Fitness and Wellness

Bad Anxiety Symptoms

How to recognize and cope with persistent anxiety symptoms
Image of anxiety pills and wooden blocks forming the word 'anxiety' on a white background
Severe anxiety can affect more than your thoughts.Marta/Pexels
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MBT Desk
MBT Desk
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Has someone ever told you, “It’s all in your mind”? If you suffer from anxiety, you’ve probably heard these words. Sometimes friends or family say it, or it's the voice you hear at three in the morning, asking why you can’t just stop.

Some level of anxiety is a normal part of life, like a racing heart before a job interview or sweaty palms before giving a speech. In situations like these, although uncomfortable, your anxiety is short-lived and eventually subsides.

For some people, however, anxiety doesn’t let up. It hangs over them throughout the day, weighing on them in the morning when they wake up and following them at night when they try to sleep. This often causes many people to avoid or cancel plans, ignore calls from friends, or have self-doubt with thoughts like, “Why do I always end up with so much ‘bad’ anxiety? Others do that work easily.”

“Bad” anxiety is heavier and more intense than everyday worries, and logic alone won’t make it go away. Studies show that anxiety disorders affect 19.1% of U.S. adults every year and 31.1% during their lifetime. That’s approximately 1 in 5 people each year and around 1 in 3 over a person’s lifetime.

22.8% of adults with an anxiety disorder reported their condition to be severe, and another 33.7% reported theirs to be moderate. That’s more than half of people with an anxiety disorder battling symptoms beyond the mild end of the spectrum.

Only about 37% of those with an anxiety disorder get treatment, and many assume they can tough it out on their own. Nevertheless, toughing it out isn’t the answer. Anxiety disorders are very treatable mental health conditions, with effective anxiety treatment plans including a combination of medication, psychotherapy, and learning new coping skills. Keep reading to understand in depth what ‘bad’ anxiety symptoms are and how to cope with it.

What is bad anxiety like?

People obsessively search for health info online, leading to stress and anxiety.
Anxiety disorders feed on themselves.Unsplash

People often use the term “bad anxiety” to refer to cases when anxiety is too strong and/or persistent. Think of all the different areas of your life as rooms in a big house. There’s a room for work, friends, family, driving, traveling, hobbies, sleeping… and so on.

When your anxiety is mild, you’re able to roam freely from room to room. As your anxiety gets worse, doors start to feel like they're closing. Before you know it, you’re hemmed in to a corner of the house, unsure of when you stopped visiting all those other rooms.

The scariest part? You may not even realize it’s happening. One day you look up, and your whole world seems to have gotten really, really small.

Everyone’s experience is different, but symptoms people commonly report include:

In the body:

  • Racing heart for no apparent reason

  • Tension in your chest, or difficulty getting a breath normally

  • Trembling or shaking hands or body

  •  Sweating, hot or cold flashes

  • Dizziness or feeling faint

  • An upset stomach, nausea, or having to use the bathroom frequently

  • Aches and pains, headaches, tense muscles

  • Fatigue or trouble sleeping

  • Tingling or pins-and-needles sensations in your hands and/or feet

In the mind:

  • Racing thoughts, jumping from worry to worry

  • Vigorous fear that the worst will happen

  • Mind going blank or feeling fuzzy

  • A sense of impending doom, like something bad is about to happen

  • Feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings

  • Reliving events or conversations over and over in your head

  • Being afraid of your anxiety itself

Behavior:

  • Avoiding places, people, or situations

  • Telling yourself you’re too busy (when it’s really anxiety that’s preventing you from doing something)

  • Continually seeking reassurance from others

  • Repeatedly checking or rechecking things

  • Using comfort food, alcohol, smoking, or other substance use to cope with anxiety

  • Becoming isolated

Does this sound familiar? Take a deep breath. You’re not crazy or weak or defective. Actually, your mind and body are just exhausted from being weighed down for so long.

How can bad anxiety get even worse?

Anxiety disorders feed on themselves. For example, consider Maria, a 28-year-old graphic designer. She had one terrible panic attack while she was at the grocery store. She was convinced she was having a heart attack. After that, she started avoiding that grocery store, then other big grocery stores, then driving, then pretty much anywhere she felt she couldn’t easily leave. Each time she avoided something, she felt better in the moment, but her fear world got a little smaller.

Her problem wasn’t grocery stores. Her problem was being afraid of being afraid.

High-functioning anxiety:

In this condition, you look fine (but you’re not fine). Some people with high-functioning anxiety disorders don’t look like they have anxiety disorders. They’re the ones who are always prepared, early for everything, and there for everyone else. Behind the scenes, they’re exhausted from all the planning, checking, and holding it together. At work, they laugh; at home (or in their parked car), they unravel. They’re afraid that if they let up for even a second, their whole life will fall apart.

