Behavioral symptoms of anxiety

Anxiety not only manifests itself through thoughts and physical sensations, but also drives a number of characteristic behaviors.

These behaviors, while often intended to reduce anxiety in the short term, can contribute to its maintenance and even worsening in the long term.

Avoidance as a Core Strategy

Avoidance is one of the most common behaviors associated with anxiety.

It involves actively avoiding situations, places, people, thoughts, or sensations that are perceived as threatening or anxiety-triggering.

For example, a person with social anxiety may avoid parties or gatherings; someone with a phobia of flying will avoid airplanes; and a person with panic disorder may avoid places where they fear they will have an attack.

While avoidance provides temporary relief from anxiety, it prevents the person from learning that they can cope with the feared situation or that their fears are unfounded, thus perpetuating the cycle of anxiety.

Safety-Seeking Behaviors

Safety-seeking behaviors are actions people perform with the intention of preventing a feared catastrophe or reducing their discomfort in anxious situations.

Although they may seem helpful, they often interfere with a person's ability to disconfirm their fears. Examples include:

• In social anxiety: Excessively rehearsing what to say, avoiding eye contact, or always bringing a "backup" friend.

• In panic disorder: Always carrying anti-anxiety medication, constantly checking emergency exits, or sitting near a door.

• In OCD: Performing rituals or compulsions to neutralize obsessive thoughts.

These behaviors, like avoidance, prevent the person from learning that the situation is not as dangerous as they fear or that they can manage the anxiety without resorting to them.

Other Associated Behaviors

In addition to avoidance and safety-seeking, anxiety may manifest itself in other behaviors such as:

• Restlessness and Hyperactivity: Difficulty staying still, constantly moving.

• Procrastination: Postponing tasks that generate anxiety.

• Irritability: Responding in a hostile or impatient manner.

• Excessive Reassurance Seeking: Repeatedly asking others if everything is okay or if the right decision was made.

• Perfectionism: Trying to control every detail to avoid mistakes or criticism.

Identifying and modifying these behavioral patterns is an essential component of anxiety treatment, as these behaviors are often what maintain the problem long-term.