Therapist Reveals 10 Ways Hidden Anxiety Can Make You Feel 'Crazy'

Anxiety therapist Joshua Fletcher is on a mission to help people experiencing strange feelings and weird symptoms that they don't know how to manage. Often, they don't know why they're having these feelings and wonder if something is seriously wrong with them. The good news? You're probably not going "crazy", which is how it can feel sometimes to be in the throes of anxiety. 

The first step, as always, is to visit your healthcare provider and let them know what you're going through. Oftentimes they can help, even if what you're going through is rooted in anxiety. In the meantime, see below for Joshua Fletcher's breakdown of ten common (but often misunderstood) symptoms of anxiety, which he shared in an informative and reassuring video.

10 ways anxiety can make you feel 'crazy' — even though you're not

1. Heart palpitations and skipped beats

Is your heart racing and do you feel pounding in your chest or pulsing in your throat? These heart palpitations are common symptoms of anxiety disorder.

The Cleveland Clinic writes, "Anxiety sets off the body’s “fight or flight” response as part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)."

And when you start feeling anxious or uneasy about a situation, your body's ANS kicks into gear, speeding up your heart rate. 

2. Derealization 

Feeling detached lately? Feeling like you're in a dream and have zero control over your body?

If this sounds like you, know that you're not alone. Many people with an anxiety disorder feel disconnected or detached from the world around them. 

However, discovering ways to ground yourself, such as through meditation or exercise, can be a great way to stay centered. 

3. Breathing out of rhythm

Another sign of anxiety disorder is irregular breathing. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "Several anxiety disorders have been associated with altered breathing, perception of breathing and response to manipulations of breathing."

Now knowing this, if you want to control your anxiety, you might want to try engaging in some deep breathing exercises. 

4. Nausea and bloating

When you're feeling anxious you might begin to have a hard time eating. After all, it's hard to eat anything when you feel sick all the time.

According to former biomedical scientist Katie McCallum, "Outside of your brain, your digestive system contains the second largest number of nerves in your body. Some scientists even call your gut your "second brain."

Because of this, the chemicals enacted when you're feeling anxious cause your digestive system to go out of whack, making it difficult to eat.

RELATED: 5 Things People With Anxiety Disorders Say Often

5. Googling for reassurance

Do you find yourself googling your symptoms constantly? If this is you, then this could be a sign of anxiety disorder. 

You see, when dealing with anxiety it's easy to feel stressed all the time. And because of this, we unconsciously look for ways to control our stress levels. 

And turning to Google to make sense of your symptoms, is a coping mechanism for some people, to reassure themselves that nothing is wrong.

6. Compulsively body checking 

When you're anxious your body will begin to feel out of place. Your heart rate will increase, tremors will run through your body, and your breathing will become irregular. 

When this happens we'll unconsciously check ourselves to see if we are physically okay. 

7. Loud, racing, thoughts

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, "GAD usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread that interferes with how you live your life."

This dread can turn into recurring thoughts, making it difficult for you to concentrate. And if you find yourself having these loud, racing thoughts, then you likely have an anxiety disorder.

RELATED: If These 5 Signs Sound Familiar, You're Secretly Struggling With High-Functioning Anxiety

8. Constant self-analyzing

People with an anxiety disorder are always self-analyzing themselves. They're always checking in with their thoughts and bodies, trying to better understand what is happening to them.

And listen, there's nothing wrong with being in tune with yourself. However, over-analyzing can cause you to stress more, making your anxiety worse. 

9. Avoiding or canceling plans

According to Anchor Therapy, "People who experience anxiety are more likely to cancel their plans last minute because they are spending so much of their time stuck worrying."

Much of this stems from always feeling overwhelmed. With so many thoughts racing through your head, it can be hard to process anything. 

And because of this, people with anxiety will avoid situations that cause their anxiety to worsen.

10. Overthinking your anxiety

Do you catch yourself always thinking about your anxiety? Living with it can feel maddening, making you desperate for a cure.

Over time, overthinking can easily lead to desperation, pushing you to try extreme methods to control your anxiety,

You'll try any gummy, home remedy, medication, or herb tea just to get a slight relief from your anxiety. Without realizing it, this fixation and overthinking can worsen your anxiety, pointing to yet another sign that you might be dealing with an anxiety disorder. 

Having an anxiety disorder isn't easy. Even though the symptoms may seem small, they can lead to bigger issues later on, making it harder to get through the day. 

However, understanding these symptoms can make it much easier to cope with them in the future. 

RELATED: 6 Things You Don't Realize You Do Because You Have High-Functioning Anxiety

Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, and family topics.