Interesting Psychology Team
When you think of anxiety, usually only the obvious symptoms like sweating, shaking, and worrying come to mind. And while these are very real, common effects of anxiety that many people deal with daily, there are less common symptoms that you may not be aware of.
Thatβs why itβs important to listen to your body. Paying attention to how you feel, what you do, and how you interact with others is a good indicator of your mental health. If youβve been feeling a bit off lately and just canβt seem to put your finger on what it is, anxiety could be the cause. So, here are twelve signs of anxiety that often go unnoticed:
1 – Jaw pain
If you tend to wake up to jaw pain or a toothache with no real cause insight, it could be anxiety. Anxiety can cause you to grind your teeth or clench your jaw, both at night and during the day, and you might not even realize that youβre doing it! This is called bruxism, and it can lead to morning headaches, toothaches, and a sore jaw.
2 – Scattered Thinking
If you frequently feel scatterbrained or distracted, it might be because anxious thoughts are consuming you – making it impossible to be in the present. Following along with a conversation or storing any new information can feel like a struggle.
So, if you find yourself feeling disengaged or drifting from the conversation, check-in with yourself. Are you too busy worrying and focusing on other things instead of whatβs going on around you? If the answer is yes, you could be suffering from anxiety.
3 – Cold Feet
You may hear the phrase βGetting cold feetβ when someone feels anxious or uncertain about a new venture – like starting a relationship or a new job. There are many medical reasons why cold feet and cold hands can happen, but anxiety is often a hidden cause.
As you may already know, the body reacts to stress by going into fight or flight mode. And as blood rushes to the central organs, it tends to leave your hands and feet cold.
4 – Irritability
When you are anxious, your body and brain can also leave you feeling on edge and you easily become irritable. Little things can frustrate you, people may annoy you, and minor inconveniences become major upsets. Unexplained irritability like this is usually the result of anxiety.
5 – Intrusive Thoughts
Everyone daydreams every now and then, usually about something good, but someone struggling with anxiety may imagine the opposite. You may have vivid, intrusive thoughts about bad things happening to you or your loved ones, imagining worst-case scenarios and getting caught up in these nightmarish thoughts to the extreme.
Ruminating on the possibilities of a situation is healthy, but not in excess. Doing so too often can make it hard to focus on the present and cause unnecessary stress.
6 – Overspending
There are many reasons you may end up spending more than youβd like when shopping, anxiety being one of them since it affects the brainβs ability to make calm, calculated decisions.
You may have a hard time saying no, even if you know you should, and end up buying things you donβt really need. Now, treating yourself here and there doesnβt mean you have anxiety, but excessive shopping, accompanied by stress and other symptoms, maybe something to consider.
