14 Unexpected Symptoms of Anxiety – Have You Experienced Any?
Its often more than just feeling scared and anxious…
While some of the most well-known symptoms of anxiety are feeling fearful and nervous, there is more to it. We gathered some reader experiences with unexpected symptoms of anxiety and added some of our own to help people get an even more complete image of what it can encompass. There might even be more unexpected symptoms of anxiety (otherwise they wouldnt be unexpected), so feel free to add your own! As an added note: please be kind and respectful. Some people might find some of these symptoms logical or straightforward, but for the people who sent in their contributions, they were more unexpected. Please stay aware that anxiety is different for everyone. What might be unexpected symptoms of anxiety for some, might be expected for others. Some contributors preferred to stay anonymous, which is totally fine!
Its not just fear…
One of the most unexpected things about having anxiety, at least for me, is that I will become incredibly sad and cry over nothing. When I have an anxiety attack I will get nervous which makes the attack even worse.
Sometimes its not that obvious
I get slight shakes and to me, I pause more in speech but everyone denies seeing both. I never knew anxiety could be so… hidden when I was younger and I always thought my panic attacks and sensory overload were normal but… it turns out theyre the end result of ignoring my more minor symptoms.
More than just emotional symptoms
The most unexpected symptom of anxiety: I have had so much anxiety for so long that it is difficult to go to the bathroom.
My bowels absolutely went mad. Whenever my anxiety was high Id get horrible painful stomach cramps.
Never knew Id get more anxious about this one
Anxiety for me always revolves around time. Its like a clock that forever controls my life. I worry about everything I do because I think about what might be the worst outcome in the future. It also feels like that same clock is constantly crushing and weighing you down in life until you cant get back up.
Sleepless nights
A lot of people expect that you might feel most anxious during the day. An unexpected symptom of anxiety can be the loss of sleep. One of the most unexpected problems Ive had is being so anxious it causes insomnia. the countless number of times Ive stayed up for days straight because Im too anxious about things happening around me.
Overactive insides
A symptom of my anxiety is the constant need to use the toilet before I go anywhere, after reaching a place and sometimes on the way. Knowing there is a toilet and it is accessible without causing embarrassment is when I am calm. I even have to return home or go to a random toilet somewhere on the way due to it.
Sometimes it lasts so long it seems like a personality
The most unexpected thing about my anxiety was how my fear seemed to alter or control so much of my personality (e.g. optimism, how much I spoke) Although now this seems obvious to me, I realize I will never quite been seen for who I really am.
The way you speak
One unexpected problem that Ive started to experience is stumbling over my words, and stuttering so much that I kind of shut down can cant even complete the sentence.
More than just shyness
Sometimes my anxiety gets too bad I just go mute for a while. I just cant get the words to come out.
…and when youre finally sleeping
However, one of my unexpected symptoms of having anxiety is waking up in a panic from a deep sleep, not knowing why Im freaking out and just sitting there until I can go back to bed. Sometimes Ill sit there for 3 hours.
Never knowing when it strikes, which makes me even more anxious…
For me, the worst thing about anxiety is the sudden rush of bad feelings I get sometimes. Like one day I felt I was doing something poorly and the phone ring made me feel like someone was calling to reprimand me so I felt this terror/guilt/shame all at once for a second before realizing it was just my wake up alarm.
When your mind is going 100 miles an hour
Something surprising about anxiety to myself: I simultaneously love and hate everything Im doing. I love being at home but hate that Im not saying that time with someone Ive been wanting to see. Or Im enjoying some people and still wishing I could go home and stop spending so much energy trying to properly socialize. Balance is almost impossible.
Caught up in trust
When I started going to counseling and healing I was able to analyze the symptoms I experiences that were not normal. Some that were unexpected were: picturing something bad happening with every scenario and not being able to escape that thought, fainting, and not being able to trust me or others.
The eyes, the eyes
When my anxiety is high, I get trouble focusing. My eyes just go a bit blurry and my mind is racing.
Have you ever experienced anxiety? What were some of your unexpected symptoms of anxiety?
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@Jenna
I can relate to this anxiety. I'm struggling with sleep loss and it has a profound effect on a person. I've come to the point to where I've accepted the sleep loss. Thinking about it does not help.
My vision is affected as well. At night is when I am affected. Car lights are blinding! This makes me angry, like people are doing this intentionally.
