Signs and Symptoms
Everyday Anxiety & Anxiety Disorders
Everyday Anxiety
Everyone experiences anxiety. Sometimes it is uncomfortable, and other times – it can help motivate us to work hard and tackle our goals. Everyday anxiety might include stressing about traffic, pre-game jitters or managing your finances. It is important to know where your line is drawn between everyday anxiety, and anxiety that is having a significant impact on your functioning.
You may experience some of the following signs and symptoms:
- Physical: Feeling irritable or on edge, experiencing shortness of breath, tense muscles
- Psychological: Feeling worried or fearful, having racing thoughts
- Behavioural: Avoiding situations that make you feel anxious, this may impact work, social life, sport engagement etc.
Anxiety Disorders
An anxiety disorder is diagnosed by a medical or mental health professional, and is usually characterised by a significant impairment in social, occupation, or other important areas of functioning. Anxiety disorders are characterised by the following criteria:
- Pervasive and consistent worry that is maintained over time
- Persistent worry about several events or activities e.g. across. work, performance, relationships
- Finding it difficult to control this worry
- Restlessness, being on edge, irritable
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating or mind blanking
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbance: struggling to fall asleep and/or struggling to stay asleep