Floating anxiety: what is this form of chronic worry?

Free-floating anxiety, or free-floating anxiety, is not an officially recognized mental disorder, unlike generalized anxiety. It is a form of anxiety that can be felt by some people, at certain times.

What are the symptoms of floating anxiety? How to treat it? Answers.

What is free-floating anxiety?

Free-floating anxiety is a form of anxiety that can appear at any time, for no reason.

Affected people describe a feeling of discomfort, tightness, nervousness and worry. It may or may not be associated with generalized anxiety.

Sudden symptoms that come and go

Free-floating anxiety is sneaky in that the symptoms appear suddenly and for no apparent reason. Indeed, this disorder has the particularity of triggering at any time of the day.

For example, you may wake up in the morning feeling anxious or feel this anxiety in the afternoon because of some problem… or not.

This form ofanxiety wakes up from time to time, without knowing why. Which is very disabling on a daily basis.

It may be associated with generalized anxiety

Free-floating anxiety is often associated with generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety is excessive worry related to a large number of factors.

It can manifest itself by:

difficulty concentrating;
tiredness ;
an exaggerated fear of everyday things;
irritability;
muscle tension;
sleep disorders;
an agitation.

Free-floating anxiety can be a sign of a mental disorder, but it is not always the case. Some people who do not have a psychological disorder (treated or not) may be affected by floating anxiety.

Regardless, if your symptoms prevent you from living your daily life normally, talk to your doctor. There are treatments for anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective treatments for generalized anxiety.

There are also medications to reduce the symptoms of anxiety: serotonin reuptake inhibitors, buspirone (non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic) and benzodiazepines (short treatment).