HOW TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NORMAL FEELINGS OF ANXIETY AND A TRUE ANXIETY DISORDER
Knowing the difference between normal anxious feelings/nervousness and anxiety disorder is important. Here are three of the key difference between the two.
Feeling anxious from time to time is normal, as we go through our daily lives, it is normal to feel nervousness as we experience the demands and stress of student life, work and family struggles, major life changes, etc. But how do you draw the line between a regular feeling of anxiety and a condition like generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder? And why is it important to know the difference between the two?
In a nutshell - anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. An anxiety disorder, however, involves an immense and excessive amount of anxiety that it starts to impair your daily living along with other physical symptoms.
DURATION
Normal anxiety is short-lived, while an anxiety disorder is ongoing and the feelings can last for weeks, months or even years. Normal anxiety isn’t constant and goes away quickly as soon as stressors are gone, but with anxiety disorder, it is quite difficult to have relief and it becomes chronic and pervasive.
SYMPTOMS
Excessive anxiety and worry aren’t the only symptoms that accompany an anxiety disorder. There are other physical symptoms, too: dizziness, light-headedness, sweating, trembling, heart-pounding, headaches and nausea. You feel like you can’t breathe, can’t talk or have to go to the bathroom frequently. People with anxiety also report feeling detachment or disconnected from reality. They feel like they can’t think straight and have difficulty concentrating. Other psychological symptoms are also present. Individuals experience racing or negative thoughts, are unable to concentrate and have worries about day-to-day things (Source: ulifeline.org)
INTERFERENCE WITH LIFE
Having an anxiety disorder affects your daily living. People with an anxiety disorder may be unable to do things that they are able to do before. You might stop going to the gym because you feel exhausted and anxious about having a panic attack, or you might stop going to work because you are anxious about deadlines and you are unable to perform certain tasks. Anxiety disorder impairs your productivity and it becomes debilitating and unhealthy anymore.
Feeling anxious from time to time is normal, as we go through our daily lives, it is normal to feel nervousness as we experience the demands and stress of student life, work and family struggles, major life changes, etc. But how do you draw the line between a regular feeling of anxiety and a condition like generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder? And why is it important to know the difference between the two?
In a nutshell - anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. An anxiety disorder, however, involves an immense and excessive amount of anxiety that it starts to impair your daily living along with other physical symptoms.
DURATION
Normal anxiety is short-lived, while an anxiety disorder is ongoing and the feelings can last for weeks, months or even years. Normal anxiety isn’t constant and goes away quickly as soon as stressors are gone, but with anxiety disorder, it is quite difficult to have relief and it becomes chronic and pervasive.
SYMPTOMS
Excessive anxiety and worry aren’t the only symptoms that accompany an anxiety disorder. There are other physical symptoms, too: dizziness, light-headedness, sweating, trembling, heart-pounding, headaches and nausea. You feel like you can’t breathe, can’t talk or have to go to the bathroom frequently. People with anxiety also report feeling detachment or disconnected from reality. They feel like they can’t think straight and have difficulty concentrating. Other psychological symptoms are also present. Individuals experience racing or negative thoughts, are unable to concentrate and have worries about day-to-day things (Source: ulifeline.org)
INTERFERENCE WITH LIFE
Having an anxiety disorder affects your daily living. People with an anxiety disorder may be unable to do things that they are able to do before. You might stop going to the gym because you feel exhausted and anxious about having a panic attack, or you might stop going to work because you are anxious about deadlines and you are unable to perform certain tasks. Anxiety disorder impairs your productivity and it becomes debilitating and unhealthy anymore.
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