S N E A KY SIGNS THAT A N X I E T Y I S
Overtaking Your Life Jon Nadler
Life is full of plenty of stressors, from your job, to your home life, to the little things like what you are going to have for dinner. Since we are constantly facing stress, it can be easy to downplay our feelings and ignore more serious signs of anxiety. Early signs of anxiety can be relatively easy to miss, since there isn’t one big even that brings the issue to our attention. There’s still a lot stigma out there of what anxiety is and exactly what it does. The following red flags will help you figure out which parts of your life anxiety has taken control over your life.
Red Flag #1: Your everyday routine is too rigid.
A routine can help you stay on top your schedule and reach your goals with more ease, but if you find that you are more reluctant to try new things, it may be a sign your anxiety is about to takeover. Anxiety encourages you to hold onto things that are familiar. The limbic system of your brain (“emotional” part of the brain) affects the neocortex (the “rational” part of the brain) and prevents you from thinking of alternative responses when you are overwhelmed with stressed.
Red Flag #2: You think of every worstcase scenario
.Planning and thinking ahead can help prevent any future stress from occurring, but only when you do it in moderation. If you think of too many “what if?� scenarios, they can take up more of your time and actually cause more anxiety. There will come a point where you might feel like you are unable to do anything until you have considered every single scenario possible.
Red Flag #3: Even the smallest thing can upset you.
When you are feeling angry or annoyed, you may be inclined to blame your anger or the person for making you feel that way. But, you would be surprised that your anxiety make be the true culprit. Both anxiety and anger can trigger a fight-or-flight response and result in similar symptoms life a racing hear or tense muscles. It can be easy to mistake one for the other.
Red Flag #4: Your appetite is no where to be seen.
When your schedule is busy, skipping meals might not seem like a big deal. However, when you are stressed, a hormone known as cortisol is released in response to your fight-or-flight mentality. In the process, your appetite steps to the side. At first you may think that you are just crunch for time, but with your anxiety running on high, you may miss a few hunger cues.
Red Flag #4: Your appetite is no where to be seen.
When your schedule is busy, skipping meals might not seem like a big deal. However, when you are stressed, a hormone known as cortisol is released in response to your fight-or-flight mentality. In the process, your appetite steps to the side. At first you may think that you are just crunch for time, but with your anxiety running on high, you may miss a few hunger cues.