Okay. So if you deal with anxiety symptoms, I'm here to say I understand. I've experienced many many wacky symptoms, believed I've had many health issues, but were always proven false, and if you want an explanation as to why it happens, please ask. I've researched, I've read, I've listened, so please have at it!
Here's a list of some symptoms I've dealt with to show how ridiculously versitile amxiety can be.
Anxiety symptoms (duration range: 1 day-24/7)
Light headedness
Dizziness
Tight band around head
Light head
Heavy head
Brain zaps
Exhaustion
Loss of appetite
Ringing in ears
Tight band around chest
Depersonalization
Derealization
Tonsil stones
Tight traps
Muscle soreness
Blurry vision
Skipped heart beats
Loud heartbeats
Difficulty breathing
Nocturnal panic attacks
Panic attacks
Visually overwhelmed
Tension headaches
Sensitivity to high frequencies
Staring off into space
Back pain
Sore body
Clammy hands
Shaky hands
Internal shaking
Chills
Lethargy episodes
Feeling hot
Burning legs
Cold fingers
TMJ
Constipation
Feeling rushed
Inability to take the sight of gore
Buzzing on one part of head
Left side of body feeling foreign
depth perception felt wrong
Excess saliva
Depression
Waking up in the middle of the night
Not waking feeling rested
Tight throat
Difficulty swallowing
Hot ears
Hot jaw
Patches of goosebumps
Nervous energy
Falling sensation
Muscle tremors
Sensitivity to smell
Gasping for air
Dizzy when lying down
Scary, vivid thoughts
Muffled, buzzing hearing
Short term memory problems
Spaced out feeling
Aerophagia
Inability to eat
Weight loss
Inability to focus
Weird/bad dreams
Slight OCD
Agoraphobia
Bringing security items (phone, Motrin, etc)
Weird foot coordination
Time felt disconnected
Fear of passing out (so much so, I avoided taking baths)
Impending doom
Feeling as if I'd suddenly snap
Sore from chest down due to tightening
Dizzy spells
Hot shoulders
Tight stomach
Tight legs
Tight back
Glitchy vision
Clumsiness
Hypersensitive senses (vision and smell)
Tremors
Feeling as if the floor was rocking, swaying, moving beneath me like a boat
Update: regarding DP: there IS A WAY OUT. You have to learn not to react to it. I still experience it, but I don't CARE a about it anymore. I literally don't worry over it and it's beginning to go away. But it didn't happen over night. This took MONTHS a of NOT reacting. I think I decided to be okay with feeling it in January, with some hiccups. JANUARY, guys. But the point is I don't care about experiencing it anymore because I know it's not harmful. THIS is how you overcome EVERY symptom. Every single one. But DP is one of the worst symptoms, so I thought that would be reassuring to you guys.
I know you become sensitized with anxiety and tight muscles in the back of the neck can cause weird stuff. It's just anxiety! I've heard and experienced this symptom before. It's nothing to be alarmed of.
This is kind of the normal for anxiety. Picture this; adrenaline is a stress hormone. Cortisol is four times as powerful as adrenaline. Cortisol stresses and taxes the body by doing all these things to prepare you to run. A person without anxiety would take a day to recoup after heavy fear. But with worriers, cortisol is constantly being released over and over. A simple worrisome ought triggers a stress response! So from a medical perspective, it's no wonder you don't feel normal. But that IS normal for a stressed body. Not because of a medical ailment, but because of stress.
Haha, I wish there were one! It's a process. You have to train yourself not to react to every symptom and they diminish over time because the body takes four times as long to calm down than it does to get wound up from stress.
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I agree with your approach and applaud you for your courage in hanging in there with your symptoms. The one thing I have not experienced is the diminishing of the symptoms over time. This may not be an automatic for those of those of us who had deep and severe early life trauma.
Iv'e had constant head pressure for over a year, really tight neck and shoulder muscles, Tension headaches, Tiredness, Waking up feeling shit, feeling faint and like I am going to pass out. Leg aches, chest pain. It's mainly the Head pressure that never goes away. Sometimes it's not as bad but it is always there. Like you said has every test done and came back fine. I'm on lexapro now but there is still that doubt that it is something more than anxiety.
Oh, the head pressure. Blegh. Yes! Have had it. And have had it 24/7. Feels like your head is light? Or a tight band? Sometimes as if your brain is made out of cotton? One reason is your focus on it. Also, the tightness in your neck muscles can cause feelings of faintness. As well, anxiety can cause your inner ear muscles to actually tighten, too, messing with your equilibrium. I had this symptom and I have gotten over this symptom by distracting myself. I suggest stretching and maybe a chiropractic check to help the tight muscles. The neck is a big tension spot like the stomach and the lower back.
I wasn't really concerned with this symptom which was why I think it went away within a month or so. Try distracting yourself and not getting worked up over it. Have an, "oh, this is just anxiety" attitude. I know it's hard but it is anxiety, but stressing yourself over it more will make it worse. This is your body's way of saying it needs a break. Not to freak out more.
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The freak out mode is coming from your brain. Your body is needing to relax. But there's a VE close link between the body and the brain and how thoughts directly affect the body due to the release of cortisol and other stress hormones.
Cheers mate. I'll see how I go. I'll just try to forget about it and if it was something bad then it would of peaked by now. I really need to exercise more but never feel like I have enough energy.
That's true but that's all the more reason to do it! When you feel bad and you still do something, you feel super accomplished and you'll notice the symptoms minimize some. It builds confidence in the knowledge you're healthy.
You said tightness in your neck can cause feelings of faintness? What about brain fog/spaceyness?
If so, what are the best exercises/remedies many have used to relax all these muscles?
The other thing that messess me up is when doing research and seeing the people that have similiar issues of the brain fog/and DR as a result of anxiety..
It's crazy how many conditions that can be the cause of it, (even when your trying to be reasonable about it) and then on top of it, when I see how many docs they went too, complaining of no relief.
Yeah, because if you think about it, your spinal chord has so many nerve networks threaded between and around it that it makes sense why tightness in one area can have a complete physical affect. I have a chiropractor that helps keep me in line, but if I can't get an appointment, then I usually apply wet heat and ice. Be mindful of your posture too. I also do yoga and those stretches can really help.
I understand, BELIEVE me. But the fact that they continually went to doctors should tell you why it persists; because obviously they're still worried and anxious over it if they continue to seek a doctor's opinion rather than just floating through it. Easier said than done but that's really the only reason DR/DP persists; your worry of it or worry over something else keeps it there. It's just a defense mechanism your brain activates when it feels it's been given too much stress to process. Worrying over it is not going to help it. Ignoring it and just seeing that it's not harmful and gaining confidence in that is how it's overcome.
Like I am not afraid of DP/DR but I know mine lingers because of worry over OTHER things. Anxiety is anxiety. It will make symptoms hang around until you learn to accept it and go with the flow. It takes time for your body to come off that fight or flight response so patience is most definitely key.
Amazing post! This really helped me a lot. I experience many of the same symptoms, some of which I never imagined could be caused by anxiety so therfore I would think something horrible was wrong. Thank you.
First is DP; mentioned in post. It sucks but it's a mental defense mechanism. Your brain switches to auto pilot because it cannot process the stress and it does this to protect you.
Weight on chest can be due to tense muscles and/or disrupted breathing cycle which you disrupt by thinking of it. Excercising helps correct this.
Feeling faint ties in with the poor breathing and/or tight neck muscles and inner ear muscles that mess with your equilibrium (balance).
Nausea. When you're anxious, blood is shunted away from the digestive tract to more vital organs in preparation to run. Even when you are calm you can feel this way because your body is ACCUSTOMED to sending stress signals. So you can be fine in your home and then BOOM, symptoms.
Sweating is probably one of the most prevalent symptoms. I get that, too. And the jitters.
sound like you make need some anti anxiety meds like fluoxetine but if you are having thyroid problems like Hypothyroidism can cause all those symptoms and more. I had it and I am now on meds and feel better
Also tension at the base of the skull at back of head can be related to tension, sinus issues like a sinus infection and the tight band around head is probably tension or stress
find some happy music close your eyes for about 20 minutes and lay in silence, or just lay back in your car alone in a park to just wind down
wind down for about 20 minutes here and there and it will help a lot
thank u .Have had many of these feelings. Good to know others experience same. You listed them all
Hi trea121
Thanks for the post... I've had quite a few of the symptoms including tonsil stones, which I had when I was a child without knowing at all what they were!
I recently discovered that they were called tonsil stones ( I don't get them any more) but my question is how are they linked to anxiety?
I am now struggling with DP and DR, panic, nausea, jelly-legs, weight loss, constant anxiety and depression. I'm on escitalopram 20mg and on waiting list for CBT.
Thanks
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I've had all those symptoms. The jelly keg feeling is scary. But if you think about it, you know when you read a book and the character is in a fearful position, they say their legs "go weak?" Same thing. Also, I tense my legs a lot which causes that feeling. When you go out or when you become anxious, observe it from a subjective view. Just kind of note what you start to feel.
For the tonsil stones, I have no idea. That's my own theory and with some minimal research. I've just NEVER had tonsil stones prior to anxiety. Tonsil stones are made out of calcium and aren't harmful. It could also be something as simple as some with anxiety don't pay as close attention to oral hygiene.
I've had both DP and DR. I had DR in the first couple of months of anxiety (24/7) and DP since....last August. 24/7. But after about 2 days worth of research and a bunch of panic attacks and fear, I learned it wasn't serious. I also read my Bible which helps; I don't know if you believe in God, but it definitely makes me feel better. I know meds can do some weird things too but I've never been on meds for anxiety. Also, I've lost 20 pounds with anxiety. Gained some back, but I know what you mean. People with anxiety usually eat more or less. I eat less when stressed.
I suffer with chest pains around the shoulder area, tingling in the face and constant frar 24/7 that these pains are something serious and are going to kill me. If anyone wants to talk i'm here 24/7 just like my pains. Take care eveeryone and together we can all beat this. XxX mike
I've had occasional chest pains. Obviously u recommend going to the doctor once at least, but if they've given you the all clear, then anxiety is the next probable cause. I suggest going to anxietycentre.com. They also have their own complied list of over 100 anxiety symptoms. And they do explain the chest pains. But I do know it's very common.
The burning & tingling, especially in my jaw & face are really awful! I have to do a lot of public speaking & it's getting harder with the fiery sensations.
I haven't experienced the burning skin sensation, but I've read it as a symptom and wouldn't be surprised anxiety causes it. Does it get worse when you're public speaking?
It doesn't usually feel worse during the speaking, probably because I have to stay focused on what I'm doing. I do sometimes have sensations of autopilot or sleepwalking. It's a bit disconcerting with so many people counting on me.
I keep feeli sick which is bad because my fear is being sick. Kinda ironic...
I keep feeling sick which is bad because my phobia is being sick. Kinda ironic...
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Emetophobia. Yup. Me too!! I understand this 100%. If you distract yourself, does the feeling lessen? Start taking walks and see that when you DO something, it actually helps.msitting and dwelling makes it much worse.
Ok I'm intruiged I get electric shocks In my head feeling of falling from a great height at speed, not the same as falling of a kerb, more like my spirit leaving my body, paralysis can see but cant move, and the ones that freak me out more is I wake up and my bedroom decor is completely different to what I have, I am fully awake its covered I small diamonds with a peach and free flower in the middle. I can go to the toilet speak to my other half and its still there, but only I can see it. When I close my eyes I can see images of a room with carpets doors furniture and people comming towards me but cant hear what they're saying, this is really scary and I dont understand why its happening to me I'm not crazy, more so intrigued about it as scary as it is. had it years so doesnt scare me to death as it did anymore, still freaky though. Even my doctor is baffled. Xxx Mandy 😵
The electrical shocks I've had. Feels like the brain is being zapped. Called "brain zaps." Feeling as if you're falling, or are going to fall. Anxiety negatively affects the neurons in your brain, causing them to act erratically and misfire the flight or fight response.
The others....I haven't heard that of anxiety specifically, but it could (and this is just a theory, even if your doctor doesn't know) be linked to DP. People often feel like their house changes or things don't feel normal. But still, I haven't heard that with DP. Are you on any different medications or vitamins? They can cause some weird stuff.
