A little reminder for my fellow overthinkers ❤️ Just because something feels different, new or unfamiliar doesn’t mean it’s bad!
It’s okay if something new makes you nervous. You don’t have to know exactly how it will turn out to let yourself experience it! 🫶🏻

Hi, this is my first Reddit post ever, and I’m looking for some advice or insight on my anxiety. I’m 21 years old (F) and in college. I think since last spring I’ve developed anxiety, or maybe I’ve had it before, but I don’t know how. I’m not sure that it’s something I can develop after almost never feeling anxious and feeling pretty confident majority of my life, but recently, that’s all I’ve been feeling.

I’ve been known to be a self-confident, unapologetic woman, but recently, I’ve just been crippling with anxiety. So much that I don’t want to go out anymore, such as partying/social gatherings, being around people, or honestly anywhere where theres a lot of people. I used to go out to parties and hang out with my friends, but now I just avoid it as much as I can.

Out of nowhere, I’ve developed a fear of what people think about me or how I look to other people, and my self-confidence has gone so downhill. Just thinking about going out in general makes me anxious when I’ve NEVER experienced this before in my life. Even my friends have noticed and asked me what happened and why I’m always anxious all of a sudden.

I recently just turned 21 last month, and I remember months ago that I couldn’t wait to turn 21 so I could finally go out with my friends and family to places, and now all I want to do is just stay home in my room, where I feel safe from everyone and their opinions.

I also randomly get anxious while driving because I just bury myself in my thoughts and what people think about me. I just lose myself and feel shitty about myself for no reason.

I’ve told my doctor about it, and I’ve been to therapy for other reasons and not anxiety. I remember using coping mechanisms in therapy, and I use them for my anxiety, but they don’t help at all. She prescribed me hydroxyzine, but all it does is make me sleepy.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I think it might be my self-confidence that is affecting my anxiety, which causes my anxiety, but I don’t know.

I would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer. Thank you.

I think I would love to become world-class at writing. In the sense of novels, stories, etc. I always loved to read and to be immersed in wonderful worlds and universes, so if I could be excellent at writing, I would probably want to create something as big as other worlds, like LOTR, or GoT, etc.

How about you? Feel free to expand yourselves :)

Gosh today has been awful, I’m dealing with house flooring problems, my family being a nightmare, stressing about my parents going away for a couple weeks and living alone with my brother who is the biggest asshole and needing to do a uni assignment that’s due tomorrow night. I just had a huge freak out today, the first real panic attack I’ve had in a long time.

I need to start working on the assignment but I feel so drained and upset. I just wish that I had supportive people around me who could comfort me but instead I usually just end up worse when talking to my family. I’ve tried contacting my friends but they haven’t gotten back to me. They have been really lacking in the support department for a while now, I’ve had to be the supportive friend for them so many times and it sucks when it’s one sided. I’ve been feeling so lonely and desperate for connection that I’ve been joining random uni clubs, filling in for different local sports teams at rec centres, joined a bouldering club, a book club, I even downloaded Bumble Bff a couple days ago to meet people, it’s odd it’s like a platonic dating app. I’m honestly just trying so hard to make friends, I need better people in my life. Gosh I just wanna crash in bed but I can’t 😭😭😭

I've had on-and-off insomnia for a few years now, and have never been properly medicated for the condition. I've also been off of anxiety meds due to issues with my insurance billing. My anxiety is now interfering with my sleep very severely and am worried I will not fall asleep tonight. I can't call out of work due to PTO limitations. My plan is to make sure I call my provider tomorrow so I can get something arranged medication-wise, but I am worried tomorrow. Maybe going to work on minimal sleep will serve as a sort of exposure therapy?

Ended up in the hospital again tonight because I convinced myself i was having a heart attack.

All my vitals were normal, so was my EKG, and they put me on a low risk waiting list, which would take 10+ hours for me to get seen, but i've still convinced myslef i'm having a heart attack.

Has anyone else felt this way?? my symptoms have let up now, and i can finally breathe better but theres always that little voice thats telling me something is wrong.

