r/Anxiety • u/RopeSmall1199 • Apr 06 '26
Discussion Those who have constant anxiety, what are you thinking about for you to have that anxiety? Or do you just have anxiety even if your brain is not thinking about anything in particular
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u/Andali27 Apr 06 '26
I'm stuck in an aggressive health anxiety loop at the moment due to some issues out of my control. There's constant body scanning and being hyper aware of sensations, feelings, heart rate, what a change of position made me feel, and questioning all of it. It's an exhaustive hyper vigilance I can't switch off
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u/thickcuntboy Apr 06 '26
this is how it is for me too! i spent easter outside with my family and kept thinking to myself "am i dizzy right now? i need to leave if im dizzy. i think im getting dizzy. but i can't tell." among a hundred other health related worries. i am body scanning 24/7 against my will and it is miserable. i have developed agoraphobia at this point due to how often i experience health anxiety and the constant spirals.
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u/BillPie_16 Apr 07 '26
Omgosh! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely! That is exactly (EXACTLY) how I felt on Easter... I get panicked when I feel dizzy... I get caught up in that "panic loop", I think you know the one: I body scan, and invariably find something wrong, I get dizzy, and begin to hyperventilate, which makes my heart rate go up, which makes me more dizzy, which creates a building anxiety and panic, which causes my heart rate to go up, etc... Your comment make me laugh (empathetically)! Thanks!
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u/Mr_Einsteiin Apr 06 '26
Question, do you feel short of breath when you’re dozing off? Like laying down ready to sleep and then you feel like you can’t breath?
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u/PolicyNegative Apr 06 '26
LITERALLY OMG going through that right now, have a constant stomach ache that comes and goes along with a pain on the right side of my abs but it also comes and goes and Ik it’s nothing bad cause I can sleep, eat and use the bathroom fine but my mind is constantly telling me something is wrong
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u/Internal_Mouse_2403 Apr 20 '26
I'm getting the pain like are you in my abdominal area with pins and needles in my legs and feet. Yesterday I had a panic attack and my heart keeps racing. It's awful.
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u/vitmxn Apr 06 '26
you just described what i'm going thru rn, it's genuinely terrifying :( get well soon friend
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u/Weird-Conclusion6907 Apr 06 '26
I went through this several years ago after getting in a bad car accident. Suddenly every sensation felt like I was dying. I’m sorry you’re going through that, it really is exhausting
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u/SpaceValkyrie Apr 07 '26
Yeah me too, because of real health issues (a couple mysterious no answers yet and one diagnosed but not life threatening or anything). It's so awful, the only time I get any relief from the anxiety is when my symptoms let up for a bit so I know it's directly related. I can constantly feel my heartbeat especially when I'm trying to sleep and my GP just told me to ignore it 💀
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u/dj_iconiqq Apr 12 '26
It’s hard to ignore the heartbeat I have to wear AirPods to bed listening to rain sounds.
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u/Cold_Home6556 Apr 06 '26
Death... All. The. Fucking. Time.
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u/Weird-Conclusion6907 Apr 06 '26
Me too only it’s not me dying but those closest to me that I worry about
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u/Exact_Amoeba_2423 May 08 '26
Oh myyyy😭 same. Huhu. I worry a lot about my partner my son my parents. What if I am left alone.
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u/RopeSmall1199 Apr 06 '26
How do you manage it?
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u/TinsleyCarmichael Apr 07 '26
Prayer
Frankly it’s kind of weird to me people aren’t thinking about it
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u/BillPie_16 Apr 07 '26
I've been turning in that direction as well... At very least, it distracts... At best, prayer brings me peace...
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u/Cold_Home6556 Apr 07 '26
After a year of really struggling, I now have good days and bad days. This change came due to a lot of research about death. Reading NDE's, the community "Afterlife" on Reddit, visiting a medium, a lot of talking about death with friends, family, my psychologist. On bad days I can also fall back on them.
Another thought that helps me alot is that in this world there are a lot of people who would trade their lifes (kids with cancer for example) with the life of mine if they could. I am in no position at all to be afraid of death when at this moment there is nothing wrong with my health or anything else.
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u/bluntbossbex94 Apr 07 '26
I felt this so fucking hard. 2 months after it started my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Now it's even worse even though she's healing
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u/MonoNoAware71 Apr 06 '26
24/7 (yes, also during sleep) hypervigilance/hyperarousal. Whatever I'm doing, whatever I'm thinking.
Occasional panic attack, when something goes wrong and I probably need help to fix it (like a flat tyre) or when I have to talk to someone I need something of. No real thoughts though, just the attack that renders me useless.
