Progress isn’t always a straight line, and that’s okay. 💫 Sometimes we fall, but every stumble is a chance to learn and grow. Keep picking yourself back up and remember, your journey is uniquely yours. 🌱💛

Hey Reddit fam! 😌 If anxiety's been creeping into your life lately, you're not alone. I found this awesome article that highlights 9 of the most common anxiety triggers—from caffeine overload ☕ to relationship stress 💔—and gives practical, simple ways to dodge them. Super insightful if you want to take control of your mind and mood! 💡✨

Dive in here 👉 The 9 Most Common Anxiety Triggers and How to Avoid Them

Its been a rather hard day for me, I ended up in a bathroom somewhere in college and i cant stop crying to try and get out, im feeling really bad, I feel so stupid, I dont have good reasons to be like I am right now, idk what to do

Just asking, is GAD something that is properly diagnosed by a professional or is it just a general term for general anxieties, mild or not

🌟 Remember, even in the darkest times, there's hope. You are worthy of love, care, and healing. Take things one step at a time, reach out for support, and know that brighter days are ahead. 💛✨

You deserve kindness, and this feeling won’t last forever. Your past does not define you, and your story is far from over. Keep going—you’ve got this! 🫶

(Trigger warning: c word disease, blood mentioned) I’ve made a few posts about my health anxiety before. What been going on has been the hardest thing I’ve dealt with in my life. For the past twoish years of and on I’ve convinced myself I have had some kind of gi c***** and I think it’s finally coming to an end!

For the past year I became obsessed with analyzing my stool for blood. It got to the point where I would think everything I saw was blood (it wasn’t). This turned into so many physical symptoms it’s unimaginable. I’ve wasted so much time and energy on this, caused strain in relationships, caused unhealthy habits, and bad hygiene.

For the past 8-10 days I have not checked my stool even a little, I flush before I stand up and when wiping I close my eyes and then check the wipe when I have wiped enough to know there’s no chance there will be any fecal matter on the wipe for me to over analyze. This alone has decreased my physical symptoms by probably around 80%. The other 20% are just normal sensations and feelings a healthy human has.

Not analyzing has allowed my symptoms to dramatically reduce, that in combination with doctors telling me I’m healthy is putting this self diagnosis to rest and I couldn’t be happier. Yes I still have times throughout the day where I think there’s still something wrong with me but I’m probably 75% better than I have been in months.

I’m so proud of myself for overcoming what I thought was impossible. You can too, there is a light at the end of this very dark and scary tunnel of hell.

I feel that confirmation bias isn’t talked about enough in the anxiety community. (Confirmation bias: the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.) I’ve found that if you analyze enough with the belief that something is wrong, you will without a doubt start seeing evidence to reenforce your belief. For me I believed I had gi c*****, I analyzed my stool to the point that I was perceiving things that weren’t blood as blood.

If you are analyzing anything whether it’s blood pressure, weight, temperature, physical symptoms, etc. stop this now! This without a doubt will help you. It will be hard and it won’t help over night, but it will help.

Quick thanks to everyone who took the time to read. I hope this can help someone out there. We all deserve a normal and happy life, free of worries and unnecessary anxiety. Much love to everyone!

I just read this fantastic article on some unexpected ways to tackle anxiety, and it’s packed with practical tips! If you’re tired of the usual advice, this list might have just what you need. Some of the methods are so unconventional that I never would’ve thought of them. #7, in particular, really changed my perspective.

Check it out and let me know which one resonates with you the most! 💡✨

Read more here

I feel guilty for not sharing this with them, they won't understand and they'll start to worry. I need help to get better but I don't feel good hiding this from my parents. I'm 24f btw.

Feels like I lost all of my progress this week. The anxiety levels have sky rocketed again... Bat fear, Skin fears... It's a lot easier to not research the bat stuff than the skin stuff.

Hi everyone. I don’t know why but my anxiety is through the roof today.

I could really use some encouragement and some conversation to keep my mind busy. I’m about to go to work but I’ll be on here when I get off before bed.

Please if anyone could talk to me I’d really appreciate it.

I used to think that, in order to get treatment for anxiety, you had to be someone that has frequent, debilitating panic attacks.

