Topic: what physical feelings of anxiety do you get?

Hi there

Thank you sharing your experience, its really comforting knowing others are going to through this too. I too feel this as well. Its harder especially when youve been trying so hard to improve yourself but it comes back and it gets frustrating. I feel like this is something i need ot accept and manage for the rest my life.

Hi everyone

Im new here.

thank you for all your epxeriences, its been actually so comforting to see other people are going through wha ti am experiencing.

I have never had this before in my life, only depression. Anxiety is like woh, wow. anxiety is intense and debilitating. I had my first panic attack when i felt a heart palpatation during my lecture at uni. Im studying nursing so im hyperaware of all the physical symptoms and what they could mean. So I really overthought it and thought i was having a cardiac arrest or arrthymia. I ran out of the lecture theatre and took myself to the ED. All tests were fine. Months later nothing. Then I had one at my new job, it was embarrassing and i felt ashamed as i always tried to keep this strong mentality that i can do anything, and i dont need help because in my belief i think that if i need help then I've failed and i will lose my job ( been fired for 5-7 jobs when I'm younger which gives me alot of stress and shame). I was fine. I started to have more anixety but it settled during COVID. It came back like a freight train, particulary with uni stress and relationships stress. After my exams i went for massage then that afternoon i felt pain my right rib cage, i over thought it and it got worse. My panic attack got out of control and i was convinced i was dying or going into arrest. Most scary moment of my life. I made my sister call the ambulance. They came and i felt so embarassed, ashamed my ego telling my off being ashmaed of me. I was fine ECG normal. So after that my anixety continue to be extremely heavy. 2-3 days are good per wek others are really really hard. I am about to start my new job as a new grad nurse and im terrified this anixety will impact it so much, ive worked so hard to get this job and get where i am. I really want to help people its my passion

What im doing to help myself

Meditating

Mindfulness

Redirection of thoughts, acceptance

Deep breathing

Exercise

Listening to podcasts

Reducing coffee intake

Appreciate the little things in life

Being financially smart (trying)

What I'm wondering..

Should i go on medication? I really dont want to, im afraid too

See a therapist again i havent gone because ive been too busy.

Me to!!

I literally can’t swallow anything my mouth is dry and the nausea is terrible which freaks me out!
bad health anxiety

The strangest feeling i have had was kind of like a numbness along the top of my scalp. The numbness wasnt like a pins and needles feeling it was more of a specifically located chill that moved to warmth an back and forward rapidly.

thats the best way i can describe it. It was strange. Not a nice feeling, but not a bad feeling.

Hey Kindra and Laralollypops (and anyone else I've missed!)

A huge warm welcome to the Forums!! 😀😀🤗🤗

I encourage you to start your own threads if you wanted to, it really helps to explain any / all issues you may be facing or have faced in the past, then members can pop on and give specific support.

I've been diagnosed with C-PTSD so that's pretty much screeching anxiety (I call it stratospheric) with full surround sound and visual reliving of traumatic events and even repeated physical manifestations of injuries that I couldn't seem to escape from.... that was THEN...

BUT I'm all but "cured" now. Zero PTSD stuff any more at all.

It took a LOT of work to heal myself and I had the support of MH professionals along the way.

I wrote that to share that there IS HOPE!

The healing process may involve different things for each person (clearly I needed MANY therapies I mostly did myself), but it is possible.

Some things that help EVERYBODY include:
* radical self-care
* healthy food
* healthy amounts of movement
* good sleep
* mindfulness yes ofcourse, "doing a 30 min" mindfulness clip is fine, bringing mindfulness INTO your 'moments' throughout the day can be transformational.
I did this with the help of my Counsellor when she told me to take "The 5 things" anxiety calming strategy and DO EACH ONE MINDFULLY. This saturates one's whole life.

There are probably more basic ones but from those we can branch into what works for us as individuals.

Bestest wishes
Love EM

I'm sorry to hear you are going through the same thing... but it's comforting to know that I am not the only one. I am taking magnesium tablets so I will see if that works.. It's the worst feeling in the world.... it's not painful but it's just not a normal feeling. I might try the spray too.

