Do You Have Out-of-Control Anxiety? 8 Signs You Need Anxiety Management

Research shows that anxiety affects one in three people worldwide. In fact, this condition is present in every global society.

In many cases, it's normal to feel butterflies before a major presentation or get a nervous stomach before an important phone call. Yet, there are some situations in which anxiety can shift from an occasional issue to a near-daily concern that impacts your quality of life.

Do you suffer from out-of-control anxiety? Especially if you've lived with and learned to self-treat the affliction, it can be difficult to identify the symptoms in your own life.

Today, we're sharing eight signs that point to a more serious anxiety disorder, along with resources that can help you find the treatment you need.

Learn more how Thrive can help you manage your anxiety

What Constitutes Out-of-Control Anxiety?

Anxiety is a nagging, unpleasant feeling of dread or apprehension. It can not only affect your mind and mood, but your physical experience, also. From headaches and sweaty palms to heart palpitations and stomach somersaults, there are myriad ways you might feel its effects in your body.

To a certain degree, it is a normal and expected human reaction, meant to make us aware of dangerous situations. The signals we feel when anxiety creeps in come directly from our autonomic nervous system, which is designed to act as the primary mechanism for our fight-or-flight response.

From a first date to the first day at a new job, there are plenty of normal life events that can trigger a regular, healthy dose of anxiety. However, these events are intermittent. Once the situation is over, the physical and mental stress abates and life resumes as normal.

If you suffer from out-of-control anxiety, that resumption never occurs. Your anxiety is not only chronic, but it's increasingly irrational, affecting nearly every aspect of your life. Next, let's take a look at a few signs that you might have this condition.

1. Activities Aren't Enjoyable

You might not adore everything about your job, but you didn't use to dread coming to work every day. At the same time, personal activities and social events that you used to enjoy now make you so anxious you either avoid them altogether or suffer through them without the same joy as before.

If you're sidestepping situations that used to be a part of your everyday life, that could point to a need for anxiety management. Eventually, this could also mean not driving or visiting certain places out of extreme anxiety to the point where you become essentially homebound.

2. You Avoid Unsafe Behaviours

When referring to unsafe behaviours, we mean ones that don't trigger your anxiety. For instance, if driving on the interstate makes you nervous, you might set your GPS to only go the scenic route. Or, you might avoid certain people at school or work, because you know speaking to them will make you anxious.

While going out of your way to evade these situations, you also engage in behaviours that make you feel moresafe and protected. For instance, you may perform certain rituals before leaving the house each day, such as checking the oven a specific number of times.

3. You Stop Speaking Up

Even if anxiety is appearing to overtake your life, you still have thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions. You want to share them, but you're afraid that doing so could cause someone to disagree, take offence, or offer a rebuttal.

So, you stay silent and compliant. You'd rather not voice your personal thoughts than speak up and risk an adverse reaction. As a result, you find yourself in situations or conversations you don't want to be in, furthering your anxious feelings.

4. Loss of Control is Paralyzing

Does the idea of leaving your house send you into a tailspin of worry? If so, you might have uncontrollable anxiety.

For many, home is a safe zone. It is a place of refuge and comfort. As such, those who see every outside encounter as a potential threat tend to isolate themselves within the walls of their house. At first, it might seem easier to barricade the worries away, but eventually, even staying home can begin to feel suffocating and all-consuming.

5. You're Experiencing Physical Symptoms

As mentioned, it's normal for your stomach to turn before a networking event, or your palms to sweat on a first date. Yet, if these symptoms impact your life on a daily basis, without any major impetus, it could point to a deeper problem.

It isn't uncommon for someone experiencing these symptoms to think they're having a heart attack, usually because the physical effects of an anxiety attack or panic attack can mimic those found in cardiac arrest. These include:

Shortness of breath
Shaking limbs
Heart palpitations
Hot or cold flashes
Sharp pain in the chest

If you're experiencing these symptoms, it's important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

6. Worry Consumes You

Logically, you know there are certain situations that elude your control. You cannot go back in time and fix past mistakes, nor can you accurately predict future events.

Yet, you stay up all night and spend the whole day consumed by worried thoughts. As such, it becomes a struggle to complete daily tasks and navigate present challenges. When you cannot turn the worry on and off to engage in daily life, your relationships and work performance begin to suffer.

7. Exaggeration Feels Logical

Do you tend to get overly anxious about the seemingly smallest situation? For instance, both your heart and your mind might race as you think about talking to a colleague at work or merging onto the highway in the morning.

To someone without extreme anxiety, these situations might cause a brief moment of tension, but their reaction is nowhere near as heightened as yours. You've become used to envisioning the worst-case scenario, regardless of the details surrounding the situation.

8. Self-Treatments Don't Work

You've tried yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises. You've bought essential oils, downloaded calm music and have even cut certain foods out of your diet. Yet, all of your attempts to "cure" your anxiety on your own have not been successful.

If this is the case, it's wise to seek counsel and treatment from a licensed local psychologist. This expert will be well-versed in your condition and can help point you toward proven strategies that can help you relieve your anxiety and reclaim your life.

Anxiety Help You Can Trust

Do the statements on this list sound familiar? If so, you might be suffering from out-of-control anxiety.

While the diagnosis might be concerning, the good news is there are plenty of resources you can turn to for help. We're one of them. Our Dubai-based team of dedicated psychologists is ready to help you find the confidential and affordable psychological therapy you need to address and alleviate your anxiety for good.

Guest UserJanuary 6, 2021