Whats your most frightening symptom?

[rhar]

Mine is feeling faint and off balance all the time!!

[alankay]

Going mad or losing control. The usual kinda. Alankay

[breanna hoyle]

The feeling of being stuck and not being able to escape or run and hide. The feeling that I'm not in control of my head.

[mellymel]

Going mad or losing control. The usual kinda. Alankay

Yup that's mine!

[AnxietyInstituteSA]

Feeling like I'm going crazy and feeling as if it won't ever end.

www.anxietyinstitutesa.com

[mrsmischief]

Feeling nauseated. Thats what triggers mine. Especially if i am alone

[anthonyjbro760]

Racing heart

[destiny880]

My heart racing feeling out of breath and hyperventaling

[jamus75]

Heart racing over 150 and can't bring it down.

[jessy]

Racing heart

Dizziness & the feeling of not really being here (out of body kind of feeling) .

Those are the worst ,

[Salliz]

The feeling of needing to escape and feeling pins and needles creep up my body :(

[scared44]

Racing heart, cant breath properly,dizzy like being on a rollercoaster....

[weary]

Sharp pains in chest and weird pains in my head sometimes the left side of my head get all tingly like pins and needles and that scares the hell out of me

[Malyn]

Dizziness and scared of fainting especially when I am by myself or out

[Malyn]

Also when I am driving I get dizzy bec of Anxiety. I don't drive on the freeway anymore it's been more than 20 yrs

[trinidiva]

Also when I am driving I get dizzy bec of Anxiety. I don't drive on the freeway anymore it's been more than 20 yrs

Me TOO!!!! I hated those dizzy spells I would get while driving, especialy on the highway. I can drive locally again, but still not on the highway. I even get anxious if I am a passenger.

[rhar]

Dizzy spells kill me too. They come out of nowhere for no reason I can put my finger on and I feel like I will pass out and my face goes numb. I have to get up and move around to make myself feel better.

I also get a rocking sensation as if I'm on a boat or in a lift - scares the hell out of me

[sazco]

Feeling like reality isn't real is mine.

[Sarahjayne]

Definitely nausea, tight chest and racing heart, they make everything feel so much worse!

[pawlowski187]

Light headedness, headaches, shakes, sweats, fear , there is not one anxiety symptom that out weighs the otherz. They all suck equally...

[rhar]

Light headedness, headaches, shakes, sweats, fear , there is not one anxiety symptom that out weighs the otherz. They all suck equally...

Do you get constant lightheadedness?

[pawlowski187]

Do you get constant lightheadedness?

Yes its probly the worst symptom i have that is harder to cope with. Ive had mri's i drink tons of water... It sucks

[rhar]

Yes its probly the worst symptom i have that is harder to cope with. Ive had mri's i drink tons of water... It sucks

Same here. I get it almost all day long. I feel like I will pass out but never do.

[vakim78]

Me TOO!!!! I hated those dizzy spells I would get while driving, especialy on the highway. I can drive locally again, but still not on the highway. I even get anxious if I am a passenger.

I get that way in traffic :( and I deal with traffic daily

[1Goofy1]

Chest pain, racing heart, cold sweats.

[jamus75]

Also had blinding migraines before. One eye gets like a dead spot in my field of vision. Only happened twice in a few years.

[Courtneykinns]

Heart palpitations!

[scared44]

Racing heart,nausea and not being able to get enough air in my lungs :-(

[Teddy1212]

For the last 2 years I've been getting this nervy tingly feeling in my legs and arms when I'm feeling anxious. It's terrible and I can't stop it because the more I notice it, the more I think about it and the worse it gets. When I sleep it goes away and I don't have it until about 10-20 minutes after I wake up and start thinking about things that make me anxious.....how I hate anxiety.

[flinthills]

Mine is the heart issues! I used to LOVE going to bed, and sleeping ALL night, now, depending on how my week is going, I am SCARED to go to sleep? It is a strange feeling, that is hard to explain to someone without anxiety issues, going to sleep, then waking up, for no apparent reason, with your heart beating like crazy, like you were chased by bear! Your body wakes up immediately, like you stopped breathing, yet you wake up with your heart trying to jump out of your chest? Anyone else like this? What do you do?