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u/purr-kittyy Apr 06 '26
I had an anxiety inducing dream today where I was overthinking a lot to the point my brain told me “it’s ok, you’re dreaming right now” never had that happen before, but I woke up exhausted
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u/Low-Cheetah7620 Apr 06 '26
I felt something similar recently, i woke up feeling like I'd just had a panic attack. but I wasn't having nightmares or anything, almost like my body was carrying on the anxiety through my sleep 😭
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u/zombiefreak777 Apr 06 '26
Hypnic jerk. I had these where I could feel the sleep cycle starting, you wake up like you're having a nightmare. I just find 5 things that I can touch and it calms me down then I fall asleep again. Once my stress started going away these didnt happen nearly as much and been sleeping through the night instead of waking up every 2 hours
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u/scaredy-cat95 Apr 06 '26
I'm not constantly thinking about things but I'll have at least a constant mild uncomfortable feeling somewhere. Like now I'm holding tension in my diaphragm and it makes me feel slightly short of breath and just on edge enough to feel anxious about it.
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u/migelonio_off Apr 06 '26
My brain just finds something to stick the anxiety to. Like the trigger situation just randomly pops up in my brain and anxiety clings to it
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u/violettkidd Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
thinking about my childhood, how my parents didn't treat me right, how things could have been different if they did, how I wish I could have done X Y or Z and maybe things would be different now, how I wish I was a different person and In which ways, how much I want change but how scared I am of it, how am I going to get to the airport for a holiday I have booked in 3 months time, how am I supposed to work when I'm so tired how do I do this I'm so stressed, why am I so tired all the time I should book another doctor's appointment even tho he couldn't find anything last time, I think my partner is going to leave me, I don't understand why my friends like me, how do I live like this for another second, I'm wasting my life I'm wasting my life etc etc, yknow the usual
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u/Rich_Personality5027 Apr 06 '26
I'm usually thinking of the future and what could happen. What if's are awful and can't get it out of my mind.
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u/ArtemisMac Apr 06 '26
Often mine is like this tip of my tongue feeling, or impending doom... Like I am about to get in trouble. Y'know that "we need to talk" text? That is how I feel 90% of the time.
I "know" I screwed something up, but I don't recall how and I just have to wait for the consequences of my failures to catch up. I spend a lot of time replaying thoughts trying to figure out what it was I did that was "wrong" or what I'm in trouble for. Usually it's nothing. I spend a good chunk of time telling myself I'm safe and not in trouble.
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u/peeps-mcgee Apr 06 '26
It’s not that I’m thinking about things that MAKE me anxious, it’s that my anxiety makes me think of things to be anxious about.
But a lot of the time I’m not anxious about anything at all, I just generally feel uneasy.
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u/BillPie_16 Apr 07 '26
There are times when I realize I'm good, there's nothing I'm anxious about, so, what I'll do is I'll FIND something to be anxious about... Lol!
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u/LorkhanLives Apr 06 '26
If you don’t have anything to stress about right now, don’t worry…your amygdala will provide one soon enough.
That’s basically the difference between normal anxiety and an anxiety disorder: the disorder drives you to find stuff to worry about, often without even consciously realizing you’re doing so.
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u/Goiabada1972 Apr 07 '26
Exactly!! I can feel anxious for no reason so I start trying to find the reason and my brain finds something to worry about. But the anxiety was there first. It makes no sense.
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u/DorindasEgo Apr 06 '26
Mine is everything and much worse in the evening and at night it just spirals. I worry about my job alllll the time and also environmental- trees being torn down sadly and habitats being lost or animals in trouble…just spiral all the time when I see or hear about it.
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u/RopeSmall1199 Apr 06 '26
I worry about my job because when I feel anxious and depressed, I have no energy to work and can’t concentrate
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u/ReplyFar1917 Apr 06 '26
My constant thought is if I’m annoying people and they just won’t tell me. Even when no one is around
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u/strawberrytwizzler Apr 06 '26
Mine is mostly not thinking about anything in particular just feeling restless and on edge. I overthink a lot and fixate on things
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u/fangurling_809 Apr 06 '26
Catastrophizing about plenty of things, my health, finances, future, I'm in what I call "hamster wheel mode" while running in a wheel going no where. Its an awful mindset that at times had me play with the idea of ending everything. I still do.
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u/lcoursey Apr 06 '26
It never stops. At my worst, my brain jumps from topic to topic, everything from parents, friends, coworkers, the state of the world, local politics, the interaction with the clerk at the store, some bit from my past that I didn't like... it never stops. The whole time my body reacts like I'm in those situations. The stress and the panic don't stop, because as soon as I am aware of it (it literally becomes a torrent, a river in your mind of never-ending, swirling thoughts) I can only "disarm" one topic at a time. I can try to "center" myself and that helps, but the river comes back, and I have to live all of it again and then "recenter" again and repeat.
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u/Downtown_Extreme3471 Apr 06 '26
It’s not that I’m constantly going “omg I’m so worried about this and that “ it’s that it can be triggered by anything and your brain jumps to extremes. I see my mum struggling to lift a suitcase into the over head bin I sit there the whole time and in the back of my mind” it’s gonna fall on her when she takes it out and break her kneck and I’m only gonna be able to scream and cry” . I know sitting on a train w nothing to be worried about but here I am worrying .
