Hi Skye.
I think the answer to your question is yes and no. This is just my opinion.
At times I look at my hands or feet (especially if they are still) and think that they don’t feel part of my body. If you think about it enough it can seem a little weird but this generally doesn’t last very long. I think that where anxiety comes into play is if this weird feeling then worries you for the rest of the day. I think the underlying anxiety has focused on the disassociation with your hand rather than the hand being a symptom of anxiety.
Try and redirect yourself to something else more positive and enjoyable. E.g. talking to friends and family or pursuing a hobby that you like. When you’re suffering a bout of anxiety it feels normal to be worrying about things all the time. From my experience having anxiety makes you want to keep track of everything in case it is a problem. This causes you to be on alert all the time and is very very tiring. If you can try to recognise this pattern as just being anxiety and don’t allow the anxiety to focus you on things that aren’t very important. Give yourself a break from being hyper alert and allow yourself to do some nice things. This is easy to say but quite difficult to do. Your world will not collapse around you if you stop trying to see the next problem before it arrives. Try doing this for short periods of time may be the easiest way to start. This is basically what mindfulness is about. It’s about focusing on the now and enjoying that for short periods of time and forgetting about the future or the past.
Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to have a break.
Dean