What's dp xx I had the same this morning not my wallpaper xx also had 3 electric shocks last night, before I went to sleep after exhaustion. The other when I see things when eyes are shut to go into more definition to try an d make you understand is , when I shut my eyes I get a whirrling looks like water that then parts to reveal a carpet then I see doors and people comming at me shouting stuff but I cant hear them, scares me so I open my eyes, it is very weird doesn't happen all the time just sometimes inc the wallpaper, I'm not however scared just intrigued as to why this happens to me, well tell a lie it does scare me, as I've never heard anyone else experience this, I love this post by the way xxx maybe you might be able to explain my doc is baffled. Looking forward to your reply and thank you so much. I know the electric shocks are brain zaps, but the seeing things is weird but also fascinating. I once went to Whitby when i was at school ill never forget, we we're on a coach and as we approached whitby their was a row of houses but one of them I couldn't take my eyes off I knew that house I knew the interior of it how many rooms it had was a 3 story house I was 11 when I went there im now 49 and remember that house like yesterday weird xxx mandy😁
DP is called Depersonalization. It can make the world see, more vibrant, like scary. It cane make your house feel different. It's like an alteration in your perception of the world around you. Which was why I though of it in regards to the wallpaper.
I also know PTSD can do some weird stuff, like causing images and things, but this is all just a theory based on my own experience.
I've had over 70 symptoms within a year. Im in no way trying to diagnose. I'm just explaining how anxiety CAN cause these things. But regardless, even if it were to be caused by a medical ailment, anxiety will STILL affect the bidy negatively. And that can be reduced.
And I agree. Though if I had gone to my doctor for every new symptom, that would have been really expensive. But thank you for addressing that and I agree. But a lot of doctors aren't that knowledgable of anxiety, unfortunately. Or, none in my area, I should say.
I've been to doctors for most symptoms & what causes anxiety is when they aren't curious about whether there is a true physical cause before trying to mask symptoms.
Oh, I crack my knuckles when nervous. Never used to do that; used to hate the sound. But I would grip my hands so tight and mess with them that it started. Nervous ticks, I call them. And yes, I have delt with the grinding teeth, painful jaw stuff.
Hi I really suffer with anxiety and panic attacks associated with medical conditions. I think I have something wrong with me or I poke around my body till I find something I think is not right. I have not always been like this only for the last few years. Why am I like this and will I ever get better. My gp has put me on sertraline 100 mg but to be honest I don't know if it is really helping.Can u help cause iI feel when I go to the doctors they look at me like I'm mad and wasting their time. They say I have to find ways to control my anxiety but I feel they don't do anything to help me achieve that.
Anxiety centre.com they're great and yeah you can get better. You're still the person you were before the worry. And you can get back to that, it's just about doing the right things to achieve it.
Does anyone else ever feel like they need to crack their muscles I don't know why I feel like this but I think it's because there is so much tension I just want to crack to release. And I am 18 years old and anxiety is taking over my life I hate it I am living in fear I have a new symptom every day it's sooooo so frustrating for my mam as she keeps shouting at me saying I always have something wrong and she's sick of it, it's true but I just want help I always think I have something wrong because the symptoms are always new and feel so bad 😫😪
Hang in there. Can you get some support outside of your home? You are being courageous by posting here and that is great. There is a kind of healing that takes place when you risk and are honest. Hang in there.
Your post is very comforting. It's always helpful to hear that you aren't alone with all these crazy symptoms. It's scary how out of control things can get when you're in panic mode. I've been dealing with chest discomfort for months. I've had palpitations for years. I've been to my Doctor, the ER. I've had EKG's, chest X-rays and blood work. Everything comes back normal but the pains don't go away. I don't know why but I don't believe them. Like they missed something. The middle of the night is the worst. I would love a night of uninterrupted sleep.
The pains can very easily be due to anxiety. Tight muscles can cause severe pain, anywhere on the body. I had pelvic pain and was terrified it was a cyst. But then I realized how I was sitting, and discovered it was a pinched nerve. That can also cause some weird pains.
CONSTANT derealisation, I feel like I'm in a bubble far away from everyone else, awful memory, muscles hurt and I feel weak all over.
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This was me last year! Same symtpoms. I couldn't even watch a movie because I couldn't follow it. It's gone now though, and that's because I stopped worrying over it. I did stuff anyway. Just tell yourself it's OKAY to feel this way. It's just stress.
I think this is the most common anxiety symptom. Why it only happens when you think about it is because when you become conscious of your breathing, you disrupt your natural breathing cycle. Getting your mind off it returns it to its natural state.
I always wondered if my tonsil stones were related to my anxiety! interesting. my most often symptoms are .. sore back and neck. headaches and migraines. hot face. shaking. nervousness. nausea and diarrhea. heavyy head, feeling spaced out and shortness or breath
Have had all these, too. Man, my shoulders would KILL from how tense they were. And when I left a store sometimes, my legs would be aching from how tight I'd been flexing.
I literally have more than half of all of these symptoms. About 90%. I'm so happy to have found this community. I know I am recovering from extreme anxiety and DP, and it is defenitley gradual, but this really makes me feel so much better
I have ongoing extreme tightness in my throat and it has lasted many years. It is hard to ignore it, but sometimes I have to to do it.
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Globus hystericus. Have had it. Still get it occasionally. I know anxiety can cause that tight feeling.
I had neck strain because of sleeping in a uncomfortable position , but as it's healing , I've been getting neck spasms & this pulsating sensation in back of neck , not sure if anxiety or because of my neck .
This sensation as though I'm gasping for some fresh air , as if I was stuck in some humid room.. Then my upper part of boob would ache .
I get this feeling in my throat sometimes , mostly when panicky , other occasions I'm calm but anyways feels like something in throat .
My ears are sore & stuffy ( most likely sinus thing lol)
I get anxious feeling in legs , feel like jello
Sweaty palms
Dots in vision
Upper back to lower neck tense
Feeling " blah "
Feeling woozy ( only during PMS nowadays)
Off & on , mostly off...I have a nervous burping habit .
Playing in my hair :/
TMJ
Flustered
& more. Basically , these are the main issues here , for me.
Have experienced all and I still have jello legs because I tense my muscles alllllll the time. TMJ, yup. Hurt neck from poor positioning? Yup. Breathing problem? Yup. I used to get nocturnal panic attacks and would wake up gasping. Usually means you're taking in too much air, not too little. So to spend five-six seconds exhaling helps that.
Yeah I find I take in a lot of air as if I'm in danger 24/7 :/ but thank you . your advice is truly helpful. Oh I should add ...Its a challenge off & on to eat ..I burp a lot while doing so & drinking is irritating, as I feel it ache every time I drink & it goes down . I get head pressure in the back of my head while burping , & sometimes after I drink , well I burp then too . Yeah I'm pretty much a mess but I'm getting better. Lol I love how you're helping ppl with a post like this !! Thanks
Sounds like aerophagia; swallowing too much air. Can cause bloating and excessive burping and often occurs when you eat. It's also another symptom of anxiety.
Have you ever gotten pulsating sensations in a certain spot back of your head ? I already mentioned tmj because I was grinding my teeth before that occurred . Lol
I love this post Trea! I think its great you've got so much experience dealing with this. I stuggle with it and accepting it is ony anxiety.
I went from having the tension in my head. Bad headaches. Dizziness. Lightheaded after having an MRI scan of my brain it calmed down... still there but nowhere near as often
But I no am suffering with really bad tight chest, shortness of breath feel like I cant breath correctly. Always checking my pulse! its almost like I've moved away from my head and now i'm onto my heart. I've had an ECG and blood tests all comes back clear everytime. I get really bad backache too!
I've had this, too. The breathing can be scary but I find going outside at night and just breathing everything in, walking around a bit, REALLY helps. Also, breathing from your lower abdomen rather than your chest.
My lower back has hurt a lot but the real tension I get is in my traps. So bad sometimes it hurts to lift my arms.
Lightheadedness/dizziness how can this be connected to anxiety?! I hate it so much it stops me from enjoying my life. My social life had died because of this!
My social life has been killed over numerous occasions. Light headedness is caused from either hyper/hypoventilating, your neurons missfiring (fight or flight response), and can also be caused by tight neck muscles that disrupt your equilibrium.
I have dealt with this symptom SO MUCH. It was the first to show up and the longest to stick around other than depersonalization. I'd sometimes have dizziness only when I lay down, other times when I went for a walk, or went into a store. It would come out of nowhere a lot. I'm very intimately associated with this lovely symptom and can say anxiety can definitely cause it. Forcing myself to leave the house and then, if I felt light-headed in public, asking myself what the worse-case-scenario is. What is, really?
If I bend over or even move around or dance anything involving lots of movement I feel faint and everything gets dark? Is that anxiety too? Because I've been told it's not my blood pressure, heart or brain. 😕 And I feel ill a lot of the time like I have the flu? Please help me!
Oh, the ill thing. Had that yesterday. The ill feeling I know can be caused by anxiety because I've had it and it can come without warning. It's so weird. If you went to the doctor for the dark feeling I wouldn't be surprised anxiety is doing it. I used to get lightheaded when walking, but after doing it again and again and learning not to react, it's gone away and if it comes back, I don't fear it.
Chills really bad chills always starts at the same time every day I get goosebumps as though I have a fever but when I check my temp I don't have a fever but my skin does feel hot to touch?
Have had this. I also used to have chills but my legs would feel really really hot. Stress causes blood to be shunted away from your hands and feet and can cause chills. It can also cause flushing. I used to have both at the same time.
Thanks for this post and all your support! My biggest symptom is that my head feels like I got hit with a baseball bat. I have constant dull pressure/tension headaches, mainly in my forehead/face and back of my head and necl. Also constant distorted/dizzy/blurry vision, like someone just shook me up or I was alittle drunk. Can constant vision problems be anxiety? Any advice on how to get rid I this? It's the worst cause I always feel like I'm in a fog
I have experienced all this, especially the brain fog. I had my thyroid checked but it came back normal, so I put it down to anxiety. Eventually the symptoms faded when I stopped fearing them and let them linger.
You have described my symptoms better than I've been able to articulate. I've tried to explain it like I've been whacked in the head & I get blank stares...
Ok this is gonna sound really crazy.but I got OCD.now i won't go into the germs thing for now.but I have a real problem with my thoughts.i was trying to tidy my house and i find it very hard cos i think that something bad is gonna happen with my boyfriend,my family,my friends,my crush if i it an item in the wrong place!so i about tidying as can't handle all the thoughts!i also put stuff away then take it back out and move it someplace else.the really insane thing is if somebody is with me when I tidy up i don't do that!it is definitely my OCD playing tricks but it is so bad i get to the point i am shaking with anxiety and fear now!any advice for this?
Have this too. You have to kind of force yourself out of that cycle. As soon as possible. Start small and work your way up. Have an "I don't care" attitude. I use Bible verses, if you're Christian. That really helps me.
Thanks for reply.i thought it was only me that got that.glad I'm not the only one!i guess starting small is good idea so i don't get overwhelmed.im kinda spiritual i actually have a book on how to deal with anxiety and think it has bible quotes in it forgot i had it til now.i could have a read of that again.thanks
It sound like thyroid issues I had similar symptoms ranging from the band around the head headaches a tightness at base of neck, lightheadedness, body aches, anxiety, feeling cold, and some hot flashes etc. I found out I had a large cyst on my thyroid then they found it had a cancer cell so they took my thyroid out. I am on medication now but I feel a little better. but most of your symptoms sound like imbalances with your calcium (which can make you cold, cause some numbness feelings in limbs, tongue and lips), low iron can give you headaches, aches, lightheadedness, wooziness, other things, Plus thyroid controls almost everything so if it is out of whack you will have the weight issues, depression or anxiety, feel foggy, forgetful, have headaches, feel kind of detached rom things, have the shakes sometimes, and feel very tired after 1pm have it checked
pain in the neck that comes and goes i have constant nausea and its hard to know whether i have like the flu or if its just anxiety i was having a dull pain last night where it felt like my gallbladder was i know if its your gallbladder then its a severe pain plus my pain was moving around i know focusing on it makes it worse if finally subsided at like 5 am and i was able to sleep now im focusing on it cause i dont want it to come back ugh i hate this help please
Sounds like POTS. That's a lot of symptoms. I suffer anxiety but also have POTS, Chronic Lyme and a host of other infections & ailments at a young age. Vitamin D and B12 defiency can cause a lot of these symptoms as well. Low cortisol/ adrenal defiency and low thyroid, too.
