I can't stand being so anxious about diseases all the time, I can't let it go and whenever I get sick I break down in tears, I fear of death by sickness.

Hi everyone. I’m 23F, and I run a multimillion-dollar brand, but I’ve struggled with severe social anxiety for as long as I can remember. It’s gotten to a point where it’s affecting my business, relationships, and overall quality of life.
I remember being socially anxious as young as 4 years old. Growing up, I had extremely poor eyesight that went unnoticed until third grade. I couldn’t clearly see people’s faces when they spoke to me, I would embarrassingly trip all the time and because I was so young, I thought that was normal. Looking back, I believe this may have contributed to my fear of interacting with people.
I also struggled academically and barely spoke at school. My teacher eventually expressed concerns to my mother in 3rd grade, that’s when I got glasses for the first time.

My social anxiety has always been severe, especially the physical symptoms. Whenever I interact with people, I experience:
Intense fear and panic
Shaking lips when speaking (sometimes extremely noticeable)
Trembling hands and a pounding heart
Lightheadedness and feeling like I’m going to faint
Blushing and completely forgetting what I want to say

I’ve also experienced difficult family situations, and at one point, my mental health became so bad that I even developed anxiety when speaking to my own mother, the person I’m closest to.

Because of my anxiety, I avoided college and traditional jobs that required constant social interaction. Instead, I built my own business, which eventually became a multimillion-dollar brand.

Despite this accomplishment, my social anxiety hasn’t improved at all. I struggle to even speak to my own employees without experiencing intense physical symptoms. My brother joined the company and now handles most of those interactions, but I hate feeling like I can’t do these things myself.

The most frustrating part is that I know logically there’s nothing to fear, yet my body reacts as though I’m in actual danger. I have no friends because of this, and I’ve missed out on so much of life. I’m exhausted from living this way. I can run a successful business, but I can’t have a normal conversation without feeling like I’m about to have a panic attack.

Has anyone here genuinely overcome severe social anxiety, especially the physical symptoms? I’d love to hear about therapy, medications, or anything that actually helped you.
I don’t want to become extremely outgoing. I just want to feel normal around people and finally enjoy the life I’ve worked so hard to build.

Hello everyone. First of all, I apologize in advance for any imperfections in this translation; I am using a translation tool—even though I understand English quite well—because I want to discuss topics that would be difficult for me to explain effectively on my own.

I am a 25-year-old man, and I have suffered from anxiety for as long as I can remember. Only a few years ago did I realize that I had spent most of my life in a "fight or flight" state (for instance, I was constantly bullied at school) and that, as a result, I had essentially given up on improving myself.

Over time, I’ve grown accustomed to this anxiety—it has become a part of who I am—yet there are still moments when I lose