10 Signs of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

As of late, I have not been in a good head space mentally. In my Black Girls Have Anxiety Too post, I talked about being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. For those of who don’t know what GAD is, it’s basically excessively worrying about everything and nothing all the time. It’s been a little over two years since my diagnosis, and I still struggle to keep it together on a daily basis.

You can’t always tell that someone is struggling with anxiety just by looking at them. Anxiety shows itself in different forms, and some people can hide it better than others. I am in no way a licensed professional, but I’ve lived with anxiety long enough to know enough. Here are 10 signs that someone you know may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

• Excessive worrying – Constantly worrying about everything, and nothing.
• Insomnia – Problems falling asleep, and staying asleep at night.
• Extremely jumpy – startled by noises, and unexpected visitors.
• Nausea – Sometimes you can be so anxious that you feel the urge to vomit.
• OCD – The need to arrange items in a particular order, or obsessing over lists.
• Difficulty concentrating – Getting so worked up that you can’t think straight.
• Fatigue – Wanting to sleep all all day.
• Agitation/anger – Being so anxious that every little thing irritates you.
• Dizziness – Feeling lightheaded or woozy.
• Hyperventilating – Uncontrollably holding your breath, or breathing too fast.

Anxiety looks different for everyone. Anxiety disorders often go undiagnosed because the symptoms mirror everyday problems. It’s not uncommon for the average person to get a headache, or feel anxious every now and then. However, it is uncommon for those same symptoms to last days/weeks at a time. If you or someone you know struggles with anxiety, here is a post about using the Grounding Method to get through. If you think you may suffer from an anxiety disorder, please go see a professional to get properly diagnosed. You can’t be your best self, if you’re falling apart mentally.

Chantal

Hi, I’m Chantal. I’m a mom of two, self proclaimed naturalista, and Author of Growing Girls With Curls: Short Stories For Girls of Color. Being a mom is hard. Pair that with being a single, black, millennial in America and it’s a whole different monster. Feel free to join my mailing list and follow along as I blog through this crazy thing called life.