6. Dry mouth all the time.
Dry mouth is one of your body’s first responses to stress. During times of stress, the body stalls or stops non-essential functions because it believes you are in a fight-or-flight type scenario.
You very well might be anxious for a good reason, or you may be genuinely thirsty or dehydrated since anxiety can make you forget to eat and drink properly.
This may be way too obvious, but when you get dry mouth: take a drink of water. Even better: get some soothing herbal tea and a snack.
By taking the time to eat or drink something, you are sending the signal to your body that you’re not in a true fight-or-flight situation and it’s time to calm down.
7. You often have cold feet or sweaty hands.
The same fight-or-flight hormones that cause dry mouth can also lead to cold feet or sweaty hands.
In more extreme manifestations of stress, your extremities may even go numb or feel like you’re on pins and needles. This is because the blood flow to your arms and legs can decrease due to the fight-or-flight response, and reroute to your essential organs.
Similar to hyperventilating, sweaty hands are not an especially uncommon symptom of anxiety. You may also notice a tingling in the hands.
These symptoms are the result of stress-response hyperstimulation and, like panic attacks, can occur without warning. Once you have calmed yourself down, it may take up to 20 minutes for your hands and feet to return to normal.