Concentration for everyday tasks is very poor, you can only do one task at a time, slowly
You feel uncomfortable talking to strangers or acquaintances
You crave cigarettes more (if you are a smoker)
You leave your phone on silent
Small everyday things that happen, like being stuck in traffic or not finding a parking space really stresses you out
You are not able to relax when the natural pauses of the day come, example if waiting for a person to meet you.
You think about what you have said in conversations, how you are perceived, how you have reacted etc
You always have to be talking over others in a conversation, you cant pause
You are very anxious around colleagues in a professional workplace
Friendships are strained because you don’t have time to keep in touch you are so overwhelmed with life
You are always late. Always rushing
Always feel and think you have too much to do
You have to double check you have done things like turned off the oven, the hair straighteners etc
Your overwhelmed by all you have to do in a day at the workplace
Your sleep is disturbed
When anxiety is bad, you have no appetite and loose weight
You have dry mouth
You feel uncomfortable chatting to people you don’t have anything in common with
You think people are talking about you. He said, She said, conversations go around in your head. Rumination..
You over explain yourself when in conversation with others
Social events like weddings, hen parties and family parties cause you stress to prepare for and go to and you dont enjoy them
Your phone stresses you out when it rings because its another person looking for you
If you get a massage, do yoga for an hour you feel calm that day but then anxiety is back the next..
You question what others think about you, your life choices etc
Buying, renting or moving house is very stressfull
You feel stressed out by general life, work, all the friends you have to meet, all the exercise you need to be doing
You feel everything has to be done right now. You have difficulty leaving tasks to the next day
You never cry or have panic attacks it’s all internalised
You talk through the silent pauses, those natural lulls in a conversation
You hate small talk, so you give the impression that you are standoffish
You can’t see the new emails or text messages in your inbox
You cant manage answering the phone when you are doing other tasks
Your not steady in yourself you feel all over the place and uneasy
You can’t find the keys in your handbag
Social media stresses you out
You try to run the stress out of you by doing long runs and 10Ks
You get stressed out having to wait for an appointment, for example having to sit in a doctors surgery or in the bank
Work and staff is generally always stressful
You find it difficult to sit down in the evening. You feel like you have so many things to be doing
You have tension in your shoulders and chest
Tasks press on you. You feel anxious you feel everything has to be done in the one day
Constantly thinking about how late your going to be for the next thing on your list
You may have digestion issues like reflux, slow digestion, bloating, food sensitivities, diarrhea and or constipation
If several of the above symptoms are you then you should think about seeing your doctor and asking about suitable medication. You wont believe how wonderful everyday will become once you get well. Because I am very sensitive to herbs, medication, supplements everything stopped me sleeping so it took me 20 years to get on top of my anxiety but now i can help others because of all the experience iv had with taking things and doing talk therapies, I can help educate you about your medication options, about vitamins and herbs, learning how to support your vagus nerve, teach you mindfulness, breathing and calming your bodys response to stress and helping you eat a diet to support your mental health.
Fiona Murphy
For more on mental health and gut health see story highlights, posts and reels on instagram @gowithyourgutclinic