If this describes you, looking fine is not the same as being fine. This deserves help.

What makes bad anxiety even worse?

Many factors can make an anxiety disorder worse. Here are a few:

  • Stress. Deadlines. Money. Health. Relationships. World events. Many people deal with more than one at a time, with very little downtime to process or recover.

  • Genetic. Anxiety disorders tend to run in families. Researchers believe that genetics play a significant but not the whole role. Having an anxious parent does not mean you are doomed to have anxiety, but it is a factor.

  • Difficult life events. Trauma, grief, and ongoing stress can keep a person’s internal alarm system stuck “on.”

  • Lack of sleep, lots of caffeine, and alcohol use. Not getting enough sleep and consuming a lot of coffee can both increase a person’s anxiety. Alcohol may be a temporary anxiety reliever, but can often make the next day’s anxiety worse.

  • Other medical conditions. Some medical conditions, including thyroid disorders, can present symptoms that mimic anxiety disorders. Consult a doctor to rule out other conditions.

  • Other co-occurring conditions. Anxiety disorders co-occur with depression, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. It also co-occurs with PTSD, ADHD, dysmorphic disorder, autism, or eating disorders, which can make an existing anxiety disorder worse. If you’re depressed all of the time, let your doctor know.

None of these mean you are doing something wrong. They do mean you are under a lot of stress.

When to seek help for anxiety

A therapist and client in therapy.
World Sikh Organization of Canada/Pexels

You should seek help long before it gets bad. Please consult with an anxiety specialist if:

  • Your anxiety persists for months or weeks at a time

  • You have started to avoid things that you normally enjoy

  • It interferes with your work, relationships, and/or sleep

  • You’re having panic attacks or afraid you will

  • You use alcohol or other substances to cope

  • You feel hopeless, afraid of losing control, or frightened of your own thoughts

If you’re thinking of hurting yourself, please seek help right away. You can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night, anywhere in the U.S. If this is an emergency, dial 911.

If you have chest pains, don’t self-diagnose; seek care. Better to find out it was “just” anxiety than miss something more serious.

Anxiety treatment plan

A psychiatrist is a medical professional who understands the mind-body connection. They provide a comprehensive care plan by assessing things like:

  • How long has it been going on (days? weeks? months?)

  • How severe is it (a little anxious? Can’t concentrate because you're so anxious?)

  • How it’s interfering with your life (Are you still able to get things done at work? Are you sleeping and eating okay? Seeing friends?)

  • Is there any underlying cause behind it (e.g., nutritional deficiency, undiagnosed ADHD or other mental health condition, etc.)

At GABA Telepsychiatry, based on assessment, their board-certified psychiatrist provides a comprehensive personalized treatment plan that includes:

Talk therapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you learn to identify and question anxious thoughts: “Is this thought true, or am I just anxious?” It can also help you gradually face things you’ve been avoiding.

Anti-anxiety medication: Medication helps regulate your brain chemistry, thus alleviating anxiety. In severe or bad anxiety symptom cases, medication is the first-line treatment for anxiety that helps stabilize your condition first. Once your bad anxiety symptoms have stabilized, you may find therapy easier to access and acquire skills that will help you cope.

Take note that using medication does not mean you are weak. Psychiatrists prescribe it carefully after considering possible side effects and benefits. Also, note that medications can take a few weeks to start working. Think of medicine as self-care: like a cast to protect a broken bone while it heals.

Some coping skills to cope with bad anxiety symptoms

While these tips won’t replace treatment, they can help you cope in the moment and make treatment more effective.

  • Name it to tame it. Tell yourself, “This is anxiety. It’s unpleasant, but it will pass.”

  • Practice a breathing exercise. Breathe in for four counts, and out for six. Repeat.

  • Grounding exercise. Notice five things you can see, four things you hear, 3 things you touch, 2 things you smell, and 1 things you taste. This can help bring your mind to the present moment.

  • Reach out. Call or text a friend: “Hey, I’m feeling well or feeling anxious right now.”

  • Be nice to yourself. Talk to yourself the way you would to a good friend.

These won’t magically make your anxiety disappear, but they can help you feel like you have some control over things.

Final thoughts

If your anxiety gets bad, really bad, trust yourself. No one knows your mind and body as you do. Having a lot of anxiety doesn’t mean you’re broken. It also doesn’t mean you’re alone. That version of you that feels relaxed and in control? Still exists. They’re just waiting for you to take care of yourself.

You don’t need the right words to seek professional help. Simply say, “I’ve been feeling anxious lately, and I’m not sure what to do.”  Remember that you’ve been shouldering your anxiety alone for long enough. Let someone help you carry that burden.

Reference:

MBTpg/MSM

Image of anxiety pills and wooden blocks forming the word 'anxiety' on a white background
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