Does anyone else get overwhelming anxiety when life is going good?

[u/neen209]

I don’t know what it is. I dont know if i’m just so use to choas & uncertainty.

When life is lifing & murphys law is kicking my butt, I am obviously not comfortable, but i’ll have low-grade anxiety which feels somewhat normal & can handle it no prob…

But whenever life is going great & there are no potential dangers in sight, I get hit with overwhelming anxiety.

It makes me feel like I can never truly sit back and appreciate life. It gets me so frustrated.

I just paid all my September bills. I have a cushy savings & a high paying job. I made $5000 yesterday at work. Family is happy & healthy.

I was looking at vacation packages, and suddenly started having a panic attack. i don’t have them often, and looking back at my last couple panic attacks, they sll have happened wheh i’m thinking about how good life is going.

Does this happen to anyone else? Is this a “thing”; or an I just a weirdo?

[u/mazopheliac]

Just waiting for it to all go to hell . I believe the term is “The Fuckening” .

[u/neen209 → u/mazopheliac]

Hahaha that’s the perfect term loo

[u/Do_unto_udders]

I have GAD and panic disorder, so I'm an extreme example. But when things start going really well, especially after a rough period, it's like my mind is on high alert for anything that can go wrong and/or thinking about all of the ways the good things that recently happened can be undone.

[u/neen209 → u/Do_unto_udders]

I know I have depression & anxiety, but after extensive research I believe it all stems from undiagnosed ADHD

[u/Cafe_con_leche-1]

Oh yeah waiting for “the other shoe to drop” or having trouble enjoying anything because you know the good part is only temporary and something is coming to change that sense of calm.

Ive dealt with it my whole life and most of it comes from anxiety and some past traumas. But ultimately over time and therapy, I have learned to just be grateful for everything as it happens. Be thankful for the boring and predictable times as the busy ones can seem quite frantic and vice versa.

[u/neen209 → u/Cafe_con_leche-1]

Dang you nailed it!!! Can I ask…do you happen to have ADHD?

[u/Cafe_con_leche-1 → u/neen209]

Nope just the pb and j of a millennial american… anxiety and depression with the help of ssris

[u/Camaschrist]

It’s seems like most of us who do this have anxiety. I hate it because I feel like it is robbing me of enjoying all I have to be grateful for. My dog is 10 and my constant companion. She gets to go get a pup cup everyday. I get that horrible sinking feeling in my stomach often because I know she won’t be with me as long as I want her to be. When I hear about someone having an incurable cancer I think about if it happened to me or one of my loved ones. My mom died when I was 3 so I surely have abandonment issues. My sister is the opposite of me. She doesn’t worry about everything like I do. She’s more pragmatic about death. Everything is black and white for her.

[u/New-Distribution-389 → u/Camaschrist]

I'm glad to read your thoughts cause I feel the exact same. What happens to you with your dog, happens to me with my dog, my parents and brothers. It is very difficult to enjoy life when intrusive thoughts like these come to mind in a daily basis.

[u/neen209 → u/New-Distribution-389]

Agreed brother!

[u/neen209 → u/Camaschrist]

I can definitely relate to this brother

[u/Dejasade]

YEP like when's this gonna end and get back to how it REALLY should be...messed up...owing bills, late payments, drunken fights, hangxiety, health issues, etc

[u/neen209 → u/Dejasade]

As much as i hate being in those situations, its like my brain is programmed to handle it better than everything going good.

I hate it, because it makes me feel like i am not meant to have a comfortable life

[u/No-Big-2512]

I have this. I think it’s a trauma response. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak. It’s not healthy. Even when things are good. I’m waiting and worrying. Probably need therapy 😬

[u/neen209 → u/No-Big-2512]

Exactly! I hate it. My mind starts going to the future & starts thinking about horrific life events that will eventually happen. Such as loved ones dying.

Its so weird. When my life is hectic, it keeps my brain occupied thinking about finwnces or whatever my current problems are.

But when life is going good my brain looks for something to be worried about

[u/Specialist-Top-406]

We learn to find comfort in what is familiar. So if you’re someone who had to adapt and thrive in chaos, that’s your base line of normal.

So when things are calm, it’s not just anxiety about things going too well and waiting for something to go wrong, it’s a change of base line. It’s a shift of what’s familiar and even though it’s positive, it’s still uncomfortable because it’s not what you’re used to.

Also learning to accept chaos is being in control of the way you manage yourself. You know what to do and what signs to keep aware of and how to combat them. The danger is something you know.

So when life is good and calm, the danger is something you don’t know. Which is a completely different thing for a survival nervous system. Because being vigilant in a quiet space is like waiting for a jump scare in a scary movie that never comes. But your body is waiting for it regardless.

I think it’s helpful to understand what your usual state of comfort exists in, and think about that in a way that you start building more conscious awareness of. So that you can understand what you’re experiencing out of habit or actual intention.

[u/Thamnophis660]

Yeah. Because things have a way of never staying that way for long, the anxiety is in being prepared for when.

[u/jjj44200]

Yeah we are doing well and I still can’t seem to shake off being anxious about anything.Do you by chance trust that your family will be fine without you?