[moonchild1986]

Derealisation, shortness of breath, dizziness and a new one. Internal shaky feelings. Such fun ! :(

[jamus75]

Dizziness here too. All heart issues and I wonder if my dizziness is anxiety or blood pressure. Feel like head is bobbing in water

[joshhiboii]

Irritable bowel syndrome

[bajablue]

Physically I do not worry much anymore. I worked out all my health anxiety concerns, desensitized to them many years ago. I guess physically, now the symptom I hate is the chills and flushed feeling I get. But as others have noted - the fear of losing control and losing my mind completely and utterly is what scares the living crap out of me when I am hurting and noth htinking rationally.

[rhar]

Derealisation, shortness of breath, dizziness and a new one. Internal shaky feelings. Such fun ! :(

I get those internal shaky feelings. Scares the crap out of me!!!

[rhar]

Dizziness here too. All heart issues and I wonder if my dizziness is anxiety or blood pressure. Feel like head is bobbing in water

My dizziness feels like that too. Sometimes it feels like my head is swimming or the ground is moving under me

[acetone]

Feeling as if the floor is shaking up and down, left and right.

[raggamuffin]

The mroe you fear a symptom the worse it'll get and the longer it'll last. Accept your body is exhausted from anxiety and RATIONALIZE the symptoms and the removal of fear and worry will eventually cure your anxiety.

Ed

[Hidalgo21]

Mine is sometimes shortness of breath , heart rate in the 54 at night when I am relax idk when I am sleeping ,and sometimes I feel like is beating to fast is so weird and scary !!!

[Hidalgo21]

I have a lot of fear of death n heart attack , but I am trying to get over the symptoms

[anthonyjbro760]

Racing heart racing thoughts that I'm honing to die so many to name I'm just hoping I'm not dying of heart desease or liver,stomach, or kidney problems :( feel like they are all going bad

[Hidalgo21]

Same her bro does weird thoughts of dying I hate but I don't let my self go down man ,go to church man n talk to someone

[anthonyjbro760]

I really feel like this time something's truly wrong

[Hidalgo21]

Have you been to the doctor? Get a completely check

[anthonyjbro760]

Been to ER twice ekgs showed sinus tychardia also have fatty liver, some highs n lows on blood work it freaked me out even more :/

[anthonyjbro760]

See my reg doc on Thursday feel like I'm going to have a heart attack so hard to relax so much going through my mind

[Hidalgo21]

Wow man try to do something that relax you , that's the fear playing with your mind just say to your self you don't have anything is hard I know but do it also meditation , you got this!!!!

[elusionz]

I don't have one worst symptom, but when I am on the highway my face goes numb, I become disoriented/unable to focus, and lightheaded/dizzy. It is the scariest feeling in the world when you are driving at high speeds and face these problems. I am seeing a psychologist for CBT, but still no improvements after 6 sessions. I think it will take more effort on my end to try the exposure techniques that simulate the symptoms which will retrain my mind to learn they are not harmful. Does anyone here have the highway driving problem like me?

[jamus75]

I don't have one worst symptom, but when I am on the highway my face goes numb, I become disoriented/unable to focus, and lightheaded/dizzy. It is the scariest feeling in the world when you are driving at high speeds and face these problems. I am seeing a psychologist for CBT, but still no improvements after 6 sessions. I think it will take more effort on my end to try the exposure techniques that simulate the symptoms which will retrain my mind to learn they are not harmful. Does anyone here have the highway driving problem like me?

I personally don't have this problem but I have pa nicked before on the highway when traveling for a while. It's usually right before I get to my destination. It's the anticipation anxiety. But I do know that the highway driving anxiety is common among people with anxiety.

[Dawndy]

I have had anxiety so bad I stopped driving for about 6months. Don't worry you are not alone! I got back into driving by taking short trips to the store, I got back on the highway driving by getting on and driving to the next exit, then getting back on and off at the next exit ...

[Dawndy]

Derealisation, shortness of breath, dizziness and a new one. Internal shaky feelings. Such fun ! :(

I started with chest palpitations numbness in hands and feet and feeling like I was going to pass out ... My newest and scariest by far is choking and feeling like my throat is closing up. Then I get that fight or flight feeling like I got to get out of here or I am going to die ...

[elusionz]

Interesting approach Dawndy...exiting and re-entering the highway. May be a little time-consuming, but worth a try. I'm desperate at this point. I have my eyes on this new apartment which happens to be 45 min from work, but now i'm reconsidering because of the stressful commute. I gotta get a grip on this somehow, but when my life is in danger (i.e. not being able to exit the highway when my panic spikes) it is frightening to say the least.

