But anxiety manifests itself in various ways and some are very little known, let's see what they are and what we can do.
Physical symptoms:
- Light and noise Sensitivity: Anxiety can make bright lights seem blinding and dim light seem too dark, it can also make sounds seem magnified;
- Changes in appetite: some feel a queasy stomach and have trobles eating, others may feel the need to eat more;
- Vision changes: eyesight can appear blurry, objects size may seem to be too big or small, eye flashes, floaters and “vision snow” the appearance of white dots in the visual field;
- Urge to run to the bathroom: urinating frequently, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome;
- Recurrent flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches, exhaustion, migraines or an overall feeling of being physically sick;
- Intense dreams: anxiety and stress can cause nightmares and restless sleep, you may wake up in a panic or with very tense muscles;
- Fluctuatin emotions or irritability: in a short time you can go from being sad, to frustrated, irritated or angry;
Mental symptoms:
- Derealization: perception of the external world as strange and unreal, sensations of numbness and detachment, feeling of being “high”or in a dream like state,
- Depersonalization: feeling of being detached from your body and thoughts, not recognizing yourself in the mirror or observing yourself from outside of your body;
- Fear of losing control or going crazy;
- Fear of dying.
How to reduce physical symptoms:
- Regular physical activity;
- Go out and take a walk;
- Take a hot bath or shower;
- Meditate;
- Do yoga or tai chi
- Get a massage.
How to intervene on cognitive symptoms:
- Touch things around you helps to ground yourself by engaging any or all of your senses; Repeat statements such as "I am real", "I am in control", "I am safe";
- Lightly pinch the skin on the back of your hand or use ice on your wrists to increase your alertness; Take long, slow deep breaths trying to create a regular breath;
- Try to avoid "fighting" these feelings, even if it isvery scary, fighting will only prolong the whole process;
- Talk to someone about any topic you choose, hearing the person’s response will signal to you that you are not in a dream but in reality;
- Count or name items that are in the room around, talk yourself through what you see;
- keep your eyes moving, put a finger in front of your eyes and follow your finger back and forth;
- Repeat to yourself that this is derealization / depersonalization or a difficult moment.
These are just suggestions, if you have been experiencing those symptoms for some time or they continue to appear regularly, contact a professional psychologist.