Anxiety

It is estimated that nearly 20% of adults suffer from anxiety, though I would guess that this is an underestimation because many people with anxiety have gotten used to it, and ignore the early subtle signs. Then they live with this new baseline for so long that it’s easy for symptoms to begin increasing without noticing. While medication helps, psychotherapy remains the most impactful in the treatment of anxiety. Difficult to control worries, imagining the worst case scenario, and restlessness, or difficulty “relaxing” or calming down are some of the common signs of anxiety.

Other Possible Symptoms:

  • Feeling overstimulated (sensory)

  • Feeling “short” or irritable

  • Frequent “What if” or “Maybe” thoughts

  • Teeth grinding, facial, or jaw tension

  • The need to know anything that could potentially happen; overthinking

  • Difficulty concentrating (mind going “blank”)

  • Difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep; fatigue

  • Frequent stomach, chest, or muscle tension

  • Difficulty making decisions (or avoiding making decisions)

  • Avoiding unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations

  • Others telling you that you appear “aloof” or “distant” (because you’re lost in worried thoughts)

  • Difficulty breathing, racing heart, sweating, nausea (or for some, full blown panic attacks)

There are specific subtypes of anxiety besides the generalized type described above that have an additional specific focus:

Separation Anxiety

Fear of being away from a loved one for fear that being away from them will become permanent or that something bad will happen.

Social Anxiety

Intense fear of judgment, rejection, or embarrassment can lead to lack of confidence in social interactions, overplanning prior to social interactions, overthinking following social interactions, and attempts or desires to avoid social situations.

Illness Anxiety

Fear of becoming ill, dying or suffering from a transient or life altering illness. This may result in frequent visits to the doctors office to rule out serious illnesses, or excessive online research about symptoms and what they could potentially mean.

Performance anxiety

Test anxiety that interferes with performance or functioning, intense anxiety when speaking in front of others, or anxiety leading up to or during a sports performance are the most common types of performance anxiety. These incorporate fear of being “watched/observed”, fear of failure, fear of criticism, judgment, or embarrassment.

Death or suffering Anxiety

It is normal to feel uncomfortable and anxious about death or suffering (either for yourself or loved ones), and is a legitimate concern. However, sometimes this can become an issue if it begins to cause mental anguish, affect your daily life, or link with other categories of anxiety such as Separation Anxiety, Illness Anxiety, or even OCD.

Panic

A sudden rise or spike of intense fear that sets off a succession of physical reactions. These episodes can occur with or without a known trigger or cause and can include any combination of the following symptoms:

  • Heart palpitations, pounding or accelerated heart rate

  • Sweating

  • Trembling or shaking

  • Shortness of breath or a feeling of smothering

  • Feelings of choking

  • Chest pain or discomfort

  • Nausea or abdominal distress

  • Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint

  • Chills or heat sensations

  • Numbness or tingling

  • Feeling detached from reality or oneself

  • Fear of losing control or going crazy

  • Fear of dying

Phobias

A phobia is an intense fear of a situation, place, or object and incorporate an disproportionate sense of danger. Below is a list of common phobias:

  • Acrophobia (Fear of heights)

  • Agoraphobia (Fear of open spaces, inability to escape)

  • Apeirophobia (Fear of infinity / eternity)

  • Astraphobia (Fear of storms)

  • Claustrophobia (Fear of enclosed spaces)

  • Cynophobia (Fear of dogs)

  • Entomophobia (Fear of insects)

  • Emetophobia (Fear of vomiting)

  • Gerascophobia (Fear of aging or adulthood)

  • Pteromerhanophobia (Fear of flying)

  • Trypanophobia (Fear of needles)

Treatment

Anxiety, panic and phobias respond well to a variety of treatments, among which include Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Image Transformation Therapy (IMTT). Learning to reframe, and challenge anxious thoughts as well as how to calm and soothe the distressing physical symptoms of anxiety can greatly reduce symptoms back to a level of normalized functioning. Chronic or severe anxiety is best treated with a combination of CBT and IMTT.

Severe or chronic anxiety is commonly misdiagnosed when someone is actually suffering with OCD. It is important to get screened by someone who understands both anxiety and OCD if you think your symptoms may be OCD related. Click here to learn more about OCD treatment.

Seeking treatment early can optimize prognosis and reduce the length of therapy needed to help you feel better. While everyone feels anxious from time to time, suffering frequently with these symptoms is not something you have to accept.