We find it helps people to know that the scary sensations they are experiencing CAN be symptoms of anxiety but please keep in mind this is a list of ‘possible’ symptoms. It doesn’t mean you will experience ALL these symptoms. Nor does it mean that if you feel one of these symptoms it is definitely caused by anxiety. Get your symptoms checked by your doctor to confirm they are related to anxiety.
HEAD
Tight – sore scalp – sore to touch
Tight band around the head
Feeling of pressure in your head
Dizziness
Light headedness – giddiness – fuzzy
Headaches
Pain anywhere in the head or face – sometimes just on one side
Face twitches / shooting pains / numbness
Tense, sore jaw
Tight clenching the jaw
Grinding the teeth
Blood drains from face – looking white as a ghost
HEARING
Intermittent reduction in hearing
Feels as if ear is blocked up
Pain in the ear
Ringing in the ears, noises, popping sounds
EYES
Blurred, distorted vision
Things look distorted
Seeing spots, ‘stars’, flashes
Eye strain – sensitivity to light
Dry, watery, itchy, bloodshot
When you shut your eyes you feel dizzy and nauseous
MOUTH / THROAT
Dry mouth, throat
Ulcers (if you are ‘run down’)
Tongue, lips or jaw twitching – feels swollen
Difficulty swallowing
Feeling of lump in throat, something stuck
Feeling of choking, tightness in throat
A ‘metallic’ or unusual taste
TORSO
Neck and shoulders tight or sore
Heavy feeling on shoulders
Chest pains / discomfort – can move from one side to the other
Constant worry about the heart
Heart-burn – trapped wind – constanly burping
Feeling need to rub the chest
Shooting pains in chest
Feeling of compression in the chest – smothered
Shortness of breath
Feeling you can’t get enough air
Feeling you need to take deep breaths
Frequent yawning in an effort to get a deep breath
Pain in back which you think might be connected to your heart
Heart beating hard or too fast, palpitations
Heart – Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough
STOMACH
Indigestion,
Upset stomach, nausea, cramps, abdominal stress
Constipation, diarrhoea
Trapped wind, bloating, belching, breaking wind
Stomach very noisy (gurgling) – fear that others will hear it
Vomiting (sometimes just bringing up liquid)
Loss of appetite – can’t face food
Constant craving for sugar or sweets
Needing to go to the toilet
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Irritable bladder Urgency to urinate, frequent urination (sometimes immediately after you go you need to go again)
LIMBS
Weakness in legs, arms or muscles
Numbness, tingling, itching
Blood drains from face, hands
SKIN
Feelings of crawling, itching, tingling, burning, pulsating
Pins and needles
Blood drains from the skin – skin becomes very pale
Skin problems, itchiness, rashes, acne
Incresed sensitivity
Feeling ice cold (shiver down the spine)
Sweating
Feeling weepy / tearful
Feeling overly emotional – crying for the slightest of reasons
Feeling emotional numbness
Depression, hopelessness, sadness
OVERALL
Chronic fatigue / Lethargy
No energy – constantly tired
Feeling of weakness in legs, arms, muscles
Throbbing or pain in leg muscles after standing
Excess energy – feeling of restlessness – can’t relax – hyperactive
Hot or cold flushes
Numbness or tingling anywhere in the body – which can move around
Muscle ‘twitching’ or ‘jerking’
Feeling like electric shock through the body
‘Symptom shifting’ – feeling symptoms in different parts of the body on different days
Irritable, agitated, easily startled
Uncontrollable sweating
The ground feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
Trembling or shaking
SLEEP
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
When you lay your head down on the pillow you feel disorientated
When you close your eyes your head feels ‘swimmy’
Images or ‘chattering’ in your head
Feeling like you are falling through space
Can’t lie in one position – tossing and turning
Body jerks as it starts to relax in bed
Hearing sounds in your head (pops or bangs) that jolt you awake
Disturbing, non-sensical dreams / nightmares
Night time makes all anxiety symptoms exaggerated
Frightening sensations / feelings that feel even more terrifying at night
Waking up and going into panic
Waking up and feeling numbness in arms or legs
Feel as if the restless sleep makes you more tired the next day
Lying awake worrying all night
Not wanting to go to bed in case you have panic
Worrying during the day that lack of sleep will harm you
MOOD
Irritable, moody, angry, snappy, impatient
Mood swings
Even when you feel ‘happy’ – you feel anxiety about that
Constantly on edge – on high alert for symptoms
Everything is scary, frightening
Feeling weepy / tearful
Feeling overly emotional – crying for the slightest of reasons
Feeling emotional numbness
Depression, hopelessness, sadness
MIND
Derealisation (feeling that everything outside you is unreal)
Depersonalisation (feeling that you are unreal compared to everything outside of you)
Feeling that everything is ‘wrong’ / distorted / not as it was before
Life feels like a dream – you never feel ‘just ok’
Constant mind ‘chatter’ make you feel you are going insane – or that you have a brain tumor
Repetitive, obsessional thinking
You can’t seem to stop thoughts
Feels like your mind has a ‘mind of it’s own’
Abstract thoughts about everyday things, people,objects
Constant focus on the mind and thoughts
Trying to figure everything out
Constant self analysis
Feeling overwhelmed by thoughts
Difficulty concentrating
WORRY / OBSESSIONAL THINKING / FEARS
That you are going insane, crazy, losing your mind
Fear of impending doom / catastrophe
That you have a serious life threatening illness
That you might have a heart attack or stroke
Choking or suffocating
That you are about to die
Going blind
Passing out / Fainting
Making a fool of yourself / humiliating yourself in public
Being on your own in case you need help
A fear of being trapped somewhere where you can’t get help
That you will never get better
That you will feel anxious for ever
What other people must be thinking about you
That you might cause harm to yourself or others
That your anxiety will cause you stress which will cause you harm
That the doctors missed something
That you are to blame for the way you feel
That you are emotionally weak compared to others
Fear of panicking in public
Needing to be near exits or toilets
Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
Heightened self awareness /self-consciousness
Strange feeling that your body (limbs) is extremely ‘thick’ like an Elephant’s legs.
(This is due to extreme sensitisation which makes the mind distort our sense of the body)