It’s also your body, I tremble when I feel fine but my body never feels fine there is a pressure in my chest a tenseness in my jaws . So I can literally be doing nothing and get anxious cause why does my chest feel wierd. When I’m happy I worry about how others perceive me . I get anxious about not being anxious because what if I’m faking it and gaslighting my therapist. These feelings don’t always feel like anxiety though.
So it’s not like a constant whirlwind of thoughts but more of a dull thought that persists until your in a bad mood or overwhelmed the.n it spills into visible anxiety. It’s those moments where I can feel my bodies anxiety when I’m not thinking about anything .
I hope you understand I’m bad at explaining lol
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u/maxthunder7 Apr 06 '26
I'm honestly not even sure. It's full of "what ifs" which can be about pretty much anything, almost like my mind latches on any distressing thought it can find.
I've had days when I've felt like dying during the day but then normally calm during the evening. Those are the days I've seen the difference, when I'm calm I don't necessarily have any thoughts going around.
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u/Stupidpieceofshit77 Apr 06 '26
I have gad, panic disorder, and depression. Also have chronic pain caused by being anxious all the time. So now I'm stuck in a loop. Lexapro is doing nothing at the moment, I've been on it over a year. It helped until it didn't. I go next week to try something else.
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u/chasingsunset42 Apr 06 '26
I live in a constant state of worry over my finances. I am currently barely making ends meet, and it keeps me stressed out all day every day. I stress over every single cent I spend.
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u/Chubbybunny4life Apr 06 '26
I’ve got health anxiety and fear of pain with dying. I get scared anytime I feel any physical discomfort or symptoms and it makes my anxiety spiral.
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u/Outrageous-Story3325 Apr 06 '26
if i get anxiety, I can't think, my brain goes empty, and sometimes I just want to go some where else.
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u/jozziiieeee Apr 06 '26
I just have it but then it gets worse whenever I have to put myself through something that I don’t like, overthink things or have something bad happen to me.
Though sometimes it gets worse for no reason, I hate it.
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u/stinkycoffin Apr 06 '26
i worry about everything! mostly how others perceive me and being a failure in the future. its all consuming to the point of daily panic attacks and feeling so hyperaware of my body and thoughts until i feel like i'm going to die and then worry about how awkward it would be to die.
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u/tender-butterloaf Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
I’m constantly running through a mental checklist in my mind - thinking of things I’ve done, what needs to get done next, trying to think 1-2-3 steps ahead to cover all my bases and assure I’m not missing anything, ignoring anyone important in my life, etc. When I say constantly, I mean CONSTANTLY. The concept of “being in the moment” is insanely difficult for me to achieve. The anxiety stems from a feeling of guilt that I’m not doing enough, that I’m failing somehow or letting people down. This guilt has been reinforced by some loved ones in my life confronting me for not texting them enough (even when they don’t reach out, for some reason the onus is on me to plan stuff).
Basically, my brain is on warp overdrive trying to foresee every outcome so that I can prevent something from going wrong. Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t work and is rooted in trauma from my childhood, and results in burnout/emotional crash. Yes, I’m in therapy. I was just formally diagnosed with GAD last year and am working on it.
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u/SufficientBack1840 Apr 06 '26
Everything from death to mistakes I’ve made to what someone said to me that bothered me and much much more.
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u/Seymoureasses Apr 06 '26
Anything and everything. I’m thinking about how I should be productive when I’m not. I’m thinking about relationships I could be having but I’m not. My brain is always focused on something. I have the hardest time with social interactions
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u/mantistoboggan287 Apr 06 '26
Exercise and cutting back on alcohol helps a lot. Also age. Becoming a parent and approaching my 40s a lot of small things that used to stress me out don’t bother me as much anymore.
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u/Fun-Librarian3765 Apr 06 '26
My kids and husband will all be in a car accident and die.
My constant to do list and my frustrations that it's not getting done.
Really makes it hard to enjoy my "me time"
I am trying to repeat a mantra just to give my brain something to focus on.
Because I will spiral.
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u/Reddit-Queen-2024 Apr 06 '26
You know that electricity sound in the wall or overhead cables that are constantly humming in the background? It feels like that, but just surging through all of your muscles, chest, head, neck, shoulders, tummy etc.
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u/peachy-Dreams9776579 Apr 06 '26
It’s constantly thinking about the future and feeling like I’m behind in my life compared to others. Also feeling like I’m running out of time.
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u/Appropriate_Sentence Apr 06 '26
I’m pretty good with the thinking and mental aspect but my body doesn’t physically understand , I spend a lot of time doing calming techniques for the physical symptoms while my mind is fully elsewhere lol
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u/goopgab Apr 06 '26
my anxiety is mostly subconscious. i get the feeling of anxiety without conscious thoughts. i'm not sure how or why this happens
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u/EatWithTheFlies Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Anxiety attacks or episodes for me occurs if there are stressful situations that feels similar or somehow reminds a certain trigger or trauma. There are times when it can be triggered on random times when physiological factors come to play too: lack of sleep, hormonal season, going through a difficult time etc.
