Do you worry about everything just a little too much, to the point where your worrying interrupts your day-to-day life? If that’s a yes, then you might have generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a mental health condition marked by persistent, overwhelming anxiety.
GAD affects 6.8 million adults in the United States, and it can develop in childhood, adolescence, or later in life. Women are two times more prone to developing GAD than men.
But what symptoms go with GAD? Stick around to learn more…
1. Restlessness
Frequent bouts of restlessness are considered a primary sign of generalized anxiety disorder, due to an increased feeling of anxiety. Children and teens, in particular, constantly feel edgy or jumpy with GAD.
With GAD, some people also tend to have difficulty with the following…
2. Concentration Problems
The findings of one study discovered that an overwhelming number of people diagnosed with GAD have difficulty with concentrating, often feeling their minds are going “blank” when trying to accomplish certain tasks. This is likely due to the brain focusing too much on constant worry, rather than the task or thought at hand.
The next task also becomes a lot tougher for people with this anxiety disorder…
3. Indecisiveness
Extreme anxiety can cloud a person’s sense of judgment and affect a person’s ability to make decisions. Oftentimes it can ultimately lead to them making bad choices because making the right one feels to difficult.
With this next symptom, keeping cool might feel difficult…
4. Constant Worrying
People who worry over small, mundane things might be afflicted with GAD. A hallmark sign of GAD is a consistent, overwhelming feeling of worry. These constant worrying episodes can hinder them from accomplishing daily activities or workloads.
Those small, mundane tasks that need to be taken care of but can’t can result in this next GAD symptom…
5. Irritability
People suffering from GAD often experience extreme irritability or fussiness, especially during anxiety attacks. This is further exacerbated by excessive worrying and concentration problems. Irritability might also be a symptom of other mental health conditions, like depression.
Anxiety can also keep a person up at night, as this following symptom explains…
6. Sleeping Problems
Research published in 2009 says that over 75 percent of people with GAD suffer from insomnia. It’s no surprise, especially because anxiety can be overwhelming and all-encompassing with an anxiety disorder. GAD patients also frequently complain of other problems like frequent sleep disturbances and overall poor sleep quality, even if they don’t have a diagnosed sleep disorder.
And just like that, generalized anxiety can affect the body, too…
7. Fatigue
Not a lot of people realize this, but anxiety attacks can actually leave the body severely exhausted, due to the immense amount of energy exerted trying get through an attack. Other factors like inadequate rest, concentration problems, and excessive worrying can all add to this fatigue.
Physical movement eventually becomes challenging, too, as a result of this next symptom…
8. Muscle Tension
Anxiety further aggravates negative physical symptoms. In this case, muscle tension can occur in the jaw, neck, shoulder, and back areas, causing stiffness and atrocious pains.
GAD can also brew up a storm in your insides…
9. Bowel Problems
GAD can literally make you sick to your stomach. Patients are known to occasionally experience digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, nausea, vomiting, and stomachaches.
Perspiration is good, but too much of it can be alarming…
10. Profuse Sweating
Anxiety can even affect perspiration, and as a result, it can cause prolonged sweating. Some adult GAD patients might find themselves sweating more than normal (hyperhidrosis), even in relatively cooler temperatures.
