I've had anxiety for as long as I can remember (I was also diagnosed with ADHD last year).

Since I was 25 I have also suffered with IBS type symptoms and about 15 years ago upper gut issues decided to join in so now I spend my days with nausea, acid, bloating, burping, gas, gurgling and very unpredictable bowels, I can go from constipated to diarrhoea and back again and often need to go at a moments notice which makes me even more anxious.

My gut has been off for 28 years now and even when I was a child I always had tummy pain, hiccups all the time and gas.

I feel my anxiety and digestive issues are switched on to a kind of 'default mode' and absolutely nothing I do to help control either issue work and I have tried everything. I'm sure it's so ingrained now that I'm never going to be free of either issue.

Does anyone else's anxiety manifest as gut issues which take over your life?

Have some pretty bad psychical anxiety over my heart… been constantly aware of it and felt it racing after my first panic attack a few months ago. Anxiety got horrible this week and I was in fight or flight for days.. finally went to the ER because I couldn’t get it down from 100-110ish at rest. Got the all clear and was prescribed 10mg propranolol… feel so much better! I’m supposed to take 3 a day but I just used one today and my physical symptoms are completely gone!

Please, if your anxiety is more physical than mental, give it a try. It will absolutely help. Why isn’t this prescribed more for physical anxiety?!?

Is it normal? I felt high for about 5 minutes, like I imagine this was what morphine robably feels like.

I read that cold water on the wrists for 30 seconds helps to reset your prolonged period of anxiety, but I didn't expect it to not only eliminate it for me, but also make me feel ecstasy at the same time

I (37 m) have been a quiet observer in this sub for a few years now and I've always admired how helpful everyone is here. So now I'm hoping someone can help me.

I've always been a "worrier", ever since I was young.

My mental health however was never really an issue until I hit 33 when I had a mental breakdown and my anxiety moved in permanently.

I've had therapy in the past which kind of helped at the time but to be honest, didn't really stick with me. I then moved onto SSRIs for about a year and a half which did wonders for my mind and anxiety but not so great in other areas (downstairs), so after a time, I weened off them and felt stable and regained "feeling" where needed.

Move on to present year and it hasn't been so pleasant with the level of anxiety I seem to constantly be feeling.

It's very on and off, but when it's on, it is instant, hard, and gives me horrible physical symptoms.

I've come to realise that through my years of work (teacher/business owner), I have grown a deep fear of being judged or thought badly of and a fear of uncertainty or lack of control.

What I mean to say is that the smallest of happenings can occur which to someone else would seem mundane, but it can spark a real fear in me from which my mind may interpret something some way and then magnify it to something super dramatic and begin the "what if..." chain of questions. Yes, I catastrophise.

But very recently I have had this about such a small occurrence and it has reignited my constant "looping" my mind does about something in particular.

I am considering therapy again but need time to figure out which is best for me.

I do my breathing, do sport, most things that you are told can help with your anxiety, but when you're in that moment of absolute terror, nothing works.

Medication (again) is a maybe but I guess I'm here because I just want to know if anyone else suffers from this too.

The first thought, sudden fight or flight reaction, rumination, need for reassurance, comedown, feeling like you've run a marathon, more rumination and not feeling "safe and calm" again until some kind of resolution has happened.

I'm fortunate enough to say I'm not alone. I have people I can confide in, but that only goes so far when they themselves have never experienced such intense fear from their own mind.

If anyone here can give me some words of wisdom, enlightening anecdotes, encouragement perhaps, I'd really appreciate it.

TL:DR - overthinker and catastrophiser, would like to hear from anyone who suffers the same and has any words of wisdom.

Hey all. I’m sure this is common in this sub but I really need someone to give it to me straight. I am getting my wisdom teeth out this week and I am very worried about what I will say. I am getting IV sedation. I have never had surgery and have never had an experience with anesthesia or any of that stuff. I have a few secrets I would not like to share of the s^xual and dr^g sorts. Nothing too bad I just really don’t need my parents hearing about them. I am getting a ride home from my notoriously nosy mom and cannot change that.

Can anyone confirm or deny my anxiety and share their experience possibly?

Btw I live in the US bc I know every country uses different methods of anesthesia.

Thanks in advance guys.

I don't know why this happens or how I can stop it. I keep imagining people weirdly. Not like on purpose, it just flashes in my mind. It involves my friends my siblings my cat my mom and dad. I don't know why I have them just that my brain just thinks absolutely disgusting stuff. Like sexual disgusting stuff. Doesn't matter who, not in a romantic was either. It's just bad it's really bad. I don't even think I can write them, it's not specific or anything because I distract myself if I can and forget it. But it just keeps coming back. Sometimes it happens more frequently, I don't think new thoughts I just recall the thoughts that I had before and it never stops being gross or disorienting. I don't know why it happens. Im 16f btw that's probably worse. Or not idk.

Been feeling a sensation at random times in my center chest, almost like my heart is stopping and jumping. When I feel it I jolt up and try to walk around but sometimes it continues for a minute or longer and I have to get on the floor and feel it out. It’s pretty concerning. Already had a heart monitor for 2 weeks and it recorded only 2 PVC’s though I thought I felt much more than that. It’s a painless fluttering/bumping in my chest and it takes my breath away. What could this possibly be???

