In layman terminology, anxiety attacks can be described as episodes of intense fear and panic. For instance, the night before board exams, experiencing a certain level of anxiety is believable. It is, in fact, good to be a little anxious, because then chances of scoring well run high, as you get more focused, alert and motivated. This type of anxiety has an active stimulus playing an important role. It is normal for people to worry or feel scared in a stressful situation. Having butterflies in your stomach or heart pounding hard is normal under such circumstances.
Contrary to above, there are times when people complain of high levels of anxiety, without an actual stimulus playing any role. Such people have been described as having anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks can be termed as a panic disorder, which leads to mental illness and physical ill health. These attacks can range from being mild to moderate to severe. It should be treated at the initial stages itself; else chances of them going out of control are extremely high. Most of the people, who complain about anxiety attacks, experience mild ones.
The symptoms of mild anxiety attack usually starts with slight dizziness, shortness of breath or trembling. If not treated on time, these symptoms may grow up to a feeling of passing out. Emotional changes also occur, which alter your whole being. However, symptoms of anxiety disorder, just like most of the other disorders, vary from person to person, depending on their unique chemical make up and the type, number, intensity and frequency of anxiety. To get detailed information on the emotional and physical symptoms of mild anxiety attacks, browse through the following lines.
Signs & Symptoms Of Mild Anxiety Attack
Emotional Symptoms
- Feelings of apprehension or dread
- Trouble in concentrating
- Feeling tense and jumpy
- Anticipating the worst
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Feeling detached or unreal
- Watching for signs of danger all the time
- Feeling like your mind’s gone blank
- Mood changes
- Surge of overwhelming panic
- Feeling of losing control or going crazy
- Feeling exhausted
- Repetitive thinking or incessant mind chatter
- Nightmares/ bad dreams
- Difficulty in following a conversation
Physical Symptoms
- Pounding heart
- Sweating
- Upset stomach
- Frequent urination or diarrhea
- Dizziness/ lightheadedness
- Blurred vision
- Tremors and twitches
- Muscle tension
- Loss of appetite
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Hyperventilation
- Trouble in breathing or choking sensation
- Hot flashes or chills
- Nausea or stomach cramps
- Allergy problems
- Neck, back, or shoulder pain
- Tightness/ stiffness in neck, back, or shoulder
- Night sweats
- Feeling lethargic and tired
- Tingling sensation
- Blanching (looking pale, loss of color in the face or skin)
- Body jolts/ body zaps
- Unexplained increase or decrease of body temperature
- Burning sensation in the skin
Factors That Trigger Anxiety Attack
- Smoking
- Excess caffeine
- Irregular sleep cycles or less sleep nightly
- Chronic pain syndromes, like migraine
- Fibromyalgia
- Untreated depression