Mario is a 42-year-old driver who hasn’t noticed his anxiety is increasing over time.
Whilst Mario would never share his feelings, he feels agitated or irritable most of the time. Mario is thinking that “I can’t calm myself down” but presents instead as angry at his coworkers rather than himself If someone parks in a wrong spot or doesn’t follow the company procedures, Mario gets angry.
Mario struggles to sleep at night, has twitching in his hands and excessive thirst.
Mario has anxiety.
Anxiety is our body’s response to danger. It is normal. Anxiety is not just feeling stressed or worried, it is when these feelings don’t subside and are ongoing without any particular reason or cause. Anxiety can look different for everyone and for Mario it is about not being able to control his feelings.
Anxiety Physical Symptoms
- Pounding/racing heart
- Dizziness and vertigo
- Sweating
- Muscle tension, tightness or clenching of the jaw.
- Shoulders
- Trouble sleeping or insomnia.
- Shortness of breath or feelings of suffocation or tightness across the chest
- Twitching muscles
- Excessive thirst
Anxiety Emotional Symptoms
- Feelings of anger and disappointment
- Unable to control emotions/short fuse
- Feeling in danger/spiraling out of control
- A racing mind
- Difficulty concentrating, finding it hard to think Irritability and edginess
- Rigid thinking and inability to see options outside of set rules and work requirements
- Need for structure and consistency
- Unreasonably high expectations of others
There are different types of anxiety, and everyone’s experience is a little different – to learn more about the types and treatments for anxiety, please click on our anxiety fact sheet.
DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Click on the links below to learn more on how you can seek help and support.
It sounds a bit like me – I AM Mario