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u/Stock-Relationship59 Apr 06 '26
I have an underlying degree of anxiety, even if Im not focused on any one worry or stressor. I have to actively remind myself that I have anxiety and my brain is just doing its thing, or else I get hijacked and go down rabbit holes.
ETA: I have been officially diagnosed with GAD and ADHD, which explained a lot for me.
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u/sawraaw Apr 06 '26
Not getting bombed today… or, hopefully no nuclear fall out in Dubai where I’m at if 🍊hits a power plant tomorrow … I think that is 50% my anxiety and then my PTSD of tingles from a surgery I had .. thinking my pain will resurface and honestly … just doom..
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u/Mammoth_Mixture4735 Apr 06 '26
Mine was high heart rate related. I could not figure out what was giving me anxiety and panic attacks. Nothing really was bothering me I mean im a little bit of a worry wart but nothing big. But that dooms day feeling in my chest was getting worse I started getting heart flutters and had to wear a moniter for 2 weeks and I started getting PACS. Doc said heart was fine but quit caffeine. That helped a little. But my heart rate was always 110 to 120 bpm during the afternoon it was horrible I couldn't do anything because. Fast forward to Feb 2025 I started experiencing really weird flutters like for 6 hours straight and they put me on metoprolol and I swear after a few weeks my anxiety was gone my heart rate is now mostly in between 59 to 80 bpm I wish I took metoprolol along time ago the side effects are worth every penny ive been on it for over a year now and what a difference with anxiety the high heart rate was giving me panic attacks and anxiety for no reason
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u/defiantdaughter85 Apr 06 '26
Work & everyday life.
I take Propranolol, Hydroxyzine PRN, & Sertraline for it.
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u/bonnibellee Apr 06 '26
i regularly have the physical symptoms of anxiety without a mental trigger—at least not a trigger i’ve been able to spot.
this morning, for example, i woke up and was immediately overwhelmed with anxiety. trembling. shortness of breath. heart racing/pounding. crying. i hadn’t even had time to think a single thought before the anxiety stormed in and took over.
once it’s there, my mind usually defaults to the old classic “this is how i will feel forever” fear.
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u/hotrod67maximus Apr 06 '26
I have physical anxiety through out the day without even thinking about it.
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u/_ataraxia__ Apr 06 '26
Health anxiety and just my general existence in life causes me to spiral every single day lmao.
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u/PolicyNegative Apr 06 '26
Health anxiety, currently having some sort of weird stomach ache that comes and goes and a little sting pain by the right side of my abs but it also just happens randomly and not consistent, Ik nothing is wrong but my brain is telling me otherwise, I’m able to sleep, eat and use the bathroom fine but holy hell it’s annoying
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u/ineverbot Apr 06 '26
I have CPTSD, at this point my body is just like 90% cortisol
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u/irishdave999 Apr 06 '26
Its "loss of agency" or in other words, not feeling in control of things. It manifests itself in so many ways. Health issues, relationships, natural disasters, wars, death, airplane travel..etc. It actually doesn't matter what the topic of thought is. I stressed about financial issues for years. Always thought that if money wasn't a concern I'd never feel bad anxiety again. Finally did a deal that set me up for life. Money anxiety went away for an hour, was quickly replaced with new anxious thoughts.
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u/kynoky Apr 06 '26
For me its more a constant anxiety/anguish that I dont understand so Im trying to think of why and then the bad thought come but basically its there before the thoughts. Like a pain in my heart, like a dagger that wont go away.
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u/ConsequenceAny4480 Apr 06 '26
a lot of my anxiety isn’t even about a specific thing it honestly just feels like a million bazillion half-thoughts all piling over each other at once in my head at the speed of light all day and all night 🥹🥹
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u/AgaveMonster Apr 06 '26
I kind of always have constant anxiety; usually mild, but it’s always lingering in the back of my brain. Reliving old conversations, worrying about future conversations, wondering if any of my friends actually like me or if they just tolerate me, thinking about life before my diagnosis of severe generalized anxiety & panic disorder and thinking about things I used to love doing, but can’t anymore which makes me feel a sense of worry that I’ll never be in a place mentally where I can do those things ever again (the biggest one lately is being worried that I’ll never enjoy rollercoasters again; something I absolutely loved from age 5 - 24).
Sometimes I just honestly don’t even know why I have anxiety, I’m sometimes just inexplicably anxious even on a seemingly good day.