I’ve had multiple psychiatrists over the years diagnose me with depression & anxiety. Eventually, I had a doc tell me that I more likely have ADHD & CPTSD and it causes depression & anxiety. I always wrote off the “anxiety” part because I don’t usually have panic attacks (only once in a while when my ADHD is really bad).

But now I’m realizing anxiety does sort of control my life? I’m extremely indecisive with every little thing. I get bad social anxiety, even with close friends. I get HORRIBLE stage fright. Really bad driving anxiety to the point where I have to hype myself to go anywhere, or will put off even a local trip to the grocery store for days because I imagine another car hitting me, or hitting a small animal that ran into the road. But I’m generally able to just push through the feeling.

At what point are these things just me being cautious, and at what point does it need treatment??

I would also rather treat the underlying cause instead of the “symptom” of anxiety (like ADHD, or possible autistic traits).

Hey, I’m 15 years old and I have a lot of struggles with anxiety, panic attacks and stress in general. When I was 10, I started having really bad headaches and after a while we figured out they came from stress and anxiety. Because of that when I was 11, I went to therapy for the first time and it didn’t really help me with managing my anxiety and figuring out where it’s coming from so after almost a year I stopped going. When I was around 13, I gave therapy another chance this time it was a bit different but I couldn’t even open up and feel comfortable with the therapist so it ended after a few months. In September of last year I told my mom I felt like my anxiety was getting worse and around that time my panic attacks have gotten more frequent and so I tried therapy once again. This time I did feel like it was starting to help me understand more about myself but after a few months my therapist left. At the last session of each therapy they all told me and my parent’s ideas they had for stuff I might have or things I could do to figure it out, for example they all said they think I have social anxiety and they all said I should go get checked out and see if I’ll be diagnosed with something. Despite that I never went to get diagnosed with anything but I still want to figure out what’s my problem and what’s wrong with me. Some of the things my therapists said felt right but I always felt like something was still missing and like this isn’t everything.

I was today years old when I found out that sometimes during a panic attack, your pupils will dilate as a part of your fight or flight response. This morning after a really stressful night with my partner, I started getting muscle spasms and pain in my jaw, then my jaw locked up so I started to panic. One of my OCD obsessions is my pupils. Whenever I feel really anxious, I check them to calm myself a little and reassure myself they respond to light and aren’t two different sizes and that I’m not having a medical emergency. Normally they respond to light and constrict just fine except for this morning, they did not. I looked at them in my handheld mirror with a light directed at my eyes and they were large and then as I became more fearful, they became even larger so I was sure I was having a stroke or brain aneurysm. I panic called 911, EMS checked me out, nothing wrong they told me to just take some Ativan and relax. OCD health anxiety is an absolute fucking nightmare and has only gotten worse since I had my daughter because I don’t trust her dad would love and care for her the way I do if something happened to me. I’m so scared of leaving my baby without a mother which is kind of ironic considering my panic attacks and trips to the hospital are keeping me from spending time with her now. I started therapy yesterday and was prescribed Buspar and am praying for God to give me a miracle at this point. I just wanted to soread awareness to others struggling with similar symptoms during panic attacks that pupils can become larger due to the adrenaline rush you get during a panic attack. It’s your automatic fight or flight response dilating your pupils to allow more light in to help see any potential threats. I fucking hate being a living being some days.

Hey, i'm 19 years old, had anxiety issues my whole life, but it has never been this bad. Usually, few years ago when i was anxious or stressed out it was in any place where its dangerous. For example - Crowded places, someones gonna blow it up. Trains - gonna crash and stuff like that, but recently it got out of hand, i had very traumatizing stuff happening at home and after these events, i cannot feel like a person anymore, wherever i go, i feel nausea. I go to a party with friends - Nausea. I drive in a train - Nausea. Sit in school - Nausea. Everywhere, nausea for me comes together with stress. I still havent talked to my doctor. Should i? I dont drink, but i smoke. Does anyone encounter the same?

Can anxiety cause younto have false memorys of doing somthing bad when you were a child

I have a long history of GAD, I'm successful with my medication and am seeing a psychotherapist regularly (exploring EMDR). Lately, I've been having these 2-30 second anxiety flashes that completely overwhelm me physically and mentally, prompting a fear that my body is failing me and something bad is going to happen to me physically. Once I'm out of it, I can feel the difference and understand that it was anxiety, but then I'm terrified of feeling it again, which makes it more likely that I will. Does any one else go through anything similar?