I just need to vent somewhere people might understand, because the noise in my head is getting exhausting.
For the longest time, my partner’s routine was completely predictable: work, home, sitting on his phone, pure introvert mode. Very consistent, very known.
Recently, that completely flipped. He started going out constantly—joining group activities like basketball, bowling, and finding reason after reason to stay busy outside the house. Part of me tries to stay rational and tell myself it’s healthy. Maybe he’s just trying to stay active, get off his phone, or keep his mind occupied so he doesn't get stuck in his own head or make bad choices.
But another part of me is spiraling. The moment his pattern changed, my brain started ringing alarm bells: Is he staying out to avoid being here? Is he hiding something? Is there someone else?
The emotional whiplash is destroying me. I can be genuinely happy and present one minute, and then—in literally one click—this heavy wave of sadness, panic, and suspicion hits me out of nowhere. It comes in and out, and I can't seem to make it stop.
The hardest part is being a mom through all of this. You don't get to just shut down or fall apart for a few days when the intrusive thoughts hit. No matter how anxious or depressed I feel on the inside, I have to put on a warm face, handle the daily routine, and keep moving forward for my child.
To anyone who has been in this head space: How do you handle sudden shifts in your partner's routine without assuming the worst? How do you quiet the intrusive thoughts when you just want peace?

Hey all have a great start to the week and hope we all had a nice bank holiday! Would love to hear everyone’s unusual anxiety calm down music! If you haven’t heard of mine when you feel anxious get some headphones and listen to my suggestion I can’t explain why but it’s amazing and really helps me 😊

tw for talks of mental health problems and symptoms (im not sure whether these type of posts are allowed on here so if they are not please lmk and i will delete it!)

for the last 3-4 months i developed severe health anxiety to the point where i cannot eat and have lost 13kg, i have not gone out with any friends in the last 3 months, i have developed dpdr, and idek how to specify it im just gonna say things and hope at least 1 person out there can give me a tip.

ive noticed a lot of peoples health anxiety comes from fearing they have a tumor or things that slowly kill, unfortunately mine is telling me that within 10 minutes of the symptoms i will be dead. mine comes in heart attacks, sudden type 1 diabetic comas, passing oht and just not waking up, thinking im gonna vomit and not stop vomiting until i die from literally throwing up too much. its. non. stop. im 16 and i have had bad mental health problems all my life, in the last 2 years i have become so much better and now all this health anxiety has started and unfortunately all i want to do is end my life. i fully cannot live like this. i have been to the hospital 5 times because i am fully convinced i have like 15 minutes to live. i purposely do not google symptoms so i can avoid thinking myself into oblivion BUT because i refuse to google symptoms i also cannot find out if what im feeling has absolutely no correlation to whatever thing ive convinced myself is killing me at the time. this has been everyday from wake up to sleep. i have pains in my arms, collar bones, neck, head, HEART A LOTTTTT, chest area and that makes me think ok well im having a heart attack this is it for me. the anxiety will make me light headed and insanely derealised and suddenly im a undiagnosed type 1 diabetic about to fall into a coma and die. stomachs digesting? nah mate my gallbladder has just ruptured and ive yet again got like 5 milliseconds to live. its extremely embarrassing to admit but my mum has been sleeping in my bed for the last month maybe month and a half because i am so insanely convinced something is gonna happen and nobody will be there to try and save me. this has made me so so so insanely depressed. i have looked far and wide for tips on how other people have helped their health anxiety but no matter what it wont work because everything feels so insanely real. i literally downlaoded reddit just to make this post in as many health anxiety places as possible because i am sick and tired. i hate to admit it but i genuinely dont think i can last until the end of the year. anxiety in all shapes and forms has run in my family for a while and they have all found ways to cope so i dont know why nothing will work for me and i just cannot do it anymore. please someone tell me where i have to go or what i have to do to find at least 1 mechanism that will help me not die every 5 minutes. i have only ever had social anxiety and thats mainly just been from insecurity, this is a whole new experience for me and i already cannot handle many things this is actually killing me.

I decided to skip class and now I'm freaking out

Today morning I overslept and I was anxious about my presentation in class and anyhow I'm going to be very late so I decided to skip idk why.

And now I'm freaking out that I could've gone to class but now I can't because it's going to be very late for me now by the time I get ready and reach class.

Multiple thoughts are coming into my mind pointing to the fact that I missed a precious lecture just because I was lazy at first.

But on the other side I feel like I do need to take some space since alot has been going on in my life for me being 1 month into being a fresher at the same time. So maybe this is a good time for me to slow down or maybe journal etc

I received an invite from u/Shot-Composer-782 to join this group.

But I don't suffer from anxiety generally.

Yeah, currently I can get worked up about whether or not my current crush actually likes me. That's the kind of stuff I think everyone and his dog has.

