what physical feelings of anxiety do you get?

[annabay]

hey there, what physical symptoms of anxiety do you experience?

I often feel very alone in my experience of having physical chest (what I think are heart) spasms and was wanting to create a space for everyone to list their physical feelings that come hand in hand with anxiety so we can all feel less alone.

hope everyone is well.

[Lady_Nova]

we can only get telepsyche here. I feel like it cant even be a bandaid option for an artery bleed

[blondguy]

Hi Everyone and thankyou to Annabay for the great thread topic too 🙂

Hey Katy....Thankyou for your caring post....You are helping so many people with sharing your experience with these awful physical symptoms of anxiety we experience

Hey Mil....You can barge in as many times as you wish on the forms 🙂 You speak from the heart and thankyou for your helpful post too! I have had the same heartburn type of feeling in my throat as well and (subject to your doc's opinion) it can be not only painful but a nuisance too...Sometimes I feel I have a golf ball in my throat and my doc keeps telling me its part of having acid reflux as a result of anxiety....Just my humble opinion Mil...Milk does help with this as it calms our stomach and is a natural calmative too! Thankyou Mil

Hey Gambit87....Thankyou for your heartfelt post and mentioning " My GP is an absolute legend. She has helped and supported me every step of the way and her door is always open for me. I see a psychologist on friday to start getting myself help ive put off for so long"! You have a proactive mindset where your anxiety is concerned..Nice1

Hey Lady Nova......Im sorry that you are going through such an awful time with your illness...There are no experts on the forums....just heaps of gentle people that can help support you with their own life experiences with this horrible condition

You mentioned "we can only get telepsyche here. I feel like it cant even be a bandaid option for an artery bleed" I used to have chronic anxiety for a long time until I started having frequent ongoing counselling with a psychiatric nurse every week which worked wonders. You are always welcome to start up your own thread if you wish as well!

We need to have determination and a strong desire to heal for our recovery even when we are struggling

my kind thoughts

Paul

[Earthmumma96]

Wow what a great thread! This is my first post.

My physical symptoms are chest pains, heart palpitations, obsessive disaster scenarios, shallow breathing, avoidance, and a few others that I can’t think of right now.

My anxiety has gotten so much worse since I had my daughter 17m ago. I’ve stayed up all night watching her breathing, I’ve called an ambulance because my heart rate was going up and down from 60-120, and I’ve had tests on my heart due to palpitations and pains.

I had a miscarriage 6 weeks ago, and the last 2 weeks I’ve had migraines with aura including once when I couldn’t talk; or the wrong words were coming out. It was terrifying. I’ve only just considered that this tingling in my hands, feet and face and cold hands and feet might actually be anxiety ...

Not physical but the absolute worse thing about my anxiety is the obsessive thoughts that something bad will happen to me and take me away from my daughter and family ... then the anxiety from that causes physical symptoms which convinces me that something really is wrong. Such a viscous cycle.

[Lady_Nova]

Hi Earth Mumma
Have you asked a doctor to consider you might have epilepsy? Aura can go with a seizure and your loss of vocal control is very similar to one of my partners seizure types. Anxiety is also common with epilepsy. There are also non epileptic seizures that may be considered. Changes in hormones can be a trigger for epilepsy in some people. It can be very treatable. Worth considering?
I am incredibly sorry for your loss, I too have lost a baby, It is something your heart holds onto so allow yourself some time to grieve ❤️

[PeterBa]

Hi Mil,

"Recently something else has happened that I suspect might be a symptom of anxiety too - a weird local burning sensation on my skin when touched (even barely) - but there is no rash, no dry skin, nothing that could explain it. It's a bit as if my nerves where really raw or hypersensitive. Anyone else ever experienced this? It's pretty weird. Not suuper painful but quite draining when it continues for a few days. It's often on the inside of my wrists/fore-arm although last time it was my whole left thigh... I'll go to the doctor if it happens again just to rule out any actual physical problem."

I have had something similar for months now, although it seems to be getting less now. I don't know whether it is time and rest or the amount of tests I have had ruling out serious nerve issues (MRI's, bloodtests, Nerve Conduction Studies, all seemed fine). I am starting to think this was caused by some kind of mental breakdown last year, maybe due to stress (which I really did not see coming, but in hindsight might have been possible).

[Lady_Nova]

My youngest son, 16, is on the Autism Spectrum. I always try to keep open dialogues with my children, but I am challenged to explain things to my youngest in terms HE can relate to. This time I gave him a name for the way he sometimes feels

My son & I were out & about running errands together. On the way home on a small coastal “major” road I began to have an anxiety attack so I took a detour into a park with sweeping bay views & we talked

Me: Mummy’s just having a moment sweetheart. Let’s look at the water for a while & see if I calm down

Son: What’s it like?

Me: It’s like tight metal bands around my chest making breathing really hard
It’s tears hiding just behind my eyes burning to escape

It’s my heart racing & feeling like it wants to escape my chest
It’s my limbs being heavy, cold, numb, unresponsive
It’s a bone deep shudder that just wont stop
It’s a fear so critical I need to get away, but I don’t know what from
It’s an icy creepy feeling up my back
It’s hairs all over my body standing up like goose bumps
It’s a sweaty, sticky, gross, clammy feeling in my hands, my hair & my feet
It’s a feeling of dread like something really bad is just about to happen, but I don’t know what

Son: Can you really feel all that? What makes it happen to you?

