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What is the cause of your anxiety?
By Christine Schoenwald — Written on Feb 14, 2018
Anxiety is a huge part of our lives. Everybody seems to have at least a little bit of anxiety, and many of us have a huge amount. You may be someone who frequently has anxiety attacks, someone who never gets them or someone who has one very rarely.
Having a moderate amount of anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it can help you stay alert, focused, incite you to act, and help motivate you to discover a solution to an immediate problem. It’s when you’re always in an anxious state that can interfere with your life.
Also, everyone has their own way of dealing with anxiety — some try to ride it out, others seek professional help, and some may self-medicate. Anxiety may be caused by a mental condition, a physical condition, the effect of certain drugs, or a combination of all three.
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For each person who suffers from anxiety and anxiety disorders, it can manifest differently. Some of the emotional symptoms include irrational and excessive fear and worry, feelings of apprehension, constantly looking for signs of danger, anticipating the worst, restlessness, trouble concentrating, feeling tense, irritability, and forgetting things.
Physical symptoms of anxiety include pounding heart, sweating, dizziness, feeling faint or like you might throw up, headaches, muscle tension, tremors, twitches, tiredness, insomnia, shortness of breath, stomach issues, needing to go to the bathroom all the time.
With anxiety attacks, the symptoms can get even worse and include the feeling of losing control or losing your mental faculties, being consumed by panic, heart palpitations, chest pain, having a choking sensation, hyperventilation, stomach cramps, hot flashes and/or feeling as if you’re having a heart attack.
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We all have triggers that can instigate anxiety but it’s helpful to discover what the basic cause of your anxiety is. If you have more than what seems like a normal amount of anxiety, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. In the meantime, check out what the stars suggest could be the underlying cause of your anxiety, based on your zodiac sign.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
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Aries are always on the move and doing something, so it may be surprising to hear that you're highly sensitive and very prone to anxiety, depression and other mental disorders. You hold yourself up to high standards and nearly impossible goals. You truly believe that failure isn't an option, but trying to constantly achieve and win is very stressful.
Give yourself a break now and then. You don't have to do everything nor do you have to do it perfectly. Remember that you can learn a lot from your mistakes and if you take them in stride, you'll have less anxiety.
Read: The 13 Brutal Truths About Loving An Aries, As Written By One
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
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You tend to spend a lot of time worrying about what other people think and say about you. It's your intense people-pleasing nature that is the cause of your anxiety, Taurus. You can't please everyone and you shouldn't try.
Focus on pleasing yourself and not being a jerk to others. Change doesn't come easily to you, but if you put your resolve to not caring so much about what other people think, you'll be able to release some of that anxiety-making tension.
Read: The 5 Brutal Truths About Loving A Taurus, As Written By One
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
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What may start out as a small, manageable problem can morph into a huge one for Gemini, causing you stress and anxiety. You don't have to fix everything yourself — it's not only OK to ask for help, it's imperative. You have a huge support system, so why not let them relieve some of the burden?
Read: The 13 Brutal Truths About Loving A Gemini, As Written By One
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
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If there's a hint of criticism in someone's conversation with Cancer, you'll start to feel anxious. You can't stand criticism and will do whatever you can to avoid it which just causes you more tension and stress. If you can stand back a little when someone is giving you criticism, it will lose its power to affect your mood. Don't take it personally, just take the constructive comments and throw out the rest.
Read: The 5 Brutal Truths About Loving A Cancer, As Written By One
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
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Leo's anxiety comes from not being in control of every situation. You like to be the leader and the person who makes things happen, but if you have to relinquish your control, you tend to feel nervous and off-balance. No one is in charge of every situation or of other people's lives. Trust that others will do their job and that life will continue on without you pulling every string.
Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
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It's not that difficult for Virgo to get into panic mode by thinking about every single thing that could go wrong — both in your life and in the world. You want to fix whatever is broken but, unfortunately, some things are bigger than your abilities. Stop freaking yourself out about worst case scenarios and focus on the things that are fixable.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Virgo (As Written By A Virgo)
Libra (September 23 - October 22)
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You absolutely can't take it when you don't think something is fair. One of the things that make Libra very anxious is when you're accused of doing something wrong that you didn't do, or when you do something exactly as you were told to do it but you're told you didn't do it correctly. Basically, life is unfair and you're going to need to learn how to take it in stride — too much anxiety will affect your health.
Read: 11 Brutal Truths About Loving A Libra, As Written By One
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
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If the person that you're lusting after doesn't seem to return your interest, Scorpio gets anxious. You can't control love and that gets you very frustrated. Stop trying to come up with ways to manipulate someone into loving you. Let it go. The best thing you can do to stop the anxiety from rising is to move on.
Read: 14 Brutal Truths About Loving A Scorpio, As Written By One
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
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You get anxious when you feel boxed in and there isn't an obvious escape route. You feel the walls closing in when you think your freedom is being taken away from you. It could be when a relationship gets serious or when you don't think you can deliver on other people's expectations of you.
Sagittarius, take a deep breath, slow your roll, remember commitments can be good things and that there are some rules that are OK not to follow.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Sagittarius, As Written By One
Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)
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You put a huge amount of pressure on yourself, Capricorn, and when you or someone else comes up short, your anxiety intensifies. Slow down, take a break or plan a vacation; you're stressing too much on work and getting things done perfectly. Mistakes are made and, most of the time, the consequences aren't dire. Learn to be flexible and understanding with yourself and others.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Capricorn, As Written By One
Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
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Multitasking = anxiety for you, Aquarius. You try to do too much and get completely overwhelmed in the process. Sometimes you fall down but then you just pick yourself up again — no big deal. You got this, so no stressing.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving An Aquarius, As Written By One
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
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Crowds get you very stressed out, Pisces, and you don't like anything that involves them. No public speaking, no crowded big events, no flash mobs. When you're in a situation with a lot of people, try to relax and concentrate on your breathing. People aren't out to get you; in fact, most of the time, they really like you.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Pisces, As Written By One
