5 of the Most Bizarre Anxiety Symptoms

Many, many people suffer from anxiety symptoms. In fact, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) a staggering 40 million to be exact and that is a whole lot of anxiety!

However, the true figure of anxiety sufferers worldwide is not known. Indeed, it is well documented that many people with anxiety disorder do not seek any medical help or treatment, at all.

Furthermore, according to a 2009 medical study anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health problems in the world. Why is this?

Some specialists suggest it is because of the ever-increasing demands of the modern world coupled with the onslaught of mobile phones and social media.

This post will examine some of the classic anxiety symptoms, together with some more unusual anxiety symptoms so that you can assess if your anxiety levels are too high for good health.

People keep telling me to keep calm.

Well, keep calm then Jess.

I can’t keep calm because I have anxiety.

Classic Anxiety Symptoms

Firstly, nearly all of us will have experienced and recognise some of the classic anxiety symptoms.

However, fear and anxiety, in moderation, have been helpful to our well-being and survival and are a natural part of life.

However, when anxiety takes over there are all sorts of both physical and emotional symptoms that can overwhelm us.

So, before we look at the more unusual anxiety symptoms, let’s take a look at some of the classic anxiety symptoms that most of us will be familiar with.

I’m a terrible worrier.

Worry is a strange one. It’s a bit like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain.

Some Classic Physical Anxiety Symptoms

Extreme Tiredness and Fatigue
Aching muscles and/or muscle tension
Profuse sweating
Chest tightness or racing heart beat and palpitations
Sleeping issues: sleeping too much or too little
Sweating, shaking and trembling
Stomach upsets such as nausea, diarrhea or tummy ache
Headaches
Breathlessness or shortness of breath

Some Classic Psychological Anxiety Symptoms

Excessive worrying or ruminating
A feeling of impending doom or dread
Being uptight or “on edge” a lot of the time
Concentration problems
Unusually irritable or angry
Exaggerated startle response: that is being ‘jumpy’ and nervous

That’s me. Anxiety moose. I am able to jump to the worse conclusion in one single bound.

So, what do you do about it Moose?

Because of my highly strung nature, I have developed a desktop computer app where I give regular, daily tips to help you.

Bizarre Anxiety Symptoms

Much as many of us have experienced the above symptoms of anxiety all too often in our lives, there are quite a few other symptoms that you wouldn’t think are related to anxiety.

We are going to take a look at a few of them below:-

1) Excessive Burping

Yes, really! Just to add insult to injury excessive burping is a problem that may be associated with anxiety.

Although gastrointestinal symptoms are reported in around 50% of the population they are even more common in those suffering from anxiety.

The excessive belching is caused firstly, by swallowing air due to breathing changes, such as hyperventilation. Secondly, anxiety affects the digestive process resulting in all sorts of problems including food not being digested properly.

A combination of these two factors can lead to excessive burping, both in private and in public.

Yawning and burping, I do both really often so I think I must have anxiety.

Oh really Hector? If you were any more laid back you would be horizontal.

I agree Hector … you’re just a pig … and it’s not always just burping is it?

2) Cold Feet?

There is a reason why the common phrase, ‘have you got cold feet?’ is asked when a person is anxious about some new venture, whether it be a relationship, a planned trip or a new job.

Although, there are many medical reasons why people may suffer with cold feet, and sometimes hands too and anxiety is one of the hidden causes.

Again, the reasons for this are based on the physical response of the body to stress. Firstly, when your body reacts to stress sweating is increased to cool down the body for the expected fight or flight. Thus, the extremities are cooled down.

Secondly, the blood tends to gravitate towards the central organs in preparation to face the threat, leaving the feet and hands cold.

Thirdly, and often overlooked, is that people with anxiety tend to focus much more on altered body sensations (this is why anxiety is linked, in many studies to increased pain) and this only serves to increase the discomfort of cold feet.

There is nothing quite like putting your cold bare feet into fresh cow dung on a cold winters day. Works a treat for me!

3) Excessive Yawning

Yawning is a surprising, yet common symptom of anxiety.

Firstly, in the normal stress response, the heart rate and respiratory rate increases. In addition, the muscles of the body tighten in preparation to either flee from the enemy or fight them (the fight-or-flight response ).

Thus, it is the physical changes that can cause excessive yawning in people suffering from ongoing anxiety, especially those that suffer from anxiety attack.

In addition, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), used in the treatment for some anxiety disorders, have been shown to have a side effect of excessive yawning.

So, if you are suffering from any of the classic symptoms of anxiety and find that you are yawning all the time, this may be a sign to seek medical help.

Wow! I thought that a yawn is just a silent scream for coffee.

