Yes, anxiety and the stress it causes can make a person emotionally unstable. While this symptom can feel unnerving and unusual, it isn't harmful. Addressing anxiety and reducing stress can bring a return to normal and predictable emotions.
Anxiety disorders are severe conditions stemming from excessive worrying and rumination. People with anxiety as a mental illness have feelings of anxiety that do not go away and can interfere with daily activities such as job performance and relationships, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Anxiety can both cause weird thoughts and be caused by weird thoughts. Some types of anxiety, including obsessive compulsive disorder, are based on these strange and unexpected thoughts. Chronic anxiety can also alter thinking patterns, as can sleep loss from anxiety related insomnia.
Effects of anxiety on your mind
feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax. having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst. feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down. feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you.
An anxiety disorder can make it difficult to get through your day. Anxiety disorder symptoms include feelings of nervousness, panic and fear. You may also have physical symptoms such as sweating and a rapid heartbeat. But you don't need to live like this.
If your anxiety, or the anxiety of a loved one, starts to cause problems in everyday life—such as at school, at work, or with friends and family—it's time to seek professional help. Talk to a health care provider about your mental health.
Stress. Daily stressors like traffic jams or missing your train can cause anyone anxiety. But long-term or chronic stress can lead to long-term anxiety and worsening symptoms, as well as other health problems. Stress can also lead to behaviors like skipping meals, drinking alcohol, or not getting enough sleep.
Anxiety makes it harder to try new things, to take risks in your work or personal life, or sometimes to even leave your house. Many people with anxiety feel caged in. They see things they want to do in life but their anxiety keeps them from trying. This can lead to loss of income and unfulfilled potential.
In many ways, most thoughts with anxiety can be described as “irrational.” Particularly unusual or irrational thoughts are typically a symptom of chronic or severe anxiety. Different types of anxiety cause different types of irrational thinking.
When we are more susceptible to stress, depression, or anxiety, our brains may be playing tricks on us. A cycle of continuing to look for what is wrong makes it easier to find what is wrong out there. It's called a confirmation bias.
Causes of Emotional Instability
These include genetics, mental health history (including past trauma), and exposure to certain stimuli such as drug use and abuse. Some of these risk factors cannot be controlled, while some can only increase the likelihood of developing emotional instability.
To diagnose an anxiety disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends a blood test, which helps the doctor determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, may be causing your symptoms. The doctor may also ask about any medications you are taking.
A psychiatrist is needed whenever someone's anxiety does not allow them to do the things they want to do. When a doctor rules out any medical issues, talking with a professional therapist can help solve someone's anxiety problems.
You should see your GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life or causing you distress. They can diagnose your condition based on your symptoms, which may include: feeling restless or on edge. being irritable.
Feeling lonely can also have a negative impact on your mental health, especially if these feelings have lasted a long time. Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
“High-functioning anxiety tends to become problematic when it bleeds into depression,” says Dr. Hamdani. “That's when most patients will start to seek help—when they're having trouble getting out of bed, difficulty sleeping, losing interest in doing things they enjoyed doing or thoughts of life not being worthwhile.”
Debilitating anxiety involves an intense or extreme sense of fear or dread about everyday situations or tasks. Some people may also refer to this excessive anxiety and worry as “apprehensive expectation.” This type of anxiety can make it difficult for a person to function.
Anxiety can be camouflaged as somatic symptoms to mimic a medical illness, especially in the primary care setting. Some of the somatic expressions of anxiety include tachycardia, palpitations, sweating, flushing, dry mouth, dizziness, tremor, muscle tension, headaches, and fatigue.