Anxiety and Panic Disorder

Are there times when you can’t stop your head from spinning? Everyone worries and feels nervous. However, some people experience a different degree of anxiety, which interferes with their ability to function. If your mind is constantly racing, or you often feel on edge, or scared, you may be suffering from an Anxiety Disorder.

Anxiety can manifest in various forms:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Feeling nervous and worrying a great deal of time
Inability to concentrate
Racing thoughts, sweating, increased heart rate
Speaking quickly
Fear of make the wrong decision
Inability to get things done
Becoming overwhelmed easily
Using alcohol to relax

Social Anxiety

Being very self conscious in front of people
Feeling your mind “go blank” and not knowing what to say
Feeling embarrassed or awkward in front of people
Avoiding eye contact
Worrying excessively that other people will judge you negatively or reject you.
Dreading or avoiding participating in family gatherings, parties, meetings
Experiencing an upset stomach, diarrhea, or fear of vomiting before a social situation
Replaying what you said in social situations endlessly in your mind

Public Speaking/Performance Anxiety

Many people only experience anxiety during these types of situations
The thought of performing or speaking infront of people throws you into a tizzy
You get choked up, start sweating, your voice gets shaky, and your mind goes blank
Nervousness overtakes you and you find yourself not being able to explain the simplest concepts
Your throat closes up so you can’t speak at all
You feel intimidated by a group of people in you speak to daily when all their eyes are on you
This anxiety prohibits you from advancing in your career

Illness Anxiety (Hypochondria)

Being preoccupied with having or getting a serious disease or health condition.
Believing that normal body sensations such as muscle twitching or fatigue are associated with a specific illness
Repeatedly checking your body for signs of illness
Frequently making medical appointments for reassurance – or you avoiding medical care for fear of being diagnosed with a serious illness
Finding little or no reassurance from doctor visits or negative test results
Constantly talking about your health
Frequently searching the internet for causes of symptoms of possible illnesses
This excessive anxiety, rather than the physical symptoms itself, results in such severe distress it becomes worse than your symptoms

Anticipatory Anxiety

Anticipating that a future event or situation will go badly
Expecting to feel distress or become physically ill
Fearing you may be unable to accomplish what you set out to do
Worrying about experiencing anxiety
Catastrophizing – An irrational belief that the absolute worst possible outcome will occur

Panic Attack Symptoms