
Anxiety & Stress Symptoms
Brain going bzzzt...Is this anxiety?
After completing this module, you will be able to...
Analyze how anxiety and stress may impact a person
Given the term and reference materials, students should be able to successfully analyze how anxiety and stress affect a person’s body, emotions, and thinking.

Introduction
Anxiety can occur in many events in our lives. It can appear while presenting in front of the class, preparing for a driver's exam, or meeting new people in a different setting. Fortunately, anxiety can be relieved as moments of uneasiness can pass us by. However, intense and persistent feelings of anxiety can suggest an anxiety disorder.
In the first module, you have learned about the key terms on anxiety. In this module, you will learn how anxiety and stress affect a person’s body, emotions, and thinking with the given terms.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety occurs when a person is unexplainably and continually tense and uneasy.
Symptoms of Anxiety include:
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Constant worry
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Uneasiness
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Inability to sleep
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Difficulty concentrating
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Sweating
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Shakiness
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Fidgeting
Anxiety Example
Kylie is a well-rounded senior in high school. She is a nationally recognized student-athlete, maintains a solid GPA, and is enrolled in AP and early college classes. Being an academically driven student, her teachers and advisors suggest she pursue college. She knew that college was a path she wanted to pursue. But beyond her merits and academic background, the enrollment process left her contemplating the long-term consequences of her future choices. Lately, her thoughts about college have been interfering with her concentration during class, as she is worried about the commitment of enrolling. Part of her would love to explore the mainland as she has never left Hawaiʻi before, but sheʻs hesitant to leave loved ones behind. Specifically, her long-term boyfriend since middle school, is someone whom she couldnʻt fathom the thought of leaving. Yet, after receiving a full-ride athletic scholarship offered by the University of Arizona, she has to decide what is most important to her. She understands that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is in her hands, but this choice is an exchange of sacrifices. Her worries started at the beginning of her senior year. Her anxieties have affected her physically as she began having sleepless nights, uncontrollable shakiness, and fidgeting. As the enrollment deadlines approach, her anxiety worsens further and further.
Stress
When we perceive and respond to certain events as threatening or challenging.
Watch this short video about stress!
How does stress affect the body?
Stress is the major cause of death
Stress can lead to:
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Hypertension and headaches
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Coronary heart disease
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Closing the vessels that nourish the heart muscle
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Cancer
Stress Response System


Our body reacts to stress through a two-track system involving the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These systems are part of the autonomic nervous system, and they help manage the body's response to stress.
The sympathetic nervous system activates the "fight or flight" response. It increases heart rate and respiration, and triggers the release of adrenaline, preparing the body to respond to a threat.
In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system promotes "rest and digest." It helps calm the body down after the stress has passed by slowing the heart rate and restoring the body to its normal state.
Nervous System Graphic

Nervous Systems Explained

Autonomic Nervous System
Involuntary actions of our body.
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Breathing
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Blinking
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Digestion
Central Nervous System
Contains the brain and the spinal cord
that controls our learning, thinking, and feelings.
Peripheral Nervous System
Connected to the brain and spinal cord, and helps send messages from the body to the brain (sensory) and from the brain to the body (motor).
