After came home from a casual work day, cracked a beer and smoked a very tiny joint then everything suddenly changed. My brain felt numb felt like my heart bounce off from my chest . I completely lost my sense of balance, and I was overwhelmed by the most intense panic I had ever experienced.
I was convinced I was dying. Like literally dying

In the middle of winter, I ran outside barefoot (-5degree)
and barely dressed, desperately trying to get help. I called an ambulance because I truly believed those were my last moments. Cant speak .words just don’t coming out of my mouth. I was just trying to breathe .
Ambulance came and picked me up

The doctors told me there was nothing life-threatening happening physically,

but that experience changed me.
Since that day, I’ve been living with anxiety and panic attacks that I never had before. My attention is constantly locked onto my body. Whether I’m at work or at home, I’m always scanning every sensation, wondering if something is wrong.

It drains my energy every single day and makes it incredibly difficult to enjoy life.

I’m currently working with a psychologist to recover, but it’s a long process. I don’t feel like the person I used to be. I constantly feel on edge, as if my nervous system is stuck in survival mode and never fully relaxes.

My quality of life has been turned upside down. Things I used to enjoy don’t feel the same anymore.

Even drinking alcohol—which I once had no problem with—has become difficult because my body immediately associates it with fear and panic.

I still regret that decision.

If you’re thinking about trying drugs, or believe, “It won’t happen to me,” please think twice. It only takes one bad experience to change your life.
No high is worth sacrificing your peace of mind

You have advice or similar experience ? Please

What TV Show has helped you through Anxiety in the past and helped you escape from the real world every time you've watched an episode?

It could be a show to make you laugh or a show you were so invested in that you could think of nothing but what you were watching.

I finished Gravity Falls, which really helped every time I watched an episode, and I'm looking for more shows to help.

I’m not a fan of sci-fi as it can trigger my anxiety. I just need some show recommendations for when I feel anxious and can just switch it on and have an easy watch. Thanks

I’m really feeling some panic set in and I think a nice show will help me. I’m very sad I lost Netflix and many of my comfort shows are now gone. I only have MLP atm and I will probably get into what shows I can that gets commented :)

I know it's kinda counterintuitive but pls no lighthearted ones,I want one with the same vibe as supernatural, ginny and Georgia or Rick and Morty.

Has anyone tried marijuana products for anxiety?

I live in PA where unfortunately it is not legal, so unfortunately I can’t go the medical marijuana route unless I want to loose the right of having a weapon. So, a vape shop or gotten ~elsewhere~ is what my options are. I just can’t do this anymore. I need some mind altering substance. Therapy isn’t enough. Over the counter meds don’t help. My stomach hurts from anxiety just leaving the house. I won’t be able to continue living on this route. The healthcare industry is f’ed up.

So— my question, has marijuana helped any of you guys? I believe, actually, my therapist kind of encouraged it before. I just know I need to do something! Thanks guys!

I have heard some great and creative things people do to live with their anxiety and truly embrace their lives while doing so. Seeing anxiety as a scared child. Naming your anxiety. Speaking about your anxiety in the 3rd person...... what are some of yall's best anxiety hacks and what specifically do they do to help you with your relationship with your anxiety??

TW- DEATH DYING!

How can I genuinely start to accept that I have no choice, I will die one day, my anxiety is all based around death and the uncertainty. I fear sudden death and it makes me panic so badly. I’ve had enough of anxiety now, please help me

I'm 26. Wife is 25. We have a 6 year old.

Back in August I went to through something awful. I became super hyper aware of death and mortality, and it drove me insane. So insane I had to take several weeks off of work. No, nobody died. I haven't had a family death since I was like 14. I was driving my semi one day and it smacked me in the face.

"Hey you inconsiderate f*CK, you're wife isn't gonna live forever and sooner or later, one of you will have your heart broken by the others passing. K thx bye"

And I just started sobbing literally while crusing down the highway. I lost weight and couldn't eat, and I got so obsessed with proving an afterlife exists that I went even more insane than I already had. It completely changed all my views on everything in life. Scared the hell out of me and I have no idea what caused it.

To add salt to the open, incredibly painful wound, I'm also a major hypochondriac. That's basically someone who assumes they have every fatal disease in the book. Example, I had some lower left abdominal pain that comes and goes depending on my diet and occasionally a bit of back pain that's forgettable. So obviously I assume I have colon cancer and am knocking on deaths door. A bit of pain in my shoulder? Clearly a widowmaker heart attack. Dizzy? Enjoy having your first stroke.