Hope you are keeping well and looking after yourself

Hi Kat_k and everyone .It takes a lot of inner strength to post about our physical symptoms of anxiety

Hi Kat_k...your symptoms are the same as mine were and yes these are awful to experience. My symptoms started in my early 20's yet even GP didnt understand what I was goin through (in 1983) yet they do now know!

Just from my own lived experience Kat_k....

• If our symptoms begin to have an impact on our ability to function on a day to day basis we need some help
• The earlier we have our anxiety feelings treated the better our recovery will be
• You mentioned 'And then BAM out of seemingly nowhere' these horrible feelings come back..and they will

I hope you can create your own thread topic as you will have the support from other members that have or have been experiencing the same. This thread does turn over very quickly thus making your post 'short lived'

Just a note....Its great to haver you as part of the Beyond Blue forum Family Kat :-)

my kind thoughts

Paul

Hi everyone,

Its really comforting not be alone in experiencing these physical symptoms! As with other people I've had:

- Out of body feeling (everybody seems far away)

- Heart beating strangely intensely and erratically

- That rush of adrenaline like you're about to die

There are other things but these ones are the most noticeable. I also noticed that they build as I get more worried about them.

So I'm actually trying something new because I could see tha pattern where the more I avoided situations the more the sensations came back with a vengeance. What I'm going to try is leaning in to the feelings and getting intimately acquainted with it. Mindfulness I guess. And to start with, similulate situations (in my case public speaking) so I can practice with some safety so I can build up. Maybe I can get to the point of being bored by it - I don't know.

The image I have of what its like when I panic is like I'm walking on a tightrope over the grand canyon. As terrifying as that is, I'm hoping that if I gradually learn to 'surf' that feeling then I won't get in a viscious cycle of anxiety on top of anxiety...

Hi Everyone and thanks for being a part of Annabays thread topic too!

Hi ange123....Welcome to the forums, any level of health anxiety is horrible to experience and many people also have the same. Cigarettes are a legal product and there is no judgment on the Beyond Blue forums for being a smoker

How arent you looking after your health? You are proactive with your health by posting on the forums and good on you!

Hi Dockley...Welcome to the forums and thankyou for your post too!

Dockley mentioned 'leaning in to the feelings and getting intimately acquainted with it. Mindfulness I guess' You make a good point as with calm and genuine acceptance (of our symptoms) we will find greater peace of mind

Good on you with being involved in public speaking

my kind thoughts....Paul

I get butterflies in my stomach, heart palpitations, grinding of teeth, stumbling with words (which seems to make the anxious feelings worse and it's annoying).

Hi Cyanna....Welcome to the forums! I remember having the tight chest/breathing/shaking and it was awful to experience...To answer your question....yes, many people experience the same symptoms....Just from my own experience...if these symptoms start to have a negative effect on our ability to function on a daily basis.....seeing our GP is always an excellent idea :-)

Hi Nick Elixir....Welcome and thankyou for your input! The heart palpitations are very common to experience as most of the time its our adrenaline working overtime...Yet the palpitations are awful to have. I used to have the grinding of the teeth as well and that was horrible Nick...This thread rotates quickly and its difficult to see replys as Beyond Blue are using an old forum platform

You (and Cyanna) are always welcome to start your own thread topic as you will have more individual replies:-)

I understand what many posters are going through as I used to have anxiety issues for 37 years

my kindest

Paul

For one type of anxiety response I get the sweats, a wave of adrenalin and a hot flush. This happens at least weekly.

Another type of response is, I hear and feel a buzzing in my head and fall down being unable to control my body except for speech, my vision narrows. This happens very rarely typically dental visits, invasive scans, that sort of thing.

Hi all,

Chest tightness, itchiness especially on my face and scalp , hot flushed, disassociation, racing heart, irritable , shaking my hands - tingling , hyperventilation, sheer panic. I start laughing usually in a very crap attempt to divert how I’m feeling to those around me!

fun fun fun !

Hi SarahA

Welcome to the forums! Having diarrhea is very common as our digestive system is the most sympathetic to any forms of stress or anxiety. I understand what you are going through! I hope you are doing okay :-)

Hi david'n'goliath

Great to have your input and thankyou!

I remember those hot flushes....(and the cold sweats at night) with my anxiety symptoms...ugh!!!

