How Do You Know When It's Anxiety?

[mds319]

Every symptom I have is on the "anxiety symptom list" but they also individually fall under different lists as well. Do you basically get every medical test performed to rule everything out or is there a shortcut to chalking something up to anxiety?

[alfred24]

The main thing is feeling afraid. Fear is what anxiety is. The symptoms are caused by it. Not the other way around. It starts with fear then symptoms then more fear and if you don't stop the fear it gets more intense. If it happens so much, like a day to day basis then that is anxiety. Everyone gets anxiety when they are very afraid or nervous. But not everyone gets it everyday over things that wouldn't normally make someone afraid. That's when you have a problem

[Stephj526]

This is something I struggle with all the time. You can't always assume every illness or pain is anxiety, but it's important to know your body and your anxiety symptoms. If you regularly get numbness, then you're probably ok if you get that sensation. If you develop a symptom you've never had before and can't think of a logical reason, then it's safe to consider asking a doctor for reassurance. But the longer you have anxiety, the easier it becomes to recognize the symptoms.

[tailspin]

If you've never had any blood work done then I personally always think it's a good idea to get that checked out. Just to rule out an obvious physical cause such as a thyroid imbalance. At the same time you could ask your doctor for a physical so he/she can listen to your heart etc.

[itsloulou]

The main thing is feeling afraid. Fear is what anxiety is. The symptoms are caused by it. Not the other way around. It starts with fear then symptoms then more fear and if you don't stop the fear it gets more intense. If it happens so much, like a day to day basis then that is anxiety. Everyone gets anxiety when they are very afraid or nervous. But not everyone gets it everyday over things that wouldn't normally make someone afraid. That's when you have a problem

Well with me its the other way around.. I have physical complaints. I start to worry. I get anxious. First my anxiety was like you said. But now I'm constantly dealing witg physical complaints..

Doctor says that i have built that much stress and emotions up that my body is throwing it out, physically. But for me its already taking to long... If thats the case. Also she told me that my body is constanly, 24/7, getting me ready for the fight or flight..

I dont trust it anymore. Im seeing my doctor again friday. I wanna discuss sone things with here. Like the possibilitie to doo bloodtests. Maybe some others... I live in the Netherlands, and they dont have preventing.blood tests. You ll only have one if the doc think its nesecary. I hope she feels like it is import for my healing proces to know it isnt a weird illness or something.

[Cobra]

It's a good question, and you should have it checked out, but after you do, you have to accept that it is just anxiety. Not always an easy thing to do, but you must keep trying.

[alfred24]

Well with me its the other way around.. I have physical complaints. I start to worry. I get anxious. First my anxiety was like you said. But now I'm constantly dealing witg physical complaints..

Doctor says that i have built that much stress and emotions up that my body is throwing it out, physically. But for me its already taking to long... If thats the case. Also she told me that my body is constanly, 24/7, getting me ready for the fight or flight..

I dont trust it anymore. Im seeing my doctor again friday. I wanna discuss sone things with here. Like the possibilitie to doo bloodtests. Maybe some others... I live in the Netherlands, and they dont have preventing.blood tests. You ll only have one if the doc think its nesecary. I hope she feels like it is import for my healing proces to know it isnt a weird illness or something.

Well yes that is how it starts. The overwhelming fear. The intensity of the stress response sensitizes your body. You feel many symptoms that then provoke the fear because you have instilled it in yourself from the beginning. It is a fear of fear consciously or sub consciously.

[raggamuffin]

When you wake up every morning after a night convinced you'll die.

When the pains chop and change location and intesntiy within minutes or hours or even days

When you keep very busy and distracted and the pains lessen or disappear

When one pain replaces another and the previous pain or odd sensation is dulled or disappears

When you worry and fear the pain and make it worse

When Dr's do tests and they come back negative

I can guarantee most of us will have done all the above and still convince themselves it's some underlying health concern.

When you convince yourself your body is ill then you allow the fear and worry to continue. This feeds the anxiety and causes more body pains and sensations. When you 100% realize it is anxiety and remove the fear and allow pains to come and go as they please responding with nothing but apathy. You will start to recover and get better.

Ed

[mds319]

My symptoms have been evolving and stacking up for the past couple of months. I finally got my MRI results back (all clear) and most of my symptoms are now gone... minus the lightheadedness. I have a hard time believing that worrying about health issues manifested enough to actually physically make me sick.... enough so where I lost 8 lbs just in about 10 days. I still feel anxious when I think about dealing with my wife's upcoming chemo treatments but nothing like before I got the "all clear".

I've been doing some soul searching and have discovered that my anxiety is caused by two components: 1) not having control of certain situations (eg. riding on a plane, health issues, etc) and 2) My kids having to deal with the loss of a parent (or both). I would feel a lot better if my kids were older and self sufficient. I realize that I do not have control over everything pertaining to my health but I can and have made some changes to reduce my chances of medical issues in the future (exercise and diet).

Anyway, people say that something positive always comes from a negative (although we may not see it until later down the road). This event has caused me to reevaluate my life, learn some tough lessons and make some positive changes..... emotionally, physically and spiritually. This is no way an end to my anxiety issues but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your input.

[student8913]

My symptoms have been evolving and stacking up for the past couple of months. I finally got my MRI results back (all clear) and most of my symptoms are now gone... minus the lightheadedness. I have a hard time believing that worrying about health issues manifested enough to actually physically make me sick.... enough so where I lost 8 lbs just in about 10 days. I still feel anxious when I think about dealing with my wife's upcoming chemo treatments but nothing like before I got the "all clear".

I've been doing some soul searching and have discovered that my anxiety is caused by two components: 1) not having control of certain situations (eg. riding on a plane, health issues, etc) and 2) My kids having to deal with the loss of a parent (or both). I would feel a lot better if my kids were older and self sufficient. I realize that I do not have control over everything pertaining to my health but I can and have made some changes to reduce my chances of medical issues in the future (exercise and diet).

Anyway, people say that something positive always comes from a negative (although we may not see it until later down the road). This event has caused me to reevaluate my life, learn some tough lessons and make some positive changes..... emotionally, physically and spiritually. This is no way an end to my anxiety issues but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your input.


When I lthink about my anxiety, which hasnt been diagnosed yet, I look back at how easily over the past few years I can cry at the drop of a pin. I am happy though. My main issue is WORRY. About 2 months ago was my first PHYSICAL symptoms of anxiety and its been building ever since. It goes away for a day comes back, sometimes so bad im convinced I have a muscles disease. When your anxiety was at its worse did you experience muscles sorness, numbness and tingling? Mine are in my should arm hands legs feet. It comes for a few days then goes away. the first month of all this i had sever chest pain. Have had all test done possible EXCEPT an MRI. They say I'm so young (24yr female) that its probably anxiety but havent given me anything to help the pain. I feel like I cant get rid of the pain til mentally I feel better. My counselor says it does work around the other way its just so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am a happy person and generally love life, my anxiety of loosing control slowly shifted into health anxiety once the physical symptoms began to appear. Has anything medicine, vitamins or ANYTHING helped you?

[mds319]

When I lthink about my anxiety, which hasnt been diagnosed yet, I look back at how easily over the past few years I can cry at the drop of a pin. I am happy though. My main issue is WORRY. About 2 months ago was my first PHYSICAL symptoms of anxiety and its been building ever since. It goes away for a day comes back, sometimes so bad im convinced I have a muscles disease. When your anxiety was at its worse did you experience muscles sorness, numbness and tingling? Mine are in my should arm hands legs feet. It comes for a few days then goes away. the first month of all this i had sever chest pain. Have had all test done possible EXCEPT an MRI. They say I'm so young (24yr female) that its probably anxiety but havent given me anything to help the pain. I feel like I cant get rid of the pain til mentally I feel better. My counselor says it does work around the other way its just so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am a happy person and generally love life, my anxiety of loosing control slowly shifted into health anxiety once the physical symptoms began to appear. Has anything medicine, vitamins or ANYTHING helped you?

Your story sounds identical to mine. In short, I quit a 20 year smokeless tobacco habit back on January 30, 2013 (I'm 36). Over the course of about 3 months, I gained about 25 lbs and started having shortness of breath, chest pains and tingling hands. I automatically thought I had cardio issues, went to the doctor, blood tests came back fine. I changed my diet and started exercising. Before I could lose a significant amount of weight, my 30 year old wife was diagnosed with a grade 3 malignant breast tumor. My world went down hill from there and I felt panic mode kick in. My symptoms began to get worse. I knew some were probably anxiety related but I wasn't sure about the rest. All of the worrying about my health issues were actually making my health worse.

Here's a list of all of my symptoms: lightheaded 24/7 (seemed to be originating from the back of my head), sore spots that traveled around my head (nothing visible, just felt like small bruises), tingling arms, hands, feet and legs, chest pain on the left side and center, unusal mid-day fatigue, ringing in my left ear only, arms and legs felt exhausted/sore (more severe on the left side... also the joints in both thumbs were sore), sore neck/back of head (still exists) and nausea with no appetite.

I had 3 "anxiety attacks" during all of this: felt faint, felt like I was running fever but I was sweating on my back and back of head, tingling arms and legs, nausea, chest pain and headaches.

I went back to the doctor, he ordered an MRI and I then instantly felt nauseated 24/7 for about 10 days (up until I actually did the MRI) plus all of the other symptoms. We even took a 4 day vactaion and I stayed in our room 80% of the time because of nausea. Once the MRI was completed, the tech said that everything appeared fine.... my anxiety symptoms began to subside almost instantly and were soon gone.

I went back for a follow up with my doctor, he chalked it up to anxiety and prescribed some meds for me to take daily. I have no idea what meds he prescribed because I do not feel like I need them at this point and have not picked them up from the pharmacy yet. I'm no doctor but I'd bet money that you have no health issues except anxiety. I had convinced myself that I had a death sentence due to a brain tumor or cancer. The only thing that put my mind at ease was the clean MRI. Google the odds of getting a brain tumor and/or cancer... the odds are largely in your favor! Hope this helps and good luck. Remember, as much as you think otherwise, you arent going nuts or losing your mind. This is all a temporary phase.