Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

 Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common mental health condition where you often feel very anxious about lots of different things.

The main symptom of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is feelings of stress or worry that affect your daily life and are difficult to control.

Other symptoms of GAD may include:

• difficulty sleeping
• feeling restless, irritable or finding it difficult to concentrate
• getting tired easily
• feeling tense
• stomach problems
• a more noticeable or unusual heartbeat (palpitations)
• feeling lightheaded or dizzy
• low mood or depression

 - NHS -

I have all of these symptoms and what makes them GAD and not SAD is that I have them all year round.  With SAD they are either heightened or worsened, between September to February (for me).

The confusing thing to all these symptoms are that they are also AuDHD and ME/CFS symptoms, so it is hard to differentiate and make sense off.

The one thing that I believe does differentiate GAD from the others is the over thinking of my stress related symptoms.  I go to bed thinking about them and wake up thinking about them and think about them all day, and more than one thing at a time.  I don’t think this is an AuDHD or ME/CFS situation.

All I know is I have to work on Somatic Healing everyday and feel reassure that whatever it is causing the symptoms I am healing it.

-Tanya-

'GAD (and worrying) is exhausting.  During a bout of worry we burn more energy than usual, since mental activity demands energy too...it can leave us feeling useless, down and full of self-loathing...We have to learn to  tolerate uncertainty.'

- Meares K and Freeston M