What Are Common Anxiety Symptoms?

Anxiety is a natural response to stress, and as parents, it's something we might experience more often than we’d like. Mum life is full on and there are demands coming at us from all angles, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed. However, when anxiety becomes persistent, it can start to interfere with our ability to enjoy our life and feel connected with our children and loved ones, so it’s important to do something about it.

Here are some of the most common anxiety symptoms, particularly those that often show up for us as parents. If you’ve been feeling anxious all the time, recognising these signs can be the first step toward finding support and effective ways to manage your mental well-being.

1. Constant Worry and Overthinking

One of the most obvious symptoms of anxiety is excessive worry. Many parents feel concerned about their children’s health, safety, and future, but when these worries start to dominate your thoughts and make it hard to focus on anything else, it could be a sign of anxiety. Overthinking every little decision or possible outcome is exhausting and can leave you stuck in a cycle of stress. As parents it’s too easy for worry and anxiety to be dismissed as ‘life now’ but the difference between normal worries and anxiety is that you’re noticing them having an impact on your day to day life and decision making. If the worries you’re having are stopping you from enjoying family life, doing the things you want to do or connecting with family and friends, then it’s a good idea to seek some support.

2. Feeling Restless or On Edge

Anxiety can make you feel as though you’re in a constant state of alertness. You might find it hard to sit still, constantly fidget, or feel on edge for no apparent reason. This heightened state of arousal is your body’s way of preparing for perceived threats, but when there is no immediate danger, it can become frustrating and exhausting. If you’re noticing that you can’t seem to relax and you’re constantly reaching for your phone, cleaning, keeping busy or distracting yourself in other ways, this could be a symptom of anxiety.

3. Physical Symptoms

Anxiety doesn’t just affect your thoughts; it often shows up in your body. Common physical symptoms include:

• Racing heart or palpitations

• Shortness of breath

• Sweating, trembling, or shaking

• Tension headaches or migraines

• Stomach problems, like nausea or digestive issues

Parents often overlook these signs, putting it down to lack of sleep, being busy with little ones and changing hormones. While that’s certainly part of the picture, if these symptoms persist, and you’ve seen your GP to rule out anything physical, it’s worth considering if anxiety could be the underlying cause.

4. Difficulty Sleeping

As parents we expect to have some degree of disturbed sleep due to the demands of nighttime feeds, bedtime routines, or simply managing the household. However, if you find yourself lying awake at night with racing thoughts, unable to relax, or waking up feeling anxious, this could be another sign of anxiety. Difficulty falling or staying asleep, as well as waking up too early, are common symptoms. Some parents only notice this as a symptom of their anxiety once their children start sleeping through the night and they realise that it hasn’t only been the baby keeping them awake!

5. Irritability

This is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety that clients arrive with, and often they don’t realise it’’s anxiety at all, they just think things have changed in their relationship or they aren’t a ‘good’ mum. What they don’t know is anxiety can make you feel irritable or short-tempered. Small issues that might not normally have bothered you can feel overwhelming, leading to frustration, snapping at loved ones and feeling angry at baby or partner. Many parents who are constantly feeling anxious all the time notice that they are more easily irritated and quicker to snap. It’s so important to talk about this, often the shame of being an ‘angry mum’ or a ‘shouty mum’ can stop mums from getting help, but once you know it’s related to stress and anxiety, it’s easier to understand that this isn’t you as a mum, it’s just a response to stress and anxiety and we can find ways to manage that..

6. Avoidance

Avoidance is another common one for parents struggling with anxiety, you might notice you start to avoid certain situations or places that trigger feelings of worry or discomfort. For example, you might avoid going out to social events, even if they’re family-friendly, or put off tasks that seem overwhelming. Avoidance can temporarily reduce anxiety, but over time, it often leads to more stress and because you avoid more and more it can become incredibly lonely and you might notice feelings of isolation.

7. Difficulty Concentrating

Anxiety can make it hard to concentrate or stay focused, which can impact your ability to get one with and manage daily tasks. When you’re a mum you’re often juggling a hundred things at once, but when anxiety kicks in, even simple tasks like choosing what to make for dinner or organising school or nursery pick ups can feel daunting. This "mental fog" can leave you feeling forgetful or scattered and blaming yourself.

How Solution-Focused Hypnotherapy Can Help

If you’ve been noticing any of these symptoms, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to manage anxiety on your own. Solution-focused hypnotherapy is a powerful tool that can help you break the cycle of anxiety by focusing on the positives, setting achievable goals, and retraining your brain to respond to stress more calmly.

During our hypnotherapy sessions, we’ll work together to help you:

• Identify and address the root causes of your anxiety

• Learn relaxation techniques that reduce stress

• Develop coping strategies for managing anxious thoughts

• Shift your focus toward positive, solution-oriented thinking

Taking time for your mental health is one of the best things you can do, not just for yourself, but for your family too. When you feel calm and balanced, it’s easier to navigate the ups and downs that being a parent throws at us.

If you’ve been feeling anxious a lot of the time, solution-focused hypnotherapy is here to help you regain control and start feeling like yourself again.