Most people feel anxious about real life situations at one time or another and this anxiousness is just temporary. But people with severe generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are extremely worried about everyday things and many other things even when there is no reason to worry about them. Their anxiousness or fears are so severe that they cannot function normally and cannot do their everyday tasks. They have negative thoughts about almost everything and always think that something bad is about to happen.
The psychological symptoms of severe generalized anxiety disorder includes irritability, difficulty falling and staying asleep, cannot relax and extreme worries about almost anything without a real cause for at least 6 months. These psychological symptoms maybe accompanied by physical symptoms like hot flashes, nausea, heavy sweating, trembling, headache and pounding heartbeat. It could be very disabling to experience these symptoms and it is important to seek treatment to get rid of these symptoms.
Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms that are physical in nature can be divided into a few categories. First the disorder can affect the muscular system. The anxiety settles in the muscles, causing tension, aches, and soreness. This constant physical discomfort, added to the psychological symptoms, results in the person having difficulty sleeping or staying asleep.
Stress and anxiety go hand in hand, and to an extent, it helps to keep us more focused on what we need to do or be doing. But sometimes the anxiety generated by stress goes to an extreme, even becoming a devastating and irrational dread of normal everyday situations, and in this case, it has become a disabling disorder.
Most people who can be diagnosed as having generalized anxiety disorder go through their normal day filled with high levels of worry or tension. It may not appear that way to the outside observer but it is very real to the person afflicted with this disorder, even though nothing may have happened to provoke or bring out such feelings. People who are afflicted with this often have significant problems in sleeping soundly or even falling asleep. They have trouble just simply relaxing because their anxiety makes them feel like they need to be something to alleviate the undefined worries or concerns.
To learn more stimulating facts about generalized anxiety disorder, please check out anxiety definition.