Rasika Karkare 
Anxiety is a very common and often overwhelming emotion. It is typically associated with feelings of uneasiness, nervousness, and consistent worry. However, it is important to note that anxiety is a complex condition that can sometimes exist beneath our conscious awareness. This means that you could be experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety even when you aren't worried about anything in particular. Sometimes, anxiety can hit like a wave without an obvious trigger, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and confused. The truth is that even a random wave of anxiety can have underlying causes, like stress, unconscious thoughts, unresolved emotions, etc.
In this article, we'll explore subconscious anxiety, why anxiety sometimes comes in waves, and how you can manage it effectively.
What is subconscious anxiety?
Individuals suffering from subconscious anxiety aren't aware of its presence. As opposed to overt or explicit anxiety, which is easily recognized and described by people, subconscious anxiety can operate subtly in the background of the mind, influencing feelings, behaviors, and perceptions without the sufferer even realizing it. Since subconscious anxiety is harder to recognize, it may turn into a chronic state where you constantly feel 'on the edge'. However, this type of underlying tension can eventually become overwhelming, and it may even lead to burnout.
How to recognize subconscious anxiety?
The symptoms of subconscious anxiety are usually similar to those of all other anxiety disorders, but they are harder to recognize as they might appear without any specific trigger. While people may not explicitly feel anxious, several signs may point towards subconscious anxiety; some of them are:
Racing Heart
Experiencing a racing heart or shortness of breath can indicate subconscious anxiety. This is because, even if you're not consciously aware of feeling anxious, your body may react to underlying stressors, causing bodily responses.
Muscle tension
Muscle tightness or tension can be a sign of subconscious anxiety, as muscles are likely to tighten or be tensed as a response to stress.
Difficulty in concentration
Anxiety can negatively affect your ability to pay attention, make plans, or process new information. Subconscious anxiety can create a lot of background thoughts or noise in the mind, which can be overwhelming, leading to difficulty in concentration.
Emotional Overwhelm
Subconscious anxiety can slowly affect your ability to deal with life stressors, making you more susceptible to them. You might not be overtly worried, but the anxiety running in the background may take a lot of mental energy, making it difficult for you to manage your emotions. The emotional overwhelm might show up as anger, irritability, or tearful outbursts.
Indecisiveness
Difficulty in decision-making can be another sign of subconscious anxiety, as you may be stuck in making decisions due to an unconscious fight-or-flight triggered by underlying anxiety. This could also lead to decision paralysis, where decision-making almost becomes impossible.
Other Physical Symptoms
Subconscious anxiety might cause other physical issues, such as:
- Unexplained fatigue or constant tiredness
- Frequent headaches
- Difficulties in sleeping
- Sudden changes in diet
- Digestive or stomach issue
- Excessive swearing
Why do I get waves of anxiety?
Anxiety is a complex emotion and experience; thus, the reason for random waves of anxiety might differ for everyone, but it is important to know that anxiety always has a cause, even if we aren't aware of it in the present moment. Having said that, here are a few reasons why we might experience unexplained waves of anxiety.
Stress
Anxiety is often a response to underlying stress, especially if someone has been undergoing significant stress for a long time. This is because stress is likely to change hormone levels in the body, making it difficult to cope with anxiety.
Parenting
During childhood, kids must have autonomy and receive encouragement to explore healthy risks. However, if a parent is excessively anxious about their child's well-being, they might unknowingly pass the excessive worry onto their children. This transmission can result in the child feeling uncertain about themselves and their environment. Sometimes, anxiety can be a learned response to childhood trauma as well.
Emotional Triggers
Sometimes, certain actions or events in our environment can trigger deep-seated and suppressed emotions. Some events may also trigger difficult or traumatic memories from the past. This mostly happens at an unconscious level but can lead to sudden changes in mood, causing anxiety.
Anxiety Disorder
It is normal to experience fleeting waves of anxiety from time to time, but if this happens often, it can be a sign of an underlying anxiety disorder, especially if you find anxiety interfering with your regular activities.
Physical Health Issues
Some health issues, such as heart rhythm irregularities (arrhythmia) and thyroid problems, can cause or make anxiety symptoms worse. Additionally, certain medications or substances have the potential to trigger anxiety symptoms.
How to manage anxiety flare-ups?
| Strategy | Explanation | How It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Relaxation and Breathing | Anxiety often speeds up breathing, worsening anxious feelings. Deep breathing exercises combined with muscle relaxation help regulate the body's response. | Slows the nervous system, reduces physical tension, and helps you feel more in control. |
| Don't Try to Fight It | Avoid resisting anxious thoughts. Instead, observe them without judgment and reflect on potential triggers. | Reduces the intensity of anxiety and increases self-awareness by preventing the "fight" response. |
| Reach Out for Support | Talk to a supportive friend or family member during anxious moments. | Provides emotional comfort, reduces isolation, and helps you feel understood. |
| Distractions | Engage your mind in activities like music, hobbies, or tasks to shift focus. | Diverts attention from anxious thoughts, helping the mind calm down and break the cycle of anxiety. |
| Visualization Techniques | Imagine a calm, safe place or picture a recent happy memory. Engage all your senses—imagine how your body feels. What do you see? What do you touch? Any sounds that you hear in that memory or visual? | Helps the mind focus on positive imagery, reduces stress, and promotes relaxation. |
Treating Subconscious Anxiety
Identifying and treating subconscious anxiety can be tricky because the symptoms mentioned above can be linked to various conditions apart from anxiety, including potential side effects of medications. This often leads to valuable time and resources being spent exploring alternative diagnoses. However, a combination of psychotherapy, medications, and other self-help exercises used to treat other forms of anxiety is effective in treating subconscious anxiety.
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of subconscious anxiety is an important step in it's treatment. If you see yourself struggling with the symptoms mentioned above, it is advisable to reach out to a mental health professional at the earliest.
How can therapy help?
If sudden waves of anxiety are a regular occurrence, you might want to consider seeking help from a therapist. A therapist can help you find the root cause of your anxiety while also developing healthy coping mechanisms. Click here to book a session with our trained therapists right away.
Conclusion
Anxiety is a common, yet complex, feeling that manifests in a variety of ways. Sometimes, it operates beneath our conscious awareness, while at other times it shows up as sudden waves that feel impossible to explain. However, breathing techniques, distractions, visualization, and reaching out to a friend or a professional can all be effective ways of coping with these experiences. Recognizing the subtle signs and seeking timely support can make a significant difference in managing anxiety and improving overall well-being.
References
- Can I Be Anxious in My Subconscious? (2014, November 11). Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/is-your-subconscious-making-you-anxious
- Feeling Anxious for No Reason? This Is for You. (2019, May 12). Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/anxiety/feeling-anxious-for-no-reason
- Free Floating Anxiety: Symptoms, Causes, and Coping. (2022, November 15). Psycom. https://www.psycom.net/anxiety/free-floating-anxiety
- Free Floating Anxiety: Symptoms, Treatments, & How to Cope. (n.d.). Choosing Therapy. Retrieved January 16, 2024, from https://www.choosingtherapy.com/free-floating-anxiety/
- Subconscious Anxiety: Could You Be Anxious Without Knowing It? (2022, November 17). Exploring Your Mind. https://exploringyourmind.com/subconscious-anxiety/
- Subconscious Anxiety: What It Is and How to Recognize It. (2021, April 26). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/subconscious-anxiety
- What is Subconscious Anxiety. (n.d.). Dr. Nicholas Samstag. Retrieved November 17, 2023, from https://www.nicholassamstag.com/writing/what-is-subconscious-anxiety