Anxiety attack symptoms are NOT indications of a serious medical condition. They are simply dramatic responses to being afraid. Being afraid causes the body to stimulate stress hormones. Since stress hormones are designed to prepare the body for action, the changes stress hormones bring about can cause the body to exhibit “symptoms” of this biochemical change. Anxiety attack symptoms are simply “sensory sensations” of this biological change. Again, they are not harmful, but they are letting you know that your body’s stress hormone levels are elevated.
Common anxiety attack symptoms include:
• A feeling of impending doom, that something horrible is about to happen, that you are in grave danger
• A strong feeling of fear, foreboding
• An urge to escape, to get out, to run away from danger
• Blanching, turning white, looking pale
• Blushing, skin blotches, turning red
• Burning skin
• Choking sensation, tightening throat, it feels like your throat is closing
• Confusion
• Depersonalization (feeling detached from reality, separate from one-self, separate from normal emotions)
• Derealization (feeling unreal, in a dream-like state)
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, unsteadiness
• Emotional distress
• Emotional upset
• Fear of going crazy
• Fear of losing control, freaking out
• Fearful thoughts that seem incessant feels like there is a tight band around your head
• Hot or cold chills
• Inability to calm yourself down
• Knot in the stomach, tight stomach
• Nausea
• Numbness, tingling sensations in any part of the body
• Panicky feeling
• Pins and needles feeling
• Plugged ear(s), stuffed ear(s)
• Pounding heart
• Racing heart
• Shooting pains in the chest, neck, shoulder, head, or face
• Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
• Sweating
• Tightness in the chest
• Trembling, shaking (visibly shaking or just trembling on the inside)
• Upset stomach
• Urgent desire to go to the bathroom (urinate, defecate)
• Vomiting
There is a long list of anxiety symptoms. However, because each body is somewhat chemically unique, anxiety affects each person differently. Consequently, anxiety symptoms vary from person to person in type or kind, number, intensity, and frequency. If your symptoms do not exactly match this list that does not mean you don’t have anxiety. It simply means that you body is responding to anxiety slightly differently.
For example, one person may experience only a few minor symptoms, while another person may experience the majority of symptoms to great intensities. All combinations are possible and common.
Anxiety attack symptoms can range from mild to severe, from only one symptom to all of them, and can be sporadic, frequent, or persistent. Again, the combination of all is possible and common. Just keep on thinking positive and you will be fine.
