12 Things You Didn't Know Could Be Symptoms Of Anxiety…

Anxiety can affect us in so many different ways, and being able to spot the signs can help you to address it before it becomes overwhelming.

How many of these symptoms did you know about?

Difficulty Concentrating

Do you ever struggle to get your mind to settle on the task at hand? Or find it difficult to block out distractions? Challenges to your concentration are a common symptom of anxiety. It could be that you’re tackling constant intrusive thoughts – perhaps worries about whatever it is that may be troubling you – or maybe your mind feels clogged. When we’re struggling with anxiety, our bodies go into fight-or-flightmode, meaning that we’re on high alert. All that considered, it’s no wonder that our minds go into overdrive, too.

Shame Spirals

A family member you haven’t seen in a while leaves a comment on a photo you uploaded to Facebook, saying that they miss you. Do you: a) send them a message to find a date you can get together; or b) feel guilty that you haven’t seen them, declare yourself a selfish and thoughtless person, dwell on this all day, and replay the interaction over and over in your mind late into the night? Sound familiar? It’s called a shame spiral, and it can be a sign of underlying anxieties.

Chills

Chills are an incredibly common, yet rarely spoken about, symptom of anxiety. When our body goes into fight-or-flight mode, this brings about a rapid change in our body temperature, which can result in us feeling ‘chills’. Chills can also be accompanied by an increase in our sweat response – a cold sweat – which all comes from the adrenaline that’s flowing through our bodies as our anxiety levels rise.

Heart Palpitations