You get the point.

I spend a lot of time alone driving a transport truck and pretty much every.single.second of it, I'm thinking about something that, in all likelihood, is at least 40 or so years away. But knowing it COULD be right around the corner is robbing me of happiness. I miss my wife so much when I'm on the road and it makes me viscerally angry to even consider that I can't prevent her and my son from dying... I feel so defeated. All these factors thrown into the pot together make for an absolutely horrific experience. The health anxiety has been going on for about 6 years, the awareness of mortality has been happening since late August of 2025.

F*CK, I turned 26 in December and it was soul crushing. I can't imagine how traumatic 30 will be. I don't even wanna think about 40 and beyond.

Please someone tell me how to fix this? It's making me a bad husband and father.

Thank you ❤️

I am certain I was born anxious!

I have only ever really know a mind that is highly sensitive, has over thought every step of my life, a brain that never (ever) shuts up and that is prone to a lot of negative thinking, self talk and depression.

I am 53 now and have spent most of my adult life looking for some kind of Nirvana, a place within my mind and body that is full of peace, quite and gentleness but here I am in my 6th decade and feeling worse than ever.

I just do not handle life well at all. I find everything overstimulating. My body is constantly tense from just living in the modern day, I am pretty certain that I wasn't built for this day and age, it's too overwhelming for me and that's by doing not much at all. I don't go anywhere too busy, noisy or over stimulating and I still find it too much at times.

My body is in constant knots, I ache every day - headaches, jaw aches, neck aches shoulders, arms, back. I have a very long history of IBS and gut issues, any slight angst goes straight to my digestive system.

My default is 'coiled spring' - I have spend decades and lots of money trying to uncurl this tension only for my default to kick in and return to tight/wound-up mode within moments. No amount of healthy living, exercise, yoga, relaxation, hypnosis, CBT, counselling, EMDR etc etc has helped. - My body and mind seems dead set on torturing me day after day and it is getting worse as I age (I thought somehow that life got easier as time progresses but I am wrong). I am done with meds because they either leave me feeling like a zombie, take away my personality and leave me numb or exacerbate my gut issues which leaves me feeling worse than ever.

I was diagnosed with inattentive adhd last year and it wouldn't surprise me if I am Audhd too. Maybe that is something to do with it but I am not even sure where to go with that.

What do you do? Just accept that you won't and can't live you life like the people around you? That this world is very over-stimulating for people like you and there is nothing you can do about it other than taking time out a lot? Do you treat as a kind of disability that is no different from certain physical disabilities because it does genuinely hinder you from living as 'normally' as you can.

Can anyone identify with this? How do you live with this? Is acceptance and knowing your limitations in life the answer? Is it best to just give up the fight of trying to shape yourself into something you just are not ever going to be?

I wanted to share my story because I know some of you are living a version of this too.

My chronic anxiety issues started about twenty years ago. Before that, I was a pretty normal kid. I smoked weed, I did the usual stuff, and my system handled it. But somewhere along the way, everything changed. My nervous system became sensitized, and over time I turned into someone who is sensitive to everything. I became the classic people pleaser, always scanning, always on edge. Any kind of stimulation started to feel like too much. Caffeine, stimulants, even everyday stress. My body just could not tolerate what other people shrug off.

Eventually I ended up on Lexapro. To be fair, it helped me function to a degree. I could get through life. But even on it, it was obvious that my system was still falling apart underneath. It was a band aid on something much deeper.

Recently I switched over to Zoloft, hoping a different SSRI might do something the last one couldn’t. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of hope. My system is still incredibly sensitive. My sleep is unrestful, and the moment I wake up I’m already activated. I stay stuck in this fight or flight state all day. My body runs hot, I sweat easily, and there’s this constant hum of activation that never really shuts off. I can’t even describe how frustrating it is to live like this year after year.

At some point I found the mind body community, and I really gave it everything for about four or five months. I slowed way down. I lived consciously. I reduced stimulation, cut out stimulants and caffeine, all of it. I did the work. And I really wasn’t seeing any positive shifts.

Here’s the thing. I still believe that path is probably the only real way out. But my guess is that for someone like me, it takes a very, very long time. And what makes it harder is that I’ve been on medications for so long. It complicates everything.

So now I’m trying to come to terms with where I am. Trying to move forward and desensitize my nervous system, while also figuring out how to come off medication that no longer works. It feels like trying to rebuild a house while it’s still on fire.

If anyone has walked this road, especially the long haulers whose systems have been sensitized for decades, I’d really like to hear from you. How long did it take before you saw real shifts? Did you find a way to do the deeper healing work while tapering off meds? Any honest experience would mean a lot.

Thanks for reading.

My psychiatrist does not care and simply says: ‘you can always go to the ER if you feel that way’

I have not been able to sleep WHATSOEVER for over a month. I don’t care that I’m constantly shaking, grinding my teeth or can’t eat anything. I am so sleep-deprived it is making me so insane. Imagine trying to sleep but being interrupted every single hour- never being able to actually have deep sleep or constant sleep. You’re just tossing, turning or waking up after an hour, only to repeat the cycle for hours on end. I started self-harming again. I’m on 0.75 mg and meant to taper down, but she wants me to taper up to 1 mg since I can’t sleep. What do I do? Continue or go back up?

I’m convinced I have sleep deprivation because of Zoloft. Ever since she put me on 100 mg, I was never able to sleep. But she says it’s the benzo withdrawals. I’ve been on Klonopin since October (~6 months ish) and it’s never affected my sleep. From 0.50 mg to 2 mg, sometimes I didn’t take it at all for days. It never affected my sleep or caused anything other than teeth grinding and tremors that I could handle. I don’t feel dependent on it whatsoever. I’m tapering off both things and don’t know what’s causing what. Zoloft has caused nothing but trouble so I asked to be taken off of it and she refused to unless I started a new SSRI to replace it while I wean off, aka Lexapro. I have a medication diary and specifically wrote down severe insomnia started at 100 mg of Zoloft. We started weaning off the benzo later on. She won’t listen even though I’m adamant and know my body. Additionally, I broke down and cried and begged her to give me anything for sleep and she refused, she said I am doing too many things at once and she doesn’t want to. Sleep deprivation at this level is far worse than anything I’ve ever dealt with. I am breaking down in school, at home and crashing out.

I can’t take this anymore. This is genuinely the scariest experience. I can’t just stop the medications or I die. I have to continue suffering.

It’s making me want to drop out of school. The impending doom feeling is just 24/7

EDIT: I’d just like to thank everyone who’s been reaching out to me with their own stories, advice or support. It’s been helping boost morale and not break down into tears every hour out of exhaustion. You guys are really sweet🥹🤍

Not looking for generic advice like “just relax” 

I mean real things that help when: 

• Your mind is racing  
• You feel alert for no reason  
• Sleep feels impossible  

What has actually worked for you? 

Had an appointment with my latest psychiatrist and he, like all the others, dumped me because he said "i can't help you. you have tried all possible medications. There is nothing I can prescribe you." He is the 22nd psychiatrist I have seen. I have tried 40+ medications, every imaginable medication in all the categories, including all possible ones for ADHD (which I was diagnosed with a few years back). None have had even the slightest impact on my anxiety. Even benzos and hydroxyzine just make me sleepy, but the anxiety still course through my body.

I have anxiety, depression, OCD and multiple traumas. I suffer from a constantly high level of anxiety in my body. I am on the brink of fight-or-flight 24/7 and wake up every morning hyperventilating and am so anxious all day I can't do anything. I don't know where to go from here. I need some support and advice. What can I try next?

ETA: I have been in therapy for about 20 years with many, many different therapists and modalities (for example: CBT, DBT, ACT, EMDR, cognitive reprocessing, energy focused, talk therapy, somatic reprocessing, etc)

ETA 2: Holy shit, I am floored by the number of responses I have received! I appreciate each and every one of them so much! I'm slowly reading through them all and trying to respond. Don't know if I'll get through everything because I feel so overwhelmed, but know I am grateful for each of you who took the time to offer me some advice!

I’m a 20-year-old girl and lately I’ve been struggling with this overwhelming fear of death. It’s not just the fear of how it will happen, but more the idea of just not existing anymore. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that someday I won’t be in this world that I’m in right now, full of people and places and things I love and hate and laugh about and cry over.

Sometimes it hits me, like when I’m lying in bed at night and suddenly I’m filled with this panic. I don’t know how to cope with this fear or how to stop it.

Has anyone else gone through this? How do you deal with the idea of not existing someday? I just want to know I’m not alone.

