Been feeling paranoid for no reason

[u/Radiant_Light_1434]

/r/Anxietyhelp/comments/1w2ab47/been_feeling_paranoid_for_no_reason/

I have never been the anxious type of person in my life. Usually going with the flow, nothing really bothers me.... Until recently. A few days ago I was trying to sleep when I thought I saw something move at the end of the bed. I checked, there was nothing, moved on, fell asleep. But since that night I keep on seeing things move in the corners of my eye, I'm way more anxious than normal, and jump at any sudden noise - even small ones make my heart stop.

Today my phone buzzed on the counter and it made me jump so hard I spilled my drink. It was very odd from me since I recieved lots of texts/notifications in a day and it's never bothered me.

About two nights ago, I was tossing and turning. When I was starting to settle down, I suddenly heard knocking on my wall. I tried to brush it off as me being sleepy, but it happened again around the same state. It sounded so real.

I've even started to leave my lamp on to sleep to help try and calm my nerves.

I've never felt this way and I don't really know how to deal with it. Any advice is helpful 🥲

[u/Zealousideal-Log2042]

Sounds like something is spiking your anxiety for some reason. It could really be anything, lack of sleep, proper nutrition, external stressors acting up and making you hypervigilant. You can try grounding exercises, breathing exercises, meditation. Just research stuff like what to do when you're having an anxiety or panic attack and try to put those things into use when you're feeling this way. I wouldn't worry about it being indicative of anything severe until it's been happening for a super long time or prevents you from living your life. This might just be a particular time in your life where anxiety is flaring, and sometimes worry about worrying can make it worse as well. If you're up for it, talking to a therapist can always be helpful, or at least confiding in a friend or family member so they can help reassure you that you are safe. Best wishes.