Common symptoms of Stress, Anxiety and Panic Disorders

[SWM]

Common anxiety symptoms include:
Body (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the body in general):

    * Allergy problems, increase in allergies (number, sensitivity, reactions, lengthier reactions)
      Back pain, stiffness, tension, pressure, soreness, spasms, immobility in the back or back muscles
    * Blanching (looking pale, loss of color in the face or skin)
    * Blushing, turning red, flushed face, flushed skin, blushing, red face or skin
    * Body jolts, body zaps, electric jolt feeling in body, intense body tremor or “body shake”
    * Body temperature increase or decrease, change in body temperature
    * Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity, numbness on the skin
    * Burning skin sensation on the face, neck, ears, scalp, or shoulders
    * Chest pain, chest tightness
    * Choking
    * Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
    * Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
    * Cold chills, feeling cold
    * Craving sugar, sweets, chocolate, usual craving for sugar and sweets
    * Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
    * Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
    * Dizzy, feeling dizzy
    * Electric shock feeling, body zaps
    * Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
    * Falling sensation, feel like your are falling or dropping even though you aren't
    * Feel like you are going to pass out or faint
    * Feeling cold or chilled
    * Feel wrong, different, foreign, odd, or strange
    * Flu-like symptoms, general malaise, feel ill, like you are coming down with a flu
    * Flushed face, red face, flushed skin
    * Head Zaps
    * Heart palpitations, racing heart
    * Hyperactivity, excess energy, nervous energy
    * Increased or decreased sex drive
    * Infection - increased infections, persistent infection
    * Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
    * Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
    * Muscle twitching
    * Nausea
    * Nausea vomiting
    * Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
    * Night sweats, waking up in a sweat, profusely sweating at night
    * No energy, feeling lethargic, tired
    * Numbness
    * Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
    * Numbness and tingling, and other skin sensations on hands, feet, face, head, or any other places on the body
    * Persistent muscle tension, stiffness
    * Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
    * Pulsing or throbbing muscles. Pulsing or throbbing sensation.
    * Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage
    * Sexual Dysfunction, sexual uninterest
    * Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
    * Shooting pains in the face
    * Shooting pains in the scalp or head
    * Skipped heart beats
    * Sore or tight scalp or back of the neck
    * Startle easily
    * Sweating, uncontrollable profuse sweating
    * The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
    * Tightness in the ribs or rib cage area, may also feel like a tight band around the ribs or rib cage area.
    * Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
    * Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
    * TMJ
    * Trembling or shaking
    * Twitching
    * Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
    * Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
    * Warm spells
    * Weak - feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
    * Weak legs, arms, or muscles
    * Weight loss, weight gain

Chest (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the chest area):

    * Chest pain or discomfort
    * Concern about the heart
    * Feel like you have to force yourself to breath
    * Find it hard to breath, feeling smothered, shortness of breath
    * Frequent yawning to try and catch your breath
    * Heart Palpitations – beating hard or too fast, rapid heartbeat
    * Heart - Irregular heart rhythms, flutters or ‘skipped’ beats, tickle in the chest that makes you cough
    * Pounding heart, heart feels like it is beating too hard
    * Rib or rib cage tightness, pressure, or feeling like a tight band around the rib cage

Emotions (see mood) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with emotions, mood, and feelings)
Fears (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with fear):

    * A heightened fear of what people think of you
    * Afraid of being trapped in a place with no exits
    * Constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
    * Fear of being in public
    * Fear of dying
    * Fear of losing control
    * Fear of impending doom
    * Fear of making mistakes or making a fool of yourself to others
    * Fear of passing out
    * Fear that you are losing your mind
    * Fears about irrational things, objects, circumstances, or situations
    * Fears of going crazy, of dying, of impending doom, of normal things, unusual feelings and emotions, unusually frightening thoughts or feelings
    * Heightened self awareness, or self-consciousness
    * Need to find nearest washrooms before you can feel comfortable
    * Need to seat near exits

Head (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the head):

    * Burning, itchy, tight scalp
    * Dizziness
    * Dizzy
    * Dizziness or light-headedness
    * Frequent headaches, migraine headaches
    * Feeling like there is a tight band around your head, pressure, tightness
    * Head, neck or shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
    * Head zaps, head tremors
    * Giddiness
    * Numbness
    * Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
    * Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
    * Shooting pains in the face
    * Shooting pains in the scalp or head
    * When you close your eyes you feel like are beginning to, or will, float upwards
    * Sore jaw that feels like a tooth ache
    * TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) - clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth

Hearing/Ear(s) (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with hearing):

    * Feel like there is something stuck in your ear, that your ear canal it plugged or blocked, that there is a pebble in your ear that you can't get out
    * Low rumbling sounds
    * Reduced hearing, frequent or intermittent reduced hearing or deafness in one or both ears
    * Ringing in the ears, noises in the ears, noises in the head
    * Pulsing in the ears, throbbing sound in the ear(s)

Mind (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mind and thinking):

    * Afraid of everything
    * Altered state of reality, consciousness, or universe feeling
    * Deja Vu, a feeling like you've done or experienced something before
    * Depersonalization
    * Derealization
    * Desensitization
    * Difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss
    * Difficulty thinking, speaking, forming thoughts, following conversations
    * Disorientation
    * Fear of going crazy
    * Fear of losing control
    * Fear of impending doom
    * Feelings of unreality
    * Frequent feeling of being overwhelmed, or that there is just too much to handle or do
    * Having difficulty concentrating
    * Nightmares, bad dreams
    * Obsession about sensations or getting better
    * Repetitive thinking or incessant ‘mind chatter’
    * Short-term learning impairment, have a hard time learning new information
    * Short-term memory impairment, can't remember what I did a few days, hours, or moments ago
    * Spaced out feelings, feeling spaced out
    * "Stuck" thoughts; thoughts, mental images, concepts, songs, or melodies that "stick" in your mind and replay over and over again.
    * Trapped in your mind feeling
    * Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
    * You often feel you are carrying the world on your shoulders

Mood / Emotions (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with mood, emotions, and feelings):

    * Always feeling angry and lack of patience
    * Depersonalization
    * Depression
    * Dramatic mood swings (emotional flipping)
    * Emotionally blunted, flat, or numb
    * Emotional "flipping" (dramatic mood swings)
    * Emotions feel wrong
    * Everything is scary, frightening
    * Feeling down in the dumps
    * Feeling like things are unreal or dreamlike
    * Frequently being on edge or 'grouchy'
    * Feel like crying for no apparent reason
    * Have no feelings about things you used to
    * Not feeling like yourself, detached from loved ones, emotionally numb
    * Underlying anxiety, apprehension, or fear
    * You feel like you are under pressure all the time

Mouth/Stomach (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the mouth and stomach):

    * A ‘tinny’, ‘metallic’ or ‘ammonia’, or unusual smell or taste
    * Aerophagia (swallowing too much air, stomach distention, belching)
    * Burning mouth, feeling like the inside of your mouth is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these together or at different times
    * Burning tongue, feeling like your tongue is burning, or tingling, or like pins and needles, or all of these, or all of these together or at different times
    * Choking
    * Constant craving for sugar or sweets
    * Constipation
    * Diarrhea
    * Difficulty swallowing
    * Difficulty talking, pronouncing certain letters or sounds, mouth feels like it isn't moving right, slurred speech
    * Dry mouth
    * Feeling like you can’t swallow properly or that something will get caught in your throat
    * Feeling like your tongue is swollen
    * IBS
    * Lack of appetite or taste
    * Lump in the throat, tight throat, something stuck in your throat
    * Mouth muscles twitching/jumping
    * Mouth or throat clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
    * Nausea
    * Nausea vomiting
    * Nausea or abdominal stress
    * Numbness
    * Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
    * Stomach upset, gas, belching, bloating
    * Teeth grinding
    * The thought of eating makes you nauseous
    * Tight throat, lump in throat
    * Throat or mouth clicking or grating sound/noise when you move your mouth or jaw, such as when talking
    * TMJ
    * Tongue symptoms - Tingly, “stretched,” numb, frozen, itchy, “crawly,” burning, twitching, “jumpy,” aching, sore, or swollen tongue (when it isn’t).
    * Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom
    * Vomiting

Skin (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with the skin):

    * Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
    * Numbness
    * Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
    * Skin problems, infections, rashes

Sleep (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sleep):

    * Difficulty falling or staying asleep
    * Frequent bad, bizarre, or crazy dreams
    * Hearing sounds in your head that jolt you awake
    * Insomnia, or waking up ill in the middle of the night
    * Jolting awake
    * Waking up in a panic attack
    * You feel worse in the mornings