Hi Supermum...the tightness of the chest.....that is a truly crap feeling to experience....I get it and respect your post...You mentioned ' I start laughing usually in a very crap attempt to divert how I’m feeling to those around me!'...Love your attitude Supermum...Good1

my kindest...Paul

Hey JonA

i have a very similar thing where i feel like and get very close to fainting, i am currently going through the process of all the checks you have listed. but deep down i know it is just anxiety (better safe than sorry though right). Do you have any tips for how you have dealt with this?

Hello Everyone

Hi gindernomad and thankyou for being a part of the forums! Good on you for being proactive with your health by having the various tests done and yes its better to be safe than sorry

Just from my own experience with anxiety/panic issues....the earlier we treat the symptoms the less severe our symptoms

Any questions are always welcome :-)

Paul

Hello BlueOceansGentleWaves

Welcome and thankyou for your heartfelt post too!

I feel and understand your pain and yes its a horrible set of symptoms to have. The sobbing/crying is a healthy way to vent our feelings (panic etc) even though no one likes crying of course

Can I ask if you have a couple of people (family or friends) that you can confide in? If our symptoms begin to interfere with our ability to function on a daily basis, seeing our GP is crucial

Having a 'tired' mind isnt a good place to be in....I hope someone in you family understands your feelings

The forums are a safe and non judgmental place for you (and me) to post otherwise I wouldnt be a volunteer . I really hope you can stick around the forums or if you wish create your own thread topic..(you will get more replies as this thread topic is non specific)

take good care and I hope you have the best weekend you can :-)

Paul

HUGE warm welcomes to all the new posters!!
Thankyou for sharing!!
Hey Paul and others, how wonderful people are coming onto the forums and sharing their experiences!

Hey isabelle21 and others that can relate,
yes I had "out of body" experiences, they were labelled 'dissociation' by my psych friend then diagnosed as such by a trauma psych.
Yours could be different, hopefully a psychologist could help determine?

Mine was based in anxiety. The "anxiety umbrella" covers PTSD and C-PTSD but these are extreme forms I was diagnosed with.
>>> grounding exercises, which I can be more specific about if you want me to, made dissociation leave completely.

Also indeed the muscle soreness I can relate to.
>>> knowing the source was anxiety helped. Then coaxing my mind / body connection into feeling safe thru self-care and self-compassion every day, made this leave also.

I did some funny things there that are worth a try!
My Counsellor, psych and even Chiropractor agreed they were unusual but gave me the thumbs up for them.

SO if I felt my heart racing or felt my blood pressure rising.
I would notice this.
Stop.
Sense.
Breathe OUT.
Put on some groovy music and do busy, physically active work.
At work I would climb the stairs, carrying boxes, moving stuff.
At home inside I would vacuum or mop or sweep the floors.
In the garden I would sweep with my huge heavy broom, sweep the long the driveway!

At present, a year after I began my own intensive journey hell bent on recovery lol, I'm doing well!
Now, after or during challenging events at work / in my family, I've noted some light symptoms occurring ie not happy dreams, some exposure therapy, I can do on my own, needed at times but rarely.
No other PTSD symptoms.

You CAN get better!
The work you do WILL reap benefits over time.

Some ppl may feel the need for prescribed medications. Please don't discount all the work you need to do on your own.
I chose not to have meds but to implement all I could outside of medicating.

Huge hugs everyone
Love EM

l was suggesting something really physical to my daughter the other day. She use to walk 20 even 30k a day sometimes but her usual walk was 5 or 6 k . But she's doing nothing now and l said that's probably 1/2 the problem she's a young healthy girl she needs something physical to get burn off the energy in her head , even long walks is a bit passive right now and all you do is think on a long walk l said hat about kick boxing or some martial arts - which she was doing a few yrs back, mowing the lawn here which is a workout and a half now since l sold my ride on , so is vacuming joints pretty big.

lf she could just get up and moving and out of her damn head , burn some of this rubbish out of there it would help her sooooooo much, lt's always helped me. rx

Ha , my last post sounds like l'm trying to palm off all the house work doesn't it but nah it's not that . During bad periods she often has a lot of trouble actually leaving the house so if she can do something physical at home it'll still help.

rx