What does anxiety feel like for you?

[Zoot]

I'm a bit new to this--or at least, I haven't experienced anxiety as severe or prolonged as I have this year. Many more physical symptoms for me, which is new too. So, partly, I'm wondering how my experiences compare to those of other people? I don't experience phobias, but have frequent "anxiety attacks" I guess you would call them? They don't seem to me to be as severe as panic attacks, although I may have had a couple of those earlier this year.

For me, often what I experience is a feeling of dread. I read about anxiety being explained this way: It's like that feeling you get when you miss a step on the stairs, but it persists rather than fading away. This seems pretty accurate to me. I get hot flushes through my arms and chest and, to some extent, the rest of my torso. I get lightheaded and have difficulty concentrating. There is a significant feeling of fear associated with it too. I also get insomnia, though typically it's early waking not so much difficulty falling asleep. When I've been anxious for a while I also get like a twisted stomach and pain in my upper back. I feel like throwing up in the morning and cough a lot. Quite fatigued too and I feel chills.

[Rbm]

i too feel lightheaded, have trouble putting things together and that's when the panic sets in...i can't understand wether the anxiety is causing my brainfog or the other way around?? got lost in this circle for a year now...i forget a birthday or i made a mistake without realising and i'm thinking i'm loosing my mind, dementia and such...could it be that easy for the brain to lose touch with reality becouse of the anxiety ? that's what it feels for me...i should be able to access information much quicker but i feel sluggish. i sleep at night, don't feel tired, everyone feels the everyday stress, but i can't keep a clear head...and then hyperventilation, vertigo, spasms...

[Zoot]

My anxiety seems to always find a new outlet. When my more severe anxiety hit earlier this year, it was health anxiety about stomach problems I was having. As I came to accept that my stomach problems were psychosomatic, likely caused by anxiety itself, my focus shifted to anxiety about anxiety itself, as well as anxiety about depression (i.e., will I need to be hospitalized, will I lose my job, am I ever going to get "better"). Then when I started medication, that has become the focus for me, although I do still worry about the anxiety and depression, my job, and my relationship (which is really not doing particularly well through all of this). I've experienced vertigo too and definitely can relate to the foggy head--I have considerable difficulty concentrating, which is why I worry about my job. It's an intellectually demanding job that requires a fair degree of concentration and it's difficult when I'm not "on" all the time.

[Rbm]

i work with numbers , mistakes are not allowed and curiously, my work is ok.it's my spare time that's affected.I don't seem to be able to control my thoughts out of work.i don't socialize outside of work (anymore), my toddler gets my whole time, could that be the problem? am i too much in my head? again hyperventilating....

[Zoot]

I'm no expert, but you could be too much in your head? I know I am. I also have a lot of difficulty socializing but I'm trying to keep it up where possible, which is really just seeing a movie once in a while with a friend. Having young kids is stressful--I have a 4-year-old and a (just turned) 7-year-old. The medication does at least seem to allow me to focus better on them most of the time and typically be less irritable. That's one thing that bothers me more than anything: being short with my children. Have you tried therapy? I have been trying it since March. It's been helpful, though it's difficult to gauge exactly how helpful. I started with a new psychologist yesterday (because my other one moved) and it's clear she'll take more of a CBT approach which I hope will help. She definitely indicated working on my relationship to my thoughts, which do get out of hand easily.

[anxietyauntie]

[QUOTE=Zoot;217522]My anxiety seems to always find a new outlet.

This sounds just like me! I have been diagnosed with both general anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
I find that I can always find something new to be anxious about. It can sometimes consume my days, my weeks and it feels like my life.
Since I have been on medication I do find that I am not as anxious about the day to day things, and typically it is the big stressful stuff that leaves me spiralling out of control.
Currently there is a significant amount of stress and negativity occurring at work and I have a lot of anxiety around what is happening - it is difficult because no one at my job knows that I struggle with this or understands the extent to which their actions affect me. I have a quite demanding job that requires me to juggle a lot of balls and deal with a lot of different personalities. It is difficult to find and keep an even keel and not feel like I am drowning.

As for the anxiety about having anxiety - yes, yes, yes! My biggest worry is about the fact that I have anxiety. I am anxious about my anxiety - which when written like that seems irrational, but hey! Who said anxiety was rational?

[dilbuck]

My anxiety is just constantly with me in the back of my head at least when keeping myself busy. I can focus on day to day tasks but there's always that cloud just looming in the background. When I get bored/allow my mind to wander that's when my anxiety tends to thrive. My main focus of anxiety is definitely health related so my "symptoms" seem to get far more noticeable when I'm just laying around the house or about to head to bed. My anxiety also likes to focus one "when" I'm going to have another panic attack. Basically, along with the rest of the consensus I'm anxious about being anxious pretty consistently and just try to keep the flare ups, when things get out of control, to a minimum.

[Zena]

For me, it feels like my personality is constantly being constricted. Sometimes I think to myself that I have the potential to be so cool and well-liked, but the anxiety surrounds and smothers my spirit. I freeze up, go mentally blank, and stutter. The personality is in there, but I often don't feel comfortable enough to express myself the way I want when I want.

[Rbm]

. When I get bored/allow my mind to wander that's when my anxiety tends to thrive. .
that exactly me ! when i'm at work, i get things done, don't make (a lot of) mistakes, totally focused....and then...out of nowhere, it's at it again ! i can't seem to "sum up" all the variables to make a simple plan in my personal life ! i'd say i'm free in the afternoon, but i realise LATER i had something in my agenda...does this happen to any of you? do you get such "mental break" and only remember things much later than you're supposed to?

[LLaine]

Hey there Zoot! That's pretty much it for me, but I also get anxious anticipating my next panic attack,
I do however get the phobias. It's not pretty and I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy.

[gypsylee]

It feels like shit lol

[LLaine]

My anxiety is just constantly with me in the back of my head at least when keeping myself busy. I can focus on day to day tasks but there's always that cloud just looming in the background. When I get bored/allow my mind to wander that's when my anxiety tends to thrive. My main focus of anxiety is definitely health related so my "symptoms" seem to get far more noticeable when I'm just laying around the house or about to head to bed. My anxiety also likes to focus one "when" I'm going to have another panic attack. Basically, along with the rest of the consensus I'm anxious about being anxious pretty consistently and just try to keep the flare ups, when things get out of control, to a minimum.

Oh I know how this feels :/

[MiST]

It feels like a daily kick in the testicles..:(

[Jittery44]

At the peak of my anxiety, I can't eat, sleep, go to work or function as a normal human being. I get little enjoyment out of anything. I lost 25 lbs in a year because I would have to gag down a little container of yogurt. I would force myself to eat just enough to keep the hunger pains away. At night when trying to sleep I would find my hands and feet curled in tight balls and my teeth grinding away. I'd fall asleep for like 10 minutes then wake up in a panic sweating and heart racing. I went into work one day and had a panic attack right in front of everyone. It was embarrassing to say the least. That is when I decided I needed some serious help and I took 3 weeks of fmla to get on some meds and talk to a therapist. It helped but didn't cure me. I still suffer from anxiety but it's nothing like it used to be. Although some days come close.