5 Ways to Describe What Anxiety Feels Like

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions in the world. Even though many people are suffering from anxiety, not everyone fully understands what anxiety feels like.

A lot of people will use the words stress and anxiety as synonymous with one another. However, stress is more aligned with external factors or events. Once the event goes away, the stress will too. Anxiety is not like this—it is an internal response. Unlike external factors, sometimes you can feel anxious for no reason at all. But how can you describe what anxiety feels like?

5 Ways That Explain What Anxiety Feels Like

1. Always on Edge

Even when you are supposed to be relaxing, does it seem like it can't? Always feeling on edge is one major component that can sum up what having anxiety feels like. Your mind constantly cycles through everything you have to get done, everything you didn't cross off your to-do list. It's like your mind is a hamster on a spinning wheel—unable to stop or slow down.

2. Feeling Sick But Not Knowing Why

You can't describe it, but you just feel off. You might be dealing with headaches or stomach aches constantly but can't attribute them to any one cause.

When someone deals with anxiety, this is really common. The pains and ailments you feel are real, but you have no known cause. Your muscles may feel weary and sore, or you may experience pain that seems to come from nowhere. Your nervous system, essentially, is in overdrive. It causes your nerve endings to send wrong signals to your brain that you are in pain or causing ailments such as headaches or stomach problems.

3. Everything Feels Like "Too Much"

We're all in a constant battle of being busy. There is always so much to do and seemingly little time to complete it. But every little thing can feel like an uphill battle for those with anxiety.

Feeling overwhelmed, you don't know where to begin your tasks. When you have so much to do, you don't even know where to begin. So, sometimes, this leads to procrastination. "I'll get to it when I feel more prepared," but the problem is, you never seem to be. Not because you don't have the capability (because you do) but because your brain is convincing you that there is now just too much to do and it's all important. It all gets to be a bit too much.

4. Feeling Annoyed By Everything

We all have days where we are more moody than others. But when you are dealing with anxiety, it feels like everything and everyone is getting under your last nerve. Even when nothing or nobody is really bothering you, you can't help but feel irritated by absolutely everything. With anxiety, fluctuations in mood are ubiquitous, and when your internal nervous system is in overdrive, it can make you feel overstimulated by absolutely everything.

5. You Never Stop Worrying

We all worry. In fact, most of us feel worried over different situations throughout the day. But anxiety takes that and amplifies it. Not only do you worry about what's happening, but your brain also convinces you that something bad will happen. It's why sometimes, we see people who end up unable to leave the house. Our wonderful yet extremely complex brains tend to convince us, through no fault of our own, that something bad is always lurking around the corner.

How To Deal With Anxiety

Yes, anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. But, it is also one of the most treatable conditions. It's challenging to deal with, but learning to manage your anxiety symptoms is possible. By reaching out to us for anxiety therapy, we can help you "rewire" your brain so that you no longer have to feel controlled by anxiety.