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I personally have had all that checked and am confident it's all tied to anxiety. I suffered for years from anxiety prior to panic attacks before I even understood it was anxiety.
I'm not familiar with Borrelia (which is saying a lot considering what I used to research) but I know taking coffee out of your diet helps because coffee is a stimulant and can make symptoms worse, as can alcohol and sugar. Exercise helps. I use a tactic of "flicking" thoughts. You know how you flip through photos on your phone? I kind of do that with scary thoughts. Quiet dismissal.
That is all the symptoms I have but they never go away ... had every test done apart from mri which I am having in next few days ... bloods and ecg all fine .... anxiety? Even though I don't know where it's come from.!!! I'm not stressed or anxious it just came one day and has never gone !! I'm desperate to get my life back x
It can come/persist due to the misfiring of the stress response. You've "routed" your brain to react a certain way so when you fear being dizzy, boom, stress response is activated and you get/stay dizzy. Even when you're calm. Because you've trained it to respond automatically and now that stress response is pretty much out of wack. And staying calm, learning to not fear those symptoms, is what makes them go away. But that takes time so patience is key. You may not FEEL normal, but this is a normal RESPONSE. Same goes for head pressure, which can be due to tight neck muscles from stress, which I've had. Every kind of head pressure you can imagine, I've had.
I try so hard to ignore it and keep busy but my hobbies r walking running and horse riding all hard to do when busy, and impossible to forget/ignore .... I am at the end of my tether after 3 months i just don't know how to break this vicious cycle ....
I was there for a good year with DP. I had THAT 24/7 and finally, late last year, I finally stopped fearing it. Now I don't care if I have it because I know what it is.
Like dizziness; it isn't dangerous when it's anxiety-related, it's just your body's way of telling you it is overly stressed. Remember to also congratulate yourself on everything you do. Even if it's leaving the house. Or doing the dishes. And then you just work your way up from there. Start small and build on it.
I don't let it stop me doing anything but just find everything a battle and not very enjoyable .... I do people's heads in talking about it as well as my own... I wish it would just bloody go!! Maybe when I get my Mri results if it's clear that is a starting point ... I just feel like I am stuck like this forever
If you talk about it all the time, your focus is inwards, so it will feel amplified. A lot. That's called hypervigilence. Continually thinking, "I just wish it would go!", "I don't want to feel this way", etc. won't help. You kind of have to adapt the mindset: "Well, I feel this way. It isn't pleasant. But that's okay. I'm going to do things I enjoy regardless of these pesky symptoms." THAT is when it starts to change. And believe me, I'll go out, feel like crap, and won't be reacting. And I'll actually worry BECAUSE I'm staying calm. It is so weird.
Well, don't ignore. It's more about accepting. "Yes I feel this way, but I'm going to do this anyway." Become aware of how you think. How many times do you say what-if? When scary thoughts come in, say, "it's just a thought" and calmly dismiss it. Don't be desperate to get it out of your head. You are in complete control of how you respond. I love that. Because that statement is 100% true. No matter what happens. No matter what you fear will happen. YOU are in control of how you respond to ANY situation.
In the two years I've had agorophobia, severe DP, DR, and health anxiety, I have never taken meds, simply because I have never wanted to rely on them. I do take some calming supplements though, which help me. Meds you have to come to your own conclusions on but I don't take any, and am glad for it.
Each person is different in what they need. Having been agoraphobic for 6 years, I realized that the medication wasn't doing anything and so I choose to wean myself off them. Like you said everyone needs to come to their own conclusions as to what is best for them. You are right in that we are in control of how we react to our anxiety. Stopping the negative talk definitely puts the brakes on the anxiety escalating. Trea, I commend you for getting a handle on your anxiety, and getting your life back. It doesn't take courage as much as it takes wisdom to research and then follow through on what works for you. I enjoy reading your posts. You bring a lot of positive reinforcement to this forum. We need that xx
Aw, thank you! Nowadays, you see all these posts on facebook, on social media regarding "how anxiety feels" and it's like we know how it feels! And what I don't like is the helplessness it promotes. "Anxiety is hard to live with", "never say this to an anxious person". Instead of reinforcing how debilitating anxiety can be, I want people to feel empowered over what they can do about it and that overcoming it isn't impossible. It's hard. But I am tired of anxiety being made out to be this insurmountable beast when it's the result of behaving apprehensively. A result that can be undone. And THAT is so empowering!
I don't want to take any I hate Meds I don't feel like they r the answer they r just masking problems .... as of today I'm trying a new approach... not talking about it ... just trying to get on with it and say ok ur here and I don't like u, but I'm doing what I wanna do, like it or lump it...
Oooh, that's a good one. Even I struggle with not talking about it, but you're on the right track. I personally hate meds, and I am in no way judging anyone for using them to combat at anxiety, I just don't take them because I feel like they mask the problem. They don't solve it. And I'm interested in pulling that problem up by the roots.
Yes I agree no Meds today ... I went for an 8 miler walk and every day I remembered how dizzy I was, I was like yep u can just do one now I am not scared of u and u can't hurt me ..... however I just wish it would go!! But haven't talked about the stupid sodding thing all day practically so that's progress
I am really trying to tell this dizziness I am not scared of it but it's jut not budging .... any other advice?? I don't even feel anxious about anything ... I can't cope with it ..... can I really be feeling this bad with no idea as to why??
Even when you're not anxious, your body is overstimulated, so it keeps misfiring the stress response, EVEN when you're calm. You won't be able to lose the fear over the dizziness in a day. It can take awhile.
For me, it took going into the store and getting as scared as I possibly could. Like, I was shaking and felt so dizzy. The ground was like moving under my feet and I was so scared. But nothing bad happened. And that was kind of a turning point for me.
Even tho I have never felt scared or anxious about anything? This can still be having this impact on me? I have no fear of going anywhere or doing anything.... just feel fed up of constant dizziness and heavy legs
Well, you being on here tells me that you're worried over it and worry triggers a stress response. It could be as simple as you went through a stressful time, and dizziness was a result of that stress response. Only now you're focusing on it, which triggers more stress.
I get a lot of these symptoms, I've been diagnosed with health anxiety. Even saying it scares me. I'm lucky to get a good day now. Do the symptoms ever go away? Can I really beat this?
Anxiety is not a mental illness. It is a learnt behavior that can be un-learnt. Or changed into something better. So YES, you can beat this. It will be slow and it will take a lot of practice. Good days will start to outweigh the bad and even I'm not there yet. But you can get all the tests, you can go to all the therapists, you can read all the books, you can have all the tools, but YOU have to be the one to utilize them. I think a lot of the time we expect doctors and reassurances to "fix" our problem for us, when the only ones who can do that IS us. So yes, you can 100% beat this. And the first step is believing you can, and not taking anything less. Because you don't deserve anything less than to be anxiety-free.
That's really helpful I mean for example I came over this afternoon feeling very unwell. I had a bad headache and felt dizzy and sick. I'm now in bed aching all over like really badly and feeling very sick. I feel so bad that I think I need to go to the hospital
If it is any consolation, I had severe anxiety a week ago, after my dog had puppies. Oh, that was an ordeal! I was achy, I was a human knot! I felt poorly the next few days. And even almost two weeks later am feeling some residual anxiety from it. So I would not be surprised if anxiety can cause this.
Look up psychosomatic symptoms. It's common in those with anxiety. And it's not saying your symptoms are not valid, just how POWERFUL the mind is. It's really astonishing.
Not completely, but I'm way better than I used to be and I'm not stopping now. It takes the body 4 times as long to calm down than it does to get stressed out, so it can take months of not reacting before you see results.
I feel tired. My eyes feel tired. My coordination is off. I'm clumsy. My balance feels wonky, but not to the point I'm falling over. I feel disconnected. Unable to really be happy any longer. Terrified I have some terrible disease which is going to cripple me and leave my family in ruins.
I've believed I've had so many diseases at this point it's pathetic. But, my health anxiety is so strong that I can perfectly mimic anything I think I have, or research they symptoms. For instance, I'm scared I have MS right now. I've had a MRI which was clean...but still think maybe...just maybe they missed something. Last week it was parkinsons, I don't shake or anything like that..it's just something I cooked up becuase my pinky was a little shaky in the morning (completely gone now-that's why I went to MS I think).
Coordination problems are definitely symptoms of anxiety. I've had that. I've been tired-like, bone-tired. I spill something at LEAST once a day so the clumsy is anxiety. I can pretty much vouch for that completely because I've become a butterfingers.
I used to be worried I had a bunch of problems. My brother's a nurse and I'd ask him all these health questions until he refused to answer them. Tell yourself what you do know: you cannot possibly have all the diseases you're scared you have. Shaky limbs is another symptom I've heard of. One guy who had anxiety and no longer does (he's a therapist for anxious people now) used to have a shaky pinky and worried of MS, exactly like you.
Is anxiety this powerful? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. My pastor used to have anxiety (love that word "used" to) and her's caused some weird problems. I won't tell you what they are because I don't want you to worry of anxiety causing that for you. Basic line: it was all anxiety related and she's fine now.
But yeah, this sounds like anxiety. Not parkinsons. I used to worry over cushing's disease (don't look it up) and a bunch of other stuff. Now going out and challenging it is what's starting to convince me like, "huh. Wow. Anxiety really CAN cause all this." Waiting around for it to get better is what ultimately sets you back.
Thanks for the response. Anxiety really is a crazy thing. I appreciate you leaving the symptoms out too. Yesterday I heard an MS story where their first sign was a twitch in their eye, like a hair was stuck in it. I awoke with that exact issue until a few hours later. Now my legs feel numb and still feel off balance. The powers of suggestion to a health anxious person are inreal!
Psychosomatic response. It's like when you see someone stub their toe on TV and your own toe tingles. Saaaaaame exact thing. It's a pain, but almost reassuring to know how powerful the mind alone is.
You said you had an MRI. Even I haven't had an MRI, or any scan for that matter. I nearly had an ultrasound after I was terrified of having an ovarian cyst and was experienced bad pelvic pain....turns out, THAT was literally created by me. At most, it was a compressed nerve from the tension of my muscles, but now I don't have it.
Ovarian cysts are actually very common and painful. They are also easy to miss if it's resolved before your tests. And I've heard the surge of hormones they can cause contributes to anxiety response as well.
I thought I had them last May and pretty much got so stressed, that my fear manifested. Turned out (as I believe) it to be a pinched nerve from how I was sitting. Now it's a year later and . . . well, nothing has happened and I don't experience those feelings anymore.
I've heard about visual sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and some related to temperature, yeah. One person said that when they walked on any hard floors, it felt freezing, not just cold, like the temp was amplified. And yes, sensitivity to light I've also heard of. I experience a lot of sensory overload. Used to be ridiculous when I went out. Two minutes into a store and I felt like I needed to close my eyes. Now that's declining FINALLY
Yes I do. My core issue is/was fear of feeling out of control and fear of pain and suffering. It began after my sister got sick when I was eleven and I was consumed with the irrational fear of getting sick also so I freaked myself out and it just snowballed. However, it didn't get as bed until my sixteenth birthday, which was the day I had my very first panic attack. It was so weird. I didn't feel the best (my eating sucked then) and I'd downed a lot of caffeine and I worried about getting sick and suddenly a feeling rushed over me and I grabbed my sister's arm. And then the feeling vanished.
