Over 8 million people in the UK experience anxiety on a regular basis. That means for every 10 people you meet, it is likely that at least 1 person is an anxiety sufferer.
But anxiety isn’t a one-way street. Nor is it always easy to spot. That’s because anxiety appears in various ways, and has varying impacts on a person’s mental and physical health.
Knowing what the symptoms of anxiety are, even the more unusual ones, can help you to learn how to manage triggers and reduce anxiety in your daily routine.
"Sometimes working with the breath on its own can amplify anxiety - if you have experienced this, you are not alone. We still want to work with the breath for its powerful soothing effect on our nervous system, but the key is to pair breath with movement. Rather than focusing on the breath, anchor your mind on the sensation of moving. Try moving your hands with your breath, subtle enough that you can do this anywhere, anytime. As you breathe in, open your hands fully and allow there to be a little pause at the end of your inhalation. As you breathe out, make a gentle fist and allow a small pause at the end of your exhalation. Keep focusing your mind on the movement of your hands, feeling how this helps you breathe better and when you breathe better, you feel better."
Dr Suzy Reading for anxiety
The 3 Stage Response To Anxiety
Before we get onto the symptoms of anxiety, understanding the different ways anxiety affects your body is essential to understanding why some symptoms of anxiety are so different from others.
Cognitive
Your mind starts to spiral down into a whirlwind of worry, panic, or uncertainty about the future. These worrying thoughts are often the beginning of your anxiety and can spread throughout the body in various physical responses.
Often, just by managing worrying thoughts, you can reduce any further effects of anxiety on your body.
Physical
Your body may begin to sweat, have an increased heart rate, you may feel dizzy, have tense muscles, or have nausea. All these symptoms are completely normal and are often accompanied by some tightness in your chest.
Behavioural
After having these worrying thoughts and feelings, and feeling some physical symptoms of anxiety, you may start to behave in a way that reflects how you are feeling on the inside.
For example, you may avoid going to certain social situations, meeting certain people, or even going out of the house in general. Often, a house may become your comfort safe zone, and stepping out of this zone can cause an intense amount of pressure.
7 Unusual Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety
Now you understand the 3 ways anxiety can appear in your body, here are some of the most unusual symptoms of anxiety.
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Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are very common, yet are very frightening. After you have been feeling anxiety for a long period of time, or if you had a very stressful or panicking situation in the past, you may experience a panic attack as a response to this situation.
The bad news is that a panic attack isn’t a direct result of feeling anxiety in the present moment. For example, you may have had a very stressful month at work. During this time, your adrenaline was high and you weren’t getting enough downtime or rest. Once this time is over, you may suddenly experience the let-down effect from stress, or you may experience a panic attack if you didn’t properly address your anxious symptoms during this time.
The good news is that once you have a panic attack, you will be able to identify any possible triggers, and you will understand what is happening to your body during this time.
However, when you experience a panic attack for the first time, it may be frightening, and people often feel like they are ‘dying’ or having a heart attack. In reality, this is your body’s response to keep you out of a threatening situation. You may feel dizzy, have pain in your chest, have a racing heartbeat, feel faint, get chills, or feel like you aren’t connected to your body.
While most panic attacks last 5 to 20 minutes, the aftermath of the panic attack can last for a few hours as you are processing what has just happened.
A panic attack is a very common symptom of anxiety. Managing your anxious thoughts from the get-go can help you avoid panic attacks as you learn how to address what your body needs in a certain situation.
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Insomnia
Anxiety has a direct link to your sleeping pattern. Even a simple anxious thought of worrying about the future can prevent you from sleeping well during the night.
Over a period of time, this can lead to insomnia. This may lead you to enter the vicious cycle of anxious thoughts preventing you from sleeping well, and not sleeping well preventing you from relieving your anxiety.
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Frequent Urination
Needing to go to the toilet can be a more unusual, yet very direct response to anxiety. It is simply your body preparing to fight against a potential threat, even if there isn’t one.
Even if you don’t drink that much water, you may suddenly feel the need to go to the toilet in any given situation. Most people experience this symptom before going out, getting on an airplane, or before they enter a seemingly worrying situation.
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Increased Heart Rate & Shortness of Breath
If you experience anxiety, then you are likely to experience shortness of breath and an increased heart rate. This is one of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety.
As your body works overtime to pump blood and oxygen to your muscles, this is what will cause the increased heart rate and shortness of breath. A further symptom may be heart palpitations, as your body begins to prepare for a potentially dangerous situation.
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Sweating
This isn’t the regular sweating you may experience from going out in the heat or from exercising. You may be in a very cool room, yet experience intense amounts of sweating - another direct physical symptom of anxiety.
