My life with anxiety

[kristen2000]

Hey guys i just want to share my biggest fight right now Idk whether it is anxiety disorder or not but to me it seems pretty intense when that thing strikes.. it usually happens when i'm around people like when all the attentions are on me i will start shaking and it wont stop the more i wanted it stop the more it will trigger.. i've been struggling with this anxiety from when i was 13 once we were made to sing on stage and i couldn't stop shaking, i was so embarrassed.. i started avoiding this situations that will make me nervous and shake.. i even shake even while reading scriptures for family devotion idk how am i suppose to live my life like this.. all i think about is my anxiety like what will happen to me if i were made to read this and that or do in front of people and end up shaking.. sometimes i thought people might think i'm weird too.. i always get nervous if a person is watching over me doing things especially during practicals( i'm a student)... life's been hard for me currently, so i'm trying to overcome this anxiety😭 it might sound simple and nothing for some but to me its my biggest problem.. any help and tips will be much appreciated( sorry about my english btw)

[b1b1b1]

I have almost exactly the same thing. I will tell you what happened to me. As a child I went to Protestant Sunday services for children. On one Sunday, I was supposed to get up, light a candle at a small alter and read a short scripture passage. Well, when I went to light the candle I dropped the lit match on an open Bible and it burst into flames. I was only 8 years old and had probably never lit a match before. The fire was put out and everyone was very nice and told me to go ahead and read the Bible passage. Well, I SIMPLY COULD NOT BREATHE. I gasped my way through part of it and had to sit down.

This has never left me. I cannot read anything in public. I can talk off the cuff, and give small speeches in public (which I had to do for work,) but I cannot read. If I try to read, the same thing happens and I cannot breathe. For me I don't think there is any solution, except to just talk without reading.

[EndUser13]

Welcome to the community! There are some great people here, I hope you can find the support you need.

I understand the shaking, though when it comes to anxiety this is a normal and natural reaction to stress, try not to overthink it. Try not to overthink anything! I have to constantly remind myself of this.

When I feel anxiety coming on I try to take a step back from whatever I'm involved in (if it's possible maybe you could go somewhere a bit quieter). I close my eyes, tell myself a number of things I repeat almost like a mantra- "this is just anxiety, it will pass, it can't hurt me" and remind myself to relax my breathing, relax my muscles, relax my thoughts... then I'll begin to focus on deep breathing, breathing in and holding it for 3-4 seconds then breathing out slowly through pursed lips (this is supposed to involve your vagus nerve, it helps with hyperventilation and gives me a healthy distraction).

If you can't get away from something that's okay, just keep talking to yourself like how you might to a good friend, attentive, nonjudgemental, and helpful.

I often find that by externalizing my focus on something other than my worries it tends to stop me from focusing on the anxiety I feel, I've defeated so many panic attacks simply by doodling or doing dishes.

[kristen2000 in reply to EndUser13]

Thank u i'll definitely try these