Many people think of anxiety as a state of heightened stress and nervousness. But anxiety symptoms are wide-ranging. This condition can affect your mental and emotional health in different ways, and people often have unique experiences with anxiety. Furthermore, men and women do not always experience anxiety disorders in the same way.
Women are faced with different social expectations, which affect the anxiety symptoms that they develop. Sometimes, women may not even realize that they’re living with anxiety, because their experiences might not align with the typical symptom profile. Here are a few anxiety symptoms that women are more likely to experience.
1. Perfectionism
Many women feel like they are expected to essentially be perfect. They may feel like they can never mistakes while they juggle many hats. Lots of women struggle to be themselves in a world that wants to put them in a box or expects them to fit a certain mold. This is why lots of women struggle with intense perfectionism in connection with anxiety.
Women may worry that if they don’t meet certain high standards, they won’t be truly loved and appreciated. This can make anxiety worse. You might feel like nothing you do is ever quite good enough, but you need to keep striving for perfection anyway. Yet even when you know you’ve done your best, you can’t go easy on yourself.
2. Frequent Apologies
Have you ever felt like you were expected to apologize for something that was not your fault? Women may feel like they’re accountable for issues that are not really their responsibility. They are often expected to “manage” the emotions of people around them. If you’re anxious about letting people down, you might find yourself apologizing constantly. Even if you know, deep down, that you did nothing wrong, you may worry about how other people would view you if you didn’t apologize. For many women, drawing these boundaries is very difficult.
If you have anxiety, it can be even harder to distinguish when you actually owe someone an apology, or when your anxiety is simply making you feel like you’ve done something wrong. Women are often taught that they’re responsible for everyone around them, and anxiety can magnify this issue.
3. Catastrophic Thinking
Do you ever feel like even the smallest problems will inevitably spiral into something much worse? This is known as catastrophic thinking. Maybe you’re making plans for a future event, and even if everything is going smoothly, you might assume that you’ll inevitably run into a worst-case scenario. It can be hard to avoid imagining how things could go wrong.
If you’re a woman who is juggling several different roles and lots of responsibilities, you might be anxious about something going wrong in a certain area of your life at any given time. When things are going well at work, you may worry about potential problems popping up at home. It can feel impossible to truly shake this catastrophic thinking.
4. Physical Symptoms
Lots of women don’t just suffer from emotional symptoms of anxiety – they also deal with physical symptoms. Anxiety affects both the mind and body. You might struggle with stomach aches, insomnia, muscle aches, headaches, and other problems that leave you wondering if you have some sort of physical illness. However, stress can be very taxing on your body, and it can make you feel ill. If you’re caring for children or aging parents, the weight of worrying about them can make these symptoms even worse.
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Do you suspect that you’re dealing with symptoms of anxiety? Working with a therapist can help. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.