M.S., assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis, tells SELF. “But do you have reactions that are out of proportion to ‘normal’ anxiety? Are you worrying and not able to control the worry? Are you having trouble relaxing?”
If you answered yes to any of those questions, an anxiety disorder might be to blame—and you wouldn’t be the only one dealing with this mental health condition. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, over 18% of adults in the United States are affected by some type of anxiety disorder every year.
Mental health conditions like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can all cause chronic anxiety symptoms that make it difficult to do everything from your morning coffee run to completing your daily work tasks. Ahead, SELF dives into what the symptoms of these anxiety disorders can entail, because it can look and feel so different for each person.
Common anxiety symptoms | Anxiety symptoms by disorder | Anxiety treatments | Tips to reduce anxiety | Where to find help
What are the most common anxiety symptoms?
Anxiety is a natural, protective feeling—a temporary response to an actual or perceived threat, and the symptoms of anxiety usually resolve once the “threat” has passed. Anxiety disorders, however, cause symptoms that are chronic and significant enough to interfere with someone’s ability to function at their usual capacity.
“The symptoms that are most disruptive can vary depending on the person and their specific diagnosis,” Neda Gould, Ph.D., associate director at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Anxiety Disorders Clinic, tells SELF. “Examples could be excessive worry, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts.” She explains that these symptoms may indicate an anxiety disorder when they interfere with the person’s day-to-day life.
Other mental and emotional symptoms may include:
- Intense worry and stress
- Rumination
- Irritability
- Anger
- Difficulty concentrating
Chronic anxiety disorder symptoms are the result of stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, being constantly released into the bloodstream. That’s why, for many people, anxiety can have physical effects too.
“Anxiety has a purpose, and had an evolutionary purpose to protect you,” says Dr. Gold. That physical response is what helps us escape the perceived threat, she says, but it becomes a problem when the body is constantly in fight-or-flight mode.
The physical symptoms of anxiety can range from mild to severe, depending on the anxiety disorder you’re dealing with. On the severe end, you could experience a panic attack with symptoms like a racing heart, intense fear and distress, sensations that mimic a heart attack, and feelings of impending doom. Moderate symptoms could also be present, says Dr. Gold. “Someone might feel a lesser version of a full-blown panic attack—racing heart, sweaty, shaky, uncomfortable, but not like they’re going to die,” she explains.
One of the most common symptoms is “feeling restless or on edge, sort of like you can’t calm down,” Dr. Gold adds. Other milder physical symptoms may include:
- Muscle tension and soreness
- Stomach upset
- Nausea
- Trouble sleeping
Do different types of anxiety cause different symptoms?
While most anxiety disorders cause a handful of similar symptoms—such as intense worry and stress—there are still some key differences to be aware of, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Here’s what you need to know about the symptoms of the most common types:
People with GAD often experience daily anxiety and worry that is excessive and persistent, per the Mayo Clinic. You may notice an underlying feeling of restlessness or like you’re always on edge. Any worry or distress you do feel might seem disproportionate to how you would normally feel otherwise.
You might also experience symptoms such as fatigue, which can be the result of poor sleep or even insomnia. It can become more difficult to concentrate, and you may notice that you feel more irritable and angry. It’s also common for your body to feel sore or achy due to increased muscle tension, commonly in the jaw, neck, and shoulders.
People who have phobias typically experience intense and excessive fear and anxiety that is directed toward a specific object or situation—think along the lines of flying, heights, or spiders, just to name a few. When you have a phobia, you know that your fear is irrational, but the anxiety you feel toward the object or situation is often uncontrollable, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Phobias often cause you to avoid having any contact with the object or situation that you fear, which can make it difficult to live your life. If you do encounter your trigger, you are likely to experience severe anxiety, including physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, or nausea. In some cases, you might even have a panic attack.
People with social anxiety disorder (previously known as social phobia) have severe anxiety that is specifically related to social situations. According to the Mayo Clinic, this fear often revolves around things such as feeling embarrassed or that people are judging you for your actions. You might also think you are being perceived negatively or that everyone is criticizing you.
Like other anxiety disorders, social anxiety disorder can cause you to experience significant anxiety symptoms whenever you are in a social situation—whether that’s speaking up in class, chatting with coworkers at a happy hour, or even going to a friend’s birthday bash. If you are forced to engage in a social situation, it can become distressing enough to trigger a panic attack.
Roughly 2.7% of American adults have panic disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, which causes you to have frequent panic attacks, or periods of intense panic and anxiety. With panic disorder, you tend to experience these panic attacks randomly or after exposure to a trigger, such as a certain thought or situation.
