What is Anxiety?

Anxiety can be experienced in many different ways and there are several different types of anxiety disorders, but a lot of the symptoms of anxiety overlap. In this blog post I will talk about some of the common symptoms of anxiety and a few free online resources that may be helpful.  

Here are some of the symptoms of anxiety I commonly see in my office:

Difficulty falling and/or staying asleep
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Stomach and digestive issues
Difficulty controlling worrying
Avoiding people, places, or things that trigger the anxiety
Nightmares/bad dreams
Racing thoughts
Muscle tension
Headaches
Chest tightness


In children, sometimes anxiety can look a little different. Children will often complain of physical complaints, such as stomach aches. They may go to the nurse at school frequently or ask to go home or call home more often than other kids their age.  They may want to stay home from school more often than typical or have trouble sleeping in their own room.

The good news is there is treatment for anxiety.  If you are interested in learning more about anxiety and strategies you can use to help cope with anxiety, AnxietyBC is an excellent website and a great resource.  There is a ton of information on the website about anxiety and resources to help with it.  AnxietyBC created a free self-help app called MindShift which includes information about anxiety, strategies to deal with it, and relaxation exercises. Another one of my favorite apps to help anxiety is InsightTimer which is a free relaxation and meditation app.

If you are concerned that you or your child has anxiety, I highly recommend talking with a counselor. Counseling can be very useful in helping you learn skills and strategies to deal with the anxiety.

Thanks for reading!
-Rondale