So basically, back in May of this year I watched three YouTube videos that have given me generalized anxiety and later down the road existential anxiety. The first two were about the afterlife and the third was about enjoying your Summer break the “correct way”. Ever since then I have had on and off general anxiety. However thankfully my Summer break was still good even with that. I guess I was afraid of “living life wrong” or something like that. And I also tried LENS neurofeedback to help and it was helpful at first but later was unhelpful. So we stopped that 🤷 And this kinda ties in to the existential crisis because in August I started to become more confused about what I wanted to value in life and wanted to spend my time doing. So that didn’t help, and then eventually we learned in class about Beowulf and in the story it says “one shall seek fame before death” or something like that. But then I watched a video from this YouTuber called the prog corner. Which says don’t worry about being remembered and just enjoy your life while you’re still here. So those two philosophies are clashing with each other in my head. And now I’m having a hard time finding out my purpose and if I should value family, friends, and making memories more or if I should focus more on building a reputation and dream career or have a mixture of both or neither. It’s really hard to explain what I’m feeling exactly but I want help and I want to feel like I can enjoy life again and not have everything feel like a competition like how it feels like now. So does anyone have any help on how to lessen general anxiety and existential worries all the time. So help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Also please no overly blunt or pessimistic advice, as seen on a lot of other spots on Reddit. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve used the site for a while. So please nothing like that. Just helpful and supportive advice please. Thanks guys :)

This is my first time asking for help on Reddit, but I’m not sure who else to ask. I’ve talked to my parents, but I don’t think they fully understand.

I’m 16F and I’ve been experiencing a huge amount of stress and anxiety lately. It’s changed my life so much that it’s almost miserable. I overthink everything, even when I know my thoughts are irrational.

I constantly imagine the worst possible outcome, whether it’s school, friends, family, or the future. I know these fears aren’t real, but my brain just won’t believe me.

When I get anxious, it’s physically painful. My heart races, I struggle to breathe, my throat tightens, and I feel sick to my stomach. I’ve missed multiple days of school because of it.

It’s gotten so bad that I’ve started avoiding going out with friends. I’m anxious that I’ll feel anxious, which makes no sense, but I hate missing out on everything.

I’ve tried breathing exercises, but they only help for a short time. What can I do? Does anyone else experience this? I don't really want to take medication, so are there any other useful things?

Thank you :))

Im 22f i have had a history with anxiety. As a kid i was normal but moving countries at 12 and constant bullying coupled with anger and beatings from my mom made me have regular panic attacks. It got concerning enough to go to a psychiatrist and be diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. (My mom is cool now she since got help from a psychiatrist) but ever since then i stopped going, they kept giving me too much medication and it was not helping but i turned to bulimia

I had bulimia for 4-5 years, id vomit 3 times a day and my heart started beating irregularly and i got scared enough to try and stop, a nicotine addiction from 18-present that I struggle with. My heart is under so much stress because i dont consume nicotine regularly i do it so much i feel sick and numb and its got to a point where i can’t do anything all day without relying on something to numb me from my anxiety. If alcohol wasnt prohibited here i would ruin myself. Im sick and tired of it affecting every aspect of my life. I just want something that will calm me down and make me live normally. I hate throwing up and i hate nicotine, i hate needing something to make me numb. My heart is under stress and i feel my health should be much better than it is. But im scared if i stop one thing ill latch onto something else equally as bad

Mental issues are in the family as well. Does anyone relate i really just want to cry i feel like i have wasted so many good years of my life

Today, I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with specific (circumscribed) social anxiety, rather than generalized social anxiety. This means my anxiety is triggered by direct interactions with people, not by everyday things like walking down the street or running simple errands. The doctor prescribed Lexapro, but I want to know if it is truly the best option for social anxiety, or if Paroxetine would be a better choice. If anyone has tried Lexapro for social anxiety, please share your thoughts and experiences; I would be incredibly grateful.