During a panic attack, you might notice that your heart begins to speed up or beat harder. Your chest can feel tight, and you might worry that you can’t breathe enough air. You may experience hot flashes or cold chills, sweating and shaking, and even upset stomach or nausea. Some people even express having feelings of impending doom or unreality. Unreality or depersonalization can feel like you aren’t real or like the world around you isn’t real. Some people describe the feeling as if you are living in a (really upsetting) dream, according to the Mayo Clinic.
People with PTSD deal with severe anxiety, among other symptoms, after experiencing a distressing or traumatizing event or series of events. The types of events that can lead to PTSD include surviving sexual assault or abuse, serious car accidents, or experiencing the sudden death of a loved one, among other trauma-inducing situations. PTSD symptoms can be extremely disruptive and many people with this condition face chronic symptoms that significantly decrease their quality of life, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
You might experience flashbacks of the trauma or nightmares and dreams about what happened—which can sometimes cause secondary conditions like insomnia. You may notice that you spend a lot of time avoiding anything that reminds you of the event, including places, objects, pictures, or even certain thoughts or feelings. You may also notice that your personality, how you think about things, or relationships with others have changed.
People who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) primarily deal with anxiety that is related to obsessions and compulsions, per the National Institute of Mental Health. An obsession is any thought, feeling, or image that is repetitive and causes you distress or anxiety. A compulsion is any action that you perform to try to relieve the anxiety associated with those obsessions. For example, someone might excessively worry that they will lose important information if they close tabs on their computer. This is related to a perfectionism obsession, according to the International OCD Foundation. In an attempt to relieve the anxiety, they will keep going back to each tab to reread the information to make sure it isn’t important. Practically, this could mean the person ends up with 100 tabs open on their computer and feeling unable to close any of them.
Depending on how severe your OCD is, you may spend a significant amount of time each day focusing on your obsessions and compulsions. You may notice that when you engage with these behaviors, your anxiety increases, causing both physical and mental symptoms that make it difficult to function at home, school, or work.
What are the standard treatments for anxiety symptoms?
Despite the impact that an anxiety disorder can have on your life, it’s a treatable condition, especially with the right combination of medication, therapy, or both. Remember, your treatment journey should start with a conversation between you and a mental health professional you trust. You have input and control over what you ultimately decide to do to treat your anxiety.
Therapy is often one of the first treatment options considered when you've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. According to Dr. Gold, therapy plays a significant role in the recovery of anxiety disorders because it can help address the most significant component of anxiety—the mental component. “A lot of anxiety is mental,” she explains, “so therapy is definitely the gold standard.”
As the American Psychological Association explains, there are a handful of different therapy approaches that can be considered when treating an anxiety disorder. However, one of the most widely used types of therapy for anxiety is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT can help you recognize and change the way you view or react to certain thoughts, which can in turn help you change the feelings and behaviors related to your anxiety.
But CBT isn’t the only form of therapy that can be used to treat anxiety disorders, and research on the role of therapy and anxiety is constantly evolving, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. “Oftentimes, not-well-known therapies don’t get the same credit,” notes Dr. Gold. “But there are definitely people who can benefit from them.”
For example other therapeutic approaches can be helpful, like dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), which focuses on living in the moment, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which focuses on the acceptance of a situation without judgment. And depending on the anxiety disorder, there are subtypes of CBT that are more effective—such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD, according to the International OCD Foundation. This helps you face your triggers by having you sit with your anxiety, rather than perform a compulsion to try to relieve it. (Check out SELF’s Guide to Caring for Your Mental Health for more resources on therapy, including what to know before your first appointment and questions to ask a new therapist.)
Medication also plays a huge role in the recovery of anxiety disorders because it can help decrease both the short-term and long-term symptoms of anxiety.
Antidepressants are often considered one of the most effective medication options for people with anxiety disorders. “If you look on the medication spectrum, antidepressants are first-line for anxiety because they are trying to beat and lower your overall level of anxiety,” explains Dr. Gold.
When it comes to antidepressant medication choices, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often recommended first because of their successful track record for treatment.1 However, for people who can’t tolerate SSRIs, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) function similarly and offer another potential option for treatment.
And for short-term anxiety relief, benzodiazepines (or benzos) have historically been prescribed to help relieve acute anxiety symptoms. “You definitely can have as-needed medicine to help in the interim with panic and phobias,” notes Dr. Gold. “It can be helpful in those settings with limited use.” But given the increased risk of substance use disorder from benzodiazepine use, other options—such as beta blockers and antihistamines2—can also be considered.
