Anxiety triggers

Dear all,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and managed to enjoy it

I am wondering...does anyone know what triggers your anxiety? For me, it is sometimes something big, e.g. mum doesn’t answer the phone and it throws me into a severe anxiety that something might have happened. But, for the most time...it could be something small...something which I don’t even notice at first. I believe that if i know my triggers then I will be able to stop reacting like that...Just thought you guys can share xx

[kenster1]

loads of things can trigger anxiety but with me one of the main ones is negativity towards me can set me off.

[Hidden in reply to kenster1]

Oh yeah...it’s one of my things as well. I recently started comparing myself to others which is such a stupid thing to do...and when I start comparing I somehow end up losing...everything and everyone is better than me...what a sad and toxic thing it is.

[Brightstar0109]

a few things can set me off. sometimes if i'm in a bad headspace anything can set me off, especially loud noise like music and tv. my main triggers are alcohol, vomiting and loss of control.

[Hidden in reply to Brightstar0109]

Ah, loss of control is a big one for me as well. Especially when I’m involved in a meeting or I’m in a public and I get this fear that I might just break and do something embarrassing. But I also agree when I’m in a bad state, I also become sensitive and even a small thing can cause me an anxiety attack. I once started hyperventilating because a train guy asked me to show a ticket 😂. I did have a ticket and he was so lovely but still...

[Miniwheats]

You are absolutely right. Knowing your triggers is probably, I believe, the ONLY way to overcome anxiety because unless you are aware of exactly which thoughts are going through your mind at the moment, it is impossible to challenge them with more balanced and rational thoughts. My trigger was dizziness and unsteadiness, and then the cascade of thoughts around possibly having a brain tumor. My anxiety eventually caused other scary symptoms which lead to fears of MS and Parkinson's. Ugh...

You can train yourself to pay more attention to your thoughts by just practicing. Next time you are triggered try to make it your top priority in the moment to stop and try your very best to recall the last thought you had. Often this will serve as a cue that will help you retrieve the thought before that one and so on, until you arrive at the original thought that triggered your panic. It helps to try to recall images or feelings that you were experiencing as well. Writing about the experience and your thoughts is helpful as well because later, after you have calmed down, you can assess the rationality of your thoughts "in the light of day", so to speak, in a more balanced and rational way. My therapist told me it's a myth that anxiety/panic attacks come out of the blue. There is always a trigger thought/feeling/image that is responsible but the person just doesn't remember it. Have you tried self help books on CBT? You can do it on your own it's quite simple and involves what I described above, but you also rate your anxiety and identify thinking traps that anxious people fall into. It's a very reassuring experience to read the long list of thinking traps and identify with practically ALL of them! "Overcoming Anxiety" is a great book, as well as the website "Anxiety BC" which contains practical tools you can start using right now. 😊

[Benji62]

My son passed away 3 years ago I coped with it well at least i thought did, infact family members thought I coped to well, then last December I found a bald patch on my head, a couple of weeks later the anxiety started I woke up with my heart beating hard and fast, then when it was time to go back to work I was Nervous every morning before I went and felt ill all day which I couldn't understand because I don't dislike my job, I've had it off and on all year i was fine Christmas day but the last couple of days the heart thing has started again it woke me up last night in a panic, this morning the nervous feeling has started again

[Sunshine23]

Usually it's someone's comment or a story online related to something negative that's happened to me or someone I know. Minor concerns turn into hours of anxious thoughts. Even countering them with facts and reality doesn't tend to help. After awhile I drown them out by doing something else and they don't come back for a long time.