11 Honest Signs You Actually Have Anxiety And It’s Not Just ‘Stress’

Lauren Jarvis-Gibson

1. You frequently find yourself thinking and fretting about things that happened weeks or months ago.

You can’t seem to let go of things from the past no matter how hard you try to clear your mind. Whether it’s about an argument with a friend, or a confrontation you had with your boyfriend, it still runs through your head constantly no matter how long it’s been.

2. When you make a mistake at work, or even in your personal life, you have a hard time letting it go and beat yourself up over it.

You despise letting others down, and when you do something wrong, you are your own worst enemy. You beat yourself up over every little thing that a lot of other people would be able to let go of. No matter how many times people tell you that ‘it’s fine’, you don’t believe it yourself.

3. You have trouble sleeping because you are playing over the day you just had in your head relentlessly.

Whether it’s waking up in the middle night with worry, or if it takes you a few hours to go to sleep because you are playing over every single thing that you did the day before, that’s not just stress talking, that’s anxiety.

4. Out of nowhere, your throat feels incredibly tight and it becomes hard to catch your breath.

Sometimes, you feel like it’s hard to get air into your lungs. While some may think it’s just asthma or a physical medical issue, anxiety can truly have scary effects on your body that you may not even be aware of.

5. You are constantly apologizing for the smallest of things that other people wouldn’t even think twice about.

You are the queen and king of overthinking every little detail and every little thing that could go wrong during your day. Even if something isn’t your fault, you find yourself apologizing to situations that weren’t even yours to apologize for.

6. You have thoughts about your future at least once a day, and can’t seem to calm down about what’s next for you.

Your future is a scary, scary thing to think about for you. You hate when people ask you what your plans are for the next few years and it makes you feel like you’re drowning. You feel like your life is this one giant race where you have to finish everything in time, and you put so much pressure on yourself to hit all the right marks.

7. You are known to be a nail biter, and do it without noticing.

Sometimes you bite your nails, and you don’t even realize that you are doing it. These little nervous ticks may seem like it’s no big deal, but it’s a sign that your mind is on overboard and is running out of energy.

8. You avoid confrontation at all costs.

Even the thought of confronting someone or being confronted by someone else, makes you feel queasy. When it comes to confrontation, you would rather go quiet and hide from everyone else to not have to deal with it.

9. Every once in a while, you feel a terrible sense of dread that you are in danger.

It could be on a plane, on your walk to work, or even in your own home. Feeling a sense of panic or dread is a definite sign that you are struggling with something more powerful than stress. Panic attacks are not just a sign that you are overworking yourself, it’s a true symptom of an anxiety disorder.

10. You have noticed that you have been having digestion problems that seem to happen after stressful situations or encounters.

Another physical symptom that anxiety can plague you with, is digestion troubles and stomach pains. If you have been having a lot of issues with that, you may want to think about what is causing this and what factors are playing into that.

11. You wake up with racing thoughts and questions in your mind about the day ahead of you.

Anxiety is a never ending cycle of thoughts, worry, and overall panic about what your life is turning out to be. If you have been having constant thoughts about the future, or even just tiny things that other people wouldn’t ever think twice about, that’s your anxiety talking. Anxiety is an extremely powerful disorder, and it can have a major impact on your well-being and overall health. Don’t ignore your body, and the thoughts that you tell yourself in your head.