My worst panic attack though was my second one. I was lying on the floor and that feeling came again and my heart was pounding out of my chest and it came in waves. After that, I felt exhausted and like I was in a dream world. I didn't get off the couch for three weeks until I got up the courage to go to the hospital. Had everything checked, including thyroid. Zero results. I mean, I couldn't even follow a movie! Or read a book and I'm a bookworm and a writer. So after researching THAT and finding out it was derealization, I slowly accepted it and it dissipated. But then it turned into depersonalization and I basically went on this two month rampage thinking I was going crazy. THEN came the other symptoms. I am now almost eighteen, have read pretty much everything possible on DP and DR. I spent most of my money I made on my own therapy and never said yes to meds, because I figured I've lasted this long without them, I didn't want to start relying on them now. So yeah, I am very familiar with anxiety and its symptoms.
it's good to know you aren't taking any meds for these feelings. I am trying to lay off any meds and just heal naturally or stop worry about stuff to let this vicious cycle continue. this is great help, thank you.
This describes how I feel every second of every day. How do you just not react? I feel like anxiety is who I am anymore it's what makes me who I am. I don't know if I can come back from this.
me too, it's hard but I try by getting back into my hobbies, which is fixing up stuff. i feel so normal when i do that. also as people from another board mentioned taking a B-complex really helps. at least it's helped me calm down.
ps, your screen name reminds me of this song. maybe you are feeling stressed out?
You have to just start. Believe me, it doesn't happen in a day. Like, the other day I felt SO WEIRD. Out of it, stuck thoughts, etc. And I thought "I couldn't possibly go into that store". But I did, and then I went to the bookstore and got books I was dying to get. And then I went and saw a movie. And nothing bad happened! Three months ago I wouldn't have been able to do that. So you kind of have to put yourself in a situation where you get scared, just to see that nothing bad happens. First time is always the hardest because you have to switch the thought of "well it didn't happen THIS time but what about NEXT time?" to "It didn't happen last time. It won't happen this time."
Hi there, I have a list also, on which you might find a bunch of cross over symptoms that you also suffer from (it appears so from your post above)? There is a great video here which you may find really interesting, personally I think its amazing and speaks quite well to many of the symptoms you speak about. The part I love the most is that it interviews a doctor who had no idea his own symptoms (that it shows you in the video, nearly killed him didn't put two and two together) were in any way related to this simple deficiency. difficulty-swallowing.com/r... its the first video down on my blog site. Perhaps if you have this vitamin deficiency and can get rid of some of these symptoms it will leave you with a more manageable list of problems to try and get answers for. Your list of symptoms sounds truly terrible and I think that you will be able to identify with some of the people in the video. I hope this helps you in some small way.
Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms (there are more, but these are the most common ones).
Aching prickling and numbness in hands and feet caused by pressure or damage to nerves
Acid reflux that occurs regardless of diet
Aggressive behavior that is not normal for you
Altered palate, food tastes different
Always feeling cold due to low body temperature
Anxiety, or a sense of doom
Bad breath
Bloated stomach occurring regularly
Brain fog
Bruising easily
Chronic overwhelming daily fatigue, despite sleeping well
Clumsiness, things always falling from your hands
Confusion
Constant heartburn
Constant ringing in the ears from tinnitus
Constantly itchy skin
Constipation
Cracked sores at the corners of your mouth
Dairy sensitivity
Depression that lasts for months without any apparent reason
Diarrhea regularly
Difficulty building muscle mass, even though you’ve been exercising regularly
Difficulty finishing tasks or chores, finding it hard to stay organized
Difficulty remembering words that are on the tip of your tongue
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty walking in a straight line
Dizziness, unsteadiness, poor stability on feet
Dry mouth, unpleasant taste in mouth
Early onset menopause
Early-onset dementia
Eczema, dry skin rashes
Electric shock sensations that shoot down your arms and legs whenever you bend over
Erectile dysfunction
Esophageal ulcers
Face is abnormally pale in complexion
Flatulence
Forgetting names of familiar people
Frequent miscarriages, spontaneous abortions
Frog in throat sensation
Getting distracted easily
Hair loss not related to age
Hallucinations, deliriums
Heart palpitations throughout the day
High levels of homocysteine, which are linked with heart attack, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease
Hormonal imbalances
Hypersensitivity to certain sounds, such as Styrofoam or scratching
Infertility
Irritability
Joint pain
Language impairments in children
Losing your breath easily
Loss of appetite
Low sperm count
Memory impairments
Mood swings
Muscle fatigue following light physical exertion
Muscle stiffness each morning
Nausea, recurring need to vomit
Neck pain
Neural tube defects in newborn babies
Neurosis, fixations
Night terrors
Olfactory hallucinations, noticing odd scents that aren’t apparent to anybody else
Optic neuritis- nerve damage in the eyes
Pain in bladder in the absence of uterine infection
Pain in elbows, shoulders, and hips from bursitis
Paranoia, peculiar suspicions
Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) caused by the degradation of myelin, a protective coating that shields your nerve cells
Persistent headaches
PMS- pain and emotional problems prior to menstruating
Poor concentration, ADD-like symptoms
Poor control or arm and leg movements
Poor development in newborn babies
Poor, slow nerve reflexes
Post-partum depression
Premature grey hair
Quivering, trembling muscles
Recurrent panic attacks
Red tongue that is abnormally slick, without bumps
Reduced libido
Regular canker sores, mouth ulcers
Sensory impairments, such as hypersensitivity to touch, fragrances, textures, flavors, lighting and noise
Sleep problems, such as insomnia or waking up easily
Sleep that doesn’t refresh you, still feel exhausted in the morning
Sore muscles, painful burning sensations
Sore tongue, burning mouth or burning tongue sensation
Stomach aches that happen often
Strange thirst, constantly feeling dehydrated
Strong tooth pain when drinking or eating very hot or cold foods
Tender spots on your body which are often associated with fibromyalgia
The need to take a few days to recuperate after even moderate exercise
Thin, ridged nails that break easily
Thyroid disorders, including hypothyroid or hyperthyroid
Tight muscle pain in the arms and legs
Unusual metallic taste in mouth
Unusual weight loss or weight gain
Vertigo, a sensation that the room is spinning
Vision impairments, such as blurring, double vision, sensitivity to light
I originally thought it was B12 deficiency and got myself tested for it. Even though they said it was fine, I started getting b12 shots and saw no difference. So I can confidently say I do not have b12 deficiency, but thank you for the information.
Ah well it was worth a post to check. Did you get methylcobalamin or Adenosylcobalamin and pair it with metafolin (not the folate)? If they were cyanocobalamin injections I wouldn't expect you to get a resolution. Anyway it was a long shot. All the best.
Sorry,I wanted to know if Im the only one with loss of appetite. I mean,I get hungry,I am hungry,but I feel like food is not tasty at all or makes me nauseaus. I also lost some weight. Anyone had this? Im 5'5" and 47 kg
I probrably have or have had majority of them you've just listed, and I'm so so glad, because when I was at my lowest I thought it was just me going through this and thought there was something seriously wrong with me. I'm very slowly learning how to deal with my anxiety, it's not easy as u know but I'm slowly doing it, I even went back to work today few days early then what I should, it upas really horrible first two hours but I tried to not let it bother me n kept myself occupied best I could, and your absolutely right, the less yiu think about it the easier it is and because I work in a busy pub and staff that are so funny to work with at times I had a good shift considering how bad I've been. x
I was so dizzy and the tight band around my head and feeling really on edge and anxious all the time, at the beginning of the anxiety I didn't know if it was vertigo or actually anxiety I was all over the place, even now when I go to places I feel uncomfortable being at I get really light headed n dizziness and I can't understand why as part of me wants to actually be there X
I've had pretty much all of those symptoms. Particularly the vision and the constipation and the spaced out feeling. Spaced out feeling is because you're so overstimulated. I get that way after im in a store for too long, and it's because the sights can be visually overwhelming. Have had all and in my experience, anxiety has been the culprit. Just trust your doctors. And try to learn to not react to how you feel. You don't feel normal I know, but under the circumstances of stress, it IS normal for you to feel this way.
Trea, you've come a long way in the last several months. Good for you. Knowing a physical reason for getting the symptoms has helped lessen your reaction to anxiety. I'm so happy for you. Wishing you a goodnight. x
Oh, oh! I wanna join in with the cool kids and their symptoms! Most of mine hit the hardest when evening comes and especially when I try to sleep.
I got a lot of head pressure. The same feeling as when you turn your head down and blood starts running into it. Felt like its slowly filling from the inside and is gonna burst any moment. Mostly had it when I laid down, or after staring at a pc screen for too long. Or just completely random at any given time.
Breathing struggles. Feeling as if I can't get enough air in, or as if I am not getting enough air out.
Random pulsating and twitching in random body parts.
Static kind of sound in my ears, which was always there only now it's louder and annoying.
Tingling sensation on the back of my neck.
Feeling as if something was holding my neck painfully and strangling me (is that the word?).
Stabbing pain in lower right belly, newly similar stabbing pain below my right breast.
Pain inside ears, feeling as if they wanna burst.
Randomly feeling tongue muscles .
Seeing my nose without concentrating on it.
Back pain.
Stabbing pain on the right side of my head.
A sort of numbness/tiredness in my limbs, mostly right ones, the kind of feeling of self one has while drunk to the point of it being a DP maybe.
Suspiciously fast metabolism and almost a diarrea but not quite (I blame this on a newly started gluten free diet).
Trouble sleeping because of random things my body does that wake me up (I sleep in sitting position sometimes to ease the head pressure).
Feeling like crying randomly.
Occasional panic attacks for no reason.
Almost constant worrying.
Most of the said things rarely happen during the day, so I am pretty sure it is anxiety. I've been to several doctors who said so as well.
It is still annoying and when it hits I always worry that it might be something serious.
FINALLY! Feeling worse towards evening. Same. Here. Association is a big factor in that. Also, when you wake, you have this surge of cortisol which propels you through the day. But after noontime, it starts to diminish, which is why many people feel more sluggish around that time and after.
Head pressures, yes.
Ear sensations, yes. Stress can cause the muscles in your inner ear to constrict, causing ringing, sounds, whooshing noises, etc.
Tight neck muscles, yes.
Abdominal pain; stress causes the abdominal muscles to tighten. Diaphramic breathing can help this.
It can happen any time because yoiur brain is misfiring the stress response. Imagine a really really tense watchdog and it barks at every little sound because it's been trained to. Same thing. Your mind feels uncomfortable "resting" because it's been trained to react so it does, even when nothing has happened just to make sure you're still on your guard.
I am not really sure about the diaphramic breathing. I've had pain where that is supposed to be. And it doesn't seem to change anything just makes me concentrate on manual breathing.
It is really weird how I am mostly perfectly okay the whole day and then at 6-8pm it goes down. Or not.
Afraid of sleeping, yes. Sometimes. I would have this thing where I woke up feeling like I was being smothered and sometimes it would happen a lot. Those were actually panic attacks that just woke me up. Association is a huge factor as to why you can feel something at a specific time.
Yes. Relaxation supplements help. I speak verses about peace over myself. Particularly Psalm 4:8 'In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust.'
Yeah, they are so much fun! *heavy sarcasm* They are so weird.
Lack of appetite, weight loss, trembling, trouble swallowing "choking feeling", headaches/migraines, sweaty cold feet, palpitations, tight stomach or nausea.
in reply to
Had them all. Tight stomach in particular, also tension headaches. Yup. I find that with all of it, letting yourself feel it and just kind of "going with it" helps you lose the fear over them.
Thank you so much for posting this. Your list was so accurate that it made me cry... I'm just tired of it all. I've got to find a way to overcome. I'm tired of going to doctors... I'm tired of always thinking and talking about my health. I just want things to be "normal" again.
My latest sensation is a feeling of warmth in my right chest/lung... can this be anxiety? I do also suffer from acid re-flux but it is currently being controlled by meds, so this new feeling is very unnerving.
I've posted here before and your answer was great, so I thought maybe you might be able to help me again.
MY MS fears (which I don't even remember why I thought I had MS in the first place) have mutated into ALS fears. Some days are worse than others and some are better than others. Today is one of the worser days-just my luck!
I've constantly monitoring my "strength" to see if I have actual weakness. I'm checking for atrophy. I'm not shaky all the time, but sometimes I am. The worst thing is I'm just plain sore. This alone should rule out my ALS fears because the overload of researching I've done states that ALS is a motor neuron disease and not a sensory neuron disease so I should reason to have nothing to worry about.