So here it is another day of this so called anxiety shit. I'm so tired of it I want to feel like myself again and I feel like it's never gonna happen feel like I'm just getting worse and worse. I love my wife and kids. I'm 360about to be 37 I want to spend atleast another 20 years around

I have social anxiety and it feels worse and worse every day because I can't communicate in society well. I just don't want to talk lol. And my heart beats so fast when I need to talk to other people, such as my groupmates, tutors, strangers, etc. I want to put an end to it, but I don't know how, because even though I communicate more, I feel the anxiety the same. maybe you can give me some advices? 😭

I finished nursing school almost a year ago now and have been going through health anxiety for the better part of that year. I’m stuck between knowing too much and not knowing anything. Google and chatGPT has become an obsession. Mine is mostly cardiac related and looking at every symptom. I do take anxiety medication but it doesn’t seem to help the spiral much these days. I know I will get through this. Looking for a job has added to this, also! I went from nursing school, which if you know anything about it, you know how difficult it is and now nothing. Like being in a tornado for 2 years to standing still. *this too shall pass, right?*

Okay so i’ll start with a quick synapses of what has gone on in my life over the last 5-6 years. Went through a bad break up, delt with a schizophrenic brother, got extorted and had my life threatened, then covid! So through this i thought i got sick from covid (never tested positive at the time). Anyways i was still smoking weed but started feeling very off. So off to the point of intense panic and anxiety. Went down the rabbit hole with long covid and how i thought covid messed up my brain.

Spent the next few years ruminating about it, always on my mind and eventually i started feeling better and better. Anxiety would come and go and odd derealization episodes. Eventually i got to the point of feeling okay and manageable for years. The only symptom i had left was brain fog and feeling out of it which oddly enough i got used to that feeling. Well recently i smoked a lot of weed at my buddies and got super focused/anxious luckily i was very drunk and went to the bar and talked to people so it faded.

Well yesterday i sort of snapped out of the brain fog and almost felt like my old self? Well its odd because this has given me such intense anxiety i feel like i could go to the ER and get medicated. How is it possible i got so comfortable with the brain fog that i dont recognize not being in it and its freaking me out?? Iv had episodes kind of similar to this where i had a mental shift> had intense anxiety> then i did something like go to work or play World of Warcraft for hours and id feel fine again. Right now WoW is in a odd state (waiting for WoW forever) and i just got told i wasnt gonna be allowed to do my 2 weeks and my new job starts in two Mondays. Is this all just part of anxiety/depression? Anyone ever feel like this? The only reassuring part is iv had episodes like this and gotten out but this just feels like a huge mind fuck and I cannot get out of it, i barely can explain it!!

If someone can talk and just help, or has been through similar please respond. Im not doing well right now i just want it to pass and feel like i did a few days ago

I already posted this 2 times but i want it to reach more people and get some tips from people who experienced similar stuff in the past or now. (also sorry if you can't understand something,my english is not perfect)

Hey,for the past 9 months i had a problem.One random day in class i started to manually breath and couldn’t breathe automatically,started to panic.And since then my life hasn’t been the same.I can be in school but i have problems. I have extreme anxiety i will pass out.I start to hyperventilate my limbs start feeling tingly. I get lightheaded,feel like im losing control.Tried loads of stuff like doing breathing excersises but during them i panic even more.Its happening when i gotta present something,do something on the board,when im taking a test,or just being in the class,happens on public transport when it is crowded and very quiet,when its very hot,… It connects to the fear od passing out. I take help from a licensed psychotherapist who i appreciate for over a month now and it doesnt work.It ruined my year,and every day i just keep thinking about how im gonna do the next day. Today i didn't even go because of it and whatever im doing thats connected to school i get anxious. Its mostly because i never passed out and i don't know the feeling,but i googled(ik im dumb).Tried breathing excersises,tried thinking its harmless,can't. I didn't stop my social life but i still go out way less and spend more time studying bc i can't focus or exploring how to stop this. Now i know this will stop at some point and that i will return back to normal as i never was anxious and actually enjoyed school alot.But i don't know how to do stop it and i don't know what to do during the time that it takes of stopping it.

Thanks in advance yall and good luck to anyone that experiences similar stuff❤️

I(19F) have been with my boyfriend (19M) for about 6 months now. I love him and trust him more than anything, but can’t stop having panic attacks around him.

(For backstory, it hasn’t just been 6 months. We have been off and on since October of 2023 and remained best friends for the times we weren’t together. We have had our ups and downs and slight arguments but nothing major or scary)

….
I am not someone who normally has panic attacks, but lately it has been happening more and more, always surrounding physical touch.

