I think we all, at one point in our lives, have suffered or experienced some anxiety. Whether it be the anxiety just before getting in front of a group of people to do a speech or maybe even just before you board a plane. We've all felt it. Some of us feel it far worse than others. But how do we know if this is chronic anxiety?
Anxiety is that feeling of overwhelm and nervousness which can sometimes be coupled with nausea or trouble breathing. Some even experience extreme chest pains. So are you a chronic anxiety sufferer or is it just very random for you? Let's have a look at some signs that just may determine what state of anxiety you may be experiencing.
1. You are always stressed, nervous, tense or worried.
These feelings are constant and rarely go away. You worry about tomorrow, today and yesterday. You always have the feeling of gloom and doom and have a sense that something bad is always going to happen. It's very hard for you to relax ever, and even sleeping is very troublesome for you.
2. You avoid a lot of different places and or events because you feel too much stress about it.
The people who will be there, the food, the crowd, the embarrassment to something that might not even happen. It's all too overwhelming for you. You would just rather stay home. The thought of people talking about you or making fun of you horrifies you so you avoid all places. Making friends is not easy for you.
3. Being an introvert, on a whole different level.
You avoid people for fear of not being liked, saying the wrong thing, not fitting in, peer pressure, being rejected and many other self esteem issues that may arise. It's not that you don't like people. You really do and wish you could hang out with them more, it's just too stressful for you.
4. Severe chest pains.
You get these a lot. This doesn't happen just before an anxiety filled event either but it seems it happens more often than not. Sometimes just making it to the corner store can cause these heart pounding attacks. It is that feeling of someone c rushing your chest. It's scary, terrifying actually, and you truly feel like you are having a heart attack.
5. Many fears.
But not just fear of spiders and snakes. Bigger fears of things that probably aren't really scary at all but you've taken them and turned them into a horrifying object or event simply because of the way the mind works. Our mind tells us that it is bad, scary, it will go wrong, something terrible will happen, stay away, don't touch it, etc. We talk ourselves into gloom and doom, no matter what. Bad things are going to happen, regardless, so we are afraid of just about everything.
Do you recognize yourself in any of these signs? If you do, you most likely suffer from an extreme form of anxiety disorder and if you aren't seeking help or trying to manage it yet, you should be. Anxiety is no joke and can be very debilitating. For those who don't suffer from this, understanding it is very difficult. There is always help, and not only prescription drugs, for disorders such as t his.
Don't wait to seek help. Your life is worth it.