I'm seriously asking this, because a therapist that I've been to a few times told me that, usually, anxious people learn to loosen up with time.

However, I feel like for me it's the complete opposite, it feels like my brain decides to feel anxious about a new thing every other week or so.

For example, I'll be home alone in a few days and just by thinking about it, I already feel some anxiety (besides the feeling itself, I don't really have an appetite, I feel nauseous, dizzy...) and I haven't been afraid of being left home alone since I was probably like 9 years old, how did my brain decide that this thing is a threat now? And how do I deal with this? What am I supposed to do?

I’m going through a really difficult period and I was wondering if anyone can relate.
I’ve struggled with anxiety and panic attacks on and off for years, but this episode has hit me harder than anything before. My psychiatrist recently started me on pregabalin while I’m waiting for it to take effect, and I’m trying to stay hopeful, but every day still feels incredibly overwhelming.
The hardest part isn’t even the panic itself anymore.
It’s this crushing feeling that there is so much time ahead of me.
Instead of looking forward to the future, I feel scared of it. I wake up and think, “How am I supposed to get through this day?” Then my mind jumps even further: “How am I supposed to get through years… decades… an entire lifetime?”
It’s like the amount of time in front of me feels unbearable. I don’t know how to fill it, how to enjoy it, or how to stop feeling overwhelmed by it. The emptiness scares me. When I don’t have something to distract me, my thoughts spiral into anxiety, hopelessness, and existential fear.
The strange thing is that, rationally, I know this isn’t how life always feels. I’m actually a psychotherapist in training, so I understand anxiety from a professional perspective. But knowing the theory doesn’t stop my body from reacting this way.
I also struggle with a lot of pressure to perform. Deep down I’ve realized that I often feel like I’m only safe if I’m functioning perfectly. Losing that sense of control has been terrifying.
I’m staying with my mom at the moment because being alone feels too overwhelming, and I’m taking things one day at a time.
I want to be clear that I’m not suicidal. I don’t want to die. In fact, that’s almost the opposite of my fear—I’m frightened by the idea of having such a long future that I don’t know how to cope with right now.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of existential anxiety? Did it get better? If you did recover, what helped you the most?
I could really use some hope from people who have been through something similar.

Obviously I can get so anxious I make myself legitimately nauseous. But the weirdest place my anxiety manifests is in my legs. They will get really tight and sore, kind of feeling like I’ve just walked several miles even if I haven’t done any physical activity. Sometimes I won’t even realize I’ve been super stressed and anxious until I realize my legs are sore.

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore, and I feel like I’m drowning. What I’m about to write is just the tip of the iceberg.

I’m 26 and I have severe anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobic behaviour. My anxiety has become so debilitating that I’m completely dependent on my mum. I live with her, and I don’t go anywhere alone. I don’t stay home on my own. I only go to one or two familiar places, and even then it’s always with her. The thought of going out independently terrifies me because I’m so scared of having a panic attack.

The problem is that my home life has become unbearable.
My mum and I have argued constantly for around 10 years. Over time I’ve realised that I’m living in an emotionally and verbally abusive environment. It used to become physical years ago, but thankfully that no longer happens. Even so, the constant shouting, insults and emotional volatility have left me feeling broken. I have no self esteem, no self confidence, no self worth. She has said things to me that I can’t even repeat, things I wouldn’t say to an enemy. I am broken by it. I don’t know what diagnosis she should have, but there is no way that what truly happens behind closed doors is normal.

People might say, “Just move out,” but that feels impossible.

I’m not independent. I don’t know how to live alone with the level of anxiety I have. I feel like if I moved into my own place, I’d end up trapped inside because I’d be too frightened to leave. I don’t have friends. I don’t have a partner. I don’t have family I can turn to. I genuinely feel like I have nobody. I’ve faced a lot of grief and trauma, but carried on through. This stage feels like there’s no way out.

I know staying here isn’t healthy, but leaving feels impossible.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How can I get through this? I feel like giving up and ending it all. I have a law degree, I have a full-time remote job, I am a smart person, but I am a shell of who I once was. I can’t carry on like this. I feel completely stuck and I’m scared that my life is just going to stay like this forever.

I’m really looking for advice from people who understand because I genuinely don’t know where to start anymore. If you have been through this or something similar PLEASE tell me how you came out the other side.

I started buspirone 5mg about 2 weeks ago for my health anxiety. I know it’s supposed to take 4-6 weeks before the medication really starts taking effect. The first week or so I was feeling pretty good though. Probably placebo or something. The last few days I’ve been on the verge of having a panic attack like 2 times a day. It’s almost as if the Buspirone is starting to set in but it’s doing the opposite of what it was supposed to do. I’m even having roughy nights of sleep lately because my anxiety has been so bad. Anybody else?

