What are the symptoms of Anxiety?

Anxiety symptoms are plentiful. Anxiety symptoms should really be referred to as 'anxiety sensations' though. Why? Because the word symptom is usually used when referring to illnesses and, as anxiety is not an illness, the anxiety symptoms experienced are actually just sensations. For ease though, we can call them symptoms for now.

Anxiety symptoms can be as mild as a feeling of shyness to the more extreme panic attacks experienced by many anxiety sufferers. Anxiety symptoms can be both physical and psychological. Psychological anxiety symptoms include depersonalisation, derealisation, depressing/morbid thoughts and aggression.

Anxiety symptoms are actually harmless. Most sufferers interpret their anxiety symptoms 'catastrophically.' In other words, when a symptom presents itself, anxiety-driven decisions about that symptom produce a 'worse case scenario', suddenly a head ache, muscle spasm or chest pain becomes a more sinister symptom of a serious illness. Of course it is not, but to the sufferer, these anxiety symptoms can be very distressing.

As the baseline level of anxiety decreases and returns to normal, the anxiety symptoms reduce also; complete elimination of the underlying anxiety produces complete relief from anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety symptoms, although unpleasant, are completely harmless and should be disregarded. Focusing on your anxiety symptoms is counterproductive to your recovery; the more you focus on your anxiety symptoms, your anxiety about them grows, the more your anxiety grows, the more anxiety symptoms you will experience... it's a vicious circle that can be broken given the correct course of anxiety treatment.