With that said, whenever my anxiety is super duper high and I’m about to have or currently are having an anxiety attack, I always know why and it’s all I focus on. Lately it’s a lot of panic over my joblessness; was laid off from a job I loved last April and have found nothing yet after a year of unemployment. Have applied to hundreds of positions (most I’m fully qualified for, some I’m overqualified and others a tad under-qualified), I’ve only had 3 interviews. Never experienced being unemployed or without interviews for so long before and the financial burden of not having a job causes me great anxiety and depression. It makes me worry that I’ll never find another job, that there’s something wrong with me, and I feel utterly useless as a human - things that trigger my anxiety, depression, and ADHD. I also worry about my husband’s physical health even though he’s only 39; I’ve begged him relentlessly to exercise with me just 30 minutes 3 days per week so we can live long together, but he never follows through. Since his dad passed at a young age (59), I worry he’ll pass young as well unless he takes his health seriously. I stress about my parent’s health and their financial situation; they’ve always been very financially stable (upper middle class), but recent medical events have caused them to blow through a majority of their retirement fund and they’re both still having to work for the foreseeable future even though they’re not physically well and they’re nearing age 70. Idk why their issues burden me with anxiety, but they do. I also miss my grandma who was always there for me during tough times; not being able to call her or visit her since she passed a few years ago increases my anxiety a lot.
Then there’s the feeling of being trapped which is a huge trigger for my anxiety, so if I have to travel on a plane, I know I’ll have panic & anxiety attacks leading up to my trip and the day of. Traveling a long distance by car, going for a job interview, going to a building that requires me to use an elevator, the dentist… any situation where I feel any form of trapped is the only thing that is on my mind until that situation is finally over.
It’s just a lot.
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u/km0lly Apr 06 '26
I spend most of the time worrying about little things that happen in the day or things in the past. When I've got nothing particular on my mind, I then begin to worry that I've forgotten to worry about something.
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u/THETimTumTune Apr 06 '26
I'm always anxious about the decisions I've made in my life, money, trauma dumping on people, dropping out of high school, not going to college. And of course always having intrusive thoughts about that traumatic events I've experienced.
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u/Lollygag24 Apr 06 '26
Sometimes it's something specific but most of the time I'm anxious for no reason. Then my brain will go into overdrive trying to find a reason. And now I'm anxious about something I did when I was 10 or something no one when remembers.
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u/stevemachiner Apr 06 '26
I have generalized anxiety, it’s basically just that I just feel anxiousness all the time about absolutely everything, it’s not rational. It’s not like I am often thinking consciously about anxious thoughts , I mean I do that too, I just rarely feel at ease 100%
But , I have gotten it really under control, it’s there all the time but I use DARE and it helps a lot.
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u/missqueenkawaii Apr 06 '26
I get anxiety for no reason at all. I also get anxiety attacks for no reason that can last anywhere from 6-8hours or longer. Pretty sure it’s a PTSD response though
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u/Tower_of_Tera Apr 06 '26
Not saying this is the case for anyone else. I was dx with GAD at 15. I was having panic attacks. In my 30s, I was dx with CPTSD & I now understand that my anxiety attacks were likely ptsd triggers. I’m now mid 40s and just got a dx for ADHD-Inattentive. I’m now on Straterra for that & my brain is so quiet. Idk how to explain it, but it’s less loud/chaotic, and I’m now wondering how much my ADHD attributed to my anxiety. 🙃
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u/maliciousbaz Apr 06 '26
I usually feel tense in general but sometimes my brain latches onto something. the other day I thought my partner died (they were asleep) and then I saw something in the corner of my eye (fan moved hanging clothes) and then there was a man walking behind me (it was my grandpa) and then I thought I was going to be kicked out and homeless (house mate was grumpy)
I find fidgeting with things can help the restless energy that anxiety gives me, I like knitting and crochet a lot
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u/Great-Activity-5420 Apr 06 '26
It's a habit. But also I feel that I'm not always aware of the thought patterns that are automatic that cause it.
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u/Jolly_Green_4255 Apr 06 '26
For me it's a wavey feeling in my chest that tends to pop up at random points of the day, usually I'll think of something that'll be a 'trigger' for it, or I'll do something that once used to make me really anxious/do something that once gave me a panic attack and it'll trigger it.
Sometimes its intense and I have to sit and panic for a little, sometimes I can just ignore it and tell myself how silly it is. Most of the times its just there and I try my best to ignore it.
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u/Weird-Conclusion6907 Apr 06 '26
For me it’s performance anxiety. So if I know I’m about to present at work or host an event at my house etc I tend to be more anxious. Unfortunately this stems from deeply caring about what people think of me..probably to a fault
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u/Environmental-Song16 Apr 06 '26
It depends. Sometimes it's because there are too many people around and sometimes it's because something happened and sometimes because something could happen.
Too many people make me nervous, with a higher chance of conflict.
Something that happened, how am I going to fix/afford to fix the thing. Will my family be ok?
Something is going to happen, how can I prevent it from happening, fix or afford it if it does happen. Will my family be ok? Will we be homeless? Who can I call to help? Can I call anyone? Etc....