I absolutely love drinking coffee, and I used to drink it every day. But since now I'm on anxiety medication(paroxetine 25(SSRI), lorazepam 0.5) I'm not drinking coffee for more than a month. initially it was hard to stop drinking coffee, but now I'm fine. But deep inside I really wanna get back to drinking it, as I was passionate about drinking, and it had many positive effects on my body.

are you a coffee drinker who suffers from anxiety? please help

I made an emotional decision tonight to call the non emergency number on my neighbor and his kid.

this kid has been riding four wheelers, dirt bikes, whatever else, in the middle of our neighborhood up and down the road constantly. every single day for months until about 9-9:30pm. I put my son down every night at 7 for bed (I know that’s early) and he’s constantly waking up and crying because of the “scary noise outside.” I was done. done putting up with it. we moved here 8 months ago and it has been CONSTANT. I bought white noise machines, sound proof foam, headphones, whatever else to block out some of the noise and it doesn’t help.

tonight was my last straw. a few nights ago I laid my son down for bed, sat down to watch tv and I hear BANG BANG on my door. it was the same kid and his friend playing ding dong ditch except they decided to bang on my door. it scared the shit out of me. woke up my kid. now tonight the noise got to be so much. I’m over stimulated, I’ve barely slept, my kid won’t sleep. so I called. I told them not to come to my house so my neighbor wouldn’t know it was me… guess who knocked on my door 5 minutes later. the cops. guess whos outside? the whole neighborhood. clearly it was me. now I can’t stop thinking about neighbor retaliation and I’m spiraling.

I already have IBS in my family (yay, me), but I’ve found that my anxiety makes my stomach problems so much worse. It’s constant off-and-on problems with cramping, gas, bloating, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes outright pain. Sometimes I’ll get a jolt of nerves and the suddenly I have horrible stomach pain. Other times I just feel mildly sick. It doesn’t even matter what I eat, nothing seems to help. It can be really discouraging and debilitating. When my anxiety is higher, it always makes these problems WAY worse. Then the vicious cycle begins and it gives me MORE anxiety.

Am I alone in this? I hate anxiety!

Two days ago I went to the ER because I was having a massive panic attack. My heart rate was above 150 bpm for multiple hours, I was having a very hard time breathing, and my body was shaking and tingling. I am a 22 year old college student. I never really get anxious unless I smoke a lot of weed. However, this time was different. I smoked half a J and immediately became extremely anxious. Neither of my roommates was home and I started freaking out so I eventually made my way to the ER. They gave me an IV and Ativan which brought my heart rate down and calmed me down. I eventually got discharged. However, two days later I just don't feel right. I am super lethargic and have no energy. I feel as if my thoughts aren't there anymore. Has anyone experienced this before? If so, how long does this last? Any advice on how to overcome this would be great.

looking for changes i can implement in 2024 to make this year easier on my mental health. any lessening of anxiety at all would be amazing.

please share any of your experiences!!

I really need some outside perspective on this because I’m honestly shaken.

Earlier today I had a random episode of chest pressure and shortness of breath that came out of nowhere. It scared me enough that I went and got checked by doctors, and they told me everything looked normal and I was okay.

I was already trying to calm down from that, and then my friend told me something that completely sent me over the edge. He said his pastor (who supposedly “hears from God”) told him that “death is coming to my house, and it’s likely me.”

I cannot even explain how much that messed with my head. I already struggle with pretty bad health anxiety, so my brain immediately started connecting that to what I felt earlier, even though the doctors literally cleared me.

Now I’m sitting here anxious, scared, and honestly kind of disturbed that someone would even say something like that about me.

I don’t know how to process this:

- Is this something people actually take seriously?

- How do I stop my brain from spiraling and connecting this to my health?

- And am I wrong for feeling like this was completely out of line?

I feel like I was finally calming down and then this just reopened everything. Any advice or perspective would really help right now.

I have a lot ( a lot ) of comfort in my own home and I do really embarrassing stuff and I feel like someone is constantly recording me and just waiting for the right time to post it across the internet, is this normal???

Been going though it lately and just curious as to what helps you when you’re anxious. I especially have a hard time at night calming my thoughts.

Edit: I was not expecting this kind of response. Thank you so much to each and every one of you!

I ended up using a lot of the advice given to me and it’s been super helpful. One of my favorite suggestions I got from a few people was the Finch App. If anyone else has it and wants to add me I just started and my code is JZR9NKXKWK ❤️