How to reduce anxiety symptoms in your daily life
Even if you’re already in treatment for your anxiety disorder, it can still be helpful to incorporate lifestyle changes to help reduce some of the anxiety that you may experience on a daily basis. So here are some expert tips on how you can reduce anxiety symptoms in your daily life, one mindful moment at a time.
Grounding exercises can be a simple and effective way to bring your mind back to the present when you’re feeling anxious, explains Dr. Gold.
She recommends trying something like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which involves using your five senses to identify: five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Deep breathing is a relaxation technique that can help combat the physical effects of anxiety, such as increased heart rate and muscle tension. “Some people like deep-breathing skills and can use them in the short-term,” Dr. Gold finds.
But she explains that this skill needs to be practiced regularly, rather than relied upon simply in the moment. So taking a few moments each day to focus on your breathing can be a useful tool to reduce anxiety. (Check out these guided breathing videos if you’re not sure where to start.)
Muscle tension is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety, and many of us feel it in ways we don’t even realize, such as the tightness in your chest or the pain in your shoulders. And muscle relaxation can be as simple as taking a deep breath and relaxing your clenched jaw or even your hands.
However, Dr. Gold mentions that there are more formal methods of muscle relaxation if you’re interested in learning them. One of them is called progressive muscle relaxation.3 You start by putting yourself in a relaxing environment—sit in a comfy chair and turn off any distractions (bye, Real Housewives). First, you consciously tense each small muscle (like your jaw, neck, and face) for five seconds, and then relax each muscle for 10 seconds. Then you move to the bigger muscles (like arms, legs, and stomach), and consciously tense and relax each of them. “That can help in the moment,” she says.
Much of anxiety is mental, so there is power in bringing yourself back to the present by using mindful techniques. Dr. Gold notes that, while it may not be for everyone, “meditation and mindfulness can be helpful if you like that.”
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be as intense as an hour-long group meditation session with strangers you’ve never met (unless you’re into that). Instead, it can be as simple as focusing on an object in front of you or taking a moment to be aware of your own sensations. It’s easier than ever to access guided meditation apps on your phone too.
Sleep is often negatively impacted in people with anxiety disorders, and for a good reason. “Anxiety as an entity exists to predict a threat and run from a threat,” explains Dr. Gold. “So, if I’m trying not to be eaten by a dinosaur or something, sleeping is not a good idea.”
It can be more difficult to create and maintain a healthy sleep schedule when you have an anxiety disorder. But, by practicing good sleep hygiene—which includes reaching out to a sleep specialist if needed—you can improve your sleep and, in turn, your mental health. (Try these soothing presleep habits if you’re having trouble winding down.)
When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins, which can help calm your mind and lift your mood. So it’s no surprise that physical activity can play a role in reducing anxiety.
Dr. Gold recommends low-impact activities like yoga and Pilates because they can allow you to move your body gently and promote relaxation. But if you’re not into calming moves, things like running and high-intensity interval training are also feel-good activities that help relieve stress.
Dr. Gold explains that it’s also important to call your experience out for what it is. When you feel those uncomfortable symptoms kicking in, ask yourself: “Why do I feel this way?” And if the answer is “Oh, I’m anxious,” then you can take a moment to work through that.
Besides, when we can ask ourselves these questions and recognize our anxiety for what it is, we can also practice accepting and allowing the feeling to run its course—which, in turn, can help it pass more quickly.
Where to find help for anxiety
Whether you’re already in recovery for an anxiety disorder or just want to have a better understanding of what it’s like to live with these conditions, Dr. Gould recommends checking out the following resources:
- Looking for a therapist or support group? You can search through resources like the Anxiety & Depression Association of America site, Psychology Today, Mental Health America, or Therapy for Black Girls. Check out SELF’s guide on how to find an affordable therapist for various tips on navigating your mental health on a budget.
- In a mental health emergency, the National Alliance on Mental Illness can help you figure out what to do in a crisis. You can also call the confidential National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or start a chat here 24/7.
- For easy-to-understand educational resources, the National Institute of Mental Health is a good place to start.
Sources:
- Dialogues Clin Neurosci., Treatment of anxiety disorders
- Frontiers in Psychiatry, Pharmacotherapy of Anxiety Disorders: Current and Emerging Treatment Options
- Centre for Clinical Intervention, Progressive Muscle Relaxation
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