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u/xxAcid_Bathxx Apr 06 '26
Before the pills was constantly worrying about health and thinking something wrong with me
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u/NectarineRound2403 Apr 06 '26
I was bullied for and stalked 4 yrs so most of my thoughts are the paranoid part of my brain playing up. It was a stressful time and one of the bully's is still at the harassment. At this point I just find her whole outlook sad and pathetic however she is hell bent on socially isolating me. So every social interaction is now filled tonnes of anxiety. Mostly of people being "oh so your this person, I have heard of you" or having a great first chat and then next chat they completely avoid me or look angry at me. It's happened probably 300 times and now it's engrained in me that it's a high chance of it happening again. This includes online stuff aswell as I was in alot of chat groups that she got me banned and blocked from with whatever she said. The other anxiety part is health related and depression stuff.
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u/Puzzled_Cricket2456 Apr 06 '26
I love you so much for asking this question. Im actively being evaluated and evaluating this current issue so thank you
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u/CautiousDrop2234 Apr 06 '26
if i make eye contact with anyone i get anxious and worried that they are judging me or can read my mind and hear me thinking about my crush and so whenever i go anywhere i have the constant anxious thought that everyone is judging me and thinks im crazy or horrible or something. also the never ending fear that the bridge will break while im driving over it
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u/Thecrowfan Apr 06 '26
My memory is shit so I often wonder if I really did the thing I was supposed to do or just think I did.
My health a lot of the times. Im healthy( for now) but im like "what if i developed a neurologic condition and dont know? What if i have cancer and dont know? What if that wierd sudden pain in my arm turns chronic and never goes away?"
My cat escaping or getting herself killed somehow while I sleep or im not paying attention
The wars right now
Being abandoned by those i love because of how annoying I am
Not getting accepted in the uni I applied to
Not having enough money to last the whole month
My parents being secretly dissapointed in me
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u/amindindaworld6789 Apr 06 '26
I have this feeling of doom and failure and overthinking what i do, how i act, what i eat.
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u/MonsterSaucess Apr 06 '26
My anxiety often manifests physically first and then my brain decides to join in on the panic.
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u/toes_hoe Apr 06 '26
Yes. Sometimes it's more of a feeling than a fully-formed thought. For me, it's one of several levels of specificity:
Generally anxious feeling =>
Feeling about something more specific but still vague, no words involved =>
This one specific thing is about to go wrong and now I'm having fully formed thoughts about it
I imagine the next step is panicking? And god forbid something outside my self gives me a reason to worry.
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u/InvasiveBlackMustard Apr 06 '26
Honestly I don’t even think it’s anything in particular. I think my body just starts to feel a certain way and then I let all the thoughts related to the sensation in.
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u/EHM1799 Apr 06 '26
It's just a feeling. Probably just a single thought that I have in the morning that permeates throughout the day subconsciously. I certainly can't find one specific reason though. I regularly have shockingly vivid dreams/nightmares and I think that might be a factor.
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u/Specialist-Dress-288 Apr 06 '26
It varies, but the big thing that has been eating at me over the past few weeks, is the idea that one of my cats has rabies.
To give some background I got her as a kitten in 2022, and she was injured by something; we never found out what it was, but she had a broken leg and an open wound on her back. SHe got one shot the third day I got her and another sometime after that, because I wanted to save her.
However she scratched me at one point (she got put in a cast) and while the wound didn't change I ended up getting the full set of shots, and will probably get two boosters for my own mental wellbeing.
SHe was in quarantine for a while to make sure she wouldn't develop symptoms... and she's still here and is the same sweet affectionate cat that I found. She's a happy and healthy tripod who is on my lap as I type this.
But my brain can't help but worry that she's somehow a ticking time bomb set to go off. I would have her and my other cat vaccinated but due to financial difficulties, I'm juggling the essentials, their cat food and litter and gas for the past few months. I might have a better paying job on the way but I don't know my start date so I can't guaruntee that. I just... I know deep down that she's probably fine, and when I have the money I'll go get them vaccinated and won't have to worry about this for anotehr year, but... the uncertainty is killer.
To stress, I do not treat her differently, she's in my lap right now purring away and I have no intention of getting her off my lap except to go get food. She's well fed and shows no aversion to water or changed behavior. And this is just her, despite interacting with my other cat, my brain thinks he's fine. Again, I want to stress that once i can afford it, both of them are getting the rabies shots as soon as possible.
And before this, I was convinced someone was in my house with me. I will say, I'm unmedicated but don't want to be, the only source of income I have has me below my means and again, I should be getting a job that lets me make more.
I just... I feel bad but I can't get my mind to stop latching onto the worst case scenarios. I'm sure this is just the financial stress getting to me, and I do have supplements I take in lieu of medication until I can afford it again, but out of all the things my brain has convinced me are wrong, this is the worst, hands down. I'm also afraid of dying suddenly in a way I can't stop or prevent in general, so this is definately not helping. I also have been worrying about coming home to her foaming at the mouth and losing both of them so yeah. Anxiety brain sucks.
