What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Do you ever Google why your heart randomly starts beating out of your chest and your palms are getting sweaty? Maybe you wonder why your stomach hurts out of nowhere and you feel like it’s totally possible you’re going to throw up - only to feel perfectly fine twenty minutes later. Dr. Google may be telling you that you need to go to the hospital immediately because you sometimes feel dizzy or faint. But what if the sensations you're feeling is actually anxiety? Knowing what does anxiety feels like can be crucial in responding correctly.
The internet is not *totally* wrong - please see your doctor if you are experiencing any symptoms that worry you. But… (spoiler alert!) the internet is not always accurate. All of these symptoms (and more!) can be explained by what anxiety feels like in our body. I know, I know - everyone says they are anxious, and everyone feels anxious sometimes, but what are we supposed to do about it? Hang on to that question for a moment.
Anxiety is a normal human emotion that can have its positives, but it can also feel really heavy and overwhelming. While anxiety feels different for everyone in their own body, there is definitely a range of anxiety symptoms we all seem to agree on. Some people notice their heart beating faster, others feel so much tightness and pressure in their chest that they go to the ER thinking it’s a heart attack. Both sides of the spectrum are correct - it shows up differently in every body. Anxiety symptoms often show up very distinctly in physical sensations, i.e. we feel anxiety in our body. This is often combined with certain recurrent anxious thought patterns.
So what does anxiety feel like?
Increased heart rate, pounding heart
Shifts in breathing, often experiencing shallower breaths
Feeling hot, increased sweating
Feeling dizzy
Sensations in your stomach - anywhere from butterflies to intense cramps
Feeling like you might throw up
Having a hard time falling or staying asleep
Feeling exhausted after something that didn’t require high levels of energy
Feeling too stressed to eat
Skipping out on social events because it’s just easier to stay home
Noticing certain thoughts are becoming really big and distracting
If these symptoms seem a little too familiar for you and you need some help learning tools to cope with anxiety, reach out to see how I can help you manage them. Schedule a free 15 minute consultation to get started on therapy for anxiety in Dublin, CA.