Common Signs of Anxiety Disorder
The most common signs of an anxiety disorder are persistent worry that's hard to switch off, physical symptoms such as a racing heart, muscle tension and poor sleep, and a growing habit of avoiding situations that trigger fear. The key difference from everyday stress is that the anxiety sticks around for weeks or months and starts to limit what you do.
Anxiety shows up in four areas: the body, your thinking, your emotions and your behaviour. Most people notice some signs in each.
Physical signs
Anxiety activates the body's threat system, often called the fight-or-flight response. Stress hormones such as adrenaline prepare you to deal with danger, which is useful when danger is real and exhausting when it isn't. Common physical signs include:
racing or pounding heart
shortness of breath, or a feeling you can't get a full breath
tight chest, shoulders or jaw
nausea, "butterflies", diarrhoea or reduced appetite
sweating, shaking or hot and cold flushes
headaches and muscle aches
trouble falling asleep, or waking at 3am with a busy mind
constant tiredness, even after rest
Physical symptoms are one of the main reasons people with anxiety see their GP first, sometimes several times, before anxiety is identified. It's sensible to rule out medical causes (thyroid problems, for example, can mimic anxiety), and it's equally worth considering anxiety once those have been checked.
Cognitive signs (how you think)
Worry that jumps from one topic to the next and is hard to control
Catastrophising: going straight to the worst possible outcome
"What if" thinking that runs on repeat
Difficulty concentrating or your mind going blank
Overestimating danger and underestimating your ability to cope
Replaying conversations afterwards and picking them apart
Needing certainty before you can relax
Worry often feels productive. Many people believe it helps them prepare. In practice, chronic worry rarely produces better decisions. It mostly produces more worry.
Emotional signs
Feeling on edge, keyed up or restless
Irritability, especially when tired or overloaded
A sense of dread without a clear reason
Feeling overwhelmed by tasks that used to be manageable
Low mood, which often develops alongside long-term anxiety
Behavioural signs
Behaviour is where anxiety quietly takes over, because many of these habits look reasonable on the surface.
Avoidance: declining invitations, putting off phone calls, avoiding driving or crowded places
Safety behaviours: only going out with a trusted person, sitting near exits, over-preparing for meetings
Reassurance-seeking: repeatedly asking others if things are okay, or googling symptoms
Checking: re-reading emails, checking locks or appliances, monitoring your body
Procrastination: delaying tasks that feel threatening, then feeling worse about the delay
Using substances such as alcohol to take the edge off
Each of these brings short-term relief. The catch is that relief teaches your brain the situation was genuinely dangerous, which keeps the anxiety going.
A quick self-check
This isn't a diagnostic test, but it can help you decide whether to talk to someone. Over the past few weeks, have you:
Felt nervous, anxious or on edge on more days than not?
Found it hard to stop or control worrying?
Noticed physical tension, restlessness or trouble sleeping?
Avoided situations, people or tasks because of anxiety?
Relied on reassurance, checking or other habits to feel okay?
Found anxiety affecting your work, study, relationships or enjoyment of life?
If you answered yes to several of these, it's worth talking to your GP or a psychologist. Standardised screening tools such as the GAD-7 or the K10 are often used as a starting point, and a psychologist can then look at what's driving the anxiety and what type it is.
Anxiety can look different in different people
Anxiety doesn't always look like panic. In high-functioning adults, particularly women juggling work and family, it often looks like perfectionism, over-organising, difficulty delegating, irritability and feeling "tired but wired". From the outside it can look like coping well. Inside, it feels like constantly bracing for something to go wrong.
In new parents, anxiety may centre on the baby's health and safety, with intrusive thoughts that can be frightening. We cover this in postnatal depression and anxiety.
When to seek help
Book an appointment if anxiety has lasted more than a few weeks, is getting worse, or is shrinking your life. You don't need to wait until it becomes severe; anxiety is generally easier to treat before avoidance becomes entrenched.
If you experience chest pain, severe breathlessness or symptoms you haven't had checked, see a doctor first. If you ever feel unsafe, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
What happens next
Anxiety responds well to psychological treatment, particularly CBT, ACT and exposure-based approaches. Our complete guide to anxiety treatment on the Gold Coast explains what therapy involves, how Medicare rebates work and the ways you can attend sessions with us, including telehealth and Walk and Talk therapy.
This article is general information and isn't a substitute for professional assessment.