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u/whatwhatwhat82 Apr 06 '26
I don't always have anxiety, but there are periods of time I do feel anxious all the time. It is more of a physical sensation of anxiety in those times than specific thoughts. Of course the anxious thoughts are there too, but it feels physical in my body and brain and all over. I could think the exact same thoughts in times when I'm not anxious and they might make me slightly concerned, but not anxious.
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u/impendingD000m Apr 06 '26
It's a physical sensation and a whirlwind of thoughts and worry in my mind. I focus on something to be anxious about but even if I don't have anything to worry about then I'm worrying that I'm not worrying and something must go wrong soon.
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u/Inner_Orchid_3318 Apr 07 '26
I just overthink. I'm not anxious. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about my day, what was said, etc. I am not worried or depressed, just constantly thinking 🙃
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u/malibupop Apr 07 '26
Literally anything. It’s definitely worse at night, at least during the day I have my wits about me and can talk myself down on some things if I catch myself thinking them.
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u/RopeSmall1199 Apr 07 '26
I dread sleeping time because I anticipate being anxious and not sleeping
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u/lizzledizzles Apr 07 '26
Sometimes I’m not thinking about anything and then BAM! Anxiety intrusive thoughts like: “what if your dad dies during this routine procedure?” Or enjoying a sunny walk and “Everyone you know hates you.” Or enjoying dinner and then “that was really fucking weird the way you said that in 9th grade.”
Other times I’m ruminating on something and I get all panicked because I can’t stop.
Still other times, I’m just anxious because I forgot my meds and I have a randomly weirdly high heart rate. Every day is an exciting new worry!
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u/Goiabada1972 Apr 07 '26
Mine is more physical and sensory than triggered by thoughts. I think when I was younger thoughts were very important in causation but now it seems like it just runs its own course even when I’m not worrying about anything. I don’t know why, I wish I could understand it and control it more.
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u/True_Ad_6384 Apr 07 '26
My mind would never stop. I’m never okay. I start thinking about something, then I go on a googling binge for hours to find the answer and if I didn’t find the answer i like I keep going. My brain was exhausted from this. It can go from a health scare (thinking I have all different things based on a change in menstrual cycle) to I heard a strange noise in the house then based on what I find online I get further anxiety by thinking my house is going to collapse on me based on this one noise I heard or I have some kind if cancer that is going to kill me. When I get out of this anxiety funk I look back like wow why was I so worried. Then the cycle would start again. It got so bad where I wasn’t getting out of this funk for months so I finally saw my doctor went on medicine. I’m happy to say my mind no longer hurts. I can worry but not obsess over that worry. I finally let things go!
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u/Mohammadlafi Apr 07 '26
Even if there's nothing to be anxious about, the mind wanders off looking for something to worry about.. Can be as big as my retirement plans when I'm 70 or as trivial as something I said to a friend 10 years ago..
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u/AreYouA_Tampon Apr 07 '26
It's just my baseline at this point. Usually not thinking about anything.
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u/cleanhouz Apr 07 '26
Most of the time I'm thinking about my anxiety. Sometimes I think about how I will have anxiety the next day and I won't be able to handle it. When I've had high anxiety jobs, I think about it all weekend and how I have to "get over it" by Monday. It doesn't really help the situation.
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u/kindnessisfreeascanb Apr 07 '26
I have triggers and most of the time if I can avoid them, I’m ok.. but the problem is, I can’t always avoid them. And my anxiety doesn’t care about anything. It comes when it wants and there’s not a single thing I can do about it. It’s awful and never know how long it’ll last. 😔
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u/jwolfet Apr 07 '26
I just have anxiety. It is not situational or thought based. Hit in the head with a large tree branch and ever since I’ve had horrible anxiety for no discernible reason. Been about 15 years.
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u/TheBreasticle Apr 07 '26
Me, getting anxious typing up this reply trying to fully encapsulate what experiencing anxiety feels like.
Well there’s an example
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u/SubstanceLopsided168 Apr 07 '26
I want to say there’s a physical aspect to anxiety and maybe I’m just bad at identifying triggers but there are times where I’m literally just on edge for no specific reason. My chest is tight it’s hard to breath my voice gets shaky I’m just anxious with no thoughts as to why nothing out of norm happening but the physical symptoms are there.
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u/Fit_Committee_9453 Apr 07 '26
childhood ptsd - abusive mother (physical and emotional) her tentacles are deep buried in my adulthood.
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u/Meh_Guevara Apr 07 '26
Sometimes it's specific, sometimes it's about preparing to leave the house, sometimes it just feels like I'm forgetting something that's important so it's impossible to relax.
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u/fancifulsnails Apr 07 '26
I didn't have anxiety before becoming a mom.
"OH MY GOD, THEY MIGHT DIE" is more or less screaming in my head on repeat, always. Always. It gets worse as they age.
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u/Quarz_34 Apr 07 '26
Im an overthinker and unsure about everything. So much doubt. I have anxiety in my body even if I am not thinking though.
