Everyone experiences anxiety occasionally; it’s natural to feel apprehensive about a meeting or a deadline, for example.
However, for some people, this anxious feeling never goes away, and it feels so big that it impacts every other aspect of their life.
If you think that anxiety is impacting your life, it’s really important that you seek help and support. With the right treatment, anxiety can be managed so that it doesn’t feel quite so overwhelming.
Sense of impending doom
People who are suffering from anxiety frequently feel a sense of “impending doom.”
This means that although they can’t put their finger on why they feel scared as though something really bad is about to happen. The reflex when this happens is often to rack your brain to find the thing that might be causing the feeling, which in turn causes more anxiety as you find more things to be anxious about.
Mindfulness and meditation are often used to help with the feeling of impending doom, as it allows the sufferer to let go of the need to find the cause of the feeling and instead focus on the moment at hand.
Perfectionism
According to the trauma recovery center Enlightened Vibrations, a common symptom of anxiety is perfectionism.
Perfectionism means being convinced that everything you do has to be absolutely perfect. You hold yourself to such a high standard that it makes it difficult to get anything done at all, and when you do, you feel worried that it isn’t good enough.
Digestive issues
Prolonged periods of anxiety can really impact the gut, causing constipation in some people and loose bowels in others. Some people experience excessive bloating and even stomach pain.
This is because the stress hormone, cortisol, is released during periods of anxiety, which can cause the gut to spasm. Stress can also cause inflammation in the gut, which can lead to digestive problems.
If you are having recurrent digestive issues with no obvious cause, it’s worth investigating whether stress might be a factor.
Avoidance
If you feel anxious about something, it’s very common to want to avoid it. If you find yourself avoiding certain activities or places because you feel anxious about them, then it’s possible that anxiety could be the cause.
The problem with avoidance is that it reinforces the idea that the thing you are avoiding actually is scary, which then makes you want to avoid it more.
Trouble sleeping
Anxiety makes it really difficult to fall asleep! The most common problem for people with anxiety is the inability to fall asleep because their mind keeps racing.
Some good ways to help promote better sleep are:
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Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga.
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Have the period of time before bed designated as a time for relaxing and winding down. This will give your mind a chance to shut off a little before attempting to sleep.
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Don’t use screens in the run-up to bedtime. Screens interfere with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and make it more difficult to fall asleep.
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Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption.
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