Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

The sympathetic nervous system is activated by adrenalin resulting in the 'fight or flight' response but sometimes these sympathetic nerve fibres go into overdrive so that our body reacts to things like talking to a stranger, being part of a crowd or even leaving the house in the same way as if you were being chased or attacked.

So, we are always on high alert.
Can you imagine what that’s like?
A part of me hopes you don’t and a part of me wishes you could.

Jumping at every noise and catching our breath at every unexpected touch. Racing heartbeats, sweaty palms and shaking limbs. For somebody with agoraphobia this is basically what I am always like when I’m not inside of my house, although the extent of these physical symptoms vary from when I’m at a friend’s house to when I’m in a busy street, but they are always present.

It is truly exhausting.

I’m going to dedicate an entire post to panic-attacks but I thought I should at least mention them here because they have played such a huge and terrifying part of my anxiety disorder.

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear. It can manifest itself in the forms of a pounding heart, pins-and-needles or numbness, hyperventilation, chest pains, dizziness, and several other terrifying symptoms. Many people often feel like they are dying which only makes the attack ten times stronger and scarier.

So yes, we all experience anxiety. But thank goodness everyone doesn’t have an anxiety disorder. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

Below I have listed physical symptoms of anxiety but there are probably some more that I have missed. I have put the symptoms which I experience in bold to give you an insight into my personal experience with anxiety. Teeth grinding, hair pulling, skin picking are also very real symptoms which I experience and want to address but I feel like they are behavioural symptoms rather than physical symptoms. They are very real and are not lesser symptoms than the ones on this list.

1.      Fainting (vasovagal syncope) -  in the presence of extreme fear (for me, somebody with social phobia, this ‘extreme fear’ includes people and public places. How convenient.) your brain exerts so much energy that it needs more blood as a result, and your heart can't meet those demands so you faint so that your blood can reach your brain and vital organs more easily.

2.      Uncontrollable shaking (hands, jaw etc. – even when you’re alone)

3.      Nausea

4.      Vomiting

5.      Diarrhoea

6.      Constipation

7.      IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

8.      Headaches (e.g. Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure or tightness)

9.      Sweating (including terrible night sweats)

10.  Skin rashes

11.   Dry mouth

12.  Chest pain

13.  Abdominal pain

14.   Back, shoulder and neck pain (stiffness)

15.   Shortness of breath (feeling smothered or choked)

16.   Panic attacks (these bring their own symptoms and terror)

17.  Accelerated heart rate

18.   Frequent Urination

19.  Feeling dizzy, light headed or faint

20.   Suddenly falling asleep (narcolepsy) – I have only experienced this once or twice

21.   Numbness (pins and needles)

22.   Shooting pains in the face, scalp or head (also burning, itching or tightness)

23.  Chills

24.  Hot flashes

25.   Skipped heart beats (irregular heart rhythms)

26.  Allergy problems or an increase in allergies 

27.  Body aches (feeling like your body and muscles are bruised)

28.   Chronic Fatigue (this may not seem that bad but there are so many things I have missed out on because I didn’t have the energy to stand up or because I literally couldn’t stay awake)

29.   Flu-like symptoms

30.  Excess energy (cannot stay still)

31.  Muscle twitching

32.   Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like there is a tight band around the rib cage

33.   Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome (pain in the jaw joint)

34.  Sore jaw that feels like toothache

35.   Weight gain or weight loss (which can be accompanied by their own physical symptoms)

36.   Feeling like something is stuck in your ear

37.   Ringing in the ears

38.  Anxiety cough

39.  Weakness in legs

40.  Eyes sensitive to light (photophobia)

41.   Lump in the throat (feeling like there is something stuck in the throat)

42.  Insomnia (inability to sleep)

43.  Hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping - a condition in which a person has trouble staying awake during the day.)

44.   Electric shock feeling

45.  Change in body temperature

46.  Selective mutism (I experienced this during my first year at university. Being robbed of your own voice is terrifying and terrible.)

Maybe these aren’t so bad if they only happen once in a while but for someone with anxiety these can be pretty continuous. Having a headache, diarrhoea or chest pain may not be the end of the world but experiencing them every day sure feels that way.

“Being sad or overwhelmed is normal, much as being short of breath after a run is normal. Both become abnormal when they happen with no apparent cause and are hard to stop. Those situations need medical attention.”

― Matthew Goldfinger

I shouldn’t have to use the physical symptoms of my anxiety disorder to persuade you that it is a valid illness, the psychological and behavioural symptoms should be enough, but some people still refuse to accept that mental health is as important as physical health. Not only can poor mental health result in physical symptoms and illnesses, the lack of confidence and self-worth can cause people to stop caring for their physical health/needs. We need to stop the stigma surrounding mental illness but we also need to stop the stigma surrounding mental health care.

1 in 5 people have a mental illness but 5 in 5 people have mental health.

"People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn't help. One needs support and understanding."
-Deepika Padukone 

If you liked this post you may also like:

• What are Panic Attacks?
• How to Stop & Prevent a Panic Attack
•  Anxiety is a Wall.

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