- Emotional: feeling on edge, irritability, feelings of fear, dread and worry.
- Behavioural: being easily distracted, avoiding situations, worrisome thoughts, and being easily startled.
- Cognitive: persistent negative thoughts and intrusive worries, difficulties with concentration, focus and memory.
- Physical: increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, feeling of nausea and dizziness, muscle tension or pains, and having trouble sleeping.
Some activities, events or general circumstances can be naturally anxiety provoking for most people, and can be successfully overcome. However, some situations can be too intense, enduring or unexpected that anxiety can be difficult to manage and cope with.
Anxiety becomes a problem when it starts to significantly impact on a person’s life. For example, when it makes them adjust their routine to avoid certain activities or situations, or when it makes them feel preoccupied and overwhelmed with fear, worries or ruminations, making it difficult to focus on anything else.
Anxiety can also be induced when exposed to ongoing stress, such as the current situation surrounding COVID-19. When exposed to stress for a long time, it might trigger similar responses to those listed above.
Recognizing anxiety symptoms is therefore an important step towards learning new techniques to positively cope with experiences of anxiety, worry, and stress.
