How to Recognize the Symptoms of Anxiety (before they overwhelm you)

Listening to Your Mind & Body with Compassion

Although anxiety is the most common mental health concern, it is often challenging to notice! Although normal, it’s so important to catch these symptoms early so that we have a chance to respond in a way that is most effective. You don’t have to wait until things feel unmanageable to get yourself the care and support you need! Read on to look closer at some common symptoms that you may be overlooking and what to do about it.

So What Is Anxiety? 

Simply put, anxiety is the body's response to perceived stress, danger, or uncertainty. Although every human experiences anxiety at points, it becomes a concern when the symptoms become persistent and interfere with our daily functioning. Because it can be so challenging to identify when it transforms from normal to persistent, it's helpful to be aware of the ways it can manifest physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Common Signs & Symptoms of Anxiety

You don’t have to have all of these symptoms at once to be experiencing anxiety. Even a few recurring signs are worth paying attention to!

PHYSICAL

Note: If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s always a good idea to meet with your medical doctor and rule out underlying medical causes. Just know that anxiety can show up physically in very real ways!

Cardiovascular & Breathing

• Rapid heartbeat, palpitations, or chest tightness

• Feeling like you can’t take a full breath

• Dizziness or lightheadedness
  

Digestive System

• Nausea or “butterflies” in the stomach

• Increated bloating, gas, irritable bowel symptoms

• Changes in appetite
  

Muscle & Nerves

• Headaches or migraines

• Muscle tension, most often in the neck, shoulders, or jaw

• Shaking or trembling

• Restlessness, inability to sit still

• Clenching jaw or grinding teeth, especially at night
  

Other Physical Symptoms

• Dry mouth

• Sweating even when you don’t feel hot

• Fatigue or exhaustion

• Trouble falling or staying asleep

  
  

Anxiety doesn’t just show up in the body, even though that’s often what we notice first. It can also affect the way we think, feel, and act. Here are some more commonly overlooked signs to be on the lookout for!

COGNITIVE

These are ways anxiety can shape your thoughts and mental processing.

Thought Patterns: 

• Racing thoughts that feel hard to slow down

• Replaying conversations, mistakes, or events over and over

• Persistent worry, even about small or unlikely things

• Imagining worst-case scenarios

• Excessive self-criticism
  

Focus & Memory: 

• Feeling mentally fatigued or “foggy”

• Difficulty concentrating or focusing

• Noticing your mind going blank, especially under pressure

• Forgetfulness or trouble recalling information
  

Perception & Awareness: 

• Hyperawareness of bodily sensations/constantly scanning for danger

• Feeling easily distracted or scattered

• Feeling detached or unreal 

EMOTIONAL & BEHAVIORAL

These anxiety symptoms show up in how you feel emotionally and how you respond to others or situations.

Emotional Signs

• Mood swings or sudden tearfulness

• Irritability or feeling easily frustrated

• Feeling restless or “on edge”

• Heightened sensitivity to criticism or rejection

• Overwhelming feelings of dread or impending doom

• Feeling emotional exhausted or drained
  

Behavioral Signs

• Avoidance of social events, tasks, or places

• Procrastination 

• Seeking frequent reassurance from others

• Increased compulsive behaviors

• Difficulty starting or completing tasks (often known as anxiety paralysis)

• Withdrawing from social interactions or isolating

Why Are Anxiety Symptoms So Easy to Overlook?

If even reading through these lists feels overwhelming as you realize you have experienced some of these symptoms for a long time, you’re not alone. Anxiety symptoms are easy to miss, especially when life gets busy! Here are a few of the most common reasons we tend to overlook our anxiety symptoms, even when they’re begging for our attention.

The Symptoms Feel Familiar

When we’ve been experiencing something for a long time, it really starts to blend in. Muscle tension, racing thoughts, irritability starts to feel like “just the way I am” rather than signs of anxiety. We adjust, cope, and just keep going!

We Chalk it up to Stress or Personality

It’s easy to think things like “I’ve always been anxious about situations like this” or “I’m just a worrier”. Parts of these thoughts feel true and then anxiety can start to feel like part of our personality, or we find ways to explain it away as ordinary stress. While every stress is normal and something we all experience, chronic patterns of anxiety symptoms deserve attention.

Our Culture Rewards Pushing Through

We live in a world that values busyness, productivity, and staying “on top of things”. We’re often taught to ignore signs of discomfort and keep moving. Resting or pausing to check in with ourselves can feel unnatural and can be viewed by others as a sign of weakness. These are actually things that can help soothe our anxiety, though!

Anxiety Doesn’t Always Look Dramatic

Many people still picture anxiety as obvious panic attacks of visible distress. But as we’ve learned, anxiety often shows up in quieter ways: avoidance, trouble sleeping, or an unsettled feeling we can’t quite name. Because it doesn’t always match the “classic image” of anxiety, it’s easy to miss.

We Get Used to Coping in Silence

When we are experiencing exhaustion and overwhelmed, we sometimes just don’t have the energy to talk about it. Sometimes, it feels safer to keep our mental health symptoms quiet or we have a fear of being misunderstood. When we don’t have open and honest conversations, it’s easy to assume that what we are experiencing is felt by everyone and we don’t realize there’s support available to us. 

How to Tune in with Anxiety Early

Pause and Check In

Take time to regularly check in with yourself. Doing a bit of a “scan” to notice anything that is appending in your mind or body is a helpful way to care for yourself and recognize any changes before they become unmanageable.

Notice Patterns

Simply identifying patterns of when symptoms are heightened can be helpful. Are they most often before social events? At night when trying to settle and fall asleep? In the morning as the tasks of the day hit? 

Track Your Feelings

Journaling is a great way to gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, especially those that are recurring. There are also a lot of mood tracking apps that can help reveal signs of anxiety.

Listen to Your Body

Look back the list of common physical symptoms. These are often early messengers of anxiety because we tend to notice changes there first. When you notice more frequent physical symptoms, look back on the patterns and determine next steps.  

What to Do if You Recognize Anxiety Symptoms

Grounding & Mindfulness

Bringing your mind back to the present moment is one of the most helpful strategies for managing anxiety. This can look like deep breathing exercises, meditation, visualization, and many more! There are apps and YouTube videos that can help you get started on finding exercises that feel best for you.

A commonly used grounding technique is to take a minute to check in with your senses. In the present moment, what can you smell, see, taste, hear, and feel? Try it! 

Talk to Someone

Reach out to someone that you trust like a friend, coworker, family member, or support group. It can help to verbally process what you’re noticing and receive support and validation. 

Self-Care

This doesn’t have to be a spa day (although that is lovely, too!) Simply making sure your body is getting rest, nourishment, and movement on a regular basis can go a long way to caring for yourself.

Professional Support

If you notice that your symptoms are more frequent and are interfering with your daily life, it’s probably time to reach out and get professional support to better understand your anxiety and ways it can be managed. 

It can feel overwhelming to see yourself or a loved one in a list of symptoms. Although this is a helpful guide to increase your awareness, it shouldn’t be done in isolation. Take some next steps in finding more care and support. It can start small! As you go about your week, reflect on this question: 

“What is one small way I can check in with myself this week?”