At one point or another we have all seen the high wire act during a circus performance or on a t.v. show. The performer steps out onto the tightly stretched rope and slowly puts one foot in front of the other doing all they can to avoid a nasty spill. We all look at the performer and think "yea you're gonna fall" but of course they usually don't. The high wire reminds me a lot of what its like to have an anxiety disorder. Feeling off balance, woozy, lightheaded, faint are all sensations I'm sure a performer might feel while hoisted 50 feet
Are You Lazy Or Is Anxiety Slowing You Down?
One of the most unfortunate symptoms of an anxiety disorder is insomnia and to those that deal with it bless you all. Not being able to sleep is horrible but what if you have the opposite problem? Leave it to anxiety to be confused about how to make your life harder. It is true however that anxiety can put you in a near slumber and never ending state of sluggishness. Although feeling tired and slow are not startling (for the most part) they can put a damper on your daily routine. Want to go out? Not really. Want to exercise? Nope. Can you
Can Anxiety Disorders Cause Memory Loss?
Do you ever walk into a room and forget why you went in there in the first place? This happens countless times to most of us. But if you have chronic bouts of forgetfulness it could be your anxiety causing the mental miscues. This is because stress, anxiety, and even depression, can cause memory loss and mental haze. Too much stress over long periods of time can hinder brain function in a major way. One of the reasons for this is because when you become stressed your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol . This hormone, which is
The Anxiety Gaze
I have heard veterans say that they can pick out other veterans of armed conflict because of their thousand yard stare . It is a deep stare or gaze that is not focused on any particular thing. But its born from the trauma and severe mental stress of combat. Having an anxiety disorder is nowhere near like experiencing combat, its not even the same sport, but anxiety can cause you to stare blankly without any thought or purpose. It happens to me a lot at work or even when people are talking to me. I get this glazed look in my eyes (I've been
Anxiety Induced Chest Pain
Picture it, you're enjoying an average day at work when all of sudden you get a sharp jabbing pain in the center of your chest. You go from totally relaxed to "oh no!" in 3 nanoseconds. This is a very typical reaction to anxiety induced chest pain. Chest pain can create a swift and focused sensation of fear all over your body in what feels like an instant. Your first assumption is that you're having a heart attack and that you're going to die suddenly. After several minutes of experiencing chest pain, even though you haven't died
Muscle Aches and Pains Caused By Anxiety
Anxiety symptoms manifest themselves in a million and one ways. Whether it's your thoughts, headaches, or palpitations the bottom line is if you can feel or think something than anxiety can intensify it. The same is also true for your muscles and their reaction to your constant state of anxiety. When you feel anxiety and tension for a prolonged period of time this will eventually lead to sore and even painful muscles. This type of tension can make your legs feel like big noodles and give you the feeling that your legs are about to buckle
Urgent Anxiety
During the course of your anxiety episodes you may have noticed that a large percentage of anxiety symptoms have made you feel like you were going to die or like you were getting real sick. But anxiety disorders, as negative as they can make us feel, are not always doom and gloom. Sometimes we have symptoms that are just annoying, one such symptom is urgency. Now when I say urgency I of course don't mean that you are feeling rushed or panicked about how you feel, this type of urgency is all about how your bladder feels. It's not just
How to Cope with Your Breathing Problem
Do you ever feel like you can't take a deep breath? Ever feel like you have a lump in your throat that just won't go away? Anxiety disorders can cause you to feel what seems like millions of symptoms and sensations. The feeling that you can't breathe right is a very common one. So your sitting there minding your own business when all of a sudden you feel like you can't expand your chest all the way. You yawn and sigh so that you can suck in more air, but as soon as you stop doing that you're right were you started. So what the heck is
Top 10 Most Hated Anxiety Symptoms
Of the tons of anxiety symptoms that you have or have ever had are there a few that you really hate? I have to say that I don't like any of the symptoms, but if I had to choose between this symptom or that symptom, then I definitely have a preference. Here is my top ten list of most hated anxiety disorder symptoms. 1. Palpitations 2. Depersonalization 3. Urgency 4. Muscle twitching, Numbness 5. Dizziness 6. Head ache, stabbing pains in head or scalp. 7. Easily startled 8. Chest pain 9. Fear of losing control 10.