Anxiety Listorama… how many anxiety symptoms do you share?

Anxiety is a common symptom of bipolar disorder.   It’s especially prevalent when you’re depressed or in a dysphoric manic episode.  I did a talk in California a few months ago and asked the audience to write down their anxiety symptoms. Here’s the list- wow- there are a lot. How many do you share?

ANXIETY SYMPTOMS

FEARFUL      SCARED     UPSET STOMACH     NAUSAUS WHEN WAKING     SHORTNESS OF BREATH     HEART PALPITATIONS   ROCKING BACK AND FORTH   INABILITY TO FOCUS   IRRATIC THINKING   FOOT TAPPING   CANT CONCENTRATE     SWEATING   BREATHING HARD  THINK I’M HAVING A HEART ATTACK   PANIC   PAIN   OVER THE TOP EMOTIONS   PACING   RESTLESS LEGS   CAN’T SLEEP  MIND WON’T SHUT UP   OBSESSIVE   EAT A LOT   ANGRY   LACK OF MOTIVATION   UNABLE TO MOVE FORWARD   SCARED SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN     HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES   FEEL CLAUSTROPHOBIC  BUZZED ALL OVER FEELING  DREAD  TENSION IN SHOULDERS   WORRIED I’VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG BUT I CAN’T REALLY FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS  WRING MY HANDS     CAN’T SIT STILL    HAVE THE THOUGHT THAT I HAVE TO GET OUT OF WHEREEVER I AM   RUNNING AWAY    CAN’T DRIVE   FEEL LIKE I’M GOING TO DIE   UNABLE TO THINK RATIONALLY    CATOSTROPHIC THINKING    RAPID PULSE   CAN’T EAT AT ALL   WANT TO DRINK COFFEE WHICH IS SO STUPID   NEED TO DRINK TO CALM DOWN    SAD AND LONELY    FEEL LIKE IT WILL NEVER END    DISORGANIZED   HEAVY DARKNESS OVER MY HEAD    MEAN    EMOTIONAL    NERVOUS TICS   TREMORS   EXCESSIVE TALKING  WHITE GAUZE OVER MY EYES   SHAKING HANDS    SWEATY HANDS   FEEL LIKE I’M GOING TO PASS OUT    CAN’T TALK    WANT TO BOLT    TENSE MUSCLES    DEPRESSION   PAIN IN CHEST    FRUSTRATION    FEEL UNSURE   SIGHING    NO CONFIDENCE   CAN’T SEE A WAY OUT    HYPERACTIVE    SOCIAL PROBLEMS

oh my…. no wonder anxiety can be so hard to treat! The first step is to write down your own anxiety symptoms so that you can separate yourself from the anxiety- then you can create a plan to take care of the anxiety so that you can get on with life. This is how the Health Cards work. We have to know what we are up against in order to get better.

Julie