Anxiety feels like?

[triceps]

Today was a typical morning. Up at 7:30 am, took my meds, got dressed with some difficulty and headed downstairs. No trouble letting the dog out and feeding her. (on bad days I'll even have trouble with that). I was moving around slowly as my whole body felt like it had been jolted by something and my thinking was all over the place. Making coffee seemed like too complicated a task so I poured up a cup of cold coffee left from yesterday and headed to the basement for a smoke after turning on my laptop and tv, pausing the tv. Anxiety made my half a smoke negligible as my mind was racing and I barely remembered smoking.
Back to the main floor where I sat on the couch, having passed the coffee maker a second time and checked this site and watched cable news. I was worrying about the very simple goals I had set for the day, planning each movement including putting on my coat before taking the dog for a long walk. Duh, but my anxiety breaks down every simple task which makes every little thing overwhelming. I sat, praying that my phone wouldn't ring or that I wouldn't get an email or text needing to be responded to. OMG, what if someone visited unexpectedly? Sure couldn't handle that yet. So that's how anxiety effects my typical morning. Things generally ease up after an hour or so.
Just wondering how anxiety effects anyone else if they feel like sharing.

 

[Rinka]

My anxiety makes me very paranoid and isolated. I’m getting paranoid about what people think about me, it seems to change my face in the mirror. The worst thing for me is, that It seems to make me mute in situations that needs me to react and stand up for myself. All these thoughts in my head but I am unable to express them. It’s so frustrating and embarrassing.

 

[Jones]

I started to write “my anxiety makes me” when I realized that I have no interest in claiming this anxiety as my own. So I will say that anxiety has this effect on me...I too think about what lays ahead for the day before I even get out of bed. How many people will I have to interact with, will I make it through the work day without making a fool of myself by panicking over something (by the way this has only happened once over the past ten years, but you just never know, today could be the day ). It also causes me to be negative and short with people...for no reason other than I feel irritated. I guess when you feel anxious with very little relief, you’re bound to feel a little edgy. In social settings I’m very much aware of what I am doing, feelings in my body, movements I make. So hard for me to relax and just enjoy those I’m with. Constantly checking to be sure my heart is okay and my head is okay. It’s exhausting to be continually on guard...and for what...what do I think I can do.

 

[prismpower]

Anxiety feels like re-living a bad experience. Over and over again you will rel-live the bad thing and wonder what it could mean, what you should do about it, how you could have prevented it , how to avoid it in the future etc. Anxiety isn't completely irrational, often you will be anxious over a situation that inherently has some real and objective danger/risk to it. But you will focus on those things so much that you will start to be afraid of things that logically won't ever happen. It just ends up taking over your entire life as times.

 

[He Man]

Anxiety isn't completely irrational, often you will be anxious over a situation that inherently has some real and objective danger/risk to it. But you will focus on those things so much..

Prism, this is a good insight. And I think it's a distinction that non-sufferers don't grasp. Every person experiences 'anxiety'. Nerves before big events, worrying during difficult life experiences, etc. But the mental affliction of 'anxiety' is a different animal.
I believe there should be a different term for it.. maybe anxhaustion (?), or something similar. Because it is more like nerves & worries gone corrosively haywire. And at least speaking for myself, it often doesn't feel like typical worry & fear.. it's more like my brain getting easily fatigued from working overtime/not relaxing. I experience ordinary anxiety as a parent worrying about my family.. but it's a different feeling than the anxhaustion I get at work, where I start to feel dizzy, & unfocused just from having to be engaged w/people & focusing on tasks, etc. And anxhaustion is amorphous & unpredictable.. unlike healthy anxiety- which u usually know is coming at isolated, stressful events.
Just my opinion/experience..

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

Prism, this is a good insight. And I think it's a distinction that non-sufferers don't grasp. Every person experiences 'anxiety'. Nerves before big events, worrying during difficult life experiences, etc. But the mental affliction of 'anxiety' is a different animal.
I believe there should be a different term for it.. maybe anxhaustion (?), or something similar. Because it is more like nerves & worries gone corrosively haywire. And at least speaking for myself, it often doesn't feel like typical worry & fear.. it's more like my brain getting easily fatigued from working overtime/not relaxing. I experience ordinary anxiety as a parent worrying about my family.. but it's a different feeling than the anxhaustion I get at work, where I start to feel dizzy, & unfocused just from having to be engaged w/people & focusing on tasks, etc. And anxhaustion is amorphous & unpredictable.. unlike healthy anxiety- which u usually know is coming at isolated, stressful events.
Just my opinion/experience..

This is absolutely true - anxiety is natural, and everyone feels anxious at times. Even panic/'fight or flight' is a built-in protection we have against danger. Where it starts crossing the line into disorder territory is when we feel like there is danger where there is none. Our brains convince us to be 'on guard' against some invisible enemy that isn't really there. And our bodies react to it accordingly - the hormones and adrenaline, the muscle tension, etc.

 

[prismpower]

My anxiety was much better when I had a better support system, and my life was flowing along more. I still felt anxious, but my life was moving along fast enough for me to let go of it better. It's that old spiritual saying 'Be a river, not a lake.' For the last three-four years or so, I definitely have been 'a lake!'

I spend way too much time alone in my room and it's not really healthy I realize. I am very introverted tho, but it's no excuse. When I had people around to help- I was better. The thing is, people can make it better or worse depending on how your personality gets along with others. So I will avoid everybody to protect myself from the chance somebody will hurt me.

 

[chronic70]

My Anxiety makes me want avoid people all together! Just want to stay in my bed and not get out, just keep on pressing the sleep button on the cellphone

 

[triceps]

My Anxiety makes me want avoid people all together! Just want to stay in my bed and not get out, just keep on pressing the sleep button on the cellphone

Hi chronic. I'm just the opposite. I end up getting up early, like 6am, because I feel so anxious when I awake that I want to take my meds and go through my morning routine which helps me settle down by mid-morning. However, I can sure understand your feeling of wanting to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed. I avoid leaving my property as much as possible as I hate the interacting with others also. Thankfully my wife does all the shopping or perhaps I'd be paying thru the nose for those meal packages like "Hello Fresh".

 

[chronic70]

Actually the supermarket is my haven!! LOL Kidding aside here, in the morning i dont mae brakfast so i end up going to 711 for coffee! The pisser here is, I hate being around people there so i try to make coffee at home. Sometimes my motto is SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO BE A RECLUSE!

 

[guitarman65]

I know this thread has been started for a wow now. Haven't been able to answer it the way i want to. Still figuring it out, when i get the right words i will post

 

[guitarman65]

For all you English majors out there...I meant "while" instead of "wow" Dont know what came over me, i usually proofread these things before posting!

Just wanted to let you all know that i do no how too spel!

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

For all you English majors out there...I meant "while" instead of "wow" Dont know what came over me, i usually proofread these things before posting!

Just wanted to let you all know that i do no how too spel!

And THAT, friend, is what social anxiety feels like. Nailed it.