It's normal to get worried and anxious when your child hops on the bus for his first day of school or when your mom tells you she found a lump in her breast. Everyone feels anxious sometimes. However, someone with generalized anxiety disorder worries constantly and worries about little things. Usually, this disorder is a long-term issue that can be treated with medication, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes.
Constant, Obsessive Worrying
People who suffer from this anxiety disorder are consumed by their worries and fears. They have issues at work or at school and have problems making and maintaining healthy relationships because of their constant, obsessive worrying. Someone with generalized anxiety disorder might spend half her day in fear that something bad will happen. She might start worrying when she first wakes up that she'll lose her job and have no money to pay the rent, worry during the day about her children at school and worry that her husband will get into a car crash on his way home from work.
Restlessness and Fatigue
People with generalized anxiety disorder usually feel restless. They might not be able to fall asleep at night because of constant worrying and they might wake up a few times during the night because of stress. They might not be able to fall back asleep if they wake up in the middle of night. The energy it takes to be on alert and worry on a regular basis has a significant impact on a person usually resulting in feelings of fatigue. The person might feel tired all day long, need to take a nap in the middle of the day, doze off while at work and have no energy once he gets home from work.
Trouble Concentrating
Another symptom of generalized anxiety disorder is trouble concentrating. A person with this disorder has to continually redirect her thoughts away from worrying. For example, someone at work might have to turn her thoughts back to her work every few minutes because of constant interruption. Also, fatigue and restlessness impact a person's ability to concentrate. This can lead to the person being demoted or fired, forgetting important dates or appointments and even having trouble following a conversation with a friend.
Physical Symptoms
People with this disorder suffer from an array of physical symptoms. They might get regular stomachaches and headaches, have tense muscles and suffer from back pain. Someone with this disorder might seek help from his doctor, and the doctor might not be able to find any medical cause for the problems. Also, when the person is having fearful thoughts, he might start sweating and his heart might start racing.
Irritability
All of the above symptoms often lead people with this disorder to become irritable. They are more likely to start arguments with friends and family members and snap at work. This can cause relationship problems, which only exacerbate the symptoms of the disorder.
