Snowbunnyface

I had a similar headache for 6 months and a CT scan came back clear and it went away instantly. It ocassionally comes back but I know it's tension now and it doesn't last for 6 months and I don't have panic attacks over it anymore. I used to take ibruprofen every day and it didn't take it away completely. It was a waiting game. It used to freak me out. I had the pressure around my ear as well. I sympathise, it's awful. Its an entire muscle the temporalis affected by tension, and temporalis attaches to the jaw so holding your jaw tightly or teeth grinding (all signs of anxiety) can affect that muscle.

Hi, I get the same sensations on my legs. It can last all day then disappear for months. If I panic about it it feels like my legs are going paralysed. Of course they still move but its not a fun feeling. Not being able to describe the sensation drives the anxiety up and it sucks. I assumed its anxiety or hormonal because it tends to happen a week before my period. Do they feel weak as well as prickly? I mean FEEL weak, not ARE weak.

Hello warriors, (as I am contending with an attack as I type this, we are nothing short of that!) I have terrible mid-afternoon anxiety several times a week. between 1pm-4pm. I tend to feel better later at night. I think a lot of us do. I guess I know what triggers it: I'm usually bored and restless. Cant watch TV, can't read a book. Maybe the boredom and agitation manifests as panic. Once everything tightens up and I feel like I cant breathe, the thoughts hit. Everything I can't do because of how poorly I manage anxiety outside my four walls. BOOM more panic. The thought of UGH its still hours til night time. Another flash of panic. Its a terrible cycle because I feel bored and agitated and depressed which triggers symptoms and then I really don't want to do anything. I just sit around terrified that this is my life now. BOOM more panic. I was wondering if anyone relates to this, if afternoons have this effect. I wake up feeling lousy in the morning but can snap out of it and I can keep myself occupied. By mid afternoon I am bored and depressed. By evening I feel at peace because the day is over. What is your worst and best times? Triggers? Can you count on feeling increased anxiety symptoms at a particular time of day? Can the mind/body get used to this and EXPECT/CAUSE the symptoms at the same time From mere habit? Interested to hear your responses ...

I was more of a closed book before anxiety. After it, it seems I want to connect with people and use my anxiety to do it like it will help them understand me better. You're right, it's never a good idea. Infact it's very foolish. My dad, a man of few words, I had to learn to read eyebrows growing up lol, always had a saying "fish get caught with their mouths open." I was also told by people close to me not to divulge my weaknesses like anxiety is a weakness. I guess that could be offensive to us but it's not entirely wrong. Someone who cannot understand anxiety is quick to label us as weird. At my last job I told everyone I had anxiety. Some people were supportive, others mocked me behind my back. It definitely didn't have the effect I was going for: people empathising with me. The reason I asked if it's anxiety related is because I am suspecting other personality disorders like bipolar because the rapid talking could be mania and I definitely have mood swings. But I feel like anxiety can explain it because the rapid speech is my adrenaline and social anxiety and the low moods are caused by the rotation of symptoms I get every day. If I feel an ache or pain and attach fear to it the result is extreme fatigue and depression. The babbling is often because I'm on the verge of panic and need the distraction. Can I ask, Jonathon, what was your thinking behind telling people about your anxiety? ive also had people say to me "you are constantly owning anxiety. You always say my anxiety like it's your child!" I know it irritates people as well because I am talking to get reassurance mostly.

Thanks for the reassurance everyone It eased up within a day doing push ups funnily enough! Tension can be truly horrible, all part of the anxiety package. Thanks for your helpful answers and for helping me return to state of calmness.

Hi fellow warriors, well,I was socially anxious before I started coping with health anxiety that made me more isolated. I don't have friends right now or a balanced social life since agoraphobia kicked in. I have just started working and today I had a free hour to talk to a co-worker and within that hour I went through 100 different topics and revealed things about myself that you would only tell a therapist. See, most of my social contact was with my therapist and mom where no topic is off limits. Sometimes my mom will imply a conversation is awkward but I don't feel a great deal of shame. Now I talk to everyone like they are my therapist... It's humiliating. I was anxious when the conversation with the co worker began so I start babbling to forget my symptoms. Does this happen with anyone else? It's like in a bid to hide my anxiety I babble on and on and on and I come away feeling exhausted and ashamed of what I might have just revealed. In today's case, some things were of a sexual nature. It's just so inappropriate. Things I would say to a therapist. Can this be a social anxiety thing? I appreciate you reading this. Infact you can probably see from my posts that I'm not a person of few words!

