Do You Have These Symptoms?
Physiological Symptoms
Do you feel:
weak all over?
heart palpitations?
tightness around your chest?
hyperventilation (a feeling that you can't get enough air)?
periodic dizziness and sweating?
muscle tension, aches, or tremors?
chronic fatigue?
Cognitive Symptoms
Do you have these thoughts:
I can't carry on. I've got to get out of here.
What if I make a fool of myself?
People are looking at me all the time.
I'm having a heart attack.
I'm going to faint.
I'm going crazy.
I can't go on alone; no one will help.
I can't go out; I'll lose control.
I feel confused and can't remember things.
Emotional Symptoms
Do you think:
I'm full of fears I can't get out of my mind.
I feel as if something terrible is going to happen.
I worry excessively.
I feel uneasy and alone a lot of the time.
I often feel isolated, lonely, and depressed.
I feel I have no control over what happens to me.
I feel embarrassed, rejected, and criticized.
I often feel like screaming with anger.
SCORING
This checklist isn't designed to be a diagnostic tool; rather, it's intended to communicate the variety of symptoms people with anxiety disorder experience.
However, if you're experiencing at least three symptoms in each category, your anxiety level is starting to be a problem, espe-cially if you experience the symptoms often.
If you're experiencing more than three symptoms in each category and aren't in treatment for an anxiety-related problem, consult a professional immediately. It's better to be safe than regret your failure to take action at a later point.
From The Anxiety Cure, by Dr. Archibald D. Hart. © 1999 Used by permission of Word Publishing.
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today/Today's Christian Woman magazine.
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Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women
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