I don't get panic attacks.

Clinical and Psychological Indicators: Problem anxiety is characterized by * persistent -- Nope.

• uncontrollable -- well near as I can figure no emo-state is really controllable.

• worry -- I'm more of an Alfred E. Newman type. "What? Me worry?"

that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.

Key symptoms include * restlessness, * irritability, * difficulty concentrating, * sleep disturbances, * physical tension (such as racing heart or muscle tightness).

Nope none of those that I can attribute to causes other that too much coffee, ADHD, and sore muscles from hard work.

Avoidance behaviors that restrict work, relationships, and self-care are also critical markers of problematic anxiety

Ok. But there are lots other crap that interfere here.

I'm more functional freeze.

Meanwhile, enjoy your anxiety. I won't trade my OSDD for your anxiety.

I recently read the doctor's journal from an interview between my mom and the doctor. All I could see were doctors trying to put ADHD, Autism or other labels on me. All tunnel-visioned. The evidence was like right there! Huge blinking red lights and all!

I had probably tried hinting to my problems(abuse) since I was 6 months old. I screamed back then without tears and facial expression. I ran away from mom whenever she put me on her lap. I screamed if she sang for me. I only learned “mom” and “dad”, then I stopped speaking and learning new words altogether when I was around 1-2 years old.

I had outbursts of uncontrollable rage. I did questionable things at 3 years old, behavior that “couldn’t be explained”. I isolated myself from other kids at kindergarten. I had to get picked up by mom from school trips, because the teachers couldn’t handle me. Clearly, something was wrong. Growing up, I struggled with language, regulating my emotions and feelings. My earliest memory of seeing my father for the first time was feeling scared and helplessness.

Which means, that all the fragmented memories I have of threats, emotional, psychological abuse and/or more, have huge time windows(which could mean years) between them. I just know they happened before I could walk or talk. I was a kid who didn’t get help from deep-seated trauma, but was rather labeled with ADHD later at 10 years old. Put on heavy medication from then on, as if I was born with ADHD.

The medication didn’t help. It only masked my trauma. But, I would get fragmented memories whenever the effect went off during the evenings. I would feel intense sorrow and rage, then cry myself to sleep.

It honestly made me feel depressed about how deeply misunderstood I was, all the way from when I was a small child.

I just don’t understand..

Hello Everyone,

I’m was invited to join your amazing community
I’m very happy to be here

I’m a 53 year old mom of 4 grandma of 4
I have the most amazing boyfriend of 13 years
A feral rescue mainecoon now 9 yrs & 24lbs

I’m bed bound due to well so many things
I have severe medical CPTSD
Diagnosed at 12 years old with CPTSD

I’ve seen and been through more than, I always care to admit right off the bat.

I’m on a great upswing the last few weeks

I always like to share anything, that I’ve learned or read about. I’ve always had horrible health. I’ve been through hoops of paperwork and learning key word to use, like bed bound not bed ridden. Sometimes the keywords mean a lot more than we think.

I’m getting out old journals and note books I’ve worked on writing over the years ✍️

It’s a how to journal for yourself
How to create key ways for showing anyone
Doctors always ask you to journal but never seem to read them.

I’m not sure what I want to call it yet but something like : journaling for doctors who can’t read

I’ll share a doodle from the other night

I’m here for Anyone/Anytime
I don’t judge/or ask Anything personal Ever
Message me here or privately Anytime
🍀🦓👩🏻‍💻🦄🌈💜

Weekend is over and Monday anxiety is already hitting ..

The weekend hasn't even properly ended, and just thinking about tomorrow being Monday is making me feel sick.

Title: How do you know if you need a change or are just running away from stress?

I’m facing a difficult decision. I live away from my hometown for career opportunities and competitive exam preparation, but lately I feel exhausted and strongly want to go back home.

The problem is that I have made similar decisions in the past when I was mentally overwhelmed, and later I wondered whether I gave up too early.

Home feels peaceful, but staying here may offer better opportunities.

How do you tell the difference between genuinely needing a change in your environment and simply wanting to escape stress? Have you faced something similar?

22F. Got sick recently with a urinary tract infection this week, and it has been a complete nightmare. I do have a form of anxiety surrounding my health (not diagnosed) but this is just ridiculous. I have been but a shell of myself for almost a week now.