Sight (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with sight):

    * Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
    * Dry, watery or itchy eyes
    * Eye tricks, seeing things our of the corner of your eye that isn’t there, stars, flashes
    * Eyes sensitive to light
    * Spots in the vision
    * Flashing lights when eyes are closed
    * Your depth perception feels wrong

Touch (anxiety symptoms commonly associated with touch):

    * Burning skin sensations, skin sensitivity
    * Feeling cold or chilled
    * Numbness
    * Numbness tingling, numbness and tingling
    * Pain
    * Tingling, pins and needles feelings

Other anxiety symptoms are described as:
Being like a hypochondriac, muscle twinges, worry all the time, tingles, gagging, tightness in the chest, tongue twitches, shaky, breath lump, heart beat problems, head tingles, itchy tingling in arms and legs, and so many more.

In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness
• Dying prematurely
• Going insane or losing your mind
• Suddenly snapping
• Losing it
• Uncontrollably harming yourself or someone you love
• Losing control of your thoughts and actions
• Being embarrassed or making a fool out of yourself
• Losing control
• Fainting in public
• Not breathing properly
• Losing control of reality
• Choking or suffocating
• Being alone

[NataEames]

From what im reading here, im thinking maybe i should see a shrink before my stress actually does give me a heart attack!

[sure]

i once been with a (naked) dancing group from NY. As warm-up, we did things like ear massage and smelling herbs.

[voodoo scientist]

So...symptoms of stress, anxiety and panic disorders are "everything"?

No offense, but this list is useless and potentially quite hurtful to people who are concerned they might have one of these conditions. Everyone has quite a lot of these from time to time or even at the same time, so it doesn't help anyone establish a diagnosis at all. Why is this stuck?

[sure]

what's with the breathing part? breathing against and so on 

[NataEames]

"breathing part?", you mean hyperventilation or when it's hard to breathe? Those are symptoms of hell a lot of things!

[gone]

Symptoms list like that are usually devised by pharmaceutical companies. Few people realise this but it's financially rewarding to 'shareholders' for people to believe themselves unwell or suffering from a medical condition. And they are only too happy to be unwell, it makes some feel 'special' whereas others gain sympathy, care and attention which some relish.

But ultimately list like these are made by people who make money from them and sell either drugs or a services to relieve stress, anxiety and panic attacks. (therapies included in my 'service' - CBT, hypnotherapy, all those EFT & TFT & counselling & what not nonsense) Scratch the surface and underneath it's a misconception to lead people to part with their money.

[Sparrowhawk1161]

Everything this person shows is true.  The problem is everyone identify with it...so... you automatically think you have an anxiety disorder.

What is anxiety disorder?

Good question?

What is a disorder?

Now, we getting somewhere.

A disorder... in psyche terms has specific definition.

Let's say you have everyone of those symtoms?  But, you can a job... have significant other.  Have children and bring them up to be something society wants?  You can throw them all out... for they mean nothing.

You can have everyone of those symtoms... but... if you find yourself in the difintion of what society wants you to be???

You have no problem.

You can have anxiety.  You can smoke.  You drink.  You do drugs... you can be totally off the wall... BUT... if you can define yourself in societies rules...

You have no probem... you are comnpletely fine... no problems... no disaorder.

Whats a disorder?  Take the word and learn from it.  Dis-order.  Something is wrong.  Relationships go wrong.  Jobs go wrong.  Parenting goes wrong.  You feel worthless.  You can't be a "member" of society because of something that is going on in your mind.  Anxiety... depresssion (not sadness... but, a complete shut down of emotions), Psychosis?  (Hearing voices to point where they interfer with all of the above?)  Someone can hear voices.... but have job... a wife or husband... have children... bring them up to be valuable in society?  You can hear voices all you want... but you don't have a disorder.

Disorder.  Is something that interfers with society.  You can't keep a job.  You can't find a love one... you can't bring up kids to be valuable in society... now... it's disorder.

Take this!

Ireland!  Everyone drinks.  Are they all alcoholic?  No.  They keep jobs... they have wives and husbands and bring up their kids.  What are they?

Social drinkers!

There is difference.  AN ALCOHOLIC can not do what society tells you to do.  They are alcoholic.  But... there many people who drink even more than an alcoholic... but... they function.  So, are they alcoholics.  By definition?  No!  They drink... that's it.

