Describe your anxiety

[Lookingforpeace]

It took me a long time to realise I had anxiety because my anxiety doesn't necessarily manifest itself in panic attacks.

I would describe my anxiety more like an intense dread.

how would you describe yours?

[Simona]

Today it felt like a mini heart attack.  My heart in overdrive. This is why I don't like talking about emotional matters.  I sat in the car with the keys digging into my palm trying to pull myself together. 

[SBeehappy]

Lots of irrational thoughts that inevitably make me sad and worried and stressed. I have these thoughts and my anxiety attaches onto them and wants to analyse them and judge them. However breathing deeply through these thoughts helps and saying mantras to myself like "I am safe" seem to work well!

All the best!

[filoo]

Mine feels like my mind is racing. My mind can't stop judging every situation and thinking of the worst possible outcome (usually something sinister) especially when it comes to things that I do. I have really high expectations of myself and I am constantly judging myself and comparing myself to others, I try not to but I always find a way to put myself down and believe that others are thinking the same thing. If I feel like if my mind is at ease for once and things feel ok it means something is wrong and I immediately start worrying again. My mind is constantly full of irrational thoughts and I wish they would just go away and let me be at peace.

Health is another thing I constantly worry about. If I get a pain somewhere or a symptom, I immediately think the worst. I worry about other peoples health too and I fuss a lot if other people are unwell (even if it's just a cold) because I feel if I don't and something happens to them it will be my fault because I could have done more.

My heart also constantly races. Palpitations are just a usual thing for me now to the point where I barely notice it's happening until I lay down or stop for a bit.

Being social is hard sometimes, like at first I'm fine but after a while I start to over think things and I start to feel uncomfortable. 

I guess I just need to work through it and get to know myself. I need to work out how to settle these thoughts and my mind.

[zmacca13]

Alright, so I'm usually a happy, confident and easy-going guy right? Occasionally I get quite anxious and about every 6 months or so it comes out in a meltdown. The anxiety can be caused from having to do something I've been worrying about (which is normal), to absolutely nothing at all. And every now and then out of the blue I become intensely anxious and stressed, get panic attacks at the slightest provocation, start shaking uncontrollably and my heart rate skyrockets. I don't like to think that I might have anxiety troubles but it really frustrates me that in a period of 15 minutes I can go from feeling alright to extremely depressed and then have a nervous breakdown. When I'm the tiniest bit stressed even a simple negative remark can send me into a hell of anger and intense sadness. On the other hand when I'm not stressed those remarks don't make a dent in my emotions, I don't get how I can go from happy to feeling a little below average to a full blown meltdown with no reason at all. For example, a while ago I was at my girlfriends house for dinner and I started shaking, slightly at first, and then to the point where I couldn't hold the cutlery. I had an overwhelming sense of dread and couldn't breathe properly. There was no reason to it, nothing happened that would've set me off, it was just one minute I was fine, laughing, chatting and the next I was having a panic attack.... Does anyone know what this could be? If so could you please tell me? Thank you. 

[Lookingforpeace]

Hey Zmacca

this happens to me too. I am constantly wondering "what happened for me to feel like this" and will start backtracking and replaying the last few hours in my head and usually there's nothing!

A constant frustration for me is "WHY". Why do I feel like this? Why did the anxiety come on? Why can't I just be happy?

I think asking why just makes things worse. I'm trying to accept that you know what, we're human and we experience joy and suffering, pleasure and pain, and sometimes they are not so different. Use the example of child birth (not that I've ever been through it) - so much pain and yet joy at the same time.

And in being human we have hormones, chemicals, doubts, fears that all contribute to our mood on a minute-by-minute basis. 

In your example, perhaps you were feeling content with your surroundings and the company and a subconscious fear of losing this crept in leading to the anxiety.

Rollin - I know it's been a while since you posted but I just wanted to say yes absolutely I have felt the same. Once I was in the movies (which is my absolute favourite thing to do) and suddenly it was all too loud for me and I had an anxiety attack.

Thank you everyone for sharing - it certainly makes us feel less alone doesn't it. 

[Daisee]

Anxiety is normal, but when we think irrational thoughts and it turns to catastrophic thoughts and then full blown panic it gets worse!  That's me too! 😕  My panic sensations are that I have an "unreal" feeling, dizziness, tight chest, trying to catch my breath, trouble sitting still...  So I'm seeing a BB Access Coach and now I'm trying to acknowledge and accept that I'm having a panic attack, trying to stay in that moment and lessen it a little, eventually by half would be good...  So then I don't run and avoid that situation which only makes it worse for me the next time I'm in that situation.  I'm also thinking about doing a chart of my worst fear/phobia to my least fear/phobia and trying the least one first...  Like being in a crowded shopping centre for 5 minutes, then 10, then an hour, or driving that bit of road I don't like etc. They call it Exposure Therapy - the more you're in that situation the easier it is to accept/be calmer.  Every time I have a fearful/anxious/panic moment, it ALWAYS passes.  I don't faint, I don't have a heart attack, I don't make a fool of myself, the sky doesn't fall...  So I'm trying to just relax just a little in that moment - just a little.  The "Smiling Mind" app (meditation) is good and there are others, like "SuperBetter".  Hope this has helped eased your mind...  Reading all your posts has definitely eased mine 🙂  Thank you.

[zmacca13]

Yes you're absolutely right Lookingforpeace, reading your post was like a sigh of relief for me haha 

Its great to know that I'm not the only one experiencing things like this, especially after years of telling myself I'm overreacting and it's nothing to worry about. Even last night whilst I was writing that, 15 minutes after a breakdown, I felt stupid and like no one would care. I've always felt like reaching out or talking to someone about it wouldn't work, especially a psychologist or someone who would be assessing everything I said and thinking something was wrong with me.  

My mum always would say, if I'd had a rough sleep last night, that it was anxiety or when she had to come pick me up from school with an injury and I was shaking and unstable that I'd had a panic attack but I always dismissed it, blaming it on something else. 

Its a great feeling to know that someone goes through what I've been dealing with. Thanks so much for you reply 

[Amcke013]

I go from feeling spacey, like an unrealness feeling like I'm kinda losing my mind to being intensely present and worried about my death and the death of those around me. Like at any moment I could find out I have cancer and have to live knowing that I am going to die soon, or that someone near me is going to die and I'll have to deal with that I don't think I will manage. Constant twitching, forgetting things very easily as soon as I go to do them. Headaches. Nauseated, Sharp zapping pains all over. Dizziness etc. Have had bloods taken and the Dr says I have mild anaemia but with what I'm feeling its hard to believe thats it. Like to feel this way mentally must be something wrong in my brain. I've had panic attacks before, 2-3 tops maybe 2-3 years ago, but this last year I just get this constant terror feeling. 

Writing this out and reading everyone elses experiences has helped settle my mind a bit. But definitely need some help.

[Tama92]

This is a great question and it has been interesting reading the responses, for me my everyday anxiety feels like a pressure in my chest like something has ahold of my heart and lungs and is squeezing this is accompanied by a feeling of fear and panic. A major attack feels like someone has their hands around my neck choking me my throat closes I can't breath and I start to hyperventilate I can't talk I can form the words in my head but I can't make them go to my mouth I just completely retreat into myself until it rides itself out