Feeling anxious from time to time is normal, especially when your life is stressful. However, excessive worrying and ongoing anxiety that is hard to control and affects your day-to-day life could signify generalized anxiety disorder.
You can suffer from this condition either as a child or as an adult, with early-onset generalized anxiety disorder affecting those younger than 25 years. Its signs and symptoms resemble obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and other forms of anxiety, but they have significant differences.
Living with an anxiety disorder is usually a long-term challenge for many people, especially as it often occurs along with other mood disorders. For many patients, medications and psychotherapy can treat the condition.
In this article, you’ll find out the symptoms of this type of anxiety disorder and how you can keep it under control.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – Signs & Symptoms
The symptoms of anxiety disorder can vary depending on the person experiencing it. Here are some of the common symptoms of this condition:
- Worrying persistently or suffering anxiety regarding various things that are not proportionate to the effect of the events
- Having problems handling uncertainty
- Having problems letting go or setting aside a particular worry
- Perceiving events or situations as threatening or dangerous, even when they are not
- Overthinking solutions or plans for every possible negative outcome
- Fear of making a wrong decision
- Having problems focusing on specific tasks or feeling that your mind is “blank”
Physical symptoms to look out for
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Being easily startled or nervous
- Feeling twitchy or trembling
- Muscle aches or muscle tension
- Irritability
- Sweating
In some instances, you can be anxious even without an apparent reason. For example, you can be intensely worried about your safety or your loved one, or you can have a persistent sense that something dangerous or threatening will happen.
Symptoms in kids and teenagers
Kids and teenagers may show identical symptoms as those of adults, but they can also have excessive worries and anxiety regarding:
- Performance at their school or sporting activities
- Safety of their family members
- Punctuality
- Catastrophic events like earthquakes or a nuclear war
A kid or teenager suffering from excessive anxiety disorder may show these symptoms:
- Being a perfectionist
- Feeling overly anxious or worried about fitting in
- Spending too much time doing their homework
- Striving way too much for approval
- Redoing their activities because they think it wasn’t perfect the first time
- Avoiding going to school or participating in social events
When to Visit a Physician
Having some anxiety is usually normal, but you should visit your physician under certain conditions. First, you can visit a doctor when you feel like you’re worrying way much, affecting your relationship, work, or other aspects of your life.
Second, you can see a doctor if you feel irritable and depressed, have other mental problems and anxiety disorder, or have a problem drinking or doing drugs. Third, you can see your healthcare provider when you show suicidal behaviors or have suicidal thoughts. When you reach this stage, you need to seek emergency assistance.
Your worries may fail to go away quickly, or they may worsen with time. It’s recommended to find professional assistance before the condition becomes severe as it’s easier to treat early on.
How to Keep Anxiety Disorder Under Control
It’s impossible to predict what will cause generalized anxiety disorder in a person precisely. But you can apply various methods to decrease the effect of the symptoms associated with anxiety. Here are some of them:
- a) Seek early assistance
- b) Prioritize the issues you’re experiencing – carefully manage your time and energy
- c) Avoid overindulging in alcohol and substance abuse – it can worsen anxiety
- d) Keep a journal to track your personal life
