For some, anxiety feels like a tight, churning knot in the stomach. For others, it shows up as a relentless wave of nagging thoughts about what could go wrong tomorrow. Everyone feels anxiety in their own way, says Dr. Nicole Cain. She is a clinical psychologist. She wrote a book called Panic Proof: The New Holistic Solution to End Your Anxiety Forever. In fact, Dr. Cain suggests there are nine unique types of anxiety, each with its own triggers and symptoms. Once you have an understanding your anxiety then you have a chance to potentially beat it. Anyone that suffers from anxiety, like myself, knows how life changing that would be.
“The nine types of anxiety came from my clinical experience, research, and personal insights,” Dr. Cain explains. “Years of working with anxiety patients showed distinct patterns in how anxiety manifests. I noticed that traditional medicine often sees anxiety as one condition. However, I found that symptoms usually group around certain body systems or experiences
Dr. Cain offers an online quiz to help identify your anxiety type, which can be incredibly helpful. Understanding your anxiety type can help identify its root causes. This knowledge can lead you to specific treatments. As a result, you may find relief faster and manage your anxiety better over time.
It’s worth noting that you can experience more than one type of anxiety, it’s common for certain types to overlap. Here’s a rundown of the nine types of anxiety and how they might show up in your life.
Table of Contents
Gut Anxiety
The gut-brain connection is well-documented and surprisingly powerful. If you often feel butterflies, nausea, or want to vomit before big events, you might have gut anxiety.
Common signs of gut anxiety include:
- Gas
- Bloating
- Heartburn/reflux
- Constipation or diarrhea
In some cases, digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be rooted in anxiety. “Dr. Cain suggests that treating gut anxiety may involve improving digestive health. This includes looking at food sensitivities and the gut-brain connection.” Options might include dietary adjustments, probiotics, or specific gut-healing approaches.
Nervous System Anxiety
For Dr. Cain, anxiety in the nervous system felt like an electric shock in her teeth. She remembers one patient who even lost vision for a short time during a panic attack. These kinds of intense physical sensations are common with nervous system anxiety.
Other signs can include:
- Numbness or tingling, often in hands, face, feet, or scalp
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
Chest Anxiety
Dr. Cain explains that it’s common for people to mistake a panic attack for a heart attack. If you went to the ER for chest pains and were told your heart is fine, anxiety might be the cause of your symptoms.
Chest anxiety can look like:
- A racing or pounding heart
- Heart palpitations
- Skipped heartbeats (arrhythmia)
Important: Chest symptoms can be linked to anxiety, but it’s always best to get emergency care. This helps rule out heart problems.
“For chest anxiety, some doctors may prescribe beta-blockers like propranolol to manage palpitations. These can offer a targeted option rather than daily antidepressants or sedating benzodiazepines,” Dr. Cain explains.
Thought Anxiety
If your mind races with “what if” thoughts, you may have thought anxiety. This can happen when you worry about a talk with your boss or wonder why your friend hasn’t texted back.
Signs of thought anxiety:
- Racing or looping thoughts
- Obsessive or intrusive thoughts
Thought anxiety is often connected to trauma, stressful lifestyles, or habits of overthinking. It is not usually a response to bodily signals. Treatment might include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or supplements like L-theanine for a calming effect.
Endocrine Anxiety
Imbalances in the endocrine system—your body’s hormone messenger network—can also spark anxiety. The endocrine and nervous systems work closely together. Problems in one can affect the other, especially with anxiety.
Endocrine anxiety might manifest as:
- Unexplained weight changes
- Skin or hair changes
- Mood swings
- Reduced libido
“Endocrine anxiety often involves imbalances in the thyroid, sex hormones, or cortisol levels,” Dr. Cain says. Treatment might involve addressing hormonal imbalances, possibly with thyroid medication or hormone therapy.
Immune Anxiety
Research shows that the immune and nervous systems have a connection, particularly regarding emotional health. Immune anxiety can be hard to identify because symptoms vary widely and can shift from day to day.
Signs of immune anxiety:
- Histamine reactions (itchy eyes, hives, post-nasal drip)
- Skin sensitivity
- Fibromyalgia-like muscle aches
- Frequent illnesses or longer recovery times
If you’re dealing with fatigue one day and joint pain the next, immune system anxiety could be the underlying cause. Treatments might include managing allergies, working on immune resilience, and finding anti-inflammatory therapies.
Depressive Anxiety
Did you know that around 60% of people with anxiety also experience depressive symptoms? Both conditions originate from the brain’s amygdala, which processes fear and other emotions.
Depressive anxiety may look like:
- Feelings of sadness, worthlessness, or hopelessness
- Disturbed sleep, low energy, changes in appetite
Dr. Cain says it is normal to feel a bit down because of anxiety. However, if symptoms of depression affect your relationships, job, or self-care, it may mean you have depressive anxiety. Treatment could involve therapy, medication, and supplements.
Anger Anxiety
When you’re anxious, your body produces similar neurochemicals as when you’re angry. If you’ve ever felt a sudden urge to lash out during stress, anger anxiety might be to blame.
Anger anxiety can manifest as:
- Irritability
- Rage
- Impatience
Treatment depends on what’s causing the anger response. For example, if it’s rooted in PTSD, therapy is often beneficial. For cases involving an overactive amygdala, grounding exercises, such as breathwork, can help. In cases with underlying conditions like Klinefelter syndrome, treatment includes managing that condition.
Trauma Anxiety
Trauma can affect your mental health. It doesn’t matter if you had a tough childhood, experienced an abusive relationship, or witnessed distressing events. The impact of trauma can last a long time. Mental health is important to consider. Trauma anxiety often comes from physical changes in the brain due to past experiences.
Trauma anxiety can show up as:
- Flashbacks or intrusive memories
- Nightmares, particularly about traumatic events
- Hypervigilance or being easily startled
Treating trauma anxiety might involve specialized therapies, like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), to help process these past experiences.
Understanding the specific nature of your anxiety, as Dr. Cain outlines, can be the key to overcoming it. When you pinpoint the exact type you’re experiencing, you’re better equipped to manage it with treatments that align with your unique needs.
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