Stress and Anxiety
You may have feelings of being uptight, tension, jitters or apprehension. Stress can come from any situation or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or anxious. What is stressful to one person is not necessarily stressful to another. Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. The source of this uneasiness is not always known or recognized, which can add to the distress you feel.
Stress is a normal part of life. In small quantities, stress is good -- it can motivate you and help you be more productive. However, too much stress, or a strong response to stress, is harmful. It can set you up for general poor health as well as specific physical or psychological illnesses like infection, heart disease, or depression. Persistent and unrelenting stress often leads to anxiety and unhealthy behaviors like overeating and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Emotional states like grief, depression and some health conditions can also cause stress.
Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms, including:
- Twitching or Trembling
- Muscle tension or Headaches
- Sweating
- Dry mouth or difficulty swallowing
- Abdominal pain (may be the only symptom of stress, especially in a child)
- Dizziness
- Rapid or irregular heart rate
- Rapid breathing
- Diarrhea or frequent need to urinate
- Fatigue
- Irritability, including loss of your temper
- Sleeping difficulties and nightmares
- Decreased concentration
- Sexual problems
Certain drugs, both recreational and medicinal, can lead to symptoms of anxiety due to either side effects or withdrawal from the drug. Such drugs include caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, cold remedies, decongestants, bronchodilators for asthma, tricyclic antidepressants, cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, ADHD medications, and thyroid medications.
Provided you are medically fit with no known medical problem these symptoms can be helped.
