A handy list of anxiety symptoms you or loved ones might be experiencing. Know that as awful as they feel, they are shared human experiences and you wil get through them.

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Derealization/depersonalization: Very common but not widely discussed. It’s the great ‘space out,’ like past and future have ceased to exist and you are looking at life through a tv screen. It’s frightening and can last a while...and it is nearly impossible to describe to others.

Habit Cough/Throat Clearing: These can be tics but are often conscious acts...anxious people use them when they feel short of breath as a sort of check-in on their respiratory system. It often aggravates anxiety and can become an obstacle to daily life. Many seclude themselves.

Shortness of Breath: Key symptom that leads to many others. It’s a simple anxiety response that escalates with short, rapid breaths. It feels like you are breathing through a straw or have cotton balls in your throat. Chest pressure as well...but more so a tightening.

Dizziness/Headache: The headaches are often a general pressure applied across the forehead and temples...a crushing sensation. Both are exacerbated by shallow breathing, and the dizziness leads to thoughts of more serious afflictions and panic.

Indigestion/Bowel Movements: This will be a familiar one for many, and can be the body’s innate response to that activation of fight or flight. Many are hit with diarrhea because of the expedited nature, and dehydration leads to a cycle of issues.

Compulsive Behaviors: OCD is of course a whole subset and another thread, but many begin using repetitive or ritualistic acts to try and reassert control. This attempted mastery of anxiety can lead to OCD and a further complication of stimulus.

Mood Swings: It can be deeply frustrating to deal with these symptoms, and fits of bad temper or a seeming apathy can often be misunderstood by others. Anxiety places a tremendous strain on relationships and communication is difficult for these often intangible issues.

Panic Attacks: The culmination. This feels in essence like you are dying. Several of the above activate. Heart pounding, difficulty breathing, and a complete detachment. It is almost impossible to distinguish between anxiety and other ‘real’ afflictions when you’re in it. Can

last minutes or far longer. Almost always followed by severe derealization/depersonalization, as well as a self sustaining fear that it will return. They are awful, dehumanizing events, but are also harmless. Many deal with multiple attacks a day and full blown Panic Disorder.

Depressive Feelings: Anxiety can often to lead to depression, because it creates a natural sense of foreboding. Waking up with that pit of the stomach feeling of dread, fear of returning to sites of attacks, and a general sense of helplessness can quickly escalate to depression.

Anxiety can be a naturally isolating condition. It seems to encourage the feeling that ‘no one feels as bad as I do right now.’ This very natural human response can become a disorder, but it IS natural, and sharing experiences with others is a very effective response.

The key here:
-You are not alone
-It will pass, but there is no clear roadmap or timeline. Everyone is different.
-You will be stronger when you arrive

*There are undoubtedly more symptoms...Feel free to share if you have dealt with something else and add to the dialogue!