Now, I’ve had a uti before, and last time, this EXACT same thing happened. It’s literally ridiculous, but when I get sick physically at all, it exacerbates my anxiety to the point where it’s escalated to pure terror and panic. I get so nauseous and shaky and panicky and throw up over and over again.

Last time it took 2 weeks of sleeping with my mom in her bed to feel a semblance of better again. All because I had a uti and was on antibiotics.

I was clenching my chest earlier today begging someone to take me and how I couldn’t breathe. I go to the hospital and they RECOGNIZED ME, including the security guard. That was humiliating, especially considering when I arrived there was already tears and hyperventilating happening.

In the past 3 days I’ve vomited 3 times on each day. Anyhow they gave me a 5 day script for Ativan. I guess that’s all I could ask for. I’m scared to take it anyways. If anyone has gone through something similar please reach out or reply :,(

Do you know the song “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree? It lifted my spirits today, and I wanted to share it with you guys! 😁🎶

"Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead, release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry..."

And the chorus is the best part!

I love this! Do you have any songs to inspire us this Sunday? 🥰

hi! Long-time scroller, first time poster within this sub😅

I'm in my last year of uni doing a non-credit bearing internship(yes, I volunteered for this 😂), and for lack of better words, I've been suffering the past 2 months I've been working here. My role involves a lot of project management (I'm in marketing) and getting anything done feels like nothing short of a fiercely fought battle.

My bosses aren't mean but they demand a lot of me. There are so many deadlines and KPIs that are thrown on me as an intern, that frankly I feel like I'm treated as a fulltimer on an intern's pay grade. It's not that I'm incapable of doing the tasks, it's that I can't get back to my main task when I'm thrown 100 other equally pressing requests to fulfill.

Honestly, I don't think I've left work on time since the first week I joined this company 😂 I've had several breakdowns from the stress of dealing with the deadlines and the people. Mentally, I don't think I've thought of throwing myself in front of a car as many times as I have in this job, and I've done several other internships that weren't this draining.

I guess I do know that I should quit this internship for my health and wellbeing. I think it's the fear of losing out on potential experience that keeps me from leaving. Or the anxiety that I'm wasting my leave of absence if I leave this job.

Any thoughts? Sorry, I'm a mess😭

BREATHE IN AND YELL TO THE WORLD WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO SAYYYY!!!!!!!!!

ME: SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I LIKE AND IT IS EMBARRASSING

YOUR TURNNN COME ON!!!! 💕💕💕TAKE IT OFF YOUR CHEST!!!

Hey all just wanted to vent and see if anyone else felt the same way with things. As stated I suffer with anxiety,ADHD, Autism and OCD which makes regular life stuff so hard as it is. I hate change and also struggle with things out my control meaning a lot of time everything stays the same with me. I also have a massive fear of being trapped in places and not being allowed to leave somewhere if I want to which also screws me over. Seeing my family and friends being able to progress in jobs, do things without thinking about them and also not having to worry about simple shitty things is hard for me. I am so happy for all of them and think nothing but the best of them all but at the same time I’m envious that I can’t do the simple things they can do. I’m a brilliant dad and a hard worker but things for me are 1000x harder! Anyways just wanted to get it off my chest with others that may understand! Thanks for reading 👏

No one is ahead of you. You’re not behind in life, and there’s no need to compare yourself to anyone else. Your life is its own beautiful universe, with its own unique path and its own timing. Trust that your journey is unfolding exactly as it’s meant to. 💗✨

Hey guys! Any other people pleasers around here? I’m trying to improve and sit with the discomfort of not always “doing things for others,” but I feel so guilty and selfish! I was recently promoted to a management position, and although I understand the processes well and have a good relationship with my colleagues, I find it SO hard to delegate tasks. Some of my coworkers need an extra push to start doing things, and that makes me sooooo uncomfortable! If I could, I’d probably just do everything myself, but I understand perfectly that that’s not helpful for me or for the team overall. Does anyone have any tips? Any advice?

If you’re new here, introduce yourself! And even if you’ve been around for a while, let’s chat! What’s something you’ve been really enjoying lately? It can be a hobby, a show, a game, a book, anything! ❤️ We want to know more about you!

I’m scared of this becoming serious, and me not being able to handle some of these emotions I'm carrying. I'm scared I might end up alone. I'm scared of having deep, depressing conversations. I'm scared of sometimes saying how I truly feel. I'm scared of being lied to and not knowing. I'm scared of opening up. I'm just scared.