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what physical feelings of anxiety do you get?

annabay
Community Member

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.

797 Replies 797

Hi Tayla....I hear you loud and clear on your symptoms...They are exactly the same as what I used to have and yes they are horrible to have...ugh! Your input is helpful as it helps others know they are not alone..Thankyou!

Hi Clarissa26.....thankyou for helping out on this thread...I am also on meds and they have helped me so much...and as you mentioned having a 'routine' too! Thankyou for your valued input on this thread!

Hey Mendel.. The feeling you mentioned about feeling disconnected is common....just from my own experience I also feel 'vague' or 'distant' as though I am not there too...You have done well by explaining this feeling...Thankyou for being a part of Annabays thread topic 🙂

my kind thoughts

Paul

Hey Paul, thanks for that. Nice to see you again since i had a break from the forums, it's good to be back since I missed everyone.

I'll add a suggestion:

Anxiety/fidget toys can help sometimes as distractions. So stress balls, things like that. I guess it's a bit of mindfulness too, right? There's lots of things to try and that can be purchased, pretty cheap too most things.

Tayla

known
Community Member

Hi,

Joining this thread, it's helpful to see that people experience the same things, and lots of different things too!

Physical symptoms that I experience, and that I have recently identified as anxiety:

- A huge rush of sensation up my back

- Pain in my head, usually the back of my head

- Waking up in the middle of the night from nausea

- Pain in my throat like there is a cork stuck in there

- Feeling "zoned out" - therapist calls this disassociating

- Sweating

- If I am in a room full of people, their faces and features seem extremely intense

- Pins and needles in legs

- Excessively tired like a hangover after an anxiety attack

- Tight shoulders

- Clenched jaw

blondguy
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi Known

thankyou for helping us help others by posting on Annabays thread topic and welcome!

Im glad that you have found this thread helpful...as many have done too...Your symptoms are what I also experienced in the 1980's when I was in my 20's and they can be awful to have for sure...You are proactive with your health Known and good on you...My symptoms are listed on this thread a few pages above...I was a dill and thought I could self heal with my own physical symptoms...and I was so wrong by not seeking help at the time

great to have you as part of the Beyond Blue forum family 🙂

Paul

Hi Mendel,

I have Experienced (and still do) the exact same thing. The feeling of being distant and disconnected from the situation/conversation. As if you’re there but you’re not really/fully present. You’ve explained it so well. It’s spot on. Exactly what I’ve experienced as well.

I’m wondering if that’s ‘brain fog’...?

Hi MidLifeGirl,

I started to experience similar thing (only on my right side of the body) About 2 months after having my baby. And it was just after I received a phone call from a doctor regarding an MRI.

I too have seen a neurologist and will continue to see them just to make sure nothing is happening.

This ‘sensation’ has improved a lot, however I now get really itchy from time to time.

Does anyone else get this as well? 😞

Missy72
Community Member

Hi

I awake early hours of the morning with this weird feeling in my head.. it’s like waves of something..& then it washes over my body. Then I get very ‘nervous’ & a bit ‘jittery’.

For the rest of the day I get shaky, jelly legs, blurred vision & an overall nervousness. I always feel slightly better in the late afternoon.

This has been happening since November 2019. I was anxiety free for about 9 years. Trauma bought this relapse on.

I’m hoping that it will work itself out soon.. like it did the last time.

I’m seeing a CBT psych and a psychiatrist. I just have to try & stay positive but it’s so hard when I’m just existing’.

SSC
Community Member

Hi,

When I first had anxiety, I was totally in a different zone in life. Honestly, I did not have the senses to realise what all was happening to me. I recovered with the help of therapy but after a few years it has come back. I feel my jaw hurts a lot. I have to sometimes pat my cheeks to feel better. This constant realization that my heart is beating fast is something I hate. This time around when I know the symptoms well, I tried my coping strategies but they failed. None of them worked when they previously did. All that makes me more anxious.

I feel sick and tired all the time and each and everything is just a big big effort. I find myself dragging from one moment to another. For a few days last week I had phases when I felt super energetic but that did not last very long and now I feel drained and defeated again.

Hello Everyone! and thankyou for being a part of Annabay's great thread topic

Hi TheAnxiousOne...Brainfog is common and I remember that feeling of disassociation too...thanks for providing support for others on the forums too

Hi Missy72....I understand your symptoms as I used to have them as well and yes they are a pain to have for sure..Great effort having CBT and you are definitely not alone when you mentioned ' I just have to try & stay positive but it’s so hard when I’m just existing' Ditto here Missy72

thankyou amazing people for being a part of this thread topic!

Paul

blondguy
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hello SSC

Welcome to the forums and thankyou for your posting on Annabays' thread topic too!

I understand the roller coaster of anxiety you are going through and it is horrible to have....Just for me I used to grind my teeth in my sleep which made my jaw ache..a lot...Feeling drained and defeated is unfortunately common with anxiety...ugh!....I have posted my own symptoms on this thread like you have

peaceful thoughts

Paul