Easycalm

Is Anxiety Ruining Your Life? 7 Ways to Tell

Everyone has topics they worry about. Crime—health problems—relationship issues—these are typical sources of worry for the average adult. It’s perfectly normal to feel some worry about crime after the neighbors house has been broken into; perfectly normal for a parent to worry the first time a teen leaves in the car alone.

But for some people, normal worries “stack” and begin causing overall anxiety in ever-increasing levels. EasycalmAnd of course, these symptoms may cause additional worry—which causes additional anxiety—which increases the physical symptoms, leading to a destructive cycle which can impact virtually every area of your life.

You can break the cycle. But first you have to recognize what’s happening. Here are 7 signs to watch for:

1. Other people suggest your fears are silly, unfounded, or otherwise out of sync with facts. The opinion of one casual acquaintance may be wrong; but if close friends or family all seem to agree, then maybe they’re right.
2. There are times you realize your fears are silly, unfounded, or out of sync with reality.
3. There are times your anxiety has interfered with a close relationship.
4. There are times anxiety has interfered with your job.
5. You have had one or more of the common physical symptoms of anxiety, and your doctor has been unable to find a physical cause for the symptom. Physical symptoms of anxiety include chest pains, racing pulse, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, nausea, skin conditions, or rash. While it is always important to check with a doctor when you have cardio-vascular symptoms, many emergency room visits for chest pains or breathing problems turn out to be due to anxiety or stress.
6. There are times anxiety has interfered with your sleep. You lay awake worrying about something beyond your control.
7. A vacation or outing wasn’t enjoyable because you were suffering from anxiety.

It may be easy for you to answer the question: What are you afraid of? In our complex society, there are thousands of worries to choose from, from microscopic germs to massive alien space invasions. The natural follow-up question is why are you worried about that? Is there a specific threat or is the fear more general in nature.

Once you realize you may have an anxiety problem, you can begin to take steps to overcome you’re anxiety and reclaim your life.