BUT....I saw an interview with a few ALS patients who said they "felt" weaker before the actual diagnosis. They could tell they weren't as strong. So that sticks with me.
I don't know exactly what I'm looking for here. Reassurance I suppose. But I can't shake this ALS fear dangit! I'm 32 and I'm walking around terrified I have a disease for which I have a 0.0001% chance of having (this is the actual stat by the way-I've done the math lol)
I've been overly anxious now for about 7 months. I think my body is just starting to shutdown and revolt because I'm wrecking it will all this stress.
I was actually going to recommend you look up the stats to see even just the chance of having that, which is EXTREMELY low.
Well, soreness it very common because when you're anxious, you tighten everything. Stomach, legs, arms, chest, sometimes you get headaches because your INNER EAR muscles tighten too. I once went to this interview and when I came out, my legs were so. sore. Like I've done Zumba and Pilates but I've never been so sore in my life. I felt like Id just gotten off a horse. Because I was unknowingly clenching my leg muscles for over an hour.
Do yourself a favor and stop researching it. Don't look up anymore interviews. Nope, nope, nope. That just feeds the cycle. Weakness? Well, that's also a symptom of anxiety. "Feeling weak, lack of energy, etc." And the chances of anxiety are so so so so SO much higher than ALS. We're talking two stratospheres from one another. And if anxiety can imitate heart problems and Brain problems and emotional problems, that includes ALS. So Id take it day by day, not researching it. If you feel like you want to, go to somethng you like. See that if your mind is distracted you feel a little better. Go outside. Take a small walk. Anxiety can also decrease your level of activity which can, if you originally worked out a lot, decrease your muscle mass over a period of time which would make anyone feel weaker. But that's normal.
Thanks for the reply. I think the hardest thing to grasp with anxiety is it's residual "echoes" through" the body. Even when I'm not feeling anxious anymore, the effects of anxiety can be felt I suppose. I've been anxious for so long, riding a constant rollercoaster of intermittent fear and terror and comedowns, that my system must just be wrecked. I've been like this now for 6 months (which makes me lucky I suppose because some people have been struggling their entire life) and from what I'm seeing it's going to take atleast that same amount of time or more for my body to reset and be calm where I can begin to feel like myself again.
It takes the body four times as long to calm from the stress than it does to provoke it. So even if you stay really calm and don't react to your symptoms it can take months for the body to return to its normal state, which is why people get so panicked because they don't give themselves the time necessary for the body to "chill out". I've had Depersonalization for like two years and am only now starting to notice a change and that's after a year of not freaking out over it. So yeah, I get it.
I have pain in my chest and a feeling like fluttering that feels like a bubble starting in my chest but I feel it in my head to like I'm gonna pass out. I have had every heart test that you can have and everything has been perfect. I feel so hopeless, I feel like I can't live my life, because of the fear I have . I was so glad to find this.
Yeah, I've felt like this. I used to have fears over my heart too. Once it hurt because it felt like I couldn't breathe. For that, I used to walk out at night. It's very calming. Talk to yourself out loud and say you're fine because talking and walking proves you are. And try to practice changing your thoughts. After you jump to OH NO, MY HEART, reel it back in and change it to something calming like, "I've had this and nothing bad has happened. The doctor checked it and even though it feels weird, I know anxiety causes things like this." First time is the hardest. There are setbacks. It's about pushing through it.
DP, chest pain, impending doom (fear that I'm dieing) the back of my head tingles all the time. Dizziness light headed Ness. I can't snap myself out of DP, no matter how hard I try it always gets the best of me. I'm always worried I'm haveing a heart attack? And my face gets red and very hot to the touch. Were/are your attacks every day? Cuz iv had them pretty much non-stop everyday for the last 9 months mostly at night around 7-8 pm and now lately at work. I feel like my brain is getting triedl. And I see spots and stars and the newest thing is feeling like I'm forgetting things like iv been with my husband for 7 years and we have a son. I have had to remind myself of them.. it scares the crap out of me.
Um, I didn't have Attacks of DP because my DP was 24/7. For two years. Maybe I still have it at times-I don't pay it as much attention anymore. The only reason the DP is there is because of stress. It's a defense mechanism. Your brain kind of detaches itself from you to "help" as counterproductive as it is. The memory thing I have ALSO had and went on a very long tangent thinking I was losing my mind. Nope. All are symptoms of stress and anxiety. The first step to getting those symptoms gone is training yourself not to react to them. They're there because of the stress response. If the stess response is continually activated, those symptoms will present themselves all if not a lot of the time.
Did you ever suffer from diarrhea? Like having bow movement problems? Or having discomfort on your stomach area? Or feel nauseous? Like close to throwing up?
I had issues with emetophobia, so my focus on stomach was allllllllllllll the time. Still is, I just do instead of sit back and focus on it which helps. Also, my Bible is my buddy. There are verses that have helped me through panic, because you turn your focus from the panic to the verse.
Sense of doom is one of the most common anxiety symptoms I think known to man. Usually stems from a fear of death. I didn't have THAT fear because I don't have a fear of death but it exceptionally common. Changing focus. Get up. Take a walk. Drink water. Watch something good. Tell yourself you're fine, as many times as it takes. Be confident in what your doctor has said. And if that doesn't work, I open my bible and remind myself Who has me, which pretty much relieves any trepidation I have over that scared to die feeling.
Well, that thought doesn't really help you. Sure, it has its effects, but that doesn't mean you can't recover from them with the right amount of relaxation and dedication. Anxiety is not done to you, it's a reaction you train yourself to have and it's just about untraining that reaction and substituting it for a healthier, calmer one. You have your parasympathetic nervous system and your sympathetic nervous system. Your sympathetic nervous system is activated with thoughts of panic and fear. That's the part of your nervous system that gets you all prepared to run. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated with calming, relaxing thoughts. It slows the heart rate and everything. You can't have both of these activated at the same time. It's either one or the other.
Hi have got the fear off death on my mind all the time i also get that a fell spaced out my head eyes hurt n water get sore heads dose anyone else get this
Practice. First time is the hardest because you kind of have to go against every instinct screaming "RUN!" I used to be someone who couldn't get out of the car and who used to run into places and run back out. I get sweaty and panicky and often just bolt. I didn't want to leave the house. One year later and I am driving, I am going into places. I am TAKING MY TIME in places. Sure, I still have anxiety, but it's easier to calm myself down. So, you have to sort of go against what everything inside you is telling you to do, and often that means being in a situation that makes you as scared as you can be and coming out the other time and seeing, "Hey, I'm okay. I'm actually okay," and seeing how everything terrible you imagined didn't happen. And I know what you're thinking: "What if everything I fear DOES happen?" then you sort of have to break it down. "What am I scared of?" "Okay, so then what if that happens?" "Is what I'm thinking even LOGICAL?" And just take it as deep as you possibly can. Do it in public if you want to. Start small and go bigger and change your thoughts from "I can't" to "I will". It's hard, and it's long, and there are setbacks. But it's just the process.
I'm having the hardest time driving long distances. I'm mostly afraid of passing out. It's never happened to me and I know how dumb it sounds but it's there in the back of my mind. I don't even know why! This all started randomly a year ago
I have the same lol. It's funny how we think the same.... I feel like I will get a rapid heart rate episode or panic att just while driving long distances lol. I have to listen to my pastor while I'm driving to keep myself busy lol
I find Todd White or Joyce Meyer are excellent for feeling empowered. But you have to put their guidance into action, too, which is when results are seen. It's so true how your thoughts influence your physical sensations.
Not stupid to me. Passing out still IS a fear of mine, but you kind of have to see it from the logical angle. Also! If you have tight neck/back muscles, it can make you feel light headed and weird.
One way of looking at it is the fight/flight response is designed to protect us in times of danger. It either makes us fight or run away. This response is not designed to make us pass out right at the critical moment so it is unlikely to happen.
But does your body feel funky daily? Does anyone experiences like discomfort around the stomach area not pain but discomfort. Also feelings of dizziness or tiredness? I just constantly have symthoms in my body like discomfort but it's all day long and it's annoying sometimes I don't have it for couple months but then it comes back.... is annoying.
I was someone who couldn't get off the couch and there was nothing physically wrong with me, so YES. I have had ALL of that, particularly the dizziness. That symptom used to freak me out. For that it might not be ALL anxiety, and could be contributed to tight neck muscles FROM anxiety. So I'd recommend an adjustment from a chiropractor. That can sometimes release a lot of shoulder tension you didn't even know you had. Yeah, it's normal for symptoms to go away and then come back...it's learning to NOT react each time they come back and gradually the time between those symptoms will get further and further until they're gone altogether.
all the time :-/. I can't get a doctor to understand that I feel "wrong". The best I can explain it is like being on a boat with a mild case of sea sickness & the off-balance feeling.
I used to feel VERY spaced out, especially in stores. I'd get dizzy from the lights and it would feel like I couldn't see because I was seeing EVERYTHING and my eyes couldn't "take in anymore". So yeah, I can most definitely relate and can tell you I don't really have those symptoms anymore after a lot of time just letting them be there.
Me too. Same exact thing you are describing. I thought it had to be the lighting, then I felt my brain was just so overwhelmed that my eyes couldn't absorb all the info hitting me at once.
Definitely that would impact the situation. Not sleeping makes you have brain fog and as for the glasses that could distort your vision. I once was told to wear sunglasses in the store or glasses that had little side blinders like a horse has so he won't become skittish.
loglegmomma, I don't know what the answer would be for you. I never had any tests done and yet all my symptoms went away in the store when my anxiety went away.
Anxiety CAN affect your balance, because stress can cause the inner ear muscles to contract, messing with your equilibrium. It can make your depth perception feel off, can make you feel like you are on a boat, slightly rocking from side to side or like the ground is swaying. I have had all of these sensations and though scary, anxiety can cause them all.
Hi did u have problomes with your eyes a have a fear that a might go blind a cant seem to sleep cause the pain n back off my eyes just scared plus my eyes water anything to worrie about
Yes, eye strain is a common cause for that and if you've had your eyes checked, you're fine. Ophthalmologists are very thorough; they look behind the eye to the nerves, they check your cornea for retinal tears, they can spot weak surface areas, etc. So if they say your eyes are fine, you have little reason to doubt them.
Anxiety can cause you to blink less, actually, which can cause eye strain and eye dryness. If you've stopped drinking coffee, that can cause eye pain, as can sinuses.
Hi how are yous all to day a keep taking panic attacks a fell like am just about to die our iam so scared geting like sick felling scared we bite off chest pain on my right hand side
It's just stress. Take a deep breath. One thing that really helped me is asking myself, "How will panic help me here?" and your answer will be it won't. I know you might think so, because every time you panicked, nothing happened. So you might believe reacting actually aids you in keeping the threat away, but it doesn't. It just makes everything look scary.
Tense muscles. Yup. I used to have it when it would feel like someone just punched me in the stomach. You have a whole plexus of nerves behind your stomach, so stress often goes straight to the upper or lower abdominal regions.
Usually DP sticks around if there is any kind of stress so other stresses in your life could be causing it to linger. Dismiss it. Go about your day. Therapy might help you get to the underlying cause of stress. Also medication can cause DP, as can depression.
I also recommend seeing a nutrionalist. They can be awesome and really help keep your diet in order because some foods, believe it or not, can cause DP, DR, brain fog, etc.
Hey Trea! You sound like you are pretty familiar with anxiety symptoms so my last turn is asking you! I've struggled with anxiety for about 3 months now. I feel like the traditional symptoms like fast heart , trouble breathing and such aren't really bothering me anymore, I did use to get those all the time. But I do have this one symptom that concerns me and don't know if it could be anxiety induced or not. I know dizziness and distorted feeling vision can be caused from anxiety and I have that a lot, but almost every time I stand up I see black spots or tunnel vision almost for a few seconds and feel dizzy . Everything I've read doesn't really say if anxiety can cause this or not. Most things say it has to do with low blood pressure. But I wasn't having this problem at all until I started up with having anxiety ... so can you please tell me your opinion on this! I don't know if I should see my doctor or accept that it's just anxiety and will pass eventually!?
