Types of anxieties and characteristics of each anxiety

Anxieties include several components:

The emotional component

Characterized first and foremost by a crippling fear, which causes us a feeling of helplessness and loss of control. This emotional component is like a snowball, with each additional anxiety attack the fear and terror threshold increases and affects our quality of life.

The mental component

In which the thoughts take over us and are wrapped in the worries that keep sleep out of our eyes. Thoughts with signs of anxiety can accompany us throughout the day with a low and disturbing level of anxiety / fear / apprehension. Sometimes these troublesome thoughts can cause an anxiety attack where we are sure that the worst is happening to our loved one or to us.

The physical component

The physical signs of anxiety are many and varied and are characterized by: a slight feeling of tension, in the body and muscles, a rapid pulse, chest tightness, headaches and neck pain, tremor and lack of control.

Types of anxiety:

Thinking anxiety – This anxiety disorder is very common. Its main characteristic is the constant preoccupation with bothersome thoughts that take over us and cause us stress and pressure most of the day. The negative thoughts, can be characterized in any of the areas of life, namely:

1. Studies – fear of not meeting the course assignments, constant fear of not understanding the content, etc. This anxiety can appear at any age and develop into additional symptoms such as: difficulty concentrating and understanding the substance, fatigue, sleep disorders, stuttering and more (which raises the level of stress and anxiety) during most hours of the day, and regardless of the actual event. Negative worries and thoughts are constant and take over all areas of life (studies, work, relationships, social relationships, etc.). The physical symptoms that accompany a generalized anxiety disorder are: fatigue, difficulty concentrating, weakness, irritability and sleep disorders.
2. Relationships – troublesome thoughts in the nature of the relationship, in its seriousness, in mutual training, thoughts that can damage the self-image and weaken us emotionally and physically. Here, too, mental anxiety can be accompanied by physiological sensations such as: unexplained fatigue, abdominal pain, headaches, lack of sleep and more.
3. Social connections – This anxiety is usually diagnosed in the mid-teens, but is also found in elementary school children. If left untreated, it can cause depression in old age. It can be identified when the child explains about the feelings and thoughts that cause them not to take a break with their classmates. The negative thoughts and concerns cause them to have minimal communication with their peers which harms them socially and academically. Anxiety can be characterized by physical symptoms such as: sweating, rapid pulse, abdominal pain, crying for no reason, tantrums, etc.

Panic Disorder – A panic / anxiety attack is characterized by a state of intense and extreme fear, which reaches a peak within ten minutes and lasts about half an hour. Anxiety attacks appear at first without a trigger (external factor) and later they can reach extreme situations of complete avoidance of exposure to crowded public places. Panic / anxiety attacks are accompanied by severe physical symptoms: dry mouth, heartbeat disorders, respiratory disorders, involuntary tremors, excessive sweating, chest tightness, gastrointestinal disorders, irrational and constant fear of the worst (death / life-threatening).

Specific Anxiety – A phobia is a state of fear and extreme anxiety attack, focused on a specific object, animal or specific situation. The anxiety response is extreme, disproportionate and does not correspond to reality. For example: anxiety about insects, anxiety about knives, anxiety about buttons, anxiety about trucks or large vehicles, etc.

Social Anxiety – One of the common types of anxiety is characterized by social anxiety, which is manifested in extreme and irrational fear. People who are characterized as suffering from social anxiety are afraid to interact with people and as a result enter a cycle of avoiding social exposure and avoiding forming couple relationships. The phenomenon impairs the quality of life and daily functioning, and often, also causes mental depression.

Agoraphobia – Agoraphobia expresses people’s fear of crowded public places and large, open spaces. People suffering from this phenomenon avoid traveling by train / bus or going to crowded places like malls and shopping centers.