Everyone gets anxious at one time or another. Feeling nervous is normal especially if you are going through tense moments such as giving a public speech, having exams, an employment interview or experiencing a financial challenge. However, if your worry or feelings of fear become frequent to an extend of impeding your day to day life, you may be experiencing an anxiety attack. Knowing that you have an anxiety attack by yourself can be difficult particularly because anxiety comes in varied forms that include panic and social anxiety disorder s.

Identifying Symptoms of an Anxiety Attack

Anxiety attacks are frightening and cause a lot of distress. Though the symptoms may appear to be serious, they are not harmful by themselves; they are just vivid reactions to fear. Fear causes your body to release stress hormones that prepare it for action. It is the changes that stress hormones bring that make your body exhibit signs of a biochemical change. These signs indicate the amount of stress hormone in your body is high. Some health conditions do cause symptoms similar to those of anxiety, it is therefore important to see a doctor. Where your doctor attributes your symptoms to anxiety or stress, then the diagnosis is most likely correct. In most cases, it is easy to identify symptoms of an anxiety attack without confusing them other serious health conditions.

Common signs of an Anxiety Attack

Some common signs of anxiety attack include feelings of looming trouble, feelings of fear, confusion, burning sensation on the skin, and feeling dizzy, distressed and emotionally upset. Other signs include freaking out, increased heartbeat, tingling sensation, nausea, restlessness, interrupted sleep, and experiencing cold or hot chills. Some people experience tightness in the stomach area, breathing difficulties, pain in the shoulder and neck areas, and stuffed ears as a result of an anxiety attack.