Do you get anxiety and what would you describe it as?

Post Reply New Topic

I was thinking fear/nervousness is related to anxiety a worry over something also means anxiety. Is that right? I know I had fear/nervousness the first couple months of College until I came out of my shell and felt comfortable. (yes it took a couple months to feel comfortable) I've also considered PTSD since about a month ago going onto the College Campus I balled my eyes out and had a "panic" attack type thing (breathing hard saying it'll be ok it'll be ok) UH it wasn't I burst into tears. (I'd tell the Psychiatrist but I know it'll be "here's another pill") so telling WP suites me fine.

Stage-fright. Every day I have to go out and interact with people, even just buying something in a shop, I get anxious. I can say what the physical effects are, but I can't say why I am anxious. Many times in therapy I have been made to go through all the rational reasons for being anxious, but it is an exercise that I have not learned anything from. On a bad day I have a panic attack, sometimes I have to (literally) run away.

Yes, especially on days when my partner is at work so I have to 'run' the household...

How would I describe it?

Well, physically, I feel almost like my guts have dropped lower in my stomach, I keep getting a sensation run down my back which is a bit like the 'butterflies' sensation you get in your stomach, I get very restless, can't sit, I bite my nails to shreds, and I feel a sort of tighness in my chest. My motor control becomes more rigid I tend to jerk when I move.

Mentally, my mind begins to loop around and around the same thoughts in the same order over and over, the faster it loops, the more anxious I feel, but at the same time I think the 'looping' is my mind's way of trying to cope, as long as my thoughts are 'moving' and not stuck on the thing that's making me feel anxious: if that happens I have a full-blown meltdown.

My anxiety consists of fidgeting, pacing, biting my tongue with my teeth and fingernails, shivering, a pain in my abdomen, etc... I smoke and it helps relieve anxiety by kind of... letting it out completely in a way. My intestines relax and uh... You know what happens then. I will shake it all out. I often have anxiety attacks and considered PTSD (often times I will have a memory or two resurface and it will give me an anxiety attack.). Also if I am in a stressful situation and am clueless to which action I should take, I could start having an anxiety attack.

I have anxiety to crowds and change. I don't get anxiety attacks, those are in the chest. These are in my head, and not in my mind but in my brain.
When I get lost I get anxiety attacks. It feels like I can't breathe.

For me it consists of my brain going in overdrive, shaking like you've got parkinsons because of mind and body overdrive, and during attacks, hyperventalating.

I do have anxiety but not anxiety/panic attacks. I usually feel anxiety whenever I'm in crowds. I think I might have Social Anxiety Disorder.

I sometimes have anxiety panic attacks that usually last until me or someone else manages to calm me down.

That would be... A wrenching feeling in my gut. Eyes wide. Major, major stimming, sometimes hitting myself or pacing or doing other things. Finding it hard to speak.

Stuff like that. This is usually aassociated with deadlines.

I don't get anxiety. I have anxiety. Its been there 24x7 for my whole life. I had symptoms of anxiety before I could even walk or talk. There's a constant worry in my head and a constant churning in my stomach. It doesn't matter if I am alone or in the presence of other people. On the exterior its bald spots from my hair falling out. (Its not balding because I am old. My hair will fall out in random spots. It's been going on since I was 4 years old.) Nail biting to the point I byte finger nails completely off. fidgeting, pacing, etc.. Even at night I constantly grind my teeth. I cracked and got three crowns in the past year due to nightime teeth grinding. Though I do not get the classic panic attack. I have never had a attack. Its just persistent and always there.

I know. TMI.

When I get anxiety I feel fearful of being social with people afraid that im going to say something stupid or seem too quiet. Especially when speaking over a crowd of people. Sometimes I pace to calm myself down or think about the anxiousness that i have at that moment.

I get anxious.
I would describe it as being afraid of the unexpected.