[Dawndy]

Interesting approach Dawndy...exiting and re-entering the highway. May be a little time-consuming, but worth a try. I'm desperate at this point. I have my eyes on this new apartment which happens to be 45 min from work, but now i'm reconsidering because of the stressful commute. I gotta get a grip on this somehow, but when my life is in danger (i.e. not being able to exit the highway when my panic spikes) it is frightening to say the least.

I know it is rough and scary, but have you looked at alternative routes? Maybe half on the highway half not? It may take longer but maybe you can extend the time on the highway ... Remember you can always get off the highway. Or pullover in the emergency lane ... Believe me I have done that before had the police stop and everything, told him I was having anxiety about driving on the highway and started to panic and decided it was safer to pull over and get myself together until I could get to the next exit, he was so nice and I asked him if I could follow him to the next exit, he turned on his lights and drove just under the speed limit and got me off the highway!

[elusionz]

I started with chest palpitations numbness in hands and feet and feeling like I was going to pass out ... My newest and scariest by far is choking and feeling like my throat is closing up. Then I get that fight or flight feeling like I got to get out of here or I am going to die ...

I had the choking sensations, but those went away and now it's all about the lightheadedness/fainting feeling. For the choking, you have to train yourself to realize it's simply not possible from anxiety. Therefore, just ride it out. Don't expect the worst...just let it happen and know that it will go away. When you feel like your breathing is getting off-course, just pause for a moment, close your eyes (if it's safe to do so), and slow down your breathing to regain control. Exhale slowly and fully. Do NOT begin to inhale until you know you have finished exhaling fully. Slow it down, and this will begin to decrease your panic.

[elusionz]

I know it is rough and scary, but have you looked at alternative routes? Maybe half on the highway half not? It may take longer but maybe you can extend the time on the highway ... Remember you can always get off the highway. Or pullover in the emergency lane ... Believe me I have done that before had the police stop and everything, told him I was having anxiety about driving on the highway and started to panic and decided it was safer to pull over and get myself together until I could get to the next exit, he was so nice and I asked him if I could follow him to the next exit, he turned on his lights and drove just under the speed limit and got me off the highway!

How nice of him to do that for you! I am already following your tip, doing half highway and half side-streets, and it definitely helps!! The crappy part is that not all parts of the highway have an emergency lane to pull over into. I guess that's part of living in Toronto. Our highway system is one of the biggest in the world. It's crazy though...because I used to be a champ...going 130km/h, passing people, music blasting...not a worry in the world. And now...complete opposite. I drive like a granny.

[Dawndy]

How nice of him to do that for you! I am already following your tip, doing half highway and half side-streets, and it definitely helps!! The crappy part is that not all parts of the highway have an emergency lane to pull over into. I guess that's part of living in Toronto. Our highway system is one of the biggest in the world. It's crazy though...because I used to be a champ...going 130km/h, passing people, music blasting...not a worry in the world. And now...complete opposite. I drive like a granny.

I too drive like a granny! And you know what? It's ok! At least I will get there in one piece !

[elle86]

All of the above lol

[cabcom]

Feeling like I'm not breathing and I'm going to suffocate to death.

[jen22leigh]

The racing thoughts/worry, racing heart, and heart palpatations. Feels like my heart skips beats for awhile. SUCKS

[angieproc1977]

The racing thoughts/worry, racing heart, and heart palpatations. Feels like my heart skips beats for awhile. SUCKS

Jen that's me too it's awful x

[scared44]

Racing thoughts,racing heart with palps and not being able to draw a deap breath in, nausea and shaking......

[Brittany Leigh Dellinger]

Right now it's, tightness in throat, shortness of breath, fear of swallowing solids, and losing control.

[mrsmischief]

I hate that i cant drink with my friends because of my meds. I wish i could enjoy a night out and have a few beers and not have to worry about skipping a dose to stay alive

[anthonyjbro760]

Racing thoughts wierd feeling in my chest ache n pains not wanting to get out of bed :(

[tic]

Not be able to breath well an chest pain

[anthonyjbro760]

Constantly on n off to to the point your paranoid of it all day

[mrsmischief]

I hate that i just woke up in the middle of sleep with a kinda fast heart beat and a weird feeling in my stomach that is probably gas but because i immediately thought the worst i am having a panic attack right now. Need someone to chat with big time.

[FordingTheWaters]

I get these bouts of extreme panic that make me feel as though I am afraid of EVERYTHING... It's so scary that all I can do sometimes is go lie down and close my eyes.

Interesting this only seems to happen when I'm at home and not out doing something