I have heard tunnel vision with anxiety. I haven't experienced it personally, but I have read up on it as being a symptom. Also, I would not be surprised if anxiety can mess with blood pressure. You can always just ask your doctor if you are concerned and if they give the all clear then it sounds like anxiety. Have you already been checked out?
You're gonna be so confused it's a long story.. but about a year and half ago I was diagnosed with pseudo papeliedima.. it's confusing .. but long story short they did brain MRI and saw nothing .. and I'm getting a basic eye exam this Monday .. you probably can't help explain it now 😂
I have chest pain which is more of a tightness but sometimes stabbing just under my collarbone. I had tests done and everything was perfect. Lightheaded. Dizzy. I feel unbalanced sometimes or as if I'm about to fall down but somehow I keep walking or standing. Suddenly feeling like I can't feel my entire body. I feel like I don't get enough air so I start yawning to catch air. Disorientation. And every day it's a different symptom. Sometimes I'll manage to feel not too bad and sometimes I feel horrible. I dunno what triggers it Coz it's so random. Unless my worrying about getting anxiety attack triggers it? Coz the moment I wake up I think "what if I get chest pain again" or "what if I get breathless"
Chest pain is a common symptom of anxiety, along with tightness due to tight muscles. Anxiety can affect your depth-perception and make you dizzy, lightheaded, off-balance, etc. It affects your equilibrium. Yawning to catch air is not a symptom of hyperventilating, it is a symptom of hypOventilating, which is breathing too much. I had that a lot, you just have to slow your breathing, hold it for a few seconds, and make sure you are breathing from your stomach and not your chest. It is random because your neurons are misfiring because your brain is on full alert so it is looking for threats alllll the time. You stop it by learning not to react to it. It'll take time and perseverance but then those symptoms will go, different ones will come, and you have to keep NOT REACTING. It took me two years before I really grasped that. I used to feel horrible all the time. Trust me, I understand.
I pretty much get everyone of those, but right now last 3 days been really dizzy, and led in bed now and feel like my heads falling back where im so dizzy im so scared
Hi, it's really nice to see people on here tha help others in times like these.
After reading through the symptoms I was worried I was only a handful of people that found it hard to swallow, I find my self trying to swallow for no reason what so ever. You also say about you're left side feeling foreign. Are the symptoms like having pins and needles down you're arm?
No, but pins and needles are a symptom of anxiety. Body feeling foreign is like your own hand feels like someone else's, as if it is someone else touching your other hand. It is super weird, but I don't really experience it anymore after not reacting to it. It all went away.
I have had tingling sensations before, which could fall into the same thing as pins and needles but I never worried about that symptom so it was never a constant for me.
How about feeling like your head is swaying ?? I don't even really think it is.. it jerks sometimes lightly , but I have a sensation a lot of feeling like my head is moving or unstable . I feel dizzy a lot and it's kinda freaking me out!
Hi thanks for taking the time to reply, I also have a strange feeling when I eat, it's like my chest goes tight sometimes. It feels very strange sensation. As I write this my left side of my face feels numb and weak as well
Hi 😊. Yeah I have some relief to the pains and numbness in my face and chest. They aren't a Constance on going it's just when my anxiety gets going. Did you get or still have the feelings?
I've had it all. I've noticed it gets worse when I'm stressed about something else. What helps is to become aware of how often you think about how you feel. This is what I'm doing now; I'm counting how many times I start a though with "I feel" and "what if". What you think about you give power to, so if your subconscious is literally obsessed with how you feel, it's understandable why it would have the same physiological results because they just reinforce each other, back and forth. The cycle has to be broken.
Tight muscles can cause light-headedness because, if you think about it, you have so many nerves going up and down your spine. Being misaligned or tightening everything for long periods can definitely affect your head/neck. Just the other day I felt like I couldn't breathe in, so I got up and did something until it went away. When you focus on your breathing, you interrupt your natural breathing pattern and start breathing more from your chest than your stomach. You're supposed to expand the stomach when you breathe in and pull the stomach in when you breathe out.
Pain in stomach sounds like tight muscles. You have an entire plexus of nerves sitting behind your stomach so it's no wonder stress and the gut are so closely linked.
I used to tense up everywhere. Still do, but I'm becoming more aware so that I can relax them. Once I went to speak with a lady for a babysitting job in her house, and I was only there for the afternoon but when I came out my legs hurt so much just from tightening the muscles. I'm a gym-goer and I have NEVER had my legs hurt like that.
I know it to be the reason. But I just feel awful all day, I wake up shaking and dreading the day ahead. It's ruining my life, but then I won't do anything or go anywhere in case I feel bad...and yes I know I am giving it creedence as I think about how I am feeling all day. I would go back to the doctors, but I know he cannot do anything for me, except pills to calm me down. I have had every test going, but you still think he's missed something, it can't possibly be just me!
Some kind people on here including Agora1 said about meditation, but I am too agitated to even try to calm down. And another person said about muscle stretches, but I feel they might make me worse.
I know you cannot perform a miracle, but in some ways it's good to just tell someone the truth of it all, without like the doctors who seem exasperated with it all.
Oh I understand. I often tell myself not to worry and then I'm like, "Boy does that leave a lot of empty space. What do I put in it?!" First step is acceptance and the way you get that is to go out and see how nothing happens. You can't wait to feel better. You have to do it feeling this way because it forces your focus off of yourself. Usually if I feel lousy, going our and doing something makes me feel better. It's really weird.
I find Bible verses to be the only thing that can calm me down. Or I'll ask myself if worry helps me anyhow. It never really does. "Worry will only worsten this sensation and make me fear it, and that's not productive." I am learning that we can DECIDE how we react to things. It does not just happen. Fear starts with a thought. Worry starts with a thought. Retrain the way you think, it will improve how you feel. WAY easier said than done but it CAN be done and that's what matters. We just have to apply it day to day until it becomes instinctive.
I went away with my husband last week and unfortunately felt dreadful, apart from one night we went out to see a band and I got immersed in the music and forgot all about my aches and pains and realised I felt normal, so I know it can happen, if only you can stop your my doing over time.
I have been that bad recently that I now have an itchy rash, had this a year ago and it took three weeks to go. It's the same old scenario, I know it's due to anxiety, but then your brain starts up again.
I know it will take time and it started because I have been under terrible stress in the last two years because of my job, but I have just resigned and am going to take time out and do nice things.
Good for you! Isn't it amazing what stress can do? And yet a distraction can make it disappear?
I do hear of rashes as a symptom because stress causes the blood to be shunted away from the skin's surface which can cause dryness and other symptoms.
I'm glad you're taking the time to destress. What I found very helpful was asking myself if worry would help me in this situation and I never answer with "yes, it will". So even with stress we can choose to breathe and tell ourselves it's all good. Worrying will not help me. If you believe in God, giving it to Him is a massive weight lifted. That's what I do, even if I have to remind myself by the hour XD
This is so me, except for me it's when I hike or run, I feel great! Then I get back inside my house or a restaurant or store and the feelings come back
If you continually focus on it, it can last for years. I used to have that but once I got out and got as scared of it as I could and yet seeing how nothing bad happened, it lifted. It takes practice and changing the way how you talk to yourself. Instead of asking, "what is this? Why is this happening still?" Change it to: "I've had this for years and nothing bad has happened. In fact, if I'm this stressed over it, no wonder it's happening. It's totally normal for where my stress level is at and I'm not going to add to it with worrying."
I have a fear that I am schizophrenic as a when i was 13-15 i used to think people could hear my thoughts and when i grew i was going to be told i was a princess (like in the princess diaries yaknow? Im just really scared because now i am always in brain fog/derealisation and i get muscle twitches all the time do you think it is schizophrenia ???
I know anxiety can cause weird thoughts that is usually tied to derealization. I used to be worried. Studying the Bible really helped me on this particular issue. I used to have derealization so I know it can be scary. But to learn to not worry about it is how you overcome it. Which can take a while, so don't rush it. Go out. Do something fun. See how you feel when you're distracted.
It would make sense that anxiety can cause this as well. If it can cause eye twitching, it would be a fair assumption that it can also cause lip twitching. Jaw pain could be from clenching your teeth when anxious.
Thanks for the excellent information and great responses to questions. You're a good guy. I have had really bad anxiety for 14 months now. First it was lots of DP and panic and loss of appetite, etc. Now I am so exhausted I can hardly shower or get anything done. I get up feeling like I have the weak, shaky, icky, flu everyday. It's awful and I am just wasting my life away. I do get out and push through, but it continues to haunt me. How "sick" did you feel (or did you feel ill?) and how exhausting was your exhaustion?
Initially I quit caffeine and had stopped the energy drinks I had been drinking at the time. This caused withdrawal symptoms such as severe exhaustion. I've also heard of the "let down" effect, which occurs after high periods of stress and is often referred to as a "crash".
I have heard of this symptom and experienced similar sensations to the ones you are describing. Does it lessen any when your mind is occupied with something else? Also are taking any vitamins or sleeping aid? Some stuff can mess with your body and cause some weird side effects.
I recently started having twitch of the tongue in my mouth when it is closed. It really is getting on my nerves and can't understand why for I am on anxiety medication and depression meds. Is this normal or has anyone ever had this.
I have heard about twitching with anxiety. Eye twitches, facial twitches. Anxiety affects your body chemistry and can cause tremors due to its negative effect, so I would not be surprised at all if this were also anxiety. Did it only start when you began the meds? I know they can also cause some odd symptoms.
Thank you, I needed to read this today. I have had everything in the list over the 25 years as well. It is so hard when you are in bad place to try and remember what you have felt in the past or to not over think it.
This is very true. It's about retraining your thoughts and finding what helps you get into that rest period long enough to make it become habit, then instead of turning to fear, you turn to that rest. For me that has been Jesus. Nothing else worked.
I hate this feeling everytime my anxiety attacks. There are moments when eveything feels normal then suddenly I feel a pinch pain on my left chest for a second then I will automatically think that it is something serious. There are also instances where I feel like there is something wrong with the lips where its not syncing with what am saying or my tongue feels numb. Have you felt that before?
Actually I have had this, or a version of it. It's weird. But I've also heard of tingling tongue as a side effect of anxiety. Also, when we're THAT self-focused, normal things can get weird.
Hi I have experienced a range of those but recently whats been weirding me out is that almost every morning after breakfast I started coughing/ gagging as if Im about to puke but I never do. Today i got it about 2 hrs after breakfast about 10 mins after i left my house.
I never really experienced chest pain. I think those that do have more of a fear of death. I don't, so any sensations with the heart have not really concerned me. I have had palpitations, skipped heartbeats, and difficulty breathing that made it feel like my chest kind of hurt.
These are some smyptoms that have lasted for a decade or so now from when I was in my teens: Shaky hands, Nervous energy, Twitching muscles (fasciculation), clammy hands. My dad has shaky hands as well but never really checked it out. The shaky hands are generally there but it gets less with more exercise and a calm mind but more when extermly conscious or fatigued. Is this something normal or should I get it checked?
Agoraphobia (to a smaller extent - and only relates when in a crowded place), Inability to focus just other things in the list that keep popping up and are in the list of symptoms.
Hi everyone, I don't know how old this thread is or if anyone is commenting on it anymore but I couldn't believe how everything lined up to things I've been experiencing the past 5 months.
I have had bouts of anxiety over the years, usually triggered by loud restaurants or while driving and stuck in traffic. I would get lightheaded and panic that I'm about to pass out. While driving I generally just pray and drink water till it passes-once I had a friend meet me and come drive me home. I realized I was under a ton of stress as my grandmother was dying and I couldn't be there with her, so I was having these episodes.
Then I got better because I realized the triggers and learned to avoid them.
Then in March, I got a really really bad bronchial infection-the night I got sick I woke up in a full blown panic attack, because I'm the sole bread winner for my family and I was so scared I was going to be so sick I wouldn't be able to work-and this horrible throat tightening sensation would not go away. I had such severe sinus pressure and post nasal drip that I literally thought I had a tumor in my throat.
So the sickness took its course-I had antibiotics and all other natural remedies to work through it, it took about 6 weeks to go away but it finally did.
