By now, you have probably realized that anxiety is a common mental health concern. Over the past few years, topics like anxiety and depression have popped up more in our conversations with each other as well as nationally. There really isn’t a question of why this is when you consider everything that has occurred over the past 5 years.

Anxiety has always been common. In fact, it is something that our ancestors dealt with as well. Anxiety was an evolutionary tool developed in our ancient ancestors’ brains to keep them alive. It is historically known as the fight or flight response. They could even choose to stay and fight through the danger. Or, they could flee from it.

Now, though, that response isn’t useful as we don’t encounter life-or-death situations regularly. However, our bodies have held on to this biological response. While anxiety might be common, not everyone knows what it feels like. Here are some examples of what anxiety can feel like for an anxious person and some ways to deal with it.

What Does Anxiety Feel Like?

We can break down what anxiety feels like into two categories—physical and mental symptoms.

Mental Signs Of Anxiety

Excessive Worries

Everyone worries. However, for someone who suffers from anxiety, these worries are excessive. It goes from one worry to the next consistently. It’s not just worrying about one thing but literally all the things until there is no relief from fearing certain outcomes or situations.

Uncontrollable Thoughts

This goes along with the above. But, these are when the negative thought cycles never cease. Worrying about one thing will automatically turn into the next. And there’s no controlling what your mind tells you that you should be worried about.

More Mental Effects Of Anxiety

• Difficulty focusing
• Indecisiveness
• Feeling restless and on edge
• Easily irritated

Physical Signs Of Anxiety

Unfortunately, anxiety also has a way of manifesting by affecting our physical health, too. It can cause any number of the following symptoms:

• Insomnia
• Racing heart
• Feeling sweaty/clammy
• Headaches
• Stomach aches
• Muscle tension
• Feeling sweaty

Dealing With Anxiety

If you are coping with anxiety, you likely feel pretty frustrated with it. More than anything, you just want relief. You want to be able to enjoy your day and not worry about absolutely everything. You know that life is going to come with its challenges, and there’s no escaping that. However, there is something completely different about feeling as if the world is constantly on your shoulders.

Mental health has been a topic of great discussion lately, and anxiety comes up time and time again. Anxiety might be common, but the good news is it is also one of the most treatable mental health issues. It’s unfortunate that people have to deal with this. However, anxiety can be overcome. It doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to control your life.

There are so many methods for treating anxiety-related disorders. Some people will succeed with mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing, or grounding exercises. Or a combination of any of those. Some people will choose to do those methods as well as take a prescription for their anxiety. There is nothing wrong with that, either. Ultimately, it’s all about what works best for the individual.

One of the best ways to treat anxiety is through therapy. Learning the methods to help soothe anxiety is important. But, finding out the root cause of why anxiety is occurring is important, and counseling is the best way to find out why. If you want to learn more about anxiety therapy, don’t hesitate to reach out as soon as possible to find relief.