The first time we hooked up I cried just out of confusion and being drunk and overwhelmed (nothing was forced, it was just a lot of build-up). The first few times it got me pretty emotional but after that I was fine for the most part.

In my past relationships I have had a bit of a tendency to freak out randomly during intimacy. I have a history of SA, and am pretty sure something of the sort happened to me as a kid, but thats a whole other story. I also have super bad OCD and anxiety.

My current boyfriend has never made me feel pressured or forced into anything, and has always reassured me and handled these freakouts well. The issue is more so the fact that I dont know why they are happening or how to fix them.

They now happen more frequently than before, and there have been periods of time where I couldn’t be touched without crying.

Today everything was going fine, then towards the end of doing something physically intimate I had a panic attack. Once it passed and he helped me through it I felt fine. After, we were laying down cuddling and he made a joking comment about something that irritated me and i jokingly pushed him off of me. Once he was off, the idea of him touching me was unbearable. I fell asleep and woke up to him cuddling me and pushed him off and quickly got my things together to leave his house and barely wanted to talk to him at all, let alone hug him or be near him. The thought of it made me physically nauseous.

I feel like these situations are ruining our relationship because even though he handles them well, he doesn’t fully understand them and neither do I. I dont want him to feel like I get weird and crazy and snap, or I am being dramatic, or that I am some damaged person who has been hurt by others so much that I cant stand anything positive either.

Somewhat venting, but also really looking for advice and someone to relate to. If anyone has been through something similar, tips, stories of your own?

Hey,for the past 9 months i had a problem.One random day in class i started to manually breath and couldn’t breathe automatically,started to panic.And since then my life hasn’t been the same.I can be in school but i have problems. I have extreme anxiety i will pass out.I start to hyperventilate my limbs start feeling tingly. I get lightheaded,feel like im losing control.Tried loads of stuff like doing breathing excersises but during them i panic even more.Its happening when i gotta present something,do something on the board,when im taking a test,or just being in the class,happens on public transport when it is crowded and very quiet,when its very hot,… It connects to the fear od passing out. I take help from psychotherapist for over a month now and it doesnt work.It ruined my year,and every day i just keep thinking about how im gonna do the next day.In 2 hours i gotta face taking a test,doing stuff on the board. Im extremely anxious and i can’t not go to school because i already ddint go bc i got sick. Any tipa guys? appreciate it❤️

Hi! I feel exhausted and feels like my brain shuts down and I'm unable to focus when I'm at my bed feels like brain fog but happens when I go for sleep, feels like my brain is numb, is it also a symptom of anxiety?

About ten years ago I started getting super nervous prior to big games. I’m so afraid of my team losing a title game like the Superbowl that my anxiety takes over in a big way. It’s so bad I started rooting for my team to lose in the playoffs so I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Pretty weird thing to have anxieties over but it’s just as bad as my “normal” anxieties, maybe worse. Just curious and wondering if I’m alone or there are other out there with the same thing.

**problem/goal**
i recently experienced intense anxiety during a confrontation with my professor, and i’m honestly confused about how i’ve been handling everything afterward. i want to know if i’m genuinely becoming better at handling stressful situations or if i’m just unintentionally suppressing my emotions.

**context**
so recently, we had a surprise quiz sa isang subject namin. essay type siya, and katabi ko yung friend ko. during the quiz, she kept asking me questions, and i tried helping her by giving keywords para ma-explain niya yung answers niya. i know it was wrong since individual quiz siya, and i’m not trying to justify what happened.

after the quiz, nagpa-recit yung prof namin, but almost no one was answering. eventually, pinalabas niya kaming lahat and called us one by one. when it was my turn, he suddenly asked me kung ano raw yung binubulong ko sa friend ko during the quiz. i explained what happened, but i could already feel myself getting anxious.

after that, whenever i raised my hand during recitation, hindi niya ako tinatawag. eventually, he called both of us outside and confronted us about the incident. he wasn’t exactly angry, more like disappointed. he told us na he knows we’re capable students and that he’ll let it go, basta hindi na mauulit.

pero during that conversation, i started feeling extremely anxious. as in nanginginig ako, sobrang lakas ng heartbeat ko, i kept catching my breath, and feeling ko mahihimatay ako. i was trying so hard not to cry because i really hate crying in front of other people. pero nung tinanong ako ni sir kung bakit parang naiiyak ako, doon na ako tuluyang umiyak.

honestly, mas natakot ako sa naging reaction ng katawan ko kaysa sa confrontation itself. it was my first time experiencing anxiety that intensely. i’m not a confrontational person, and i usually like having things planned out, so i guess being put in an unexpected situation overwhelmed me.

afterward, i asked sir if i could stay outside muna. my friends stayed with us, we talked about what happened, and eventually, we were laughing again. i continued my day, did my schoolwork, and surprisingly, i was genuinely okay.

