Recognising Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety

Although anxiety is a mental health disorder, it can affect us in many physical ways, and the intensity of these feelings are different for everyone. It is very common that when our anxiety is taking over our minds our body will also react physically.

The most common physical symptoms include:

Sweating

Sweating can be a very common and frequent side effect felt by those with anxiety. Individuals suffering from anxiety are more likely to sweat a lot more from nervous tendencies daily, or especially when placed in an environment or situation that triggers their personal anxiety.

Stomach ache/feeling sick

This can be a different feeling for everyone, it can begin with what feels like butterflies, but can also lead to cramping and churning and causing you to be physically sick. This is caused by a stress hormone being released into your stomach when you’re anxious.

Feeling dizzy

This is caused by the dire impact our stress hormones can have on us leading us to feel so lightheaded. In some cases, the constant sense of panic and dread can often lead to those with anxiety fainting.

Dry mouth

When we are feeling anxious, we are more likely to breathe through our mouth as we hyperventilate which instantly dries our mouth.

Shortness of breath

This comes with the panic and overthinking of anxiety, leading us to begin breathing more rapidly which can often lead to panic attacks if not controlled quickly.

Headaches

With all the stress and increasing anxiety, it is no wonder our heads can suffer during or after the feelings have passed. With our brains going 100mph it is bound to show in physical symptoms too.

Irregular heartbeat

Our hearts can begin to race, the more our thoughts race around our heads. We are letting our anxiety take over our mind and our heartbeat. The more panicked we get, the more our heart will race, which again can be the early sign of a panic attack if not controlled.

These symptoms can feel very real and intense, some suffer with them all whereas some might suffer from 1 or 2 severely. It’s important we recognise the signs our body is gives us in the moment in order to take a pause to notice and understand what is making us anxious.

Here are a 3 ways we can prevent these physical symptoms and take control of our bodies:

1. Breathing Exercises

Learning to control your breathing takes daily practice and commitment, but even 2 minutes a day, where you learn how to control your breath can become so empowering to those with anxiety, so when faced with shortness of breath, they can ease themselves back to normal. A great app to use is Calm, or even just sitting peacefully breathing in and out slowly is helpful.

2. Exercise and Yoga

Let those endorphins be released! Exercising in the morning in any way that you enjoy can really help release happy hormones and decrease your stress for the rest of your day. Start your day right!

3. Journaling

Get to know yourself and what worries you the most, dig deep, don’t be afraid! Journaling 5 minutes a day or longer on an evening or weekend can change your mindset and your life. Once you understand yourself you can help yourself. Using journaling prompts on Pinterest is a great way to start.

Taking more consistent, daily habits and implementing them into your life, will have a huge impact on your mind and your anxiety. You will find what works best for you and take control of your life.

For more information on anxiety, and how to get support, visit mind

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