If you see somebody else yawn you usually yawn too. So, if someone is excessively yawning most people in the room will start yawning.

This is true it is called contagious yawning.

4) Hot Lips and Burning Tongue

Yes, this one is very odd, but many patients with anxiety suffer with a burning sensation of the mouth. Often patients with burning mouth syndrome may also experience a metallic taste.

The sensation in the mouth or tongue can vary from pain, burning, swelling or tingling.

Interestingly, it is often the tongue that is the most affected but sometimes it can be the whole mouth including the lips, gums and palate.

As mentioned earlier, people with anxiety tend to focus more on any unusual symptoms which only serves to heighten the sensations.

Strangely enough, burning mouth syndrome is not accompanied by any obvious physical causes for the sensation.

Medical studies have confirmed that burning mouth syndrome can be a symptom of both anxiety and depression.

I often have a burning mouth sensation.

Do you Hector? Maybe you should take a quick online anxiety test.

No need for that. It’s because of all the hot stuff that comes out of my mouth.

Hot air, more like!

5) Brain Lightning or Brain Shivers

This anxiety symptom is not very well recorded and so does not have a proper medical name yet.

It has come about on a lot of internet site forums a strange electrical-type sensation in the brain, head or sometimes both. Sometimes these electrical sensations can shoot from the brain and around the body too. The most commonly-used term for this strange symptom of anxiety is ‘brain shivers‘.

The experience may vary from person to person but common features are ‘electrical’ sensations and dizziness.

According to one clinical trial the earliest reported use of the term ‘brain shivers’ is found in 1999 in relation to withdrawal from the antidepressant drug Venlafaxine, a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

However, since the early 1980’s patients have described electric shock like sensations as well as ‘fizzing’ in the brain and head.

Jeff Aronson, a clinical pharmacologist, in his paper entitled ‘Bottled Lightning’ suggests that a possible medical term for this strange symptom of anxiety would be ‘neurastrapy’, which means “nerve lightning” or encephalastrapy, brain lightning.

Other terms found on the internet to describe brain lightning include ‘watermelon head‘ ‘brain zaps‘ and ‘brain flips‘.

In Danish too, we have ‘Svimmelhed’

What to do if you experience any of these Symptoms

If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, firstly try to work out if you have any other of the classic anxiety symptoms.

The first step, according to the American Psychiatric Association, is to seek advice from your family physician to rule out any underlying medical condition.

If your symptoms are related to anxiety, the good news is, that most of these respond very well to treatment.

Treatment for Anxiety includes:-

Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Relaxation training and therapy
Cognitive restructuring
Psychodynamic therapy
Relapse prevention techniques
Other types of behavioral therapy
Medications: such as SSRI’s or a tricyclic antidepressant

Questions and Answers

Q: Hi, I suffer from social anxiety and I have an odd symptom. When I am in a social situation, I often blush when somebody speaks to me. However, the blush then escalates to a burning sensation on my face that can last for hours. What do you think?

Burning face sensation, as it is known, has been well documented and is a known symptom of anxiety.

Thus, flushing of the skin can occur because of an overstimulated nervous system as part of the body’s autonomic arousal.

However, the burning face sensation is absolutely nothing to worry about and should subside once the underlying cause of the anxiety is addressed.

Social anxiety disorder responds well to a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. In addition, educating yourself on social phobia and avoidant personality disorder (which is a more severe form) may help.

Furthermore, there are a lot of self-help groups and resources on the internet and a good place to start is at the social anxiety institute.

Sometimes I get so stressed that I get on my own nerves!

Q: I suffer with panic attacks and I when I become really anxious my pupils are huge and sometimes I get a pulsating feeling too.

Anxiety has very real effects on the body. People with panic disorder will get a huge surge of adrenaline during a panic attack and this dilates the pupils.

Furthermore, the dilated pupils may cause light sensitivity in some sufferers, or indeed the throbbing or pulsating sensation that you describe.

Other common eye symptoms are, watery eyes, little floating shapes in front of the eyes and blurred vision, all of which can be quite scary.

Again, these symptoms are nothing to worry about and the key here is to treat the underlying disorder and get help with controlling the anxiety attacks.

You know that your pupils dilate when you look at somebody you love?

Mine dilate when I see donuts. Honestly, they really do.

References

Bystritsky B, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J. (2013) Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders P T. 2013 Jan; 38(1): 30-38, 41-44, 57 (Retrieved August 12^th 2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23599668
Abetz LM, Savage NW. (2009) Burning mouth syndrome and psychological disorders. (Retrieved December 15^th 2016) Aust Dent J. 2009 Jun;54(2):84-93; quiz 173. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19473148

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