Signs You May Have Anxiety Disorder

“Everybody has anxiety”.  How many people have heard this from someone in their lives? The answer is yes we do all experience anxiety in our lives.  So how do we differentiate between a “typical” anxiety response, and one that is beyond the scope of what is classified as “typical.”

A normal anxiety response tends to be limited in time and connected with some stressful situation or event, such as a job interview. The type of anxiety experienced by people with an anxiety condition is more frequent or persistent, not always connected to an obvious challenge, and impacts on their quality of life and day-to-day functioning. While each anxiety condition has its own unique features, there are some common symptoms, and they fall into one of 3 categories:

Physical symptoms:

• Pounding heart, Sweating,Headaches,Stomach upset, Dizziness
• Frequent urination or diarrhea
• Shortness of breath, Muscle tension or twitches, Shaking or trembling, Insomnia.

Psychological Symptoms:

• excessive fear, worry, catastrophizing, or obsessive thinking

Behavioural Symptoms:

• avoidance of situations that make you feel anxious which can impact on study, work or social life

An anxiety disorder  causes unexpected or unhelpful anxiety that seriously impacts our lives, including how we think, feel, and act.  This blog is not intended to provide a diagnosis if you feel you are suffering with these symptoms please see your Doctor for a proper diagnosis.  Please do not suffer in silence reach out there are many wonderful resources available to help.

Karen is a great listener and a solid shoulder to lean on. She has a degree in History and English and a diploma in Counselling Skills. She struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Depression. She understands the importance of having someone to talk to about your struggles. She loves singing, researching her genealogy, cheering for her favorite hockey teams, swimming, hiking and spending time with friends.

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