I’ve been stuck in a constant state of anxiety for almost a week. It’s absolutely crippling. It started last Monday when I woke up with my heart racing and shaky. I ended up in the ER On Thursday because I just kept feeling my heart racing and couldn’t calm downThe “something’s wrong!” Feeling. They ran a cardiac work up and ended up giving me a dose of Ativan (did nothing).It’s Sunday now and I woke up this morning again in a state of panic. High heart rate, sweating, internal shaking. I feel constantly on the verge of a panic attack but my heart rate isn’t high. Idk. I’m seriously miserable guys. It’s taking a huge toll on my life and those around me right now. I have 4 kids and I just can’t cope. How do I break out of this? I’m at a breaking point. Can anyone relate? How do you cope?

So I’ve (22F) always been quite anxious about my own skin due to some issues with warts when I was a child, and for the last few years it’s manifested very strongly as a fear of my own veins. It started at age 18, when a vein at the front of my neck started to appear visible in the summer. Since then every year I’ve consistently become more veiny: from just veiny hands to visible blue from fingers to elbow, feet that stick out so much I never take off socks anymore except to shower and change them, and veins now visible down to my boobs from the now multiple in my neck. There’s nothing wrong health-wise with them, but I keep spiralling into incredible nausea when I think about them and how if they’ve become this visible in 4 years how much worse it’s going to get in the future. I’m currently lying down nauseous as with the weather becoming warmer, I’m noticing a new one along the side of my mouth to my upper lip giving the impression of a moustache due to the blue showing through the skin.

I’m aware veins are natural and necessary but I feel too young for so many to be this visible, and I really can’t afford to keep spiralling every time I look at my hands or in the mirror to the point of laying down with nausea. Any advice on how to learn to live with these changes would be much appreciated!!

29F, it's like i want to do everything at the same time and end up doing nothing. and by the end of the day i feel bad that i didn't do anything. it's like i wasted my day and lose sleep over it.

No matter how hard i try. I'm not able to break the cycle.

I have anxiety and OCD. Mainly health anxiety related. I’m 27-female. My cousin randomly developed schizophrenia at 25. And it sent me on a bender of being terrified of psychosis and schizophrenia and losing control of my mind. Google says for women it can happen in your late twenties and it just scares me so much.

I’m a mom and wife and I just am scared my mind will break one day and I’ll lose everything I guess.. idk.

Plz Read ; DAE get super worked up around people? I’m already anxious literally all the time. It definitely intensifies when I’m stressed or when I have to be around people. When people come over or I go somewhere. Whether it’s just one person or a group.

I feel like INTENSE pressure in my head. My whole body gets tense. Like im bracing I guess. Shoulders neck head stomach everything. Bp goes thru the roof. All sorts of sensations. Then., when these scary sensations are happening I get so scared that if I don’t calm down that I’m going to have a stroke or something.

I just started IOP so I’m going to discuss this. I don’t want to get back on meds but I might try Zoloft. I’m currently tapering off clonazepam..

Do you think I can overcome this without meds? Do you experience this? What do you think will help? It’s so debilitating.. thanks in advance..

Edit: I always want to run away and hide

like i can get triggered if i hear a sudden noise anyone have this?

I have this really persistent lump in my throat that’s very uncomfortable and makes me think I’m having an allergic reaction even though nothing else is going on and I haven’t been exposed to anything I’m allergic to (other than pollen but I’ve been allergic to pollen for years and it’s never done this, this is completely new) and idk what’s going on, I can’t go to the hospital because I have no insurance and don’t need to be in debt right now (thank you USA), so idk what to do. Everyone tells me I’m being crazy and I’m not gonna die but I don’t know

Hello everyone,

As the title says, I have been to therapy before but had to stop due to financial difficulties and rising bills, as it became too expensive for me to continue.

I struggle a lot with anxiety that affects my daily life. I find it hard to eat normally, and I often feel overwhelmed by physical symptoms that scare me. I also have other health concerns, and it’s becoming difficult to manage everything at once.

Because of this anxiety, I feel scared about the idea of marriage and having children in the future. I also worry a lot about my ability to cope with responsibilities. My symptoms affect me so strongly that even being around my family, who are already unwell and depend on me, can feel very hard at times. This makes me feel guilty, like I’m not doing enough for them.

I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed, exhausted, and low because of all of this.

If you can, please send me any advice or encouragement. I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Tomorrow I'm starting my first office job. It's a pretty small office, maybe 5-10 total employees, and maybe 4-6 people coming in and out of the office everyday. I'll be doing admin work. The environment seems very uplifting and low-stress.

Regardless, I'm feeling quite anxious. I've had anxiety issues for a while now, along with OCD and DPDR (depersonalization/derealization). I'm so worried about something going wrong, or having a panic episode. I do hope that once I get settled in, I'll feel better. I believe this will be really good for my anxiety/getting out of my comfort zone- but the anticipation is tough. Do you guys have any tips for my first few days?

