32 Symptoms of Anxiety People Thought They Were the Only Ones Having

Middle-of-the-night wakeups with a racing heart used to freak me out because I thought it was a heart thing, not anxiety. Talking to a therapist helped, but it was my girlfriend who first pushed me to check out https://mentalhealthhotline.org/helping-someone/depression/ when I didn’t know how to help her through similar stuff. That site made it easier to talk openly and actually understand what we were both going through.
 
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I sometimes get really tight chest pressure and random body zaps out of nowhere, thought it was something serious until I realized it was just anxiety messing with me.
 
Maxdivenn said:
I see it's been a while since you've posted, but I just want to ask—does anyone else get super tense shoulders or clenched jaw all day without noticing until it's painful? I’ve started doing quick body scans a few times a day and it helps a bit. Curious if others found little tricks like that to manage the physical side of anxiety.
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wife can get really bad bouts of anxiety...
One of the early warnings for her is waking up with headache.. Headache is from clenching her jaw all night. She wears a mouth gaurd every night and in general, she doesn't notice the jaw pain, she notices the headaches.. then after talking with herm she's able to reaalize her jaw is tight and sore..

If you get anxiety bouts, its really helpful to identify your early warning signs... For my wife, until we were able to figure those out, it was miserable.. Now we can desl with it before it gets miserable.
 
When we moved the shop out to Ontario, I had not realized how stressed I was until my back and body got so tight that it would sometimes be hard to swallow.

I started to meditate and calm myself and stretch and it helped quite a bit. I am a pretty high strung person and have to tell myself to calm down and relax or I can get the tight back and swallowing thing.

Shit at first I thought I was having a heart attack, lol.
 
Yeah I have been suffering with this shit for about 20 years now.I tell you it ain't a walk in the park .
 
Interesting read. My worst anxiety symptom is cortisol flashes that pulse out from my center down my arms and legs. They are the worst as they tend pulse hardest early like 3am or so when cortisol levels are highest in the body and it prevents me sleeping as a pulse will wake you right up when you're on the verge of sleep. It can take days for my body to reset this system and being peaceful, mindful, calm and doing box breathing, hot tub or hot shower, going for walks outside to hear wind in the trees or rain, or to the beach to hear the waves, all helps calm me down.

Getting tinnitus nearly a year ago really intensified all this as it can get really bad when it flares as tinnitus creates a negative feedback loop with anxiety and insomnea, all three perpetuating one another. I've had to check into the ER for a suspected heart attack last year due to this which was terrifying, so needless to say it's been a real learning curve trying to manage this fucking curse
 
PS, if anyone here needs a good anti-anxiety med that is not addictive and not a benzo then try Propranolol. It's a beta-blocker that blocks the effect of adrenaline and is typically used for managing high blood pressure and migraines, and any naturopath should be able to perscribe it for you.

You'll likely get the 10mg tabs so break them into 4's so that you've got 2.5mg chunks. Dissolve one under your tongue and give it a few min, and you can take another if needed as 5mg is the typical amount recommended to help anxiety, I just find 2.5mg works well for me and it helps much like a benzo but without being addictive.

Be careful if you take it at night as it can cause insomnea, but at a low dose I find it's ok. I hardly ever use it as knowing I have it on hand is usually enough to help via placebo effect.
 
Chirarry said:
I sometimes get really tight chest pressure and random body zaps out of nowhere, thought it was something serious until I realized it was just anxiety messing with me.
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If you are on a SSRI and ever switch or stop, the zaps are a known side effect and can be disconcerting but they dissipate. Many people have gone to the ER with a tight chest or chest pain thinking they are having a heart attack and it was a panic attack or chronic anxiety that just finally filled the glass and is now spilling over.
You are not alone in the chest issue, I am sure others have it but never heard of zaps except from medication that impacts Serotonin. @Bagua would know more on the medication front than I do. I suspect herbs that impact serotonin could do the same albeit I don't know any people who complained of this with 5-HTP/St. Johns wort or other products sold for depression/anxiety at herbal stores.
It is good you recognize this and know it, first step to getting it under control.

@Maxdivenn - clenching your jaw unconsciously is a pretty common issue as is being tight in the shoulders or any muscle. Knowing you are doing it and being aware, which it appears you are, allows you to correct it. Stress is terrible on the body hence why exercise, eating well, and mental health is so important.
 
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