Feeling terrified for no reason

LegacyUser

i seem to be feeling anxious, paranoid and nervous a lot lately over nothing in particular. i just get this strong feeling of nerves in my gut. its not fun.

could it be a reaction to life changes and whatnot ? what can i do to help calm it down a bit?

Sammyjo

lisa can you narrow it down to particular times or places...like is it when youre in public places, or when youre at home just watching tv, or thinking about the day ahead? how bad does it get, i mean does it overwhelm you or is it just unpleasant?

depending on what is causing it, there are lots of things you can try...from herbal remedies like bachs rescue remedy, to stocking up on your vitamin B. but if its more serious, or just doesnt go away, you will need to go to your doctor. everyone gets nervous and anxious at times depending on whats going on in their lives, but if it is persistent and you feel it you cant deal with it, the root cause of your anxiety needs to be found. it could be because youre going through a stressful time, or theres lots of change in your life and its your bodies way of coping.

LegacyUser

I felt like this recently. I was really stressed out with work and everything. I was really going downhill and I eventually realised that I couldn't help myself so I went to the doctor and he gave me tablets for stress, that was only a few days ago and I feel much much better now.

azezil

too much weed?

LegacyUser

lisa can you narrow it down to particular times or places...like is it when youre in public places, or when youre at home just watching tv, or thinking about the day ahead? how bad does it get, i mean does it overwhelm you or is it just unpleasant?

it happens anywhere, randomly. not constantly though if i'm distracted with something. but then i'll suddenly get this wave of nervousness. a butterflies kind of feeling.

perhaps it just life stress i'm going through. new year at college etc..

i only wish it would go away.

luckat

Free-floating anxiety. It's a bitch. It'll go away when you get regular exercise and sleep, make friends, eat well and have some idea of the future. Don't worry about it. Oh, wait...

Number6

Lisa,

I'm fairly sure that you are suffering a panic attack.

Do you get these feelings in open spaces? Where there's a lot of people? Are you afraid of poeple watching you, or thinking that you are a fool / saddo? That you will make a fool out of yourself?

AARRRGH

Have you started drinking a lot more coffee than normal?

I had the exact same problem as you. Went to a doctor. He told me I have a phobia of computers (wtf). I got all stressed and freaked about it for about two years.

Then I decided to stop drinking coffee. The problem went away. It was simply that I'm sensitive to caffeine (I have a tendency to drink a lot of coffee when I'm in front of my PC.)

Go to your doctor. But keep an open mind that it could be something very simple.

ando

First of all, this is not uncommon so you’re not abnormal or anything, it’s completely normal, this is just another way of your body reacting to life's little tests. The best thing you can do is get exercise, regular aerobic exercise like cycling or running, something that gets you to discharge the energy from your body, it also serves to distract you from the anxiety.

Second when you feel anxious or are having a panic attack, your mind and taughts are running at a fast pace. The best thing you can do is calm yourself down by using abdominal breathing. This really does work and had been proven medically if you do it right:

Breathe in a full breath slowly from your lower belly, counting 1.2.3.4.5 as you breathe in
Hold the breathe for 5 seconds, counting 1.2.3.4.5
Exhale FULLY, counting 1.2.3.4.5 as you exhale
Take 2 normal breaths
Start the procedure again.

Do this for 5 minutes in a quite place and you'll be calm and free of anxiety

After you are calm you can deal with the situation properly. Write down on paper, what was causing you to be anxious. What TAUGHTS were going through your mind to make you feel anxious. You may think that the anxiety just came out of nowhere, but there IS a reason. You need to separate the feelings you had to the actual taught that caused it. The best thing you can do once you have the negative taught that caused the anxiety is write a positive statement beside it to counteract the negative taught. You need to have some belief in it and it should be in present tense. You can use this positive statement to help you when you feel anxious in the future

Oh yeah, keep stimulants out of your diet, Coke Cola, Coffee and Tea (caffeine) are a NONO.

dramaqueen

Kalms are a really good herbal remedy that just chill you out a little bit. You can get them anywhere and take them when you need them.
This is just you adapting to a new phase in your life. You've probably just never experienced it before.
It's perfectly normal.

Sammyjo

it does sound like youre suffering from anxiety, and i would say to definately cut out all caffine from your diet if you can. try drinking green tea in its place, and doing relaxing things, like going for quiet walks if you can which will help destress you.

i would definately agree with ando. writing down exactly what you were doing, where you were, and the feelings and thoughts you had at the time, and you will possibly notice a pattern. what would also help is keeping a general journal every day, jotting down what youre doing on the day, your thoughts.....this doesnt have to be when youre feeling nervous, but it will give you a clearer view of whats going on in your life when you see it written on a page

one thing you do have to differentiate from is whether you think what you are feeling is panic, or nervousness. does this feeling make you unable to do whatever it is you are doing, or go wherever you are going? if so then that would point more towards panic, and you would need to go and see your doctor.....general nervousness can be aided by cutting out the stimulants, getting more exercise (walking and yoga would be great for you), and taking a handle on where your lifes at at the moment.

hope some of this helps lisa.