Hi Holiday anxiety is tough and your determination to not "spoil" the holiday for your family would be making you even more anxious. The more tightly you try to hold onto yourself, the more tension builds up and panic is inevitable, it's like water boiling in a pot with the lid on. Eventually the lid has to come off. I find when I MOST DON'T WANT to panic, I will and it's always due to pressure of not wanting to spoil something. Anxiety LOVES to spoil a good time! Now I just let myself be - you have to be kind to yourself. And I know we think in terms of "spoiling" everyone's fun, but it really helps to not hide it. Just say out loud "I feel anxious." It will take the edge off it. Don't pressure yourself pretending to be panic-free, our anxiety is a much bigger burden to ourselves than others. Your family will be fine. Let yourself be anxious, don't run away from it. It's the only way to release the tension. Breathe, loosen your body (being determined not to panic will be definitely tightening you up) and say "OK do your worst, then let me get on with having fun with my family."

Man I was thinking just that today sitting in the doctor office. We need to get our nervous system back to that. Fearful only of nerve wracking situations where fight or flight symptoms make sense and have it go away when the stressful thing is over. Our bodies are like a tap that doesn't stop, it just keeps dripping. And I think its helpful to think of it that way, it just missed its cue to stop! But that's all. Because most of my anxiety is adding extra tension second guessing the same symptoms I've been bluffed by a million times and thinking "I SHOULDN'T be anxious right now! So it can't be anxiety!" instead of accepting it doesn't take much anymore to trigger my nervous system. It's funny: they said my doctor was running late on her appointments today and would be a long wait. Well immediately I felt anxious. But because I am at the doctor I could turn it off because the doctor surgery is one of my "safe zones!" I stayed obviously and waited an hour and witnessed the anxiety going all the way down to nil. Had I been in the bank, I would've left. I've realised its key to sit through the symptoms to come to the realisation that nothing is going to come of them. My biggest successes certainly came from feeling absolutely awful and scared, but unable to run away and having to use breathing techniques and changing my thoughts instead. That's the hard stuff and that's the only cure. I'm not surprised traffic is causing anxiety, I HATE being stopped at red lights on one of my days. I've had so many of those panic "flashes" at red lights. No surprise- it's another trapped feeling. Can't exactly get out of the car!

I have had all types of headaches since health anxiety started. Lately I get a tightness, ache in the back of my head, all across the middle. It's not a strong pain or throbbing. But it's uncomfortable enough to give me a panicky feeling. The first time I had this feeling I was at a friends house for the night and had a panic attack over it because I just wanted ice or a hot wheat bag which she didn't have. it lasted all night and into the next day. There's no other symptoms but that panicky feeling. The last time I had it I was at the mall and had to leave. It definitely causes anxiety and my understanding of tension headaches is they don't do that, I've never read of anyone getting panicky about a tension headache. Does anyone else get anything like this and know what it is? Thanks!

Amazing post, thank you so much Jonathon! I know all about giving advice in safe surroundings gosh even at night I feel like I could go anywhere! The harsh morning light brings a different story. You're totally right, giving way to them hasn't gotten me anywhere. I've been bluffed a million times by feelings of no medical significance and it was OK 6 years ago, but 6 years later when does it end? You pointed out something remarkable that helped me a lot. My word choice even indicates terror whereas in the moment I think I'm not scared so this can't be anxiety! I see now thanks to your eye opening explanation that it is and the dog example gives me relief that wanting to run home with no regard for safety is not a psychotic episode. And in a way, the people out there can be wild animals especially when I was already having a paranoid everyone's looking at me and judging me day, and i went out "alert." When I am not having one of those days, nobody's looking. I'm in a rational state of mind. I'll be stopped at traffic lights and make eye contact with the driver of another car and think they know I'm panicking and are mocking me. Most people's neutral face nowadays though is one of annoyance- lol. Doesn't mean it's directed at me. But that happened yesterday and I felt triggered after it then I tuned into my tight throat and that caused that panicky all energy leaving the body sensation. You've helped so much, now I can go out saying ok there are wild animals, according to the anxiety. There isn't, but only by going forward will the body ever know that. It doesn't know the difference now. Today's a new day. i have 4 of Claire's books and I spent yesterday reading one and between that and your post I am ready to get back on the horse. Thanks!!!

