6 Signs Someone Grew Up with Anxiety

If you suspect you might have anxiety, and you want to get it diagnosed, we recommend finding professional help.

Writer: Syazwana Amirah
Script Editor: Rida Batool
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
VO: Amanda Silvera
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

REFERENCES
Stansfeld, S., Clark, C., Bebbington, P., King, M., Jenkins, R., & Hinchliffe, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Common mental disorders. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.
Roepke A. M. , & Seligman M. E. P. (2015). Depression and prospection. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. doi:10.1111/bjc.12087

[datboi]

1. you live in a chaotic environment 0:34
2. worry & negative thoughts have been the norm 1:34
3. you always find it hard to concentrate 2:18
4. you have issues of separation 3:06
5. you experience bodily symptoms 4:14
6. you are always tired 5:03
I hope I could help!

[mindscopechannel]

Mental exhaustion doesn't get talked about enough. I'm sure so many people feel tired all the time regardless of how much sleep they get. And most don't know how much worrying and anxiety relates to that.

[WimpyGamerGirl]

I had undiagnosed anxiety throughout my childhood. As an adult I finally went to a psychiatrist for depression, but was also diagnosed with anxiety. I remember that first dose of anxiety medication and suddenly I felt more relaxed for the first time since I could remember. It made me realize that my "normal" wasn't normal at all.

[ives]

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” — Charles Spurgeon

[abbeyb.]

I had a narcissistic, controlling mother and a dysfunctional, self centered father. Anxiety? All of my life. I am now 73. It is a bit better, they are both gone and maybe that's why!! Sure can relate to this video. God bless all of you who suffer with excessive anxiety.

[drinasun]

Anxiety sucks. I worried a lot. You forgot one thing: you build resentment, like I did when I was younger.

[FizzyyFrog]

*Anxiety really is a pain. I can never be able to push through it. It got to the point where any physical interaction with a grown up, either I know or don’t know, I end up crying half through the sentence. It’s like.. I worry about things that don’t really matter. Like how I sound, how I look, and what I say. I’m just scared I’m gonna mess up my sentence, or I’m going to have to repeat myself because of being too quiet.*
*Not to mention my separation issues, especially with my partner. I get so scared and worried whenever I don’t see them for such a long time. Once, they were gone for a whole day, and I cried myself to sleep that same day. Keep in mind, they were only gone for a DAY. But, knowing that we had a mini argument the day before adds a little bit of context. But turns out, they were grounded.. overthinking. Am I right..* 💀

[sazarmoose]

This is very accurate. I get highly anxious, just to talk to people, and sometimes I just can't because I feel so overwhelmed and sick to my stomach. I get exhausted for some reason even when I get enough sleep, I never really understood why. I just feel like not doing anything and my parents don't really understand why I am the way I am. This video helps me to understand, even more about myself.

[Kkatss]

It sucks because when I was a kid I had anxiety but didn't realize until I got older. Makes so much more sense now

[yoda]

I'm tired 24/7 and i get good 8 hours uninterrupted sleep every day

[feizzu_]

I got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder when I was 7 years old, it was such extreme anxiety to have at such a young age. I’m in my late teens now and still suffer with extreme anxiety.

[eveilstien]

It makes things more difficult when the environment and circumstances are also (seemingly) working against you.

[nicorusso]

I really love this channel. As a police officer/first responder it helps my team deal with the stuff we see every day. I also think it reduces stigma surrounding mental health

[vannyssa]

This is my experience growing up with anxiety, and hopefully some of you can relate!

I was born with anxiety, and the way I learned to deal with it as an undiagnosed child was to have what my mom called "tantrums". Basically, I just shut down, cried, and refused to do anything until I felt better or until the thing exacerbating my anxiety went away (this often meant me being excused from doing classwork). Later on in elementary school, I constantly went to the nurse's office because I had a stomach ache, which half of the time was true. Most of the time I went was because I needed to escape the classroom and find an excuse to go home where I felt less anxiety. I usually was sent back to class though. I wasn't diagnosed with it until 7th grade, after my math teacher noticed how I would cry often in her class over simple equations.

Growing up without knowing I had anxiety caused a lot of misconceptions with my parents. They just believed that I was seeking attention and that it was a habit that I would grow out of, when in reality it was a bad coping mechanism. I still sometimes end up falling back into it, shutting down and refusing to do anything. Now that I'm on medication, my anxiety isn't as severe and constant and I can actually get work done without crying about it xD

[PastelStrxwberri]

I have had bad anxiety since I was only 2-3. Fear of absolutely everything. Less phobias now, but continuing to have major issues with anxiety, feeling stuck and unsure of what to do-- I don't have any connection to myself and don't know how to not focus on JUST everyone else.

[Birchboyarbor]

I told my mom (who works with mentally ill/disabled kids) that I thought I had anxiety when I was 12, and she said “oh, you do.” AND THEN WALKED AWAY—
I’m now diagnosed with anxiety lmao-

[mysticwolf]

sometimes i get kinda frustrated that i didn’t have adults looking out for me growing up because i can remember having anxiety symptoms from as early as age 5. i went to the nurse _everyday_ at school for stomachaches/throwing up and not a single person helped get me the right treatment. i’m glad people are putting a bigger focus on mental health now, because no child should struggle from mental illness

[khalilahd.]

This is so helpful! Behind able to notice the signs before a panic attack is a great way to help them grow before they experience severe symptoms. Thanks Psych2go 💛

[WHAL-E]

I know I grew up with anxiety, I’ve had it for a long time. I wasn’t born with it, but it grew when I started getting bullied, along with my father being more abusive. That was at a very young age, around maybe 1st or 2nd grade. Yes, weirdly I was bullied harshly in 1st grade. Not stupid nicknames or small sayings, but punches, pinned/pushed against the wall, swirlies, wet willies, etc. I don’t remember why the kids did that, but they were messed up. Along with that, my father always needed me to be perfect, if my grades were not A’s I’d be punished. Thankfully I no longer live with him, but I still have to see him from time to time. He’s sadly still a pain to deal with, but he won’t be a problem for much longer. (By that I mean two years.)

[bee_nttaken]

when i was growing up, i didn’t have a stable household environment, to the point i was taken out of my home and my grandparents gained full custody of me. after that, i was terrified to even be in a different room than my grandparents, and i feared that they would have to leave me too. being alone caused anxiety attacks.
here, nearly eight years later, i am still anxious to be too far from my grandma. i was only diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at the age of 12, even though my family was sure i had one from under the age of 6. this video described almost everything i have/am experiencing.
thank you psych2go :)