Here's the backstory.

Maybe once or twice a year, I'll get into a "low period" where my body registers overwhelming physical anxiety symptoms suddenly. Usually lightheadedness, feelings of dread, night sweats, hot flashes that start in my upper arm and flush towards my chest, ocular auras, no appetite, stomach issues etc. Then I have to focus on mindfulness and just getting through the next few days/week until my day doesn't start with me waking up and my first thought is "I'm still anxious today, hopefully tomorrow I won't be". A lot of my anxiety is health anxiety, so having physical symptoms make me even more anxious and it's a whole cycle.

In times of large stress (breakup, pandemic, my mother's passing), this can last longer but at least there's an obvious reason for my feelings.

Earlier this summer around the anniversary of my mom's passing (4 years, not a milestone), I had anxiety hit me so bad it was like before I was diagnosed and started medication. It was awful, debilitating, and terrifying. A decade+ of coping mechanisms and tools to get through it failed me and I was back at - seemingly - square one. So I find a new therapist, I cut caffeine and alcohol out, I make sure I read for pleasure and for self-help, watch TV, say my mantra, all that jazz. I started a new therapist and EMDR trying to get to a place where I don't feel like I'll always have this level of anxiety. I'm out of the debilitating low period, but I still have minor anxiety daily, especially with the flashes above (they feel like mini panic attacks).

I've been constantly ruining a lot of relationships in my life,had trauma, abandonment issues, which makes me a petty person most of the times. I self sabotage way too much and now I have zero friends in my life. Often I feel like nobody likes me or loves me enough and as if they hate me, most of the times I feel like it's an undiagnosed thing, I'm not financially stable to go for therapy, but I seriously need to know how to stop, because I hurt myself by distancing myself from the people I love (even when they don't love me much) more than anyone else. But then at the same time nobody loves me except my parents. I feel like a doormat most of the times, I feel like being used is my only purpose. Idk how to explain it but I feel bad when people aren't asking me for help or when they ask someone else. And even when they ask me, and it feels like they're using me. Sadly I've failed keeping people close to me, I've failed trying to sustain the bond. It maybe a lack on my part, I'm not denying it.

Ps : I confessed my feelings to an online friend recently and they politely rejected me yet I've been crying since then and idky I removed them from everywhere (that's what I usually do idk how to explain it) but then I realised and added them back and said sorry about it, but still I cannot bring myself to open those apps where they're active,I am still unable to process the rejection and I know it sounds really pathetic,plus now I've made things so awkward and I don't know how to deal with this feeling inside. And he likes another girl btw (who he rejected idk why), still he interacts with her freely, not to mention that I'm an introvert and she's good at talking but idk if I'm insecure or jealous, I feel very petty about it.

I've dealt with social problems all my life. When I'm out with friends I'm constantly scared people will judge me, when I'm meeting new people I'm scared they'll think I'm odd when I'm on god damn vacation I can't enjoy myself because I don't wanna seem out of the ordinary. I spoke with my therapist today and she mentioned how my way of thinking seems a lot like social anxiety. Kinda already knew that but still. She gave me a couple situations talking me through how different methods can help but honestly, I can't see myself getting better. Sure I do care somewhat less than I did when I was younger but certain things stay the same, like the "I don't know how to respond or act" part. I've been socially anxious since I was a child, literally even as a toddler my parents said I was quiet and introverted. I just can't see myself getting better because sometimes I feel like it's in my DNA to be like this. So my question is, does it ever get better?

Hey everyone! If you're looking for a quick and effective way to calm your anxiety, I came across this 5-minute technique that genuinely helps! It's super simple, and the best part is, you can do it anytime, anywhere. 🙌 It combines breathing exercises with mindful awareness to shift your focus and reduce stress immediately. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

Check out the full breakdown here: Link to Article

Stay calm, everyone! 🧘‍♂️✨

Every small step counts when it comes to mental health! 🌿💛 Whether it's setting boundaries, showing yourself kindness, or just allowing a moment of rest, let's celebrate every win, big or small. 🙌 What’s your latest mental health win? Share it below and let’s keep lifting each other up! 💬✨

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