15. You have aches, repetitive habits, and tics
Certain habits may indicate an underlying level of anxiety. These habits such as hair twisting or pulling, scratching, fingernail biting, knuckle cracking and lip chewing may be clues that you are not dealing with your anxiety as well as you thought you were. You continuously perform these repetitive actions to release your nervous energy – even if you seem quite calm in other ways.
Shoulder and neck pain, as well as a constant knot in the stomach, are common signs of high-functioning anxiety. Your anxiety ‘leaks out’ in the form of physical pain. When you’re experiencing a high level of anxiety, your body is like a car with the engine racing, but it’s not in gear and moving forward. Your body releases adrenaline and your blood vessels constrict which causes tension, and this constant tension has negative side effects.
Anxious people will often fidget or act restlessly. They cannot sit; still, they pace the floor, wring their hands, adjust their clothing, play with their jewelry, or mindlessly tap their fingers on a table. They may play incessantly with objects on their desks, swing their legs or keep tapping their feet up and down on the floor. Some people grind their teeth while they sleep and wake up with a sore jaw.
Many people suffer from these kinds of symptoms, but they have commonly brushed aside and may not even be recognized as being caused by anxiety. If you realize that anxiety causes many of your symptoms, you can get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Early treatment may prevent severe mental and physical complications that may occur when anxiety is experienced over an extended period.