Stress and anxiety is very normal in everyone's life, but would you be able to recognise if you had any generalized anxiety disorder symptoms? Normal anxiety is beneficial in an odd sort of way to complete tasks successfully and to respond to threats in a helpful way. Chronic, excessive and exaggerated worry without any valid causes for worry is called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD for short). When a person is constantly worried, nervous, anxious and uneasy for six months or more, he is said to suffer from this condition. GAD can affect a person physically, socially and occupationally. To avoid all the adverse effects of GAD, it must be diagnosed in the early stages. You should know the symptoms to help you make the right diagnosis. What are the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder? It is important to note that everyone experiencing GAD does not have the same symptoms. The symptoms may vary from one person to another depending upon the cause and the severity of the disorder. However, there are some common symptoms of GAD. They are as follows: 1.Persistent worry that interferes in your normal day to day life. This is one of the most common symptoms of GAD. 2. If you worry about a wide variety of things in life like money, kids, work, food, travel and everything else for an abnormally longer period of time, you may be suffering from GAD. 3. If your anxiety is uncontrollable in spite of the anxiety reduction techniques you try, it can be a symptom of GAD. Other generalized anxiety disorder symptoms can be classified into three categories. They are physical, emotional and behavioural symptoms. What are the physical symptoms of GAD? 1. Tightened, strained and tense muscles are one of the physical symptoms. When your muscles are stressed, you may feel persistent muscular pain. 2. The next physical symptom is fatigue. If you have GAD, you feel exhausted and tired almost always. 3. Insomnia - Most of the people who suffer from GAD have sleeping problems. They have difficulty in falling asleep and in staying asleep. Lack of sleep aggravates the anxiety problem. 4. Stomach problems like nausea, abdominal pain and cramps and digestive problems are symptoms of anxiety. 5. Light-headedness and headaches are common physical symptoms of GAD. 6. Other physical symptoms include frequent urination, hot flashes, sweating, trembling, and trouble in swallowing and increase in the heartbeat. What are the behavioural symptoms of GAD? 1. Difficulty in concentrating is the first and foremost behavioural symptom. 2. Avoiding situations that cause anxiety. 3. Feeling irritated often. 4. Feeling depressed. 5. Having negative thoughts 6. Finding it extremely difficult to relax. 7. Restlessness. 8. Avoiding and postponing doing things that cause anxiety. 9. Loss of interest in sex. What are the emotional symptoms of GAD? 1. Feeling of dread and fear without any valid reasons. 2. Lack of self-confidence and looking upon others to get approval for everything that they do. 3. Thinking constantly about something that makes you anxious in spite of trying to avoid thinking about it. 4. Feeling that all your worries are out of your control and that you can do nothing about them. 5. Feeling uncertain about the future. As you can see, generalized anxiety disorder symptoms vary a great deal and often confused with other conditions. This is why correct medical attention is sought and you do not try to self-diagnose. There are various therapies, medications and techniques to treat generalized anxiety disorder. If you notice a few symptoms mentioned above, then you should seek medical help before the condition worsens. Early diagnosis and early treatment is essential to get rid of GAD.
