Everyone has to deal with anxiety at some point in time. It is human nature to project our future and worry over it. It is when these concerns lead to destructive ways and start to interfere with our lives than anxiety assumes problematic proportions. There are some common symptoms you can associate with anxiety such as difficulty in relaxing, low-grade tension, and generally feeling overwhelmed by life. Apart from these usual suspects, there are some additional signs of anxiety which include,
1. Perfectionism: There is a common perception that perfectionism means you think you are perfect but you are in constant despair that you cannot become perfect. It is not so. You have a vague idea about certain things even though they are not completely conscious that by doing things “perfectly” you are getting yourself into a position where you will be away from danger and vulnerability. It is just an illusion of control you are perusing. Perfectionism is a sure recipe for procrastination, paralysis, and indecisiveness. Therefore, it can be a cause and consequence of anxiety.
2. Impulsivity: For example, one day you may find yourself downing a box of cookies, or a bottle of wine, or find yourself on an irrepressible shopping spree. You might blurt some unnecessary or mean things to the colleagues or coworkers, or have a fit of anger. Impulsivity may be a positive trait at times when you manage to break out of a negative routine, act on a hunch, and get the creativity to come forward. But, anxiety over the long term is capable of diminishing the brain’s capability to work calmly and rationally.
3. Hoarding the supplies: The coronavirus situation prevailing at the moment and the need to stay at home has revealed this tendency on a national and global scale. Many people are buying too much food than required either online or physically. When anxiety has hold of you, there is a feeling of trying to control everything you can control. Everyone adopts a coping mechanism in such times. But anxiety can lead to a mentality of scarcity and you may end up buying all the toilet paper available in the aisle of the grocery store. It is a blatant disregard for the needs of other people.
4. Forgetfulness and scattered thoughts: Sometimes when you walk into a room, you wonder why you are there. You may forget an important phone number as anxiety can take up a lot of space in the head. Apart from this, anxiety often leads to disturbed sleep. This messes your cognition and quickly turns into a vicious cycle. You can get distracted by your whirling thoughts and even start wondering if you have ADHD.
5. Overthinking: Many people are overthinkers. They are obsessed with a situation and they insist on learning all the requisite information and are unable to switch to other topics during a conversation. It may be an attempt instinctively to gain a semblance of control although the reality is that your influence is limited. When there is a problem, you are looking to solve, pondering on the problem results in the formulation and later execution of a plan of action while continuous thinking keeps you involved in the issue.
6. Fatigue: Many times, you feel revved and wound up emotionally and mentally and just getting yourself out of the bed in the morning appears to be a monumental task. Even though you can associate anxiety with being uncomfortably revved up and in this eventuality, you will not be able to go on for long until your mind and body are completely exhausted. There are detrimental effects of lack of sleep and stress on your body and it leads to a feeling of being wiped out.
Fear in itself is not a bad thing entirely and it may turn out to be your friend many times. But there are times when it extends its purpose. For example, fear may keep us from making friends, developing romantic relationships, venturing out of a rigid and boring lifestyle, or trying new things. Healing from anxiety disorders is not difficult especially if you have access to professionals. You can get in touch with The Advantage Mental Health Center for an appointment.
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