Psychiatric disorders are the conditions which fully affects the human’s body. It is characterized by anxiety, pain, and discomfort. The most frequent mental disorders are depression and anxiety which can be caused by genetic or environmental factors.
A lot of people developed misconception regarding the term anxiety. They confuse the term ‘anxiety’ with occasional fear. Although having an anxiety concerned with certain situations is fine but if a person avoids social gatherings, do not go to work, stay alone all day long, avoid having a conversation with people he might be suffering from a severe anxiety disorder. This condition needs to be treated to live a healthy and normal life.
There are several types of anxiety disorders like:
- Generalized anxiety disorder.
- Social anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder.
- Medication induced anxiety.
In today’s world, Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders. Almost 1 in every 5 people suffer from this mental illness. It is very normal to feel stressed and anxious in critical times but if the feeling of anxiousness persists for longer periods of time, then you might be having an anxiety disorder. A lot of people feel depressed and anxious because of quarter life crisis.
Spread of anxiety disorder
According to the American Psychiatric Association, women are more likely to suffer from an anxiety disorder than men. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) say that almost 300 million people have an anxiety disorder.
The prevalence of the disease itself has significantly increased over the years and a lot of factors tend to contribute to its rising percentage like low socio-economic status, poor eating habits, unhealthy lifestyle, less physical activity, excess usage of social media.
The need for awareness regarding anxiety disorder has also increased with a greater number of cases. The first step for an individual suffering from anxiety is acknowledgement. Acknowledging your mental illness helps you to find ways and methods to deal with it. It helps the individual to identify their triggers and find ways to tackle them in the times of need.
In addition to all of it, following are some mental and physical signs and symptoms which can help you to understand your condition in a better way so that you can take appropriate steps for its improvement.
1. HEART PALPITATIONS:
Heart palpitations are usually the most common symptom of an anxiety disorder. Whenever our bodies sense some sort of worry, our flight and fight system i.e sympathetic system is activated which results in an increase in catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) in the body and an increase in heartrate.
2. SHORTNESS OF BREATH:
Stress triggers flight and fight system, resulting in tightening of your breathing muscles which cause hyperventilation and difficulty in breathing.
3. FEELING FATIGUED, RESTLESS AND TIRED:
Due to the activation of sympathetic system on constant basis, the release of hormones keep the body in a state of alert zone which results in the patient feeling drained, exhausted and tired all the time.
4. WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Anxiety weakens your immunity due to the constant release of catecholamines, your body stop functioning normally and you easily catch infections and fall sick on a frequent basis.
5. DIAPHORESIS:
Sympathetic system activates your sweat glands in an unusual manner resulting in an excessive sweat and the person might have sweaty palms and body.
Other less common physical symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:
6. Muscle aches/ body pain.
7. Insomnia or disturbed sleep cycle.
8. Suffering from gastro-intestinal issues.
9. Headache
Mental Symptoms
The mental symptoms of an anxiety disorder include the following:
1.EXCESSIVE STRESS:
You might be suffering from anxiety if you tend to worry about very small matters like appearing in a test, giving a presentation. The excessive hormones keep the body in a fight and flight kind of a zone which results in an individual feeling anxious and worried most of the times.
2. FEELING IRRITATED:
A person with anxiety easily feels irritated and agitated due to their body’s hormones fluctuations.
3. FEELING FATIGUED, RESTLESS AND TIRED:
Just like physical restlessness, a person with anxiety feels mentally drained. The constant overthinking always gets the best of them due to which they feel sluggish most of the times of their dayand it is because of the activation of sympathetic system on constant basis, the release of hormones keeps the body in a state of alert zone which results in the patient feeling drained, exhausted and tired all the time.
4. PROBLEMS IN CONCENTRATION:
Anxiety makes it very difficult for person to concentrate on daily tasks because it drains your energy and makes you feel irritated.
5. DISTURBED SLEEP CYCLE:
Constant worry takes the peace away from a person’s life and makes it very hard for him to even sleep peacefully. People with anxiety have to go through a lot when it comes to sleeping issues. They overthink and overthinking is the root cause of restlessness. The disturbed sleep cycle makes it hard for them to perform.
Other common symptoms of anxiety disorder:
6. Different kind of fears like fear of closed spaces, heights, insects.
7. Being extra self-conscious.
8. Avoiding social situations/ people.
Although living with any kind of mentally illness is pretty hard but with the use of treatments and proper medications, an individual can lead a normal life. Apart from medications, exercise and yoga is very good for mental health because it releases endorphins (the happy hormones) in the body which elevates your mood. Healthy diet and life also play a very major role in anxiety.
Also, from some scientific studies, it has been proven that spending time with a pet is very beneficial for your mental health. Pets are very loving and compassionate so spending time with a pet can bring a very positive impact on your overall health. So if you want to go for different options you can look for Emotional Support Animal Letter online on internet as well.
Punit 
Krishan Jangir