Anxiety Therapy Orlando: 5 Signs You Have Anxiety
Anxiety Therapy Orlando: 5 Signs You Have Anxiety
Written by: Elizabeth Yoak, LMHC
Lately, you haven’t felt like yourself. You’ve been feeling overwhelmed, jittery, and tense. Things that you used to be able to do with ease now feel impossible to accomplish without a sense of being on edge. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, you may have even started to avoid certain tasks that make you feel this way.
As this feeling goes on, you start questioning what it is that you’re experiencing. You’re starting to wonder “Is this what anxiety is like?”. You’ve heard the term anxiety used before but you’re curious if this describes what you have been feeling. Mostly though, you just want to feel calm again.
Knowing the signs of anxiety is an important first step in identifying what you may be experiencing. At Mindful Living Counseling, one of our specialties is helping those who have anxiety. We are passionate about helping people move from feeling anxious and overwhelmed to calm and collected. If any of the above feelings resonate with you, I encourage you to read on to learn more about the 5 signs of anxiety.
What Are The Signs of Anxiety?
Anxiety symptoms can vary from person to person, however, some key signs can signal anxiety is what you’re experiencing. Here are 5 signs of anxiety to consider when reflecting on how you have been feeling.
1. Excessive Worry
Worrying excessively is a common sign of anxiety that many people experience. What is considered excessive? Typically when the amount of worry is disproportionate to the actual event or potential threat, it can be considered excessive. If worry continues to persist for a long period of time, that is another way to define excessive worrying.
Let’s use an example; say you have plans with a friend, a casual hangout with someone you have known for a while. Although before you felt calm when hanging out with this person, now you start to worry about how it will go, hours before you even get there. Once you leave spending time with this friend, you start thinking back to the hangout and worrying about how it went, if they liked spending time with you and critiquing things you said.
This is an example of excessive worry that people with anxiety experience. This example would typically be considered a low-stakes situation, where you may experience minimal worry due to the familiarity of it. For someone with anxiety, however, this situation may cause excess worry. Long before arriving to see this friend and even after leaving, worry remained. Sound familiar? This is a common experience for individuals with anxiety.
Excessive worry can also interfere with concentration. Have you tried to focus on completing a task, but all the while your brain keeps going to anxious thoughts. It can feel nearly impossible to concentrate when worrying and can be a significant distraction. Worry can interfere at work, school, or even when trying to do something fun, like a favorite hobby.
2. Inability to Relax
Do you notice that even when you have downtime, you can’t enjoy it? Is your mind racing with anxious thoughts or does your body want to constantly be in motion? Feeling unable to relax is another key indicator of anxiety. Another way to describe this feeling is an inner restlessness, feeling like you have to continually be moving instead of being able to enjoy the stillness.
People who struggle with anxiety often find it challenging to unwind and experience a persistent sense of unease. Even in what are supposed to be calm situations, the anxious brain stays on high alert. Experiencing this persistent inability to relax can interfere with your ability to engage in leisurely activities or take breaks, which further worsens the cycle of heightened stress.
3. Sleep Disturbances
Disturbances in sleep or changes in sleep patterns can also be indicative of anxiety. This can include having a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, frequently waking, or waking much earlier than you usually would. Typically, one of the main culprits that cause sleep disruption is anxious thoughts that won’t seem to slow down. Because these thoughts are consistently racing, it can be difficult to reach a state of relaxation in order to get restful sleep.
4. Physical Symptoms
Physical sensations are often prominent in anxiety. Because the mind and body are intricately connected, our anxiety often manifests as physical symptoms we notice. Do you notice your heart racing, your muscles tense, or feel your hands start shaking? These all can be indicators of anxiety. Some may notice the physical signs before tuning into the emotional signs of anxiety, particularly when experiencing strong physical sensations.
Other physical sensations that can accompany anxiety are sweating, trembling, and shallow breathing. Nausea is a common experience as well and may impact your appetite if it is consistently present. These different symptoms are part of the body's natural stress response system, often referred to as the "fight or flight" response.
Although these symptoms are frequently present in anxiety, it is important to have your physical symptoms evaluated by a medical professional as well. This can help identify any potential medical conditions that may be contributing to these symptoms or rule out any underlying cause of these symptoms.
5. Avoidance
Lastly, avoidance of certain places, situations, or activities can be an indicator of anxiety. When anxiety overwhelms you, your gut instinct may be to then avoid the source of this strong emotion. Have you started to avoid spending time with other people, to limit how nervous you feel about it? Or maybe going to the store or driving has been a source of anxiety, so you’ve been trying to do either of these tasks as little as possible.
Regardless of what you have been trying to avoid, it is common for people with anxiety to use avoidance as a way to cope with their distress by simply not participating in the task that heightens this feeling. However, this leads to continuing the cycle of anxiety as the very thing you’re avoiding gets built up more and more in your mind as an overwhelming task. Avoidance is often a temporary fix to this feeling. In the moment, you feel the instant gratification of decreasing your anxiety. But when the same situation occurs again, so does the spike in your anxiety.
These 5 signs are just some of the many ways that anxiety can manifest and have a negative impact. Does any of this sound familiar to you? If so, I encourage you to reach out to our anxiety therapists in Orlando. At Mindful Living Counseling, we help people move from feeling anxious and on edge to calm and relaxed. We are happy to help you get started on your journey towards healing from anxiety.
Interested in Anxiety Therapy?
Mindful Living Counseling Orlando is here to help you navigate your anxiety. To get started with one of our anxiety therapists:
Fill out our New Client Consultation Form.
Schedule a consultation call with our Client Care Coordinator
Begin your healing journey!
Not Sure About Anxiety Therapy?
Mindful Living Counseling is a team of anxiety therapists who are highly trained and excited to help you gain the tools you need to overcome anxiety. If you're not ready yet and just want some information, no problem at all. We've put together some great resources for you to enjoy.
Anxiety Therapy Orlando Resources
Orlando Therapist Shares: 6 Anxiety-Friendly Activities to Do in Downtown Orlando
Teen Counseling: Social Media and Teen Mental Health
Anxiety Therapist Spotlight - Charniqua Snell, RMHCI
Anxiety Therapist Orlando Shares 4 Steps to Manage Anxiety
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know About Anxiety
How to Manage Perfectionism and Anxiety
Guided Meditation for Anxiety: Healing Light
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling Orlando
Mindful Living Counseling team acknowledges that anxiety is only one of the challenges that you may struggle with. Therefore, we provide various therapy services to cater to diverse needs. Our therapy services include EMDR Therapy, Trauma Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy. We also offer Guided Meditations to our clients. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us!
Anxiety Therapist: Elizabeth Yoak
Meet Elizabeth Yoak, LMHC! She's a licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified EMDR Therapist who's passionate about helping teenagers and adults overcome OCD, anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem, and stress to lead a happier life.
When Elizabeth is not working, her top priority is spending quality time with her loved ones. She also loves to explore new places and unwind with her furry best friend on leisurely walks. It's great to have such comforting things to look forward to after a long day of work.