But the anxiety hasn't left. It comes and goes, some days I'm fine and others I'm a wreck.
We have been having bad forest fires in our area and I don't know if it's messing with my sinuses and causing this or if it's food related. I've tried cutting a lot of things out like dairy, grains and sugar but it's hard to be consistent-as soon as I get hungry I feel light headed.
So the following symptoms are things I experience:
Tight jaw pain
Waking up with teeth clenched
Tingling scalp sometimes
Ear pain
Tight throat sometimes
Tingly hands/feet sometimes
Throat fullness
Migraines
Pressure behind nose and eyes
Heavy head
Sinus/facial pain
Shakiness sometimes
Here's what I've figured out, when I run or hike all my symptoms go away. I literally feel like I can conquer the world. But when I'm driving, or sitting in church or a loud restaurant the symptoms come back.
Sometimes I'll be at Starbucks with my boss and he will be telling me important information and the symptoms start. I start panicking that I'm going to pass out while he's talking or I'm not going to retain the info.
My husband doesn't understand he thinks I'm crazy-when I tell him "my brain is full" because he tells me the same stuff over and over again. This also makes me start having symptoms.
Last night we were at a restaurant-it was a quiet restaurant though and I was chatting with the waiter and suddenly the symptoms started again.
I got up and went to the bathroom and regrouped, telling myself it was just anxiety and that I'm ok.
I am frustrated that these feelings come out of the blue without my "thinking" about scary things. Is it social anxiety?
What can I do to avoid this???
I am baffled that when I'm in nature or outside I feel great. This proves to me it's purely mental-but it scares me as I don't want to have mental problems!!!
I am a business professional and I have a lot of stress and pressure in my work. I can't afford to have problems that keep me from being efficient.
I also experience the depersonalization feelings and sometimes an extreme heaviness takes over my body.
When I'm home alone (like right now) I feel anxious but when the kids are home being noisy I also feel anxious. I'm jittery meaning thumps and unexpected noises trigger cortisol release-fight or flight. That is not normal!
I pray a lot and it does help, but I just don't understand what triggers this when I'm in public-Sunday I had to leave church because I started feeling dizzy and numb when the speaker was speaking (it was really loud) and I had to go sit in my car.
Hi Karimorgan74, there is not one symptoms or incident that you've described that I haven't experienced myself. That includes the strong smells, sounds, lighting etc. Thumps and unexpected noises do trigger the cortisol release. Not normal? Well for the anxious person it is. The adrenaline, even at it's lowest level, is still there. Doesn't take much to stimulate our senses and we are off to another anxiety symptom. Short of being in a bubble, we have to relearn how to react to life's ups and downs that are programmed in our minds.
A mind is a powerful tool but it needs to work in our best interest. We can't allow the negative thoughts to replay causing us to be on the alert every moment. When you are talking to your boss or the waiter, whether you realized it or not, your mind was being stimulated by that interaction causing the anxiety to build until fear flooded your body.
You say when you are in nature or outside, you feel great. That can be used as the key to reduce your stress level. You do that by taking these little "escapes" in your mind. Give yourself some "me" time every day. Even 5 to 10 minutes can help. Find a quiet spot to call your own. You can be outside in nature or in your room and bring nature into your mind. Close your eyes and focus on the serenity of what you see. That will be the start of your meditation. With that learn the proper way to deep breathe. This will calm down your mind and your body. Once that is done over and over you will always have deep breathing with you whether at home, work or driving.
You cannot be anxious and be deep breathing at the same time. Deep breathing will always win. It allows the proper amount of oxygen in your body, lowers the heart rate as well as blood pressure. A peace and calm will take over. Water...so important to hydrate throughout the day. It will provide enough blood volume in your system and keep your heart from skips and irregular beats.
Last but not least, try talking in a more relaxed manner by allowing yourself to take breathes between your sentences. We tend to hold our breath when talking which then gives us the cloudy head and panic feeling. When with others, allow them to interject their thoughts while you are deep breathing and taking that so needed break.
Karimorgan, it's all about accepting this as anxiety and not getting freaked out when symptoms do appear (and they will from time to time) Not focusing in on the symptom but allowing it to pass is the answer.
I wish you well. Come on the forum anytime. You will find the comfort, support and understanding we all need. My best to you x
It may be situational anxiety. For letting, stores used to make me anxious because there was no immediate exit; I felt more relaxed outside. While it may SEEM these symptoms come out of the blue, they really just respond to stress. Anxietyis the result of hyperstimulation, so when you are always hyperstimulated, it can make symptoms seem like they're coming out of nowhere when really it's just a result of being so stressed out. I used to worry about passing out and stuff but the more I put myself in the situations that frightened me, the more I saw that there was nothing to be frightened of. Now, when I get keyed up (like when I'm at work) I can actually recognize it and calm myself down by thinking, "Nope, you don't have to feel rushed. Just breathe. You've totally got this." Verses also help me. They help me like nothing else ever has (and I've tried self help, therapy/coaching from those who specialize in anxiety, books, research, nutrition, etc. etc.)
Thank you this is very helpful. And I do go through phases-sometimes weeks without an episode then they just come on like a flood. I've started a new job and I feel I have subconscious fears that I won't succeed etc. I just need to get control of myself. So you're right it's very much situational.
Hi everyone. Not sure if the author is still replying to messages on this board but thought I would comment anyway. I want to know if anyone has this symptom, I had it yesterday and it's freaking me out as I've never had it before with my anxiety/panic. Out of the blue I got this really strange feeling of overwhelming fear going up my body, like when your on a rollercoaster and then this really strange smell and I had an immediate urge to leave the room. I've completely convinced myself this is a simple partial seizure and not my anxiety at all, to the point I've booked myself in private with a specialist next week. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Good choice of doctor. It most likely can be anxiety which when we get hit by extra adrenaline, it makes our senses more aware. But I support you in getting a second opinion. Good Luck and keep us updated. x
I'm hoping that's all it is but I can't rest easy until I get a second opinion from a specialist and my doctor seems to dismiss all my symptoms, new and old, as anxiety rather than listening to my concern. She kind of brushes them off a little x
Really for those two, it's getting out of the house and DOING. Action. Engaging. Living, regardless of how weird those sensations make everything feel. It's hard, but it gets easier and easier and easier until you don't really care about those feelings and when you finally calm down and get the anxiety sorted, they will go away.
I have experienced a sensation where after I burp ( I do burp excessively) I felt not only pressure in the back of my head but like air too on the base of my head near neck. It always sends me in panic mode . That's the only newer thing, most likely associated with anxiety
Hello! I feel like your post is godsend because I'm experience some of the symptoms. All of this started only recently. Mainly:
tight band around my chest
nausea
feeling like I can't breathe at night
loss of appetite
I went to the doctor and he told me that the anxiety/feeling like I have trouble breathing is caused by slight acid reflux. But although I've taken the medicine, it still feels like there's a tight feeling around my chest And it's come to the point where I'm afraid to sleep at night because it feels like I can't breathe. My anxiety then shoots through the roof.
I'm going for a full medical checkup to see if there's anything wrong. But in the event that everything does come out fine..how can I deal with the feeling like I can't breathe properly?
I've had the tight band feeling, described in a different way, and it could just be how you're breathing. Incorrect breathing can cause digestive issues. Look up deep breathing. Breathe from your stomach and not your chest.
Is this all anxiety symptoms doctors have put me on mirtazipine 15mg but not took it yet scared to as side affects sacared to get better always think am going to die its seems that rell like u have to take a exam our driven test its like that so scary
Very atypical of anxiety. Common, yes. And it does SEEM scary, but that's just the flight or fight response. It gets easier. As someone who has gotten her driver's license during the whole anxiety thing, I can tell you it does get easier the more you put yourself out there.
A no how u fell am not taking any meds docs have have me mirtazipine 15mg wich a dont take as scared off side affects a dont even go out side door as a panick that a think every one is looking at me evwrything looks weird like is iy relly there n stuff scary
If you've been to a doctor, sounds very much like anxiety. I've experienced all of those symptoms. Also, certain supplements and vitamins can cause that swaying feeling.
I have the right band around the head feeling and like I could pass out at anytime!! I've felt like this for only 4 days now and I haven't had any meds since Sunday!! I had half an Ativan and it helped me but I'm not big on meds!! I'm at the point where I know I should take my meds to help me feel better but it some days makes me feel worse!! I have Zoloft or celexa for my options for my depression and clonzepam for my anxiety or Ativan!! What should I do?? I'm scared I could pass out or fall and die at anytime!!
I used to fear passing out as well but it's really about practicing perspective and going out and just doing. It's hard at first and it takes patience, but it gets easier and actually, I've felt my own thought patterns change. What used to freak me out doesn't anymore.
I feel a bit normal like kind see things clearly but right now I'm having chest pain and my jaw hurts and my head feels like I'm wearing a tight band on it but I'm not!! When I go out I feel sick and even when I look outside I feel sick!! When I go outside I get scared and shaky and I always feel like I'm going to fall!! Is this all normal?? I'm really scared I'm only 30 and Im really confused about this anxiety feeling stuff cuz at first it was really bad and now I'm scared that something is wrong!!
I have health anxiety and my anxiety doesn't calm down unless I have a test result back to confirm everything is ok. For a week I thought I had an sti, I've been in a relationship with my fiancé for 4 1/2 years, we bought a house 3 months ago and now I'm pregnant (planned). Was getting weird symptoms, I won't go in to detail but it wasn't nice lol thought I had an sti. But trusted my other half and I had been faithful. Started to think I could have caught it from and internal scan of some sort. I had panic attacks from morning till night, was getting about 2 hours sleep, crying about 5 times a day. I would sit and think about how my life is going to be over if I have, I'd have to leave my fiancé and my dogs and home. Turned out to be normal pregnancy stuff! Why do we do it to ourselves, it's nuts. Had the all clear today and I made myself so ill over the last week I still haven't fully recovered from it, I still feel a little on edge and feel like I need some time to get over it lol.
Yeah, it's amazing how our own fears can magnify the smallest things. It's actually a good thing to reflect on. That experience really shows you what stress can do!
It's everyday😢 I can't take much more. Chest pain sucks. I'm only 23 year old female. Worrying about dying from a heart attack. This is terrible. What do I do.
Hi Trea121, thank you for making this post, I need some help.
Ok so this all started about 7 months ago because of a super intense situation I was in for a while. And I started to get weird palpitations in my chest where it felt like someone had just squeezed by chest really quick and then it stopped. My mother thought It was just my anxiety. I ended up going to the urgent care and they did an EKG on me that came back normal. I don't take any medicine for my anxiety. Well I've noticed that they have come back now, but just after I exercised once. Was something knocked loose? It never hurts when I get the palpitation feeling. But lately (This just happened) I will be sitting in a chair when suddenly I feel like I am being a little light headed but for like 2 seconds and then it was followed by tinnitus in my right ear. Am I ok? Is this just anxiety? I can't tell everything's is pointing towards MS or some balance disease.
I also just feel tightness in my chest a lot of the time. It's really scary. I can't tell if it isn't anxiety or not.
With my anxiety I usually get
Palpitations (never hurt)
A little dizziness like how I described (really scary.
Random muscle twitches
Hypochondriac tendencies
Shaking of hands
Tightness of chest
When I get my mind off of stuff it usually goes away. So is this just anxiety or what?
Please tell me someone is there to still reply to me? In the bathtub crying trying not to ball my eyes out from having yet another panic attack. Any words to help right now or that I can explain what just happened with me with some sort of help/reassurance? Please..
I've been struggling so bad with this and it's really taking a toll on me. I'm scared and exhausted. The past week alone I went to the ER 3 times from my "anxiety attacks". It's a struggle at this point for me to even get ready to go to the grocery store let alone get what I need when I'm there.. which I did today. Feeling so tired, my heart racing, headaches. They've done multiple ekgs, blood work, even a chest xray for my peace of mind and everything every time has come back perfect. Was so exhausted today from making it out of the house that I laid down to take a nap. Tossed and turned for 3 hours trying to fall asleep and fell asleep for maybe an hour in between all of that. Woke up and went to go pee, BOOM heart racing jumping out of my chest from me even standing up. Got in the bathtub and just forfit. This happens alot where after laying down for awhile and first standing up my heart starts racing and I can't do anything but either think the worst or be as strong as I can be and try to remain calm. How is it normal to wake up and stand up and it just hits you like a train? I have zero stregnth left.