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Pain in Your Body (Headaches, Neck Pain, Back Pain)
People who get anxious frequently may experience body pain in the form of frequent headaches, neck pain, and back pain. This severe tension is simply your body preparing itself to fight in any given dangerous situation.
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Stomach Aches, Indigestion, Diarrhoea & Gas
One more unusual, yet an extremely common symptom of anxiety is stomach aches, indigestion, diarrhoea, and gas. Your stomach may take the brunt of your anxiety, which may lead you to struggle to digest food properly as your stomach produces an excess amount of acid to break down food (that you aren’t even eating).
Are There Any Long Term Symptoms of Anxiety?
Yes, there are many long-term issues with experiencing anxiety on a regular basis. For example:
- Gastrointestinal Issues
- Type II Diabetes
- Heart Problems
- Respiratory Disorders
- Struggle to reproduce
- Immune system dysfunction
Learning to spot your cognitive, physical, and behavioural symptoms of anxiety when they appear can help you manage your mind and body, and prevent long-term symptoms from appearing.
Tips On Managing The Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety
Keep Relax CBD Oil Drops Nearby at All Times
You may enter a stressful situation, or you may suddenly feel anxiety for absolutely no reason at all. In this situation, one of the most effective ways to relieve your anxious thoughts is by working with your body, rather than against it, beginning with your endocannabinoid system.
Your endocannabinoid system is a biological symptom composed of endocannabinoids and is responsible for all things related to your sleeping pattern, stress levels, diet, and anxiety levels. CBD oil (the non-addictive kind, containing 0% THC), contains cannabinoids which - you guessed it - interact in the same way as the endocannabinoids.
By ingesting these cannabinoids, you are telling your body it’s ok to relax, rewind, and overcome the stressful thoughts.
Our Relax Drops contain our unique M²CBD formula - pharmaceutical-grade CBD oil and medicinal mushrooms (Reishi, Cordyceps, Lion’s Mane) - to clear your mind from stressful and anxious thoughts. Keep this little bottle nearby, and take a few drops under your tongue in any stressful or overwhelming situation.
Spend Time Outside Each Day
Getting outside each day to spend time in the day in the sunshine is the best way to get your daily dosage of Vitamin D, as well as to connect with nature and the outside world.
This can also help you to improve your physical activity, by walking a few minutes each day - increasing the time each week - to help boost endorphins around your body.
Getting outside can help move your mood from stressed or anxious to relaxed and level-headed.
Practice Mindfulness And Deep Breathing
By practicing relaxation techniques, and connecting to your breath, you can help manage your anxiety levels in any given situation.
Using a meditation app can help guide you through breathing exercises if you are a beginner in meditation and mindfulness. Patience is needed for mindfulness, but the results are long-term, and extremely powerful even if you practice irregularly.
Stay Away From Coffee, Cigarettes & Alcohol
All of these are labeled as ‘stimulants’. They work together to increase your anxiety levels and alertness. In the long run, this can not only be addictive but harmful to your body and improve your anxiety levels massively over time.
Reducing, or even removing these stimulants from your life, can help you to balance your anxiety levels.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
A good night’s sleep has a direct impact on your anxiety levels. One of the long-term effects of a lack of sleep is an increase in anxious thoughts.
There are many ways to ensure you get a good night’s sleep, but one of them is to take Beauty Sleep CBD Oil drops an hour before you go to sleep. The CBD oil in the drops interacts directly with your endocannabinoid system to help your body unwind, and give you a deeper night’s sleep to help you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for a brand new day.
When You Learn To Manage Your Anxiety, You Will See The World In A Different Light
Anxiety may seem like it can completely overtake over your life, and often anticipating anxious thoughts can increase your levels of anxiety. By understanding that you can manage your mind and thoughts, you can begin to relieve yourself from anxiety and see the world in a different light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Anxiety Appear As A Physical Symptom?
Yes, anxiety can appear as both behavioural and physical symptoms, such as in the form of headaches, stomach pain, chest pain, and sweating. By learning how to manage your anxious thoughts, you can reduce these physical symptoms.
Where Do You Usually Feel Anxiety On Your Body?
Anxiety can appear on your body from the top of your head, right down to your toes. The most common places to feel anxiety are your neck, stomach, and chest. Anxiety appears in different ways in each person, so noticing how it appears in your body is key to preventing anxiety from spreading throughout your body.
How Do You Manage Your Anxious Thoughts?
You can manage your anxious thoughts by meditating, taking CBD oil drops, going outside once a day, staying away from stimulants, and getting a good night’s sleep.
