5 Signs Anxiety is Destroying Your Life

Although many people are familiar with the common symptoms of anxiety, they rarely understand the impact anxiety has on a person’s life. 

For those who cope with anxiety, daily living can feel suffocating– your mind swims in a sea of fears and worries, which snowball and feed unnecessary concerns and thoughts. Eventually, you find yourself retreating and isolating from people feeling lonely. 

Anxiety can make you lonelier and more self-conscious of your own being. In some cases, the feeling that others are watching and waiting for you to mess up washes over you. This feeling makes it difficult to go outside and interact with others. In short, anxiety creates a strain on relationships, diminishes self-confidence, and impacts daily life. 

Below are a few signs that your anxiety is getting out of hand. 

Before we delve into ways anxiety can destroy your life, let’s talk about what anxiety is.

The American Psychological Association defines anxiety as an emotion characterized by apprehension and physical symptoms of tension in which an individual anticipates doom, danger, catastrophe, or misfortune. But, this is a general definition and a bit vague. While anxiety has recognizable somatic symptoms like sweaty hands and palpitations, it is more than that. Anxiety can feel like a dark cloud of doom hovering over your head– you never know where danger will come from, so you try to prepare for all the possibilities. 

This state of hyperawareness can have you believing things without any proof. Because anxiety feels differently for everyone, it is difficult to describe and relate to others. 

•  You self isolate

As a result, many people self-isolate. They close themselves off, either physically or emotionally, as a way to protect themselves. Because anxiety is difficult to explain, it is a lot easier to pretend that you are doing fine. However, maintaining this act can get tiring, and socially isolating becomes a better option. 

While it can be a coping mechanism, social isolation can also be due to the stigma surrounding anxiety disorders. To overcome this symptom of anxiety, reach out. Though it might be scary at first, find someone you trust and reach out to them. Studies have shown the positive influences of socializing on our mental health. If you can’t find a friend to confide in, reach out to a therapist you feel comfortable with. 

• It is hard to name emotions. 

When dealing with anxiety, your brain focuses on the problems that lie ahead. It is doing calculations to figure out how to defend you from perceived threats. During this time, your brain executes multiple functions to prepare your body for fight or flight; hence it does not have time for introspection.

You need to be calm and introspective to understand the emotions underlying your anxiety. It may not seem important, but understanding your emotions can help you. Certain emotions serve as triggers. Learning to identify your emotions can pull you back or away from an anxiety attack. 

• You have difficulty expressing your emotional needs.

When you are anxious, you may find it difficult to recognize your emotions. Even more so, it might be difficult for you to express your emotional needs. This struggle is partly due to a common symptom of anxiety–emotional dysregulation. 

Emotional dysregulation refers to poorly regulated emotional responses that do not fall in the traditional or acceptable range of reaction. It often feels like your emotions control you. You are often irritable or agitated. But, you rarely know where these emotions come from. As a result, you find it hard to express yourself. 

While emotional dysregulation certainly plays a role in your ability to open up to others, it may not be the only factor at play. For those with anxiety, expressing emotional needs can sometimes be a challenge. You may feel hesitant because you fear what others might think. Many people with anxiety had an anxious attachment style where they did not learn how to communicate their needs because their parents made them believe that their needs were conditional. 

Hence, in relationships, you tend to feel distant or unfulfilled. 

• Chronic pain or other health conditions that started during a period of transition.

Many studies have explored the links between chronic pain and mental health and found that certain conditions share neurological connections with chronic pain. However, how and why chronic pain develops varies per person. 

One interesting symptom of anxiety is that you develop chronic pain during a period of transition. Transitional periods in life can be moments of both great joy and great distress. Consequently, you may be more stressed, and by default, more anxious than you are usually. Unfortunately, stress and anxiety cause you to tense up. Constant tense muscles can lead to more grave ailments. 

• You do not share your emotional ups and downs with others. 

Another sign of anxiety is that you do not readily share your hardships. This is a subjective statement and not at all a definitive sign of anxiety. However, it does refer to other psychological symptoms associated with anxiety. 

People with anxiety tend to have their guard up. As a result, they may not easily confide in others about things that they are going through. 

Hence, if you have anxiety and experience these symptoms, please reach out to a therapist. They will help you manage the symptoms of anxiety. 

Sources:

Brown, A. (2022, August 3). Help! my anxiety is ruining my life! BetterHelp. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/anxiety/help-my-anxiety-is-ruining-my-life/ 

Cleveland Clinic. (2020). Anxiety disorders: Types, causes, symptoms & treatments. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9536-anxiety-disorders.

Julson, E. (2021, September 15). Signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders. Healthline. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety-disorder-symptoms#excessive-worrying. 

Parks, E. (2021, November 26). 6 signs you are anxious and don’t know it | psychology … Psychology Today. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/pain-rehabilitation/202111/6-signs-you-are-anxious-and-don-t-know-it. 

Rethink Mental Illness. (2020). Anxiety disorders. What are the signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder? Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.rethink.org/advice-and-information/about-mental-illness/learn-more-about-conditions/anxiety-disorders/. 

NIH. (2020). Generalized anxiety disorder: When worry gets out of Control. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad.