What Are Symptoms of Anxiety and What To Do If You Have Anxiety or a Panic Attack

Anxiety

• Edginess or restlessness
• Tiring easily; more fatigued than usual
• Impaired concentration or feeling as though the mind goes blank
• Irritability (which may or may not be observable to others)
• Increased muscle aches or soreness
• Difficulty sleeping (due to trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, restlessness at night, or unsatisfying sleep)

Panic Attack

• Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
• A feeling of choking
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
• Feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Fear of dying
• Numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesias)
• Chills or hot flushes

The presence of fewer than four of the above symptoms may be considered a limited-symptom panic attack.

Here is a quick toolkit:

1.  Know that you are not alone. Millions of people have anxiety and self medicate with alcohol, shopping, and other behaviors that can become addictive. Running from anxiety doesn’t work over time.
2. Take slow deep breaths or if you are having a panic attack and you are at home, breathe into a paper bag. The exchange of C02 helps reduce anxious symptoms.
3. Stay present! Meaning don’t let your thoughts go to the past or the future…anxiety doesn’t exist in the present moment. Anxiety occurs when you relive beliefs about the past or anticipate beliefs occurring in the future
4. Movement … take a walk or exercise of some type. Brisk walking in nature is calming and allows you to empty your mind and allows you to feel your body and get out of your head.
5. Make an appointment to talk to a therapist. Talking helps remove the anxiety from your body. Recent research shows that when you identify the thoughts that create anxiety, you can alter or change the thoughts and thus reduce anxious symptoms.

I offer a FREE 15-minute phone consultation for you to find out if counseling or coaching is something that will help you. If you decide you’d like to set up an appointment I offer individual and relationship counseling and coaching in office, by SKYPE phone for your convenient.

  
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