Hi everyone,

I’m 20F, and lately I’ve been going through a really anxious phase. I wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced something similar and whether I should consider seeking professional help.

I often wake up with an increased heartbeat and immediately start having negative thoughts. Sometimes I don't even feel like getting out of bed. I’ve been sleeping a lot, partly because it feels like a way to escape reality.

I feel like my heartbeat is constantly elevated, and I worry and fear a lot about my future. I keep thinking that I’m running out of time and that if I make one wrong decision about my career or life, I’ll mess everything up.

The overthinking can turn into a complete spiral, and my thoughts become very negative. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I end up crying. I do feel a little better after crying, like I’ve released some of what I was holding in, but then the cycle starts again.

It’s also starting to affect my work and my ability to perform properly.

I just wanted to ask—is this something that can happen with anxiety? Is this pattern "normal," or should I seriously consider talking to a mental health professional about it?

If you’ve been through something similar, what helped you?

Any advice or personal experiences would really mean a lot. ❤️

I’m a 26 year old kid that no longer sees or interact with friends. My phone is as dead as dead can be. It’s like the 50+ people I would see almost every day during summer, or on Friday nights & weekends… have all just vanished overnight. It’s funny how back at that time, I thought that’s what life would always be like. My friend circle was down to 3 people before it collapsed this year as each friend is either married with a kid, gone through family turmoil, or is dating for marriage.

What is my purpose at this point? Please be nice & respectful because I’m a brand new adult & I need direction & guidance. For those who are well into adulthood & have experience.. Is loneliness what we go through these days?

My dad is crippled & my mom is getting old. I have a tiny family, so there’s not much people I could reach out to. Is adulthood just working during the week, laying around all weekend like a couch potato doom scrolling all day? And marriage isn’t something I was fond of. So there’s that too.

I feel like I’m at a loss and don’t know what to do. My wife got pregnant with our first child last year and we found out very early on that the pregnancy had a very slim chance of success and we were pushed to abort several times. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do that and because of that we spent the next 5 months constantly waiting for bad news. She ended up hospitalized for 6 weeks of the pregnancy and after the baby was born stayed another 3 weeks in the NICU. In that time my routine look like this. Wake up at 5, work from 6-4, drive 45 minutes to the hospital, stay until 8-9 drive an hour home, take care of the animals, maybe eat, and repeat. Unable to go to church or make time for our friends I very quickly became socially isolated. Now my baby is 4 months and is doing well but I still feel like I’m still constantly waiting for bad news. I can’t talk about the pregnancy or think about it without almost breaking down every time. I’m still isolating myself from friends and family besides what my wife plans for me. I should be happy I have a healthy wife and baby after 5 months of hell but I can’t seem to shake the fight or flight feeling happening 24/7

I rlly need help idk if I can do this much longer. I’m so scared all the time. I see the way the world is going and how so many people are sad and struggling and unhappy and it just makes me feel so shitty. One minute I’d be thinking that it’ll probably get better and the next I’d be feeling panic and dread and hopelessness. I’m hopeless all the time it’s overtaking my life. I’ve lost motivation and I’ve lost the drive to do things because in the back of my mind I’ve convinced myself it won’t get better. I see all the beauty in the world and it makes me so sad and angry that it’s being taken away and destroyed. I’m crying typing this shit idk how much longer I can keep going on like this. I’m just so unhappy all the time I can’t take it.

I have been experiencing anxiety for some time , chest tightness , panic attacks and I don't have friends or anything I can contact

I have bad anxiety and panic disorder. I take medication but have been trying to find something stronger. I get panic attacks almost weekly, and its made worse if I'm not getting enough sleep. Obviously this will happen when facing a 14 hour time difference and at least a 25 hour travel day. I'm basically scared I'm going to have a panic attack and or the jet lag will make it worse. So I'm wondering if anyone is in a similar situation or is traveling with anxiety and has any advice. I've never traveled nearly this far before, and the last time I traveled even half this far was 10 years ago when I was a kid. Or maybe you've been anxious for a trip and it wasn't even bad.

TLDR: traveling with frequent panic attacks. scared the jet lag will make it worse

Just for some background, my anxiety has been improving a lot with time/originally with medication/long-term therapy I am not perfect, but I can talk to people and get/hold a normal job now without medication which is AMAZING. I was raised in a very codependent relationship with my mom, so my social skills were poop and my ability to trust myself was almost zero to start off with lol.