Me: It’s like my brain tells me lots of stories of all the things that could go wrong & they worry me

Son: you can’t stop the stories?

Me: I try very hard to not pay attention to them, but it’s like I have port holes, little boat windows, of reality in my windscreen & mirrors, but all around there are flashes of horrible possibility trying to distract me

Son: What sort of images?

Me: a dog running into the road, a child, a ball, a stroller
Insects crashing guts all over the windscreen, pelican poo, or a bird
Branches falling, rocks flying, pot holes, bridges collapsing
You hurt

Son: none of that was real

Me: I know it the whole time, but the stress of it makes my body react as if it were real. Adrenalin gets released into my blood stream & I can’t help feeling all the things that real disaster creates in a body

Son: are you ok now?

Me: I’m much better thank you

Son: Why do you thank me?

Me: Because focusing on your questions gave my brain something to do other than panic

Son: I helped you?

Me: More than you could possibly imagine

Son: Can we go home now?

Me: Absolutely! that’s just where I want to be

*quiet moment as we get back on the road*

Son: I feel like that sometimes …

[that guy]

Hi Mil and PeterBa

If it makes the both of you any better, I also have the Burning feeling under my skin, Its never constant and only lasts for a few seconds, it mainly happens in my legs, but it has also appeared all over my body, even my face and ears! it can happen many times a day, or just once or twice (depending on how busy I am) For two months now I've been worried that I have been having symptoms of MS, although I have not lost any function or numbness or even tingling!

I have other symptoms like muscle twitching, pain, headaches and varying amounts of tiredness! Its making it hard to concentrate at times! these have been going on since early October.

I'm now on Medication starting Monday, I've had positive results with this in the past, so I hope this helps me!

[blondguy]

Hi Earthmumma96

Welcome to the forums...I am sorry for the pain and anguish you have been through yet you are an amazingly strong person for posting from the heart as well as you have and thankyou!

Just a note about the intrusive thoughts you have been experiencing....These are very common after a major life event like you have gone through. I hope you can stick around the forums and maybe even create your own thread topic as there are many gentle people that can be here for you

Hi PeterBa...Welcome too and thankyou for your contribution to Annabay's thread topic too! Anxiety can manifest itself in so many ways including feelings/sensations with our skin. I know when my immune system is down I also suffer from skin issues as well...You are proactive with your health by having all the various tests done. You mentioned possible stress too.....That can definitely be a part of what you have been experiencing

Hi ThatGuy.....Welcome to the forums and great to have you with us! Good on you for having the courage to talk with your doc on this. I used to have chronic anxiety for a few years and the symptoms were similar to your...I also take meds for my lack of concentration and my own various anxiety related symptoms. Thankyou for speaking from the heart in your post too!

The forums are a rock solid safe and non judgemental place for everyone to post

Happy Friday 🙂

Paul

[PeterBa]

Hi That Guy,

Am I right to understand you had a similar issue before and it has returned? What medications worked for you before? I don't need the details, but were they antidepressants or pain killers? I am still struggling to link these physical pains which pretty much started overnight, months ago, to just anxiety alone. All the tests (and I have had a lot done) seem to come back fine however.

I am also dealing with a LOT of anxiety and I don't know if this is BECAUSE of the pains or if it is causing the pains...

[Johnny_]

Hi everyone,

I am honestly not sure if I have anxiety or not however after chatting to another member here, he advised me to check out this post. I had a good read and can relate to some of what members are saying..

These are my symptoms;

- two months ago, I suddenly became extremely fatigued, barely enough energy for about 4/5 days.(came back once for 2 days a month ago)

-very tight chest for a couple of days at the start( has not come back since)

-followed by, being emotional for about 3 days, crying for no reason(came back for 3days a months ago)

-sleep is not consistent.(better now with herbs or sleeping medication when needed)

-good appetite but i crave different foods in the morning)

-tremors in my arms and legs.(worse in left leg)this is consistent and still present accept when laying down or sitting still.

-no strength/very weak and fatigued but able to do normal domestic chores including shopping.

-burning sensation on both forearms and forehead( comes and goes)

- heart rate is normal

-digestive system is normal as well as all organ functions.

Ive noticed the better I sleep the severity of the symptoms reduce but still weak even though I am more mobile.

Ecg clear. X-ray clear. GP checks are good. Bloods are all good however states I had glandular fever in the past which I think was about 7/8 weeks before this happened and my kidney function is slightly high too. ( I dont drink alcohol, I eat very clean and drink loads of water)

So...this is me, it slowly came on a couple of days before asking someone out on a date and them saying no as she had a partner but never told me she did..it surprised me and I felt anxious at the time asking here out (increases heart rate/tight voice) but went away minutes after which is normal for me then I crashed the next day.

i am seeing a Psych but at this time she doesn’t feel it’s anxiety or depression.

Its crazy what the body does!