I too go mute during conversations. I never was a good communicator so this validates it.
I was having panic attacks but, thankfully, as I gained an understanding of what was happening in my mind/thoughts, the attacks ceased.
I've turned to "addictive" behaviors to help with the feelings of hopelessness and anger but it only takes the edge off temporarily.
I perceive that friends have been avoiding me, or maybe I'm avoiding them. I tell them and myself that "I'm not very good with people". I tell them this so they won't be offended by my behavior. Sometimes this backfires. People don't understand that I'm trying to help them.
A positive end will come to all this.
@Goodtogo1
That sounds like a really tough experience, and I appreciate you sharing it. Sleep loss alone can be exhausting, but when it starts affecting your vision, emotions, and relationships, it makes everything feel even heavier. You mentioned accepting the sleep loss, has that brought you any sense of peace, or is it more of a survival mindset?
It’s interesting that you recognize your tendency to go mute in conversations. Do you feel like it’s always been that way, or has it gotten more noticeable over time?
I’m really glad to hear that your understanding of your thoughts helped ease the panic attacks. What do you think made the biggest difference in getting to that point?
As for your friendships, it sounds like you’re trying to be upfront and protect them from misunderstanding your behavior, but it doesn’t always land the way you intend. How do you feel when people pull away?
@Jenna I am a substance abuse counselor and tomorrow I am doing a session on anxiety leading up to the group watching Inside Out 2. Well, I cannot find my session. I have peer reviewed articles, worksheets, handouts, and it is all missing. I know you understand the feeling of this Panic flowing through me right now. It occurred yesterday as well, my session on embarrassment and jealousy just magically disappeared. Session thief fairies? I told myself yesterday that it probably got locked up in my last job who didn't pay the rent for 2 months and now I have to wait on their lawyers in order to get my supplies, but I got so paranoid a few years ago that I started bringing my sessions home. Where. Are. They? It's almost 8pm, I have to be at work at 9am all cheery and ready to serve up an educational lesson on anxiety and what not and I am in panic mode. I came across this thread while searching for new, or the same articles for my session. My heart is racing, I'm grinding my teeth, and I feel like I want to go hide in my closet for 2 days, which, by the way, I actually did a few years ago after my mother passed away on my birthday. I have had panic attacks at work on every single birthday since. My stomach feels like it's a black hole that is going to suck the rest of me inside (that's the only way to describe it,) luckily my doctor is an angel sent from the Great Being in the sky who started prescribing me zofran because my anxiety would get so out of control I couldn't eat without throwing up and then I'd just dry heave for days. I am on 2 medications that keep it at bay, most of the time. My husband is laying on the family room floor snoring when he knows damn well that I feel like my aneurysm might burst and yes, I have an aneurysm. My life is fun. I am so very surprised I have not relapsed on heroin just to shut up the wailing to run and hide that is in my head. People who do not have a diagnosis of some type of anxiety have no idea what we struggle with. My husband has told me I'm overreacting, I left for two days and stayed with a friend, the pull to see my toddler was too strong and I went home. Some days I think, "I just can't anymore, it's too hard." I'm tired all the time, I have to teach people in recovery about anxiety tomorrow and my material is missing? What a joke my life has become!
@PotterFan42
That sounds unbelievably overwhelming, and I can only imagine how frustrating and exhausting this must feel for you. You’ve put so much work into these sessions, and now, at the last minute, they’ve disappeared on a topic that already has your anxiety heightened. That’s a lot to carry, and I hear how much you're struggling to keep it together while still showing up for others.
First, I want to acknowledge how strong you are. You’re navigating your own anxiety while helping others through theirs, and that is no small thing. It takes an incredible amount of resilience to keep going, even when it feels like everything is working against you. What helps you when the panic gets this intense?
Also, do you have any backup materials or notes, even if they’re not as complete as what you originally prepared? If you had to, could you piece something together based on what you remember? I know that’s not ideal. I hear you about feeling unseen in your anxiety. My mother does it to me all the time. "You have nothing to be anxious about. Stop worrying." Having someone tell you you’re overreacting when you’re in distress can make it feel even lonelier. I want you to know that your feelings are completely valid. This is a real struggle, and you deserve support and understanding, not dismissal. Who in your life has been a safe person to talk to when things feel this overwhelming?