Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves chronic feelings of anxiety or dread which can interfere with daily life and functioning. It’s not the same as occasionally worrying about things or experiencing anxiety as a result of stressful life events. People living with GAD experience frequent anxiety for months, sometimes years.

Symptoms of GAD include:

• Feeling restless, wound-up, or on edge

• Chronic fatigue

• Challenges with concentrating and focus

• Irritability and low mood

• Headaches, aches and pains in the body, stomachaches and digestion issues

• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry

• Sleep issues, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep

High functioning Anxiety

High-functioning anxiety is a subset of generalized anxiety disorder that often goes unnoticed and untreated. It occurs when a person has anxiety symptoms, but rather than avoiding situations or interactions, they work hard to appear “normal” and are skilled at covering up symptoms. High-functioning anxiety is not a formal diagnosis, instead high-functioning anxiety typically refers to someone who experiences anxiety while still managing daily life quite well. Generally, a person with high-functioning anxiety may appear put together and thriving on the outside, yet experience chronic anxiety, stress, or have obsessive thoughts on the inside.

Signs of high-functioning anxiety include:

• Perfectionism

• Overpacked schedule

• Excessive anxiety and worry, overthinking

• Chronic tiredness and/or problems with sleep

• Feeling on edge and restless, irritable

• High achieving

• Driven by details and order

• Burnout

• Juggling many projects and tasks at once

• Difficulty relaxing, doing nothing, or sitting still

• Controlling habits and strict routines

• Fear of disappointing others or letting people down

Panic Disorder

People with panic disorder have reoccurring and unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear, discomfort, or a sense of losing control even when there is no clear threat or trigger. Not everyone who experiences a panic attack will develop panic disorder. People with panic disorder often worry about when the next panic attack will happen and actively try to prevent future attacks from occurring by avoiding places, situations, or behaviors they’ve associated with panic attacks. Panic attacks can occur as frequently as several times a day or as rarely as a few times a year.

During a panic attack, a person may experience:

• Pounding or racing heart

• Sweating and feeling flush or hot

• Trembling, shaking, or tingling

• Chest pain or heaviness

• Feelings of impending doom

• Feelings of being out of control

Social Anxiety

Social anxiety disorder is an intense, chronic fear of being watched and judged by others. For people with social anxiety disorder, the fear of social situations may feel so intense that it seems beyond their control. For some people, this fear can get in the way of going to work, attending school, or doing everyday things. People with social anxiety disorder may worry about acting or appearing visibly anxious (e.g., blushing, mumbling, or saying the wrong thing), or being viewed as weird, awkward, or boring. This often leads to a person avoiding social or performance situations. When a situation cannot be avoided, they experience heightened anxiety and distress. Many people with social anxiety disorder also experience intense physical symptoms, such as a rapid heart rate, nausea, sweating, and may experience full-blown attacks when confronting a feared situation.

People with social anxiety disorder may experience:

• Blushing, sweating, or trembling

• Pounding or racing heart

• Stomachaches, nausea, lack of appetite

• Rigid body posture or speaking with an overly soft voice

• Difficulty making eye contact or being around people they don’t know

• Feelings of self-consciousness or fear that people are judging them