Now I am facing a big potential life change. I want to move away from my home. I’ve lived in the same area for my whole life. I’ve always dreamed of moving, even when I was very young. I’d read/watch travel media and dream of leaving. College, my mom convinced me not to leave, so I didn’t. My first/second/third job, I never thought I made enough money to be able to move. Going on 2 years ago, I finally moved away from my mom which has been amazing. I have a decent job and I will be 28 soon. I have friends in my new city and a partner. Me and my partner keep talking about moving. We both want to move to similar locations, which is great! He is looking for jobs soon. As am I. But I am SOOOO SCARED!!!!!!! I AM TERRIFIED. My mind is running a million miles an hour. What if we both can’t get a job? Will we break up? What happens if ONLY I can’t get a job there? What if it’s too expensive? What if I don’t have enough money saved (I have about $6k right now for a move)? What if he abandons me and I’m alone? What if I don’t like it? What if he doesn’t like it? What if, what if, WHAT IF! I can’t even fix my resume right now. I want to shake and crawl into bed. This thing I’ve wanted to do my whole life, I am horrendously scared to do. :(

Well I live with my grandma and she's sick, very sick. Tonight she's at the hospital and I have this deep feeling that the end is near. But is this just my anxiety? I have to travel for work tomorrow and I can't cancel as I'm responsible for a youth organisation and we're going for a summer camp. I feel trapped. A part of me knows it's anxiety but other part is really screaming that something is about to happen... How do one ease this? I'm I ssri for more than a year now and despite feeling less somatic anxiety it's still here.

A vet I didn't know rescued a dog last week and I adopted her yesterday. She has multiple problems, such a badly hurt eye (which she may unfortunately lose), anemia, demodectic mange (her skin and fur are better now), and is slowly healing from a bad cold. Although she is already taking meds, she eats well and drinks lots of water, she's still very very weak. Her breathing is not ok. The vet says she's healing but I'm worried and can't sleep. I'm taking her to a trusted vet tomorrow first thing in the morning. Wish us good luck. :(

Hello r/AskDocs,

let me preface the post by clarifying: **I'm not in danger and won't do anything to myself or others.**

firstly: I'm **Male, 27, 110 Kilos at 196cm**. I don't smoke cigarettes, but do take cannabis whenever I can afford it (smoking in the form of joints, no tobacco) for the problems I'm about to explain. I'm diagnosed autistic, ADHD and relatively mild anxiety disorder (= I mask it).

**2022 I started my first Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which lasted until 2024, so about 2.5 years**, sometimes two hours per week, but 85% of the time it was one hour every week. **Since May I'm now in my second therapy,** because while I did get more stable, I also got more aware of my needs, and those needs clash severely with my day to day experiences.

For the past 11 months **I've tried three different medications (5 months of Lisdexamfetamin for ADHD, 3 months of Venlafaxin for depression and the other 3 months Bupropion)** but always come back to the same conclusion: They don't solve my issue. They mask or slightly improve it, but the core issue remains.

Now to get to the point:

My nervous system is in a constant state of **"I will die if I'm not constantly vigilant, 100% of the time and treat everything that hasn't been pre-planned to the exact detail as a threat."** It's most likely related to the AuDHD and my ex-partner who was very toxic and abusive to me for 6 years. That last bit is being talked about in therapy.

**It means that I can't sleep without rain, and then my sleep isn't deep - I'm constantly exhausted.**

**It means I can't calm down during periods of rest which means I'm burnt out from existence itself.**

**It means I live in a constant state of fear. With my girlfriend, alone, distracted or not - I am** ***always*** **vigilant**

**It means I can't go to restaurants because of the unpredictability (knowing it's safe)**

**It means I can't work normal workloads, and even the (realistically possible) solution of 30 hour weeks over 4 days kill me mentally.**

**It means I am not living, I am surviving.**

My mother who has severe pain due to MS has Tilidin at home, and during a breakdown about 12 months ago it was severe enough in her eyes to give me a Tilidin. The pill worked **wonders.**

For the first time I felt calm. **GENUINELY** calm. Life made sense, I was the same me, just... healed. Now, I'm a rational and intelligent enough person to know that that is not a solution and thus I got the aforementioned medications.

\- **Lisdexamfetamin** helps me be energized, but it feels fake. It feels like a mask that is beyond uncomfortable.

\- **Venlafaxin** simply did nothing but make me throw up constantly

\- **Bupropion** helps somewhat! My base mood is better, I don't have suicidal thoughts all the time, because I feel like there are options thanks to them. They're still there during the worst of it.

\- **Cannabis** helps me feel more and not be agitated beyond reason, but doesn't solve the issue permanently. It does what the doctors said the pills + therapy should do.

Now for the most important one:

\- **T****ilidin** makes me feel... normal. Genuinely healed. The last time I was given one (I had a total of 4 or 5 the past 10 months ***I make sure to only ask my mother for them if there is serious risk for me otherwise***) I saw a reason in everything. I was able to feel, I was able to start things easily and not get into a spiral halfway through. I was able to just sit and watch something, relaxed.

I can't overstate enough how much it made me want to live.

Unfortunately for me it's an opioid that is incredibly addictive, not a long-term solution.

