In this article, you will learn how to tell if you suffer from chronic anxiety and what to do about it.
We have all suffered from anxiety at one point or another in our lives. Whether it’s before a flight, taking a big test, a job interview or before the parents of our new beloved. But it’s chronic anxiety that you should know the signs of and look out for.
Here are the main symptoms for a sufferer of chronic anxiety:
Muscle ache/soreness
Extreme stress and anxiety can manifest themselves physically onto the body causing your muscles to become inflamed. Neck tension, consistent clenching of your jaw or balling your fists are often signs of a chronic anxiety sufferer. Regular exercise can really help with muscle tension.
Headaches
Persistent severe headaches or even migraines could be a sign that you are suffering from chronic anxiety. Increased muscle tension and stress can lead to headaches. It can also be made worse if you are a regular coffee drinker.
Fatigue
Anxiety and stress can affect your adrenal glands, which would explain why if you constantly feel fatigued you could be suffering from chronic anxiety.
Digestive issues
The body and mind are so interconnected that issues of the mind can soon be felt in the body. The chronic digestive condition, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is fundamentally anxiety in your gut. Symptoms such as stomachaches, cramping, bloating, increase gas or constipation are all signs that all is not well in your gut.
Sleeping problems
Having issues sleeping can be indicative of a number of reasons but it is also linked to chronic anxiety. Either falling asleep or staying asleep are signs that your mind is not happy. It is also common to have a restless sleep the night before a big event, but this is usually a once in a blue moon occurrence, not nightly. A further indicator that its anxiety preventing you from sleeping is waking to feel uneasy and unable to calm yourself down.
Mood Swings
Patience is one of the first of your moods to be seriously affected by chronic anxiety. When you are feeling full of negative thoughts and energy, you are likely to and often will have emotional outpourings.
Lack of focus
When you are suffering from chronic anxiety your mind can be racing with a lot of information that isn’t necessarily useful. This can cause you to not be focused on the things that are important.
Chronic anxiety can be eased but it’s more about making changes to your lifestyle habits and not about a 1 step cure. By making small changes to what you eat, how you spend your free time and teaching yourself coping techniques your chronic anxiety can be controlled.
Some things you could look to do to improve your symptoms:
- Exercise daily. Exercising releases endorphins, which interact with your brain and reduce your perception of pain. They also create a positive feeling in the body; runners often describe feeling “high” following a big run or race.
- Reduce the amount of caffeine you are putting into your body. This isn’t just coffee but carbonated and energy drinks. Try substituting these caffeine-filled drinks with water and you will notice a huge difference in how you feel and look.
- Avoid negative people. It’s important to keep only positive people in your life, people who bring something positive and happy in your life. It will uplift you to remove the negativity and focus on the positivity.
- Learn breathing techniques. These are really easy to learn and can really help if you are having an anxious moment.
- Practice yoga and meditation. Yoga is for mind and body. Try taking a class or two or just out the classes on Youtube, you will be amazed at how you feel afterwards.