Cowboy, anxiety alone can raise your heart rate just doing nothing. Your fight or flight system is just like the body exercising. My heart rate increases walking from my house to my car because I am anxious. It doesn't have to be a strenuous activity. In the house I'm 77 and in the car it's 101! It happens that quickly. And I know it before I even measure it because I start feeling all the anxiety symptoms with it. i know deep breathing is promoted to calm anxiety but I've reduced my heart rate in real time by inhaling in and exhaling out of the nose with mouth closed, not deep breaths, just slow even ones. It reduced my heart rate right in front of me. Which means - breathing affects heart rate and our breathing is automatically sped up by any anxiety. If you are worried about your heart that is going to immediately put you in that shallow breathing pattern. It doesn't hurt to check with a doctor but then you have to believe it's anxiety. My heart rate was 140 with palpitations a few weeks ago, dizziness, sweatiness, I was convinced it was my heart and I called the paramedics and it wasn't. Regular exercise actually lowers your resting heart rate as well. My mom has a high resting heart rate because she's always stressed, her mind never stops, yes stress alone WILL increase heart rate. Especially stressing about your heart.

Hi guys, About half an hour ago I wanted to go to the bank so after 3 hours of will I-will won't and tuning into my symptoms (my throat is tight!) I set off. I drive a stick and usually I love changing gears but I felt like it was a huge effort and that scared me. My throat was still tight and causing a lightheaded panicked feeling I was trying not to buy into.I drove all the way to the bank (only a 10 minute drive) but couldn't bring myself to park the car and get out. So I kept driving to another bank. I couldn't get out there either. I became aware I was far from home (not really, only 10 minutes) and that I couldn't turn off anywhere, I had to keep going and it was making me feel panicky. I wanted to just turn my car around with no regard for traffic, it terrifies me. I ended up coming home feeling defeated and miserable. My confidence and hope of beating this has been shattered. I just can't press on when I feel that faint feeling. I started having visions of passing out at the wheel and get extremely frightened. My question is how do you feel better after a setback like that. I was there, at two banks, and could NOT park the car and get out that rarely happens- once I am there I push on, but today I felt on the verge of something awful and felt unsafe. Thanks for reading, any encouragement or similar stories of setback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks stones, I 100% relate to your situation. The wanting to run away, but to where, and feeling I'll make a fool of myself and thinking I am the only tortured person out there coping with this we should take solace in the fact we simply ARE NOT. We do suffer in silence. Sucks because when I am panicking out by myself somewhere I just want to tell someone I am panicking. Fortunately I've been lucky that at moments of extreme panic when I feel all alone in the world, I've had strangers smile at me or talk to me and it takes the edge off the panic. I try to remember that every time I step out. There's someone kind out there. And there's certainly other anxiety sufferers.

does anyone experience panicky feelings that can last all day and consist of a jittery, faint feeling and anxiety symptoms like tingling, numbness or tight chest etc, but NO panic attack? Panic attacks hit fast and ease up, as horrible as they are, this mounting anxiety is even harder to accept. It's hard to explain what I feel but for example I could just be sitting down and I start shaking my legs and my chest feels tight and I feel hyper like I need to run but I'm afraid to move. When I get up I feel faint and shaky. It feels like the beginnings of a panic attack but it's not turning into one because I'm at home and that's my safe zone. But it's like I can't relax. It feels like what I imagine a seizure feels like. I feel like I'm about to lose control and I just feel very very uneasy. I don't feel lightheaded, ts more like I feel like I'm about to start violently shaking. It's like a horrible "build up" sensation that never becomes a full blown panic attack. Can anyone relate? Thanks for reading

I think it's a normal thing that you're paying extra attention to because you're anxious. We tend to pick up on everything. A doctor told me once that "bodies do strange things all day, there's often no explanation." I've tried to keep it in mind. We fuel the anxiety cycle the second we think "What was that!?" Sounds like phlegm coming up into your throat with quick movement.