The EasyCalm Anxiety Video Series

Symptoms of Anxiety

It is difficult to compile a complete list of the symptoms of anxiety. The fact is, anxiety is a very personal problem, and the symptoms of anxiety vary from one person to the next. There are, however, anxiety symptoms that are much more common than others, and in this brief article we'll take a look at some of the more "popular" (or should I say "unpopular") symptoms.

The most common symptoms of anxiety have to do with the cardiovascular system -- pulse, heart rate and breathing. In a strange way, an anxiety or panic attack is similar to a good cardiovascular workout, because it tends to work the respiratory system fairly hard, and can also increase circulation. But the similarities end there -- panic attacks, in particular, can also produce many negative effects on the cardiovascular system, including elevated blood pressure and shallow breathing.

An increased pulse rate is one of the most obvious anxiety symptoms, and some sufferers may feel they are having heart trouble, or even a heart attack when in the middle of an anxiety attack. Emergency room statistics show that many patients admitted with heart attack-like symptoms are actually having a panic attack. Of course, it is still a good idea to see a medical doctor any time you feel you are having heart or circulation problems.

Breathing difficulties are also common symptoms of anxiety. Shallow breathing or the feeling that one can not take a deep breath can be caused by anxiety.

Chronic anxiety, for example, can build up in the body and cause tightness in the muscles of the chest, back and stomach. Often the sufferer will not even be aware that they are tightening up these muscles -- it is a subtle but ongoing process. This can result in a feeling of tightness in the chest and unexplained muscle soreness in the body, similar to flu symptoms.

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Stomach and digestive problems are also very common anxiety symptoms. These can range from heartburn and indigestion, to constipation or IBS. When suffering a severe panic attack, some people can also feel nauseous, or experience a sudden bout of diarrhea.

Blushing, excessive sweating or yawning are also common symptoms of anxiety. Many panic attack sufferers report a feeling of "blacking out" or a fear that they may faint. The symptoms are also fairly common, but even though they sufferer may feel certain that they are about to faint, it is quite rare for someone to actually faint while having an anxiety or panic attack.

Lesser-known, but still severe, symptoms of anxiety can include a "tingling" sensation in the extremities, a chronic fear of choking, or of food touching the back of the mouth or throat. Physical twitches, most commonly found in the face or shoulders can also occur, as well as rashes, itching, or other uncomfortable skin problems.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of different physical symptoms of anxiety, and we have only begun to scratch the surface. The mental or psychological symptoms of anxiety can be even more severe, including phobias of all types, social discomfort, poor memory or obsessive thoughts.

The good news is that all of these symptoms of anxiety, whether physical or psychological in nature, are the result of an underlying "lifestyle problem." What we are talking about here is the development of certain "thinking habits" that leads to physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety. Changing your underlying thinking habits will also change your body and mind response -- eliminating symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.

For more information on controlling and eliminating symptoms of anxiety, be sure to watch the free video session on EasyCalm.com