My anxiety is at its worst when I'm interacting or about to interact with someone I care about. I become fixated on anticipating how my lack of emotional or social awareness will disappoint or upset them in some way. I realize that this sort of thing probably got its start as the result of some unfortunate experiences long ago and long forgotten where I genuinely did disappoint or upset people that were important to me. Now, the anticipation of this dynamic results in anxiety that can be paralyzing. Like Magicfly, my thoughts will loop obsessively over the issue. Even long after the more traumatic experiences are over, these thoughts are still cycling in some kind of vain attempt at unraveling what happened and what I could do to make things better. I do sometimes make progress at unraveling things but progress is slow. Obsessing on one incident for over a decade eventually led me to learning about the autism spectrum and discovering my aspieness!

To answer your question: for me, anxiety is anticipation of an inevitable and unwanted outcome that results in obsessive thoughts about that outcome. It does not necessarily end after the unwanted outcome has been experienced.

I get anxiety almost everyday and it's not caused by anything specific. It just seems to be random.

I get this strange, pulsating/palpitating feeling in my chest and the sensation like I can't seem to get enough oxygen. My hands get really sweaty and when it's really bad my whole body breaks out into a cold sweat and I start shaking. Sometimes I feel like everything in life turns into a cartoon, like this fake 2D world and this is worse because in this place I can't feel anything at all.

I had anxiety last night, so I've only slept four hours. But it doesn't stop me from doing what I have to do, it only stops me from feeling relaxed. It will pass. I know what it's about, too, so it's not some strange cloud surrounding me. It's because I worry about things I don't know, and imagine what those things might be, or how I might be manipulated, or deceived, and then if I don't stop it it can fold into every concern that's ever existed, so that I worry about how to survive. But I don't let it get that far, I keep the anxiety on topic.

I don't get physical symptoms except that my breathing gets shallow and I find myself repeatedly trying to fill my lungs and it's not possible. Yoga is good.

Causes:
Any experience of problems I'm not sure how to solve while performing a task for my employer. Doubts about the clarity of the instructions or the acceptability of my results.
Unexpected changes to my routine or to my immediate environment.
Working against the clock and being late or realising that I'm putting off a difficult task.
Close involvement of others in my work.
Presence of authority figures.
Crowds and noisy, disorderly public gatherings.
Recognition that I'm running a risk of something significantly nasty happening to me.
Partners showing any sexual interest in other guys.
Partners dressing in an over-sexualised way in public.
Other guys showing any sexual interest in my partners.
Loved ones in danger.
Loved ones going missing, even if it's only for an hour.
The act of challenging another person's behaviour, especially when the outcome is important.
The thought of declaring a strong attraction towards somebody who may not be attracted to me.
Making small talk.
Walking past rowdy teenagers and thugs.
Telling lies.
Breaking rules (even very petty or unjust ones) when there's any chance of being found out.

Symptoms:
Fluttery feeling in stomach.
Shaking hands.
Sudden, jerky movements.
Jittery, confused thinking or blanking out.
Overheating.
Inability to dismiss the problem and enjoy the rest of life.
Exagerrated sense of danger.
Difficulty accepting comfort from others unless it's very specifically tailored to my problem.
Negative attitude.
Insomnia.
Consuming unhealthy drugs and foods.

Solutions:
Avoiding the causes.

Toughing it out - often if I realise what's going on, I can just steel myself and drive through the anxiety, particularly if I can calm down long enough to work out a coherent defense plan.

Breathing exercises.

Physical exercise.

Doing something scary that won't be dangerous for very long - paradoxically, once the adrenaline rush has gone down, I feel very relaxed. Rollercoaster rides are quite good for this.

Telling somebody about what's freaking me out - I don't find this easy, and usually there's nothing much they can do to help, but just knowing that I've shared it can put it into better perspective, and the feeling that at least one other person is truly sympathetic to my plight can ease the problem.

I suppose stimming comes into it as well, but all my stims are practically invisible, I barely notice when I'm doing them and I have no idea whether or not they help to calm me down or not.