Hey, Kellsey. First let me say, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I understand and my heart goes out to you. I used to be scared to walk around because of feelings I would get. I would stay in the car. I would get hot and shaky in stores and my eyes would feel overwhelmed. I couldn't even take a bath, I took showers that didn't run longer than 2 minutes.
Anxiety isn't a cause. It's just the result of apprehensive behavior. The flight or fight response becomes used to being triggered, so it goes off what feels like out of the blue. It takes the body four times as long to calm back down. Take a deep breath. You are fine. If you don't feel normal, that's okay. It IS a normal response to being so hyperstimulated. Find ways that relax you. I've tried everything myself and the only thing that has ever ever proven for me is just gettin' with Jesus. He's my Rock. It just takes practice. You've got this.
Have you ever felt what I felt of getting out of bed and just having your heart go wild for even that small amount of activity? Pretty much of days of hardly doing anything due to being scared. (I read everything else you said and I thank you for taking the time to respond. I feel so alone and SO scared. It's breaking my heart.)
Also, I struggle with everything you listed. So much so as I've been afraid to go in my pool from fear of just randomly passing out. But specifically for me right now its the fast heart beats for hardly any amount of movement at all, and the palpitations.. bad and scary palpitations.. do you know what I mean? Anyone?! Please.. I really need a shoulder right now
Yes I do! My heart races as well without physical movement. My anxiety feels like it's chewing on me from the inside jout. I really understand. I have agoraphobia. I feel sad that u suffer so. I have a shoulder.
Thank you.. This is so tough I feel like I just want a doctor around with the proper scans 8n hand and blood work done every single day. Just feel like I'm going crazy.. This has been so hard
Yes it is. Is there something that helps? I give u credit for posting. Ur looking the scary in the face and standing up to it. Give yourself alot of credit. It's a hard fight but you're doing it as we speak. In all honesty, I haven't been able to write much in really tough times, I just sit and cry. You are fighting. And the people responding to you have got your back.
It happens to me too. I pray to God for strength & reassurance then remember the times I've felt that way & come out ok. Usually that helps, but I have gone to ER fearing my heart.
Thank you for that. And yes I have been to the ER 3 times in thr past week from this.. the one time wad the night that was turning into my birthday This is horrible and so scary. I wish I could find an alternative to medications. I don't want to get back on them I was doing so well without them and then BOOM.. This just hits me
Unfortunately, the thought of taking meds gives me MORE anxiety, so it's no caffeine, lots of water, and an occasional cocktail. Or heat/ice on my neck.
Krolik6 can probably relate more to heart. I've found that those who fear death more often have anxiety that manifests in heart symptoms like palpitations, racing heart, etc. I don't fear death really so I don't have big anxiety regarding my heart, though I HAVE had pounding heart, breathing issues, skipped beats, palpitations, and other stuff.
A nutritionist might be helpful! I don't take meds for anxiety. An alternative method is the natural method combined with practice in breathing and calming yourself down. It's hard at first, but it gets easier.
The symptoms with everyday next to it usually start right when I wake up in the morning and last all day. I usually feel anxiety 4 times a week at least. My anxiety I've had for the past year and causes problems with my significant other and several friends. Really looking for any tips and advise that wouldn't involve medication or therapy, just things I can work on with myself!
Dizziness
Nausea (everyday)
Tight/cloudy/heavy head (everyday)
Headaches/achey head
Excelerated heartbeat (everyday)
Nausea feeling including ball in the back of my throat (this makes me loose my appetite)
Constipation and Diareah
Excessive feeling of worry/anxiousness
Feeling of excessive bad luck
Chills/goosebumps/shakiness
Sensitive to bright light
Sudden episodes of Deafness along with ringing in both ears ( like the sound of a dog whistle)
Weight loss
Excessive loss of appetite (everyday)
Clumsiness (everyday)
Short term memory loss/blanking out
Waking up in the middle of the night
Tight chest
Back and shoulder pain (mild everyday, moderate situationally)
Negative outlook on my life (several times a week)
Feeling of skipped heartbeats/heart beating out of my chest
Emotional detachment (disconnect to thoughts and feelings)
Feeling of being overwhelmed/ feeling of snapping at any minute
Hi, I'm someone that has been having difficulty swallowing, when I eat food I'm fine but it's just if I go to swallow like we do throughout the day I find it a little hard and feels kind of tight can this be from my severe anxiety?? I'm scared and keep thinking there is something wrong it comes along with major headaches I freak myself out so bad I get panic sticks, I've been to the dr multiple times they say I'm fine and that it could be acid reflex but I feel like I'm dying.. help me😕
The day before yesterday, I went through some pretty stressful situations, I was unable to sleep, when I did go to sleep it was 5:30 in the morning, I woke up 3 hours later to get ready for the day, but my body was not having it. As soon as I woke up, I had a hard time opening my left eye, my the left side of my head was throbbing, and when I got up from the bed I felt unbalanced. I also felt tremendous pressure, as if there was a band tied around the left side of my head cutting off the circulation. It literally felt as if my brain was hurting. I put pressure with cold objects to help alleviate the pain, I took IB-prophen, and I took a sinus relief pill for the congestion I felt. I was in bed all day, I didn't eat until 9PM, when I woke up. I felt a little improvement and this morning I am feeling better, just minimal pain. That was a horrifying experience. This is the second time this has happened to me, where the pain to my head is so severe, it leaves me almost in a paralyzed state because I am unable to do anything. I would appreciate any feedback, Thank you for your time.
It could just be how you react in the morning to poor sleep. Everyone is different. For example, I won't get headaches with poor sleep, but I know other people who do. Also, when you're anxious, sensations are amplified, so it feels worse than it actually is.
I'm new to anxiety and I've never in my life experiences anything so devastating in my life . I never knew it was this complex I always thought anxiety was being nervous and that's it but it's sooooo much more. I've had anxiety symptoms for about 3 months now and some of my symptoms last and hour some weeks and others months . I experience the following
Depression
Depersonalization
Trouble breathing
Tremors
Panic Attacks
Negative thoughts
Fear of driving
Headaches
Trouble looking straight at someone
Sore muscles
Sore back
Tightness in head
Pressure in ears
Sensitive to light and music
Loss of sex drive
Fatigue
Weight loss
Fear that I'm dying
There's more but I can't remember all
But it scares me nonetheless. I'm not taking medication cause that gives me anxiety. I'm just scared of being dependent on it
Don't be scared of being dependent on it. You decided not to use medication for the same reason as I did; I didn't want to be reliant on it. These are very standard responses to stress and it's really just the body being so alert that it taxes itself to ridiculous degrees and yet isn't given any time to relax and return to its normal state. It can take the body up to four times as long to calm back down than it does to activate the stress response, so if you think about it, how you feel is entirely normal for the stress your body is trying to deal with. It DOES subside and it DOES get easier and it IS a thing you are capable of overcoming. If you can kind of train your brain to respond this way (even though it doesn't feel like you did), then the opposite would have to be true, too, in that it can be untrained. It just takes practice, patience, and for me, a whole lot of Jesus. Nothing else worked (for me).
Hi, came to this post by accident and was trilled with amount of support and information, God bless you all!
I have severe health anxiety for last 10 months after series of infections but with accumulating knowledge from various reading I realised that all this was caused by my emotional suppression and rejection in my personal life! So now I am digging deeper and trying to solve some issues which bordered me for many years and I am sure they finally came to the surface in face of alignments, illness, anxiety .... I now hope that dealing with this issues from past will help me resolve anxiety! Any thoughts about this, causes?
Furthermore, I did not see many comments about few of my symptoms, so would really like any comment if any of you have had experienced it!
My both Upper arms are hurting so much all the time, mostly the right one and from inside of arm, pain is either dull or sharp but constant, now spreading to shoulder, elbows and down the arm! It is also painful when I touch it so not sure if it is muscle or bones?!
It is the same with Upper legs, mostly tights, feeling tight, burning and spreading into knees! Feel like they are 100 yrs old, rusty and stiff!
My arms and legs are so tired and shaky after mild exercising or swimming or after hot bath, is this normal!???
Finally, I have fullness in my ears, very scary feeling and have pulsating tinnitus! I had sinus and ear infection for 5 moths but after the latest check up with ENT consultant and CT scan all is clear!
So why now, full ears ?, I fill crackling in them every time I swallow which is also scary, tight/lump feeling in throat .... can anxiety be cause all of these?
Thank you for your patience in reading my post and would really appreciate any comment!!! X
Hello! First of all let me say I'm sorry that you have to deal with this, but that you CAN overcome. You're an overcomer!
I've heard very weird things with anxiety, including pain in certain regions of the body. Anxiety doesn't cause anything, it is the result of behaving apprehensively because that stresses and taxes the body. Stress is what does all that mess. Stress has this fun (heavy sarcasm) habit of magnifying small things, so a completely normal sensation (such as soreness after exercise) can feel heightened, making it seem abnormal.
Weird feeling in throat? Yup. Stress tightens muscles, which can include the muscles even in your neck. The result can feel like a lump in your throat or like you can't swallow properly. I have had that. It makes a lot of sense that stress has caused the illnesses you mention above because stress suppresses the immune system. For example, this is why people who are stressed and working a lot can take a long time to get over a cold.
Ok so my list is lol (I gotta laugh at this sometimes because it sure is better than panicking :/) well I burp when nervous ,
I grind my teeth which I think is why I also now have a tense neck and upper back .
I also have pressure above my ears & had a dull ache and pressure in my ears , also random throbbing sensation above ear
and now like as I type :/ I have a throbbing sensation like right above my forehead at the front of my hairline . It went away but I’m still worrying over it. Oh , I have intrusive thoughts which hinder me from having a happy attitude sometimes . I get pessimistic . I fumble over my words & mix my thoughts up while talking to someone or even to myself .
I get irritated easily
Sometimes i inhale & exhale through my mouth , after I calm down from hyperventilating “mouth breathing”
Health anxiety/hypochondriac
I want to be reserved and to myself , I think ppl are judging me , so I don’t make friends that easy .
Is it ok if you get or feel the symptoms even when calm? My symptoms are starting to fade. But I get them occasionally, which makes me worry. (Health anxiety is what’s bothering me.)
Hi i was on citilpram 10 for panic attacks light headedness an they helped a little after 4 weeks on them i got head pressure lyk a tight band was round my head. Felt like sum1 was pulling at my brain it was awful this wen on for a week. So i came off them an wen on 2 fluozetine an after 4 weeks the same thing happened! It lasted a week. But they look my panic attacks away. Now my doc things i should come off them an c how i go. I was thinking its the ssri that r giving me the headaches head pressure/tight band feeling?
Tightness in lower back and sides of head. Fear of dying, losing control of body movements, calling out for mum, feeling unsafe, feeling dry and like crumbling into a million pieces, scared, lost.
Hopefully this thread isn't dead, because it's the reason I joined.
Are any of these symptoms that can be tied to anxiety? I'm going mad worrying I have something more serious.
* Dry hands
* Frequent urination
* Night sweats
* Hot & Cold sensitivity
* Double vision
* Dry mouth (morning)
* Leaking ears
It all started with some health anxiety for me, I have general anxiety anyway. Then I got "flu-like" symptoms and have been dealing with various things since, most of which are on the list.
I've had tests for blood, x rays, strep, mono and flu and the doctors haven't found anything wrong with me. My mind/body seems to think otherwise.
Any help greatly appreciated!
I am fearful I have a brain tumor.... part of my hypochondriac state. Eye sensitivity, eye strain, head rush feeling, diminished ability to smell.... is this all in my head literally or physically?
I have this feeling very time I feel my anxiety coming in, it’s as if I was took really really high and just dropped. I only feel it right on my heart, but it’s not painful, Is that normal?
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I fear that God is telling me that I’m dying.
New symptom is scaring me, can anyone relate? 
Hope you can help me 
Emetophobia: How do I help my teenage daughter, and can anyone help me?