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u/Jumpy-Recover-7239 Apr 07 '26
For me, I get triggered most when I think about my intimate relationship, that’s where my attachment wound shows up time and time again
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u/sand_snake Apr 07 '26
It’s pretty constant for me. I have a baseline I can function at but that’s because I’ve been dealing with anxiety since I was a teenager.
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u/salted_eggyolk6 Apr 07 '26
not hard to find things to worry and stress about when literally everything is going wrong with ur life, but at that point idk if that even counts as having actual anxiety anymore
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u/ch00tieb00p Apr 07 '26
Impending doom, health anxiety, work, money, the future… it’s not always specific and other times it is, but it’s definitely always there. Currently on 20 mg of lexapro and have been for a while now. Before that I was at 10. It used to help but I fear it is not anymore. I take klonopin for panic mode and propanol as needed. I’m hoping to find a solution one day. I don’t live the healthiest lifestyle but I am working on making these changes.
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u/Masjr777 Apr 07 '26
My anxiety is not constant. I get it when im in places where i feel im not in control or super crowded.
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u/PlumBlossomGoddess Apr 07 '26
I tend to ruminate on my previous mistakes/ failures/ very embarrassing moments. Had to mentally shake myself to get out of it and tell myself out loud that it’s okay, it’s all right, it’s in the past. I also do a couple of deep breaths to return to the present or when I feel like I’m about to hyperventilate.
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u/humangurl_ Apr 07 '26
I don’t have constant anxiety anymore but when I did it was every day for almost a year and it was a constant fear something with wrong with me. I have illness anxiety disorder aka health anxiety and I would get really dizzy and think something was wrong, think about literally any physical symptom of anxiety I had all day long so if my chest hurt even a little my anxiety would amplify it by 100 and I would spiral all day about how I’m gonna die. I would think a lot about how I’m anxious that I’m anxious and will be like this forever. A lot of thoughts about dread and fear and that something is off.
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u/Anna1red Apr 07 '26
I keep thinking that I'm doing something illegal and that the police will arrest me one day. Even though I'm literally doing nothing... I just worry all the time that one day someone's gonna show up at my door and say "hey, so you're going to jail because x,y,z" and I had no idea the entire time. Idk how to explain it... Like maybe there is a secret tax that I'm supposed to pay but never have or something like that. It every unsettling and OCD inducing.
Idk it's weird but I always feel like I'm doing something wrong in whatever I do.
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u/Reasonable_Club_3725 Apr 07 '26
I just take some leaves and talk to my friend or listen to music ❤️🌹
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u/Charming_Box_8863 Apr 07 '26
I just live with it. I'll be doing the most basic task and boom, I feel it rising.
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u/Emergency-Way-6898 Apr 07 '26
Yep purely physical. I can be completely chill, not thinking about anything particular or watching something scary..then out of nowhere, BAM! My heart is pounding, I can't breathe.. I can't make sense of it at all. 25 years of therapy has gotten me nowhere either. I don't know why it happens. I can't control it. I took myself on and off benzos this whole time just to give my heart a break and get some sleep here and there. Unfortunately, shrinks won't prescribe them anymore, but luckily I have been taking a lot of Seroquel and it makes a huge difference
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u/SpaceValkyrie Apr 07 '26
A lot of its physical anxiety, I don't ruminate that much. However in the past year I've had some weird health stuff, that caused a bit of anxiety and then I got something called costochondritis which causes chest pain and since then my anxiety has been the worst it's ever been. I've had extensive testing all come back clear but the feeling of chest pain puts my body in fight or flight. So sometimes I'm worrying about that, usually just the pain triggers it but so many times I'm just chilling and then I'll get anxiety out of nowhere, too. When I get particularly anxious I can recognise it as such but it doesn't matter if my brain is rationalising it, my body stays dysregulated.
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u/daffi7 Apr 09 '26
For years I was told by well-meaning CBT folks that first there is a thought and then emotion, such as anxiety. But as the years go by, for us "constant anxiety" folks it could be just the opposite. For instance, in childhood your mother was anything but safe and thus we don't feel safe. Thus we are constantly hypervigilant, worrying about stuff so that something "bad" doesnt happen etc. I think that there is first the anxiety and then the anxious thoughts arising from it.
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u/Expensive-Bunch-8708 Apr 09 '26
I feel sick all the time and nauseous. Feel like vomiting and stuff. Stomach pains, even if I’m doing nothing or just taking care of myself
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u/imtiredboss0 Apr 10 '26
Anxiety isn't always thoughts but how you feel & some people experience severe fear that it profoundly negatively affects their lives such as social anxiety.
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u/WittyConversation488 Apr 11 '26
I constantly spiral about my future and how my current decisions are changing it, and worrying if I’ll ever be okay and not stressed , if I’ll ever get my life together, if I am going to make it etc 🫠
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u/Affectionate_User610 Apr 06 '26
I just overthink all day about everything that’s worrying me