Severe Anxiety

[Dmorris17]

Hi, I'm a 23 year old female with severe anxiety. What do you all experience with your anxiety? What are your mental and physical symptoms?

[ReardenSt33l]

I’m a 22 year old male and I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my adult life.

When I get severe anxiety I can’t eat. At all. Sometimes I’m able to get an orange down but other than that I can only drink liquids or else I’ll end up throwing up. I also will wake up around 3am every night and it will take a long time to fall back asleep. I usually have to pace my house until I calm down enough to lay back down.

I think the worst symptom is after my anxiety calms down (usually after a week or two) I go through a prolonged period of depression that can last weeks to a month. A horrible cycle but I’m usually able to push through it.

[Dmorris17 in reply to ReardenSt33l]

Wow!Me too. I've had it really bad for about 2 years now. It's 5am and here I am awake with anxiety!

[AZ1970]

I get short of breath, sometimes dizzy, shaky and my stomach aches. If I don't get a handle on it my mind starts ruminating on thoughts, trying to figure out solutions to problems where solutions don't exist. I cannot relax and feel like I have to perform (be perfect). If this does not get under control I have thoughts of self harm and under extreme stress, death. I will get anxiety and panic attacks when things are really bad.

[Dmorris17 in reply to AZ1970]

Same for me. Do you ever go through periods where you are just stuck in totally different mindset? As if you aren't even yourself? I do. It's like I'm so deep in thought going over thoughts in my head day in and day out to the point where I feel like I'm not even apart of society. It's like I'm in a totally different world.

[AZ1970 in reply to Dmorris17]

I have had that a bit, but not much. It sounds like you are dissociating. When my head is in a bad place I cannot figure out how to get it to stop. It is like a hamster on a wheel.

[Maya-]

My symptom can go from short breath, loss of appetite, fatigue, sometimes I feel heart palpitations, insomnia. When I have a dad episode the symptoms get worst I experience burning skin sensation, vomiting especially when I wake up, depersonalization and panic and anxiety attacks.

[Dmorris17 in reply to Maya-]

I experience depersonalization quite a lot too. It used to really freak me out before I learned what it was .

[hurtingheart1 in reply to Dmorris17]

hi can across this post and was wondering what do you mean depersonalization? what is that?

[Dmorris17 in reply to hurtingheart1]

It's when everything just seems unreal in a way. Like everything around me and I don't feel like myself

[Anxiouspony12]

My girlfriend suffers anxiety so much she can't leave the house some days. I noticed she gets strangers outright stop even in cars and stare at her I don't like that and get why she is anxious. It affects her badly she lives in very strange neighborhood I seen it been there don't like it is something like that causing your anxiety. I'm hoping to find a way for her to not be frightened it's not pleasant is it I suffer depression myself. My girlfriend likes watching dvds and reading drawing singing have you tried little things like that.

[Dmorris17 in reply to Anxiouspony12]

Yeah I have different hobbies I enjoy but I'm a full time college student so sometimes I don't have time to do as much as I would like. I graduate in December with my Bachelor's in Psychology.

[Anxiouspony12]

That sounds excellent my girlfriend lacks confidence I take it your OK with strangers any advice hie she can cope please and not take it as they want to harm her if they Stare thank you.

[Dmorris17 in reply to Anxiouspony12]

I think the more she gets out the better she will be. I think eventually it will go away.

[Anxiouspony12 in reply to Dmorris17]

Nice idea yes I'll tell her to not think has to go mad at it out all day just for tiny amounts like say hour of study in the library til she gets used to it. She's easily overwhelmed has bit of autism as well as nerves.

[laurafazz]

I’m a 35 year old female, been having anxiety since I was about 18. When it’s bad I get a feeling of heat in my chest that radiates out my arms and usually start crying uncontrollably. Then I get that “fight or flight” reaction and feel like I need to escape whatever triggered the anxiety. If it continues on for a long period like days or weeks, I have trouble eating anything and feel nauseous when I do. I’m going through one of those periods now. It’s weird how anxiety affects people differently.

[Dmorris17 in reply to laurafazz]

It's extremely weird