Anxiety

Going outside...in public....

 

Social situations make me anxious and i try to avoid them.

 

Like, sometimes I'll be starting a homework assignment, filling out an application, or preparing to make a phone call, and my first reaction is to want to run the other way and never turn around. There will be this mental tug-of-war match that can go on for seconds to hours. It's not extreme, the type that makes you sweat and heart pound rapidly, it's more of a slight discomfort, but it's probably the most commonly experienced one. I'll make my mind go "blank" and get into the moment, so to speak. Everything is easy after that.

 

Pretty much all social situations give me anxiety. I also get a lot of school-related anxiety because there's a lot of pressure on me to get good grades. I also have a lot of weird intense fears that come from anxiety.

Besides the mental part of anxiety (the actual nervousness) I get nauseous and light headed, as well as having my heart rate go up from adrenaline I think. Sometimes I start shaking and in extreme situations I start crying.

For coping I usually try to calm down by getting away from the problem and distracting myself if possible and just try to not even think about it.

 

Initiating or the thought of initiating social contact.

Conversing with anyone that I do not know well (have to have known and had regular social contact with for 5+ years, seems about right).

Being unable to escape from hearing others' conversations - particularly when there is more than one going on at the same time. (This escaping accomplished by either by blocking it out with ear/headphones or getting somewhere solitary).

Sending and receiving electronic messages.


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Considering that it's not "am I going to be able to eat tonight?," social anxiety isn't much to fret about - but I will have psychological breakdowns due to some of the above... truly, as trivial as they seem to most people, they are often utterly terrifying for me. :/

 

So far, all of the above and more. Sometimes even boredom. I'm such a fun guy at parties.

Usually some simple meditation helps me deal with it, unless it gets out of hand.

 

i have had anxiety so long over so many things that figuring out what it was at eightten was an epiphany, and figuring out that light panic was what kid me tried to tell my parents was "the feeling", and i still cant explain it beyond that it is just awful heart stoppiness and fear like my instincts messed up and thought it saw a lion and cant calm down.

i've gotten a lot, lot better with medication and therapy. if it is something immediate i try to do it or plan out possibilities and scenarios. i rock back and forth a little if it's kind of intense anxiety still. bad, but sometimes drinking helps too; it is the only thing that has ever stopped the tremoring in my hands and the nail biting.

new situations, mainly social/romantic/employment, amp it up. worrying about the future does it and thinking about death can work me up really bad unless i just get out of bed or pull over (driving) and DO something different that takes my focus away

 

Most things involving a combination of unfamiliar situations and unfamiliar people. Sometimes my self-image/how well I think I've done. It feels... not good, can't really describe much beyond that, and I deal with it in terms of the former by avoiding the need for such situations to arise or following around people I already do know waiting for them to break the ice, and the latter by being alone and listening to music which resonates with my emotions or I especially like.

 

Most things make me anxious... I've learnt to manage it though, and meds help.

 

I have fairly severe social anxiety, so almost anything involving going out in public brings anxiety. Situations involving talking to strangers or speaking in front of other people is especially anxiety inducing, to the point that I completely avoid it at all costs.

As far as what it feels like to me, just overwhelming stress, worry, and paranoia. Yeah, it's no fun.

 

Maths tests. I failed a maths test recently on topics I had been getting above 90% correct in practice tests. The panic isn't just feeling nervous, it's completely clouding over, forgetting the most basic things possible (like simple factorisation), losing the ability to think rationally. I can control hyperventilation, but my heart rate goes up tremendously and I can't think about anything at all. I can control anxiety enough not to have to leave the room, but all my effort is put into not breaking down.

Yeah, maths actually can make me cry and have panic attacks.

 

Just about anything makes me anxious. Driving, certain public situations, some people, the night, and technical issues to name a few. I've tried explaining to doctors that just about everything can give me intense bouts of anxiety, and they ask me what I mean by that. Just..anything and about everything can.

It can be mild and go away in a few minutes (under 30 or so minutes or so usually, no more than an hour) to have me in a state of pure panic that can last for hours; complete with sweats, heart palpitations, hyperventilation, crazy amounts of crying, and the feeling that time is slowing down around you. Sometimes it can be soothed with music and a cuddle sessions and other times it's so bad that I can't be touched or calmed down for a long time. Those are the absolute worst since time moves so slow that five minutes feels like a day and it's absolute hell, especially if it happens at night or I'm alone.

In some of those cases, it will have an after glow like effect where it lingers for hours or days even after the other major symptoms go down immensely. For example, I was in an intense state a few days ago where the anxious feelings had an after glow that lingered for about two days.

 

Pretty much everything that would make Sheldon Cooper uncomfortable is the same stuff I get anxious about... social situations, meeting new people, coming out of my comfort zone and especially change: I stick to routines and I'm used to things happening a certain way so whenever anything starts to change it makes me nervous :/

 

I tend to get really anxious in social situations, particularly around large groups of people, in situations or places I'm not familiar with, and when meeting new people. My meds help quite a bit, and without them, I'm a complete mess.

 

Oh gosh, too many things. I don't like meeting new people, certain stairs, the train gap, talking to strangers, new situations I have not experienced before, doing things at school that I am not good at in-front of people like doing sport, not being able to escape a place, I also do not like being alone in certain places.

Their is probably more but I normally don't know till I am in the situation.

 

What kind of things make you anxious?

Social situations, driving, riding in a car, freeways, semis, basically a lot of road-related stuff and anything having to do with excessive human contact.

What does anxiety feel like to you?

Terrible! It feels like I'm losing control.

How do you cope with it?

I keep telling myself the situation will be over soon enough and that I'm not going to die.

 

What helps me? Perscription drugs and a doctor who cares. When I get panic attacks it like having a heart attack. Anything can trigger it; a presentation or a piece of music. Last one was a couple of months ago. I was working my up to hysterical a friend pulled me aside talked about what was going on, my breathing, went outside and walked, etc. and got me down of the figurative ledge. Probably happened, because I thought I could manage things without the drugs. Felt so much less stress having come out, but apparently that's not only root of my anxiety issues...Ha.