Catch Anxiety Before It Catches You: Know the Symptoms

Educating oneself about anxiety attack symptoms is an essential part of the healing process if one suffers from an anxiety disorder. Anyone who suffers from the condition is certainly well-versed in the types of symptoms that accompany anxiety attacks. However, in order to learn to manage and even overcome these symptoms, it is imperative that one must first learn why these symptoms occur in connection with anxiety disorders.

The most commonly occurring symptom of any anxiety disorder is fear. This fear often occurs as a result of a perceived threat. In many cases, this fear may ensue from a threat that is only imagined and not an actual threat. This, however, has no effect on the outcomes of the anxiety attack. When the human brain senses fear, whether it is actual or simply imagined, it behaves with certain biological responses. These responses prepare the body to either stay and fight the threat or flee from it. This is commonly known as the fight or flight response.

Some of the most common symptoms that can be associated with an anxiety attack as a result of a perceived of threat include the following:

Sweating

Hot or cold flashes
Stomach pain

Nausea

Diarrhea

Numbness

Tingling in the hands or feet

Feeling as if you cant breathe

Dizziness

Chest pain

Fear of losing control

A feeling of impending doom

Feeling as if you are out of touch

Heart palpitations

Feeling as if you are about to die

Trembling
The feeling of not being physically grounded

In most cases, anxiety attack symptoms begin to peak within 10 minutes after the start of the attack, and the symptoms will begin to subside within a half an hour from the beginning of the attack. In some cases, however, it could take several hours, days, or even weeks for all of the symptoms to completely diminish.

In many cases, anxiety attacks seem to develop for no absolute reason. In this regard, they may come completely out of nowhere. Unfortunately, the individual may associate his or her location at the time of the attack as a cause for the symptoms they experience. As a result, they might begin to evade that particular area or situation for fear of another attack. This evasiveness can then lead to even further problems such as the development of another disorder known as agoraphobia.

The intensity of the symptoms associated with an anxiety attack can be quite daunting. That intensity level can vary from person to person and within each individual, from one attack to another. With that said, however, it is important to understand that while the intensity of these symptoms is often very alarming, the symptoms themselves are not dangerous. Even though the symptoms of an anxiety attack can certainly feel defeating, it is important to understand they are not life-threatening. Understanding and accepting that the symptoms of an anxiety attack will not hurt you is one of the first steps toward healing. In addition, there are coping techniques that can be used that can minimize the severity and even the frequency of anxiety attacks. Sometimes it can even help just knowing that what you are experiencing is anxiety, and not any threat at all.

By taking the time to learn about anxiety attack symptoms, you can overcome anxiety disorder and be at peace.