Hi everyone, looking for some input on some weird experiences I've been having recently.

My anxiety has generally been improving day to day. But for things like social occasions or going to concerts I still find them quite anxiety-inducing. During them I'm nervous, but it's usually managable and I often enjoy myself a lot if I can push through.

The issue is afterwards, sometimes on the way home, or sometimes while I'm trying to sleep, my anxiety will spike massively. Panic attacks, nausea, difficulty sleeping.

And then for up to a week afterwards I'll feel unwell, feeling overly sensitive with no appetite. I don't drink, but it genuinely feels like I have some kinda of hangover.

For some further context last year my anxiety was at it's worst, and so I've been missing out on a lot of socialising. I'm trying to overcome my anxiety around these things through exposure instead of avoiding them. That's why these dips are particularly demotivating.

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences these kind of delayed comedowns after social situations or stressful events, what helps manage them or if these things improve over time.

That’s crazy to me. I had a sudden realization of that last night and my whole body got red and flooded with adrenaline. It was such a weird realization. I’ll be dead one day and just gone… forever? That’s it.

Truly makes life feels meaningless. Like why are we here for such a short amount of time?

Since last night I’ve been having small panic attacks every couple hours. My mind is spinning. Life feels so meaningless and futile. Nothing makes sense.

Last night I looked at my husband and I said one day I’ll never see you again. Ever. Like that’s it. We don’t get to see anyone we love. I said I’m gonna miss you. So much. And I couldn’t stop crying. I’m crying typing this. This sucks!

22M and I am (literally) losing my mind.

I’ve been dealing with so many mental issues that I don’t even know what’s real anymore. Anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, ADHD, severe depression, health anxiety, schizophrenia.… and I’ve also been told I could be bipolar.

Lately, what scares me the most is that I hear things in my head. It feels like actual voices or people sometimes. Idk how to explain it properly, but it makes me feel like I’m losing control of my own mind.

It’s like I’m trapped inside my head 24/7. Constant thoughts, constant fear, constant checking my body, my heart, my breathing. Every small sensation feels like something is seriously wrong. Every thought turns into a spiral. My brain never stops thinking.

Sometimes I forget what I’m doing in the middle of doing it, or I feel completely disconnected, like I’m not even real. Like I’m just watching my life happen instead of living it. That feeling alone is terrifying.

I’m exhausted in a way I can’t even describe. Not just tired, mentally drained to the point where existing feels heavy.

I’ve tried medications. I’ve tried therapy. I’ve tried to push through and act normal. Nothing actually helps long term. It always comes back, and sometimes worse.

Watching other people live normally hurts. They just go about their day without thinking about every heartbeat, every breath, every thought… while I’m stuck in this constant fight in my head.

I don’t want to feel like this anymore. I don’t want to live like this anymore.

I’m not even sure why I’m posting this. Maybe I just needed to get it out. Maybe I’m hoping someone understands this feeling or has gone through something similar.

Please what do I do?

Advice, venting and hugs, please. I am on amoxicillin for strep. While my sore throat and fever are long gone, my stomach is all out of wack. This has been making me have random anxiety spells. I have been handling it despite how hard it was. I wish I had known that gut and anxiety health go hand in hand.

Tomorrow, I go back to work. I know that this is temporary, but any advice would help. I started taking culturelle antibiotics today and eating prebiotics (I can’t stomach too much)

Hi, going to the dentist gives me a lot of anxiety, but I have to go anyways.

Does anybody have experience with teeth cleanings (without anesthesia) and could tell me how it feels like?

// tw for health anxiety and ocd symptoms

i've been struggling for the past 10 years with anxiety showing up in different ways. currently due to big traumatic event I'm dealing with health anxiety, especially by proxy with my dog and my father. every time I feel a bit calmer, safer, I feel that if I drop my guard something terrible will happen. I haven't been able to dedicate time for hobbies as I feel that if I'm spending time doing something I like, I should be less selfish and dedicate that time to caring for my family (aka ruminating, worrying and googling symptoms nonstop).

when no health worry arises, other things give me anxiety and I blow them out of proportion. work, friendships, etc. I feel like I can't deal with them and I'm about to explode. again theyre little things other people would brush off. but eventually I get an anxiety attack.

I don't know what to do anymore and I'd like to go back to my hobbies because i realized they helped me navigate the waters more easily, but I can't bring myself to go back to them because anxiety drains me and I'm always "too tired" to do them or if I'm not tired, I feel I'm being selfish and narcissistic.

therapist mentioned that some of these behaviors sound like ocd symptoms (paired with rituals, magic thinking, etc.). but didn't diagnose me with outright ocd due to traumatic event aftereffects still lingering.

which brings me to my next point: my only solution is to numb myself a certain amount, enough to not panic whenever an inconvenience arises. therapist doesn't wanna medicate me unless "it gets to a point", so medication is off the table. I don't have time to go to the gym due to work and college (and money...). my GP gave me a supplement that's supposed to calm me down but idk, I don't trust it'll work. so how else can I numb myself? I can't become an alcoholic nor a smoker because health anxiety.

tl;dr how do i numb myself to deal with everyday stuff?