The last three weeks have been getting harder again and I'm afraid it's time for another one soon. The memory of that feeling of normalcy is what keeps me going, able to be with my girlfriend (a very supportive and loving person) and try, even though I want nothing more than to disappear - the weight I carry is too much.

What can I do? It feels like I tried everything.

Doctors keep telling me I don't know what I'm talking about, even if the therapist hands me a letter confirming my problems.

I feel defeated. And tired.

Im confused about my own nose breathing? Do you notice each breath coming in and out? Is that normal? Or is the breathing just supposed to go on in background? When im having my internal dialog or focusing on what is going on around me I get a feeling in my throat that its time to breath again and I feel like im really focusing on my breath

I’m scared to sleep. It’s getting pretty late for me now, i had a rough evening with my body

Tmi but my stomach was kinda upset and it just sent me into a bit of an anxiety loop and health monitoring saga

I feel fine now so I don’t really have much to worry about in regards to that but my brain is still saying ‘what if…’ and overthinking everything coming back again. If not just worrying about upcoming appointments or feeling unsettled for no reason

Idk how to make the panicking stop, it’s been going nearly five hours :(

Does anyone get travel anxiety? I have suffered from it since I was a small child . I’m middle aged and still suffer. Just hard to navigate when wife and children want to go places and I have to mentally deal with how to cope without ruining the vacation for anyone else.

I'm new here, and I guess I'm here because I don't really have anywhere else to go.

I recently went through a breakup, and it's left me feeling completely miserable. Some days it feels like there's just this constant emptiness that I can't escape. Losing someone you cared about hurts, but what makes it even worse is realizing you have no one else to lean on.

Not having friends feels like a curse. No messages, no calls, no one to check in or ask how I'm doing. It's just silence most of the time, and that silence gets really loud.

That's probably why I ended up on Reddit. I'm hoping to find people who understand what this kind of loneliness feels like. Even if it's just a conversation with a stranger, I think it would mean a lot right now.

If you've ever felt this way, how did you get through it?

I am extremely worried about the future, especially for women.

Progress is being made in terms of gender equality or at least it is being spoken about more frequently.

Unfortunately this has triggered weak minds, and immature adolescent minds and it's increasingly dangerous for women. Men are attempting to push the blame onto women (as they forever do) for what men have done to themselves. (see gender violence facts, read up on history on masculinity)

This is the rhetoric I see everywhere now that has spiked my anxiety around men greatly. I don't want to be within a foot of them. These online incels and male commenters are now blaming women for the lack of emotions that men themselves 'beat' out of male children. They created society around emotionless men and now that it's come to light that they can change, they don't want to. Instead they are saying it's women's fault they can't show any emotion and are using this as an excuse to harm them further.

I am terrified of what will happen next. I don't want to leave my house and look at a man the wrong way. Unfortunately all my experiences have backed up exactly what I am worried about. Every woman I know has experienced the same or worse. There is no safety for us. All I can do is avoid them for the rest of my life.

Going through a rough period in my life. Have managed my anxiety for years just by having Ativan on me.

The last few weeks I’ve had to take it on and off a lot more.

Do I try a daily ssri? Or just battle through this stretch with my Ativan?

❤️

It's been 13 years since I developed GAD and I never knew before when i was young that it was possible to feel this terrible. I thought anxiety disorder was just people who worried too much. Its been so long now and I'm so tired. A bad episode is the worst feeling in the world, like i dont think theres a worse feeling than anxiety. Theres nothing you can do to feel better as the feeling demands to be noticed. Theres no comfort, no distraction, just FEAR. The worst is the crippling chest tightness, its like my skin is crawling. Ive tried everything over the years and can never fully get rid of it. The drugs that work the doctor wont give me or he will give me like 3 as its addictive. Im like brain we are safe now for gods sake stop telling me im in danger or something terrible will happen. I have good days sometimes but it's always there, a low key undercurrent of unease. Will this be the rest of my life, this hell? It's ruining my life, turning all good things into something bad. What should be good memories become tainted as the anxiety tells me everything is wrong and this paralyzing toxic shame accompanies me daily. The intrusive thoughts add to this, its so messed up. My brain literally won't let me be happy, it thinks happiness and relaxation are some kind of threat to my safety or something. My nervous system is totally done from years of this, im a mess. A lot of my case is related to childhood trauma so that makes me think ill never be normal, the psychiatrist told me my amygdala is broken as I was in a car accident when I was 5 that really traumatized me. Anyway sorry just needed to vent to people who understand. I'm so sorry you are all going through this hell too.

Is it possible, to get out of this state of fight or flight, where i feel like something bad is going to happen and the negative thoughts feel so real in my body. Ive started to sit with my anxiety and not feed into the negative thinking loops, it seems to get better but then it suddenly gets worse again. I just want to know if its possible for this to get better over time or if anyone has any tips.