3 Commonly Overlooked Signs of Chronic Anxiety
According to a recent study undertaken by WHO – the World Health Organisation – an estimated 4.05% of the global population suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder.
While this might not seem like a lot, that translates to just over 324 million people, many of whom are conducting their battles without even knowing what they’re suffering from. Anxiety can take on many forms, of course.
For some, it might manifest as persistent worry or overthinking. For others, it might be more of a physical reaction, like a racing heart, nausea, or even full-blown panic attacks. The wide range of experiences often makes anxiety disorders difficult to recognise – both by those suffering and those around them – and it doesn’t help that, in many cases, anxiety turns out to be chronic.
Around the world, potentially millions of people are suffering from a chronic form of anxiety that they have come to see as a normal part of life. This, then, makes it even harder for them to seek help, as the symptoms are even more likely to be misunderstood.
What is Chronic Anxiety?
There’s a good reason for this. The nature of chronic anxiety means it’s not always loud or pinpointable – it can be quiet, constant, and untraceable. Chronic anxiety is a long-term mental health condition where feelings of fear, worry, or unease persist over an extended period of time, often without any clear or immediate threat.
Unlike short-term anxiety that might come and go in response to stress, chronic anxiety can linger for months or even years, gradually wearing a person down until they begin to believe this state of tension is simply a part of who they are. If this sounds relatable, however, it’s important to know that these feelings aren’t your fault, and crucially, they don’t have to be permanent.
Is Chronic Anxiety Curable?
As is the case for every other, more recognisable anxiety symptom, there are ways to deal with chronic anxiety and ease the suffering it’s causing you. Whether it’s curable depends on how you define a cure, but it’s certainly treatable, and with the right methods, you can significantly reduce or even fully manage the control anxiety has over your life.
In terms of the treatments themselves, they can take many forms. CBT, for instance, is considered a gold standard, helping people identify anxious thought patterns and learn healthier ways to respond to them. CBD, too, has been said to offer relief for some individuals. Some research suggests, for instance, that CBD flower may indirectly affect serotonin receptors in the brain, similar to how certain antidepressants work, but it’s important to approach it with care and ask for guidance from your GP before using.
Apart from that, there’s also medication available, support networks, and a simple change in lifestyle and mindfulness can have a significant impact on how chronic anxiety affects your day-to-day life. Before trying any of these, though, you need to know exactly what you’re fighting.
3 Commonly Overlooked Signs of Chronic Anxiety
This brings us to perhaps the most important part of this discussion: how exactly can you know if you’re dealing with chronic anxiety? One of the reasons why so many people live their lives without recognising their condition is because, as we mentioned before, the signs can be subtle, easily mistaken for everyday stress, or even attributed to personality traits.
Chronic anxiety often creeps in slowly and becomes part of your daily routine, making it hard to notice or admit to, but if you know what you’re looking for, the process of diagnosis can be simplified. Some of the most common signs of chronic anxiety include excessive worrying, restlessness, panic attacks, and a rapid heartbeat. But due to its nature, there are some signs that are frequently overlooked.
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Muscle Tension
As we mentioned previously, anxiety can often cause a physical reaction in the body, with chronic anxiety, specifically, causing tightness or stiffness in areas like the neck, shoulder, or jaw. These are symptoms that don’t ease with rest, and can quickly lead to ongoing discomfort or even chronic pain, making your daily activities a little more challenging. Over time, too, this constant state of physical stress can contribute to headaches, reduced mobility, and increased fatigue, which, incidentally, brings us to our next point.
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Increased Fatigue
The reason this sign is so commonly overlooked is because it’s so easy for adults, specifically thirty to forty-year-olds, to feel tired. It happens a lot! As a result of this, fatigue is often dismissed as just part of a busy lifestyle or sudden, unexplained bouts of insomnia, but when it comes to chronic anxiety, this isn’t simply about being physically tired – it’s a deeper, more persistent exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest.
This happens because your mind is in a near-constant state of alert or stress, which consequently drains your energy and leaves you feeling worn out. To spot this, you need to think about your daily routine and pay attention to how your tiredness is affecting your daily life. Are simple tasks becoming overwhelming? Are you still tired even after a good night’s sleep? Recognising these symptoms will be crucial to understanding your fatigue, and once something like that is understood, it can potentially be pinpointed to chronic anxiety, which will then allow you to start your recovery journey.
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Mood Swings
The last sign we wanted to touch upon is your mood. A lot of the time, chronic anxiety doesn’t just present itself as a feeling of worry or unease – on the contrary, it can cause multiple shifts in your mood, many of which are difficult to even pinpoint. Whether it’s irritability, frustration, or emotional sensitivity, these mood swings happen frequently and can easily lead you to feel overwhelmed or confused about your own reactions. The problem is that, oftentimes, they’re overlooked or mistaken for other issues, such as stress or depression. While that could be the case, however, it’s important to understand that these are symptoms of chronic anxiety, and recognising them could be the key to recognising your emotional health and finding effective ways to manage it.