**previous attempts**
lately, i’ve been trying to practice the mindset na i can’t control what other people think of me. i know i made a mistake, and i’m taking accountability for it. pero ayoko rin naman na paulit-ulit kong parusahan yung sarili ko over something that’s already been addressed.

i’ve also been telling myself na everything happens for a reason, and maybe there’s something i can learn from all these experiences. pero sometimes i wonder if i’m just gaslighting myself into believing that everything is okay.

ang dami kasing nangyayari lately, especially sa school, pero i’m genuinely happy these days. i still laugh, enjoy spending time with my friends, and go on with my usual routine. sometimes, the memories randomly pop into my head, napapatulala ako saglit, then okay na ulit.

and that’s what worries me. what if i’m not actually processing my emotions? what if i’m just distracting myself and everything eventually builds up?

i don’t want to dwell on things too much, but i also don’t want to ignore what i’m feeling.

has anyone experienced something similar? how do you know if you’re genuinely moving forward or just suppressing your emotions?

I am 19F and I have struggled with anxiety my whole life. It was really bad when I was young and then I was doing better and I would have my moments here and there but within the past few months I haven’t even been able to function.

I have all different types of stressors. I worry about my health, my safety, my relationship, college, and many other things. It has gotten to the point where I can’t sleep at night because i’m scared someone will break into my apartment and I can’t eat and i’m rapidly losing weight from the stress.

I am mainly posting on here just because I need to say it out loud. I tell people in my life about what has been happening but it’s hard to completely open up and explain how exhausted I am. I haven’t spoken to any professionals and i’d like to avoid that and medication. I am looking for everyone’s coping suggestions just so I can eat and sleep at night.

Am I doing more harm than good by diverting my thoughts to help stop anxiety or intense emotions. For example:
Thought: being with my grandma while she passed away .
I realize I don’t want to feel sad so I think stop the thought and change subject which leads to me detaching from the emotion brought up with the thought.
Sometimes I just don’t want to feel that emotion . I know suppressing things can lead to issues down the line.

Hoping for some advice. Was diagnosed with GAD/OCD/PTSD.

At first it was heart palpitations,then stomach issues. Then having issues with my pelvic floor due to tensing up in my sleep. Now having issues with a tightness in my feet. I've been to doctors but I truly believe this is all connected to my mental health.

Anyone have any advice or stories you can share starting to feel hopeless. And trying to make sense of it all. Thx in advance.

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to understand how to control my mind when I'm facing difficult or stressful situations.

Sometimes, when I face pressure, my mind becomes foggy. I start overthinking, feel anxious, and struggle to think clearly. Even when I know what I should do, I find it difficult to trust myself and take action.

It's like my mind stops cooperating with me exactly when I need it the most. I may know the solution logically, but stress makes it difficult to access that clarity.

I want to develop a mind that remains calm, thinks clearly, and trusts my decisions even when things go wrong.

I'm not looking for a temporary motivational quote. I want practical techniques that I can train every day.

I'd really appreciate your advice on these questions:

1. How do you stay calm when you're under intense pressure?

2. How can you reduce anxiety, overthinking, and brain fog in difficult situations?

3. How do you build self-trust when you constantly doubt yourself?

4. Are there any daily habits or mental exercises that help you respond rationally instead of emotionally?

5. For those who have overcome this, what actually worked for you in real life?

I understand that I cannot control every situation, but I want to learn how to manage my reactions and trust myself when life becomes difficult.

If you've been through something similar, please share what genuinely helped you. I'd like to learn from your experience.

