4 Signs That Your Nervousness Could Be An Anxiety Disorder

Nervous feelings happen to everyone. But, if you’re often, or always, nervous, it’s worth taking the time to consider whether you might be dealing with an underlying anxiety disorder.

Clinical anxiety causes frequent nervousness and also involves parts of your psychology that you might not realize play a role in your symptoms. When you receive the correct diagnosis, you’re that much closer to effective treatment and lasting symptom relief.

Dr. Bryant S. Edwards treats new and existing patients with anxiety disorders from the Iconic Infusions, PLLC clinic in Briarwood Hills, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Dr. Edwards focuses on intravenous (IV) ketamine therapy as an effective treatment protocol for anxiety, depression, and more.

If any of these four signs of an anxiety disorder, rather than ordinary nerves, sound familiar to you, contact Dr. Edwards and learn more about treatments that can relieve your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Your nerves affect your sleep quality

When you’re faced with something challenging, exciting, or dangerous, nervousness helps keep you on your toes. Jitters before a big event, public speaking, or a new challenge are normal, and can even be helpful, putting your body and brain in a state of arousal so that you can handle whatever comes next.

But, when you’re living with an anxiety disorder, jitters and nervousness don’t go away after facing down challenges. Instead, nervous symptoms persist over time, even intruding into your resting hours at night.

Anxiety disorders often negatively affect sleep quality, causing insomnia or nightmares. If you regularly have a hard time falling asleep at night due to nervousness, or if you wake often from stressful dreams, an underlying anxiety disorder may be present.

You go out of your way to avoid triggers

Triggers that activate your nerves or anxiety response come in all shapes and sizes. Some triggers, like public speaking, are common, while others are less so.

It makes sense to avoid some types of triggers. For example, if you’re scared of heights, you may choose to avoid skydiving. However, avoidance of many types of triggers reduces your overall quality of life. Avoiding any and all public speaking may hinder you in your professional advancement. Or, avoiding triggers may damage your ability to maintain a healthy social life.

Going out of your way to avoid triggers may signal that something bigger than mere nervousness is going on with your mental health. If an anxiety disorder or mental health condition like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is at the root of your avoidance, seeking treatment can restore the full scope and quality of your life.

Your nerves don’t diminish after circumstances improve

Normal, healthy nerves typically subside after dealing with stressful or challenging situations. Your body gears up for a fight-or-flight response, the situation passes or improves, and your body and brain settle back down.

If you’re living with an anxiety disorder, though, your nervousness and jitters may continue even after your situation improves. You may not be able to point to a specific reason why you feel so stressed out so much of the time. That’s because of the underlying psychological nature of the anxiety disorder, which needs treatment to improve.

Your nervousness co-occurs with depression

Anxiety disorders often co-occur with depression. If you’re frequently nervous and also suffer from low energy, suppressed mood, or self-destructive thoughts, seek treatment and symptom relief by contacting Dr. Edwards.

To learn more about the treatments that can relieve your anxiety symptoms, including ketamine infusion therapy, schedule your initial consultation appointment by calling Iconic Infusions, PLLC today or request an appointment online.