So, you can have all symoptoms... but... if you function?  No problem.  A disorder is defined... by sociology.  If you can't function to societies rules... you have a "dis- function."  Something that needs to be addressed to help function in societies rules.

So, if you look at all the defintions of what can be a disfunction... you throw them out... unless it actually is hinderence to society in general.

A disfunction is created by societies rules.  If rules are not meant... then you have disfunction.  Their is difference.

My OCD is disfunction.  I can't keep a job... I don't leave my apartment.  I don't socialize like I should... It's disfunction of rules of society.  The definitions mean nothing unless... there an actual problem defined by societies rules.  You can everyone of those defintions... but, if their no problem by societies rules... their is no problem... by definition.

You must remember... symptoms mean nothing... unless their is a "problem"?   If their is problem where can't function in society... you have disorder.  Thats it.

[astray]

And these are just the common symptoms? ..

[bezerkus]

Sorry for reviving this post,  but I came across this post as one of the main reasons I was misdiagnosed with Seizures and then Panic Attacks which is trying to fit everything under big umbrellas of symptoms.   

I BELIEVE MINE IS DIAGNOSED!

Having these anxiety or panic experiences that built up to an incident at work passing out at and waking up in an ambulance.  The doctors could not diagnose this definitely as a siezure, but put me on Dilantin  anyway.  I came off of that after 2 weeks when the doctor said he'd look at me again in a year.  No way I was taking something that they were not sure about.  Here it is 6 years later and I'm starting to have the minor episodes again.  After looking long and hard and taking all the advice from my family not to self diagnose, I felt I had no choice since doctors could not diagnose it.  I believe some people are being misdiagnosed as panic attacks.

I believe that myself and most likely some who read this, you who have some of the same symptoms have some level of Vasovagal Response.  Mine ended up leading to Vasovagal Syncope which is passing out.  All having to do with the vagas nerve.

Among people with vasovagal episodes, the episodes are typically recurrent, usually happening when the person is exposed to a specific trigger. The initial episode often occurs when the person is a teenager, then recurs in clusters throughout his or her life. Prior to losing consciousness, the individual frequently experiences a prodrome of symptoms such as lightheadedness, nausea, the feeling of being extremely hot (accompanied by sweating), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), uncomfortable feeling in the heart, fuzzy thoughts, a slight inability to speak/form words (sometimes combined with mild stuttering), weakness and visual disturbances such as lights seeming too bright, fuzzy or tunnel vision, and sometimes a feeling of nervousness can occur as well. These last for at least a few seconds before consciousness is lost (if it is lost), which typically happens when the person is sitting up or standing. When sufferers pass out, they fall down (unless this is impeded); and when in this position, effective blood flow to the brain is immediately restored, allowing the person to wake up. Short of fainting a person may experience an almost undescribable weak and tired feeling resulting from a lack of oxygen to the brain due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Tabor's describes this as the "feeling of impending death" caused by expansion of the aorta, drawing blood from the head and upper body.

The autonomic nervous system's physiologic state leading to loss of consciousness may persist for several minutes, so:

1.If sufferers try to sit or stand when they wake up, they may pass out again;
2.The person may be nauseated, pale, and sweaty for several minutes.

There are a number of tests that doctors can do to confirm it.  While I haven't had mine confirmed, I am 90% sure this is what it is as I have no cardio issues, being hooked up to EKG's a couple of times for this.  When I'm ready to afford another doctor bill I will have it confirmed, but in the mean time I am looking to do those things that will help with it to see if I can keep them from happening.  Eat right, drink plenty of fluids, get more than the 5-6 hours of sleep I've been averaging, and reducing the stress in my life which I don't believe is anymore than the next person and it certainly doesn't keep me up at night.  I will also try some of the things to increase blood flow to the head right away during the episodes.

I know the dangers of self-diagnosing, but I also know the dangers of misdiagnosing at the hospital.  The last 3 times I have been in (all in the last 10 years, hate to go).  I have almost had an appendix burst because I was sent home twice for a long lasting  stomach pain, I had a testicle removed (at age 33) that was thought to be cancer and wasnt', and given anti-siezure medicine for something that isn't a siezure.

Good luck all, I hope you all work towards solving your episodes! 

[Penelope903]

Wow! thanks for all of these! now I already know symptoms of stress and anxiety...