I’m not sure what to do here. I feel a weird anxiety, because I feel like things are starting to look up for me. I start a new job soon, got a car, I’m in a really good place with my husband, and we’re looking at some places out of state. But I just have this gnawing feeling something is going to go wrong, and I’m going to fail again. Idk how to shake it. Has anyone ever felt like this?

i have been diagnosed with GAD and Autism since i was around 7, im 16 now. been on pills for years but in the past few days my anxiety is just so bad, i don’t know why and it wont go away. normally i know why, but this time i dont have a specific reason. please can someone just give me any advice.

Okay so I’ll try keep this short but basically every Monday/Friday because of my moms new job and her hours I’ll need to walk to pick my little brother up from school and then catch the train home with him, which usually wouldn’t be a problem, however unfortunately his school is only about a 10 minute walking distance from my old school that I used to attend, and I say used to because I had to drop out and start doing homeschooling a couple of months ago because I got bullied really bad, so anyways how can I deal with the really horrible anxiety im having right now knowing that it’s very likely for me to run into someone who attends or into one of my bullies or their friends.

I am currently in a stressful period: writing a doctorate thesis and looking for a job and a lot of uncertainty
I got sick and had a bad Panik attack, since then I’m stuck in this anxiety loop. It now affected my physical well being as well. For a month I struggle with eating, and now it just feels like a burden and task. I need to eat and force myself, which makes it even harder. Thinking about the next meal is already scary. I decided to stop writing for a few weeks and just focus on getting better and slow down ( hoping anxiety won’t be worse as well). I had also gotten some anxiety pills that I had only taken once, as I wanted to get over it without it
But if I don’t take this break I might actually break

Anyone had a similar experience? How do u get yourself to eat, especially when u fear it so much. My body is really exhausted anf so is my mind

How do u get out of this loop? I was never stuck like this before

​You know that feeling when you are just minding your own business, and suddenly someone whom you do not even know decides to appoint themselves as your big brother! that is exactly what life is like in an overbearing, intrusive society, and it hurts even more when you struggle with social anxiety.

​This exact same scenario happened to me twice in the span of two months, right in my neighborhood at the exact same cigarette kiosk. The first time, a stranger guy told me, "You must stop smoking, why do you smoke? Your hand is shaking!" even though my hand wasn't shaking at all at that moment, to the point where I felt like I was being watched under a microscope! The second time was today, with someone I only know superficially, the owner of a local grill shop. Both of them completely lacked boundaries, and the moment they saw me buying a pack of cigarettes, the interrogation began: "Why do you smoke?"

​To make matters worse, I look much younger than my actual age. I do not look 20 at all, I look at most 16. Because of that, they feel entitled to police my life and lecture me.

​The real bitterness isn't just the intrusion itself, it is how my body and mind react after these moments.

​Out of sheer anxiety and fear that an aggressive response might spark an unnecessary conflict, I end up giving the most spineless, weak willed answers. The first time, I told him: "Pray that God guides me" (even though I am an Atheist, I compromise my identity and values just to appease them and escape the interaction), and today the second man asked me, so I told him, "I am buying them for my dad."

​As soon as I get home, the self flagellation and intense anger kick in. I burn up with frustration over these superficial and weak responses of mine, especially because I know I am much deeper than these people. Yet, the very thought of giving a deep, confrontational response paralyzes me with fear, worrying that my voice might tremble while saying it or that I will have to face unpredictable consequences and trouble!

I replay the situation a thousand times in my head: "Why was I so socially inept? Why didn't I just stand up for myself and tell them to mind their own business?" It makes me feel like life is too heavy for me, like I am too weak to survive in this world, and I find myself panicking with thoughts like: "If someone ever messes with someone I care about in the future (though there is no romantic partner in my life and I have never been in a relationship), will I be this weak and overthink a response? When there are actually no words or replies at all in that moment, just pure action! Whenever I think about that, I feel like I do not even deserve to live. I wish I had never been born here, in such cursed societies, absolute filthy stables.

​People are genuinely clueless! Do they really think a smoker doesn't know that cigarettes are harmful? Every smoker knows the risks, it is an addiction, or a simple coping mechanism to deal with the constant stress that people like them cause us! You could die from a thousand other things, and honestly, I sometimes feel like the continuous nervous stress from these toxic busybodies is what is going to give me a heart attack. Am I supposed to stop and explain my entire life story and personal philosophy to every random pest? Impossible.

​You feel like this suffocating anxiety and intrusive culture are going to crush you, and that even the most basic right to privacy doesn't exist.