What It's like to Have Anxiety

Experiencing anxiety from time to time is normal. It happens to everyone. But experiencing anxiety in almost every waking minute of your life? It can be extremely debilitating.

Imagine this: You're walking into a store, and an associate comes your way to ask if they can help you with anything. Your heart beats fast, not for any other reason than the fact that your anxiety is getting to you and suddenly you don't know what to say. What if you go into a restaurant? You sit down, look at the menu, and whoever is with you already knows what they want. But you don't, and the waiter/waitress is there with her pen and notepad, ready to take your order. The person whom you're with orders and then its on you and you still don't know. Your heart pounds, your mind races, your legs tremble, until finally you say, "I'll take the same." But you never wanted what they ordered, you were just too anxious to keep looking.

Imagine being with a close friend and they ask you, "What's on your mind?" You get panicked because they could judge you or make your thoughts seem inadequate so you automatically revert to, "Oh I'm just spaced out."

Anxiety disorders can come in all shapes and sizes. There are several different types of anxiety disorders and each one is just as real, serious, and terrifying as the next. Here I will mainly focus on Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

So what are signs of anxiety and what can cause it? Today I explain what can cause my anxiety and also symptoms of my anxiety.

Symptoms

1. Avoiding social events. As somebody with anxiety, I find social events almost traumatizing. I can't be in a crowded area for too long, I can't talk to too many people, and I can't usually put myself in that situation knowingly. I almost always tend to avoid social events, public places, and public gatherings. Places that seem normal such as church, grocery stores, parks, etc terrify me.
2. Suppressed appetite. When dealing with anxiety, the last thing I really feel like doing is eating. Especially if it's in a public place or with a group of people. When you're battling different worries and emotions in your head, you can't really settle your stomach enough to get a bite in.
3. Startling easily. If you're like me, anxiety makes you get startled extremely easily. Horror movies are a definite no go, friends that try to scare you will probably end up getting punched, and you are overall just more cautious when walking around corners. If a friend knows that you startle easily and it's because of your anxiety, they'd do well not to use that to their advantage.
4. Sweating. If you get anxious, you start to sweat. It's not always about how hot or cold a room is, you simply can't stop yourself from getting overly hot. Your clothes suddenly feel too constricting, your palms and face glisten with sweat, and you do anything and everything to try to cool off. It's not easy.
5. Restlessness. Anxiety causes a lot of restlessness. You do whatever you can to distract yourself such as biting your lips, biting your nails, tapping your fingers on a flat surface, tapping your feet, etc. It's not just people with ADHD that do this, those with anxiety do it just as often. They use it as a distraction from their worries, or just to ground themselves to the present. It causes a lot of problems when they try to get to sleep, though. A lot of times they are so restless that it takes forever for them to get to sleep. And if you're like me, melatonin doesn't do too much to help.

Causes

1. Messes. Any sort of mess can cause somebody with anxiety to freak out. It could be dirty dishes piled in the sink, a trashcan that is on the verge on overflowing, clothes on the floor, a messy counter that hasn't been wiped up, etc. When someone with anxiety faces a mess, they automatically freeze up, unsure of what to do with it. If they're asked to clean up a bad mess, they'll freak out, not knowing where to start from. If you live with someone that has anxiety, a great thing you could do is clean up after yourself. That way they don't feel overwhelmed and feel like they have to clean up your mess.
2. Negativity. Your body is controlled by your brain, so it only makes sense that if you are upset or you are thinking negatively, the things you think in your head can trigger your anxiety. It could be so much as telling yourself that you shouldn't say a certain thing because it sounds stupid, or really, anything that would bring you down. It also makes sense to say that others' negativity can also bring you anxiety. Especially if you're trying hard to stay positive about a situation and they're being extremely pessimistic. If you know someone with anxiety, try not be negative around them.
3. Social events. Parties, potlucks, gatherings, and get togethers are all stressful things in the eyes of an anxious person. Anything that might require you to talk to people, especially people you don't know very well, can really trigger anxiety. This is the reason most people who struggle with anxiety tend to avoid social events and outings.
4. Personal triggers. Everybody with anxiety is different as far as this one goes. It can be hard to identify what exactly can trigger your anxiety, but a lot of people can also have very personal triggers. These are things that might remind them of a circumstance, situation, event, or person. For instance, somebody who has been in a car accident might get severe anxiety when they have to get in a car. Somebody who has dealt with the loss of someone they loved dearly might get anxiety when they see or smell something that reminds them of that person. The same thing goes for people who have dealt with abuse.
5. Public speaking. This is a big one for me. I used to have to take a public speaking class, and it was absolute hell. The biggest part for me was the impromptu speeches we had to do. That triggered my anxiety so bad, I remember walking out of the class one time. Anything that involves public speaking, speaking in front of or directly to a boss or supervisor, or performing in general can cause major anxiety.

Anxiety is something that everybody deals with from time to time, but it can be very severe for some people. Remember that anxiety is different in each person, and each person has different ways to cope with it. Some people might not know how to cope with their anxiety. Be patient with those people. Chances are they really are trying to keep themselves under control, but they don't know how to do it. Don't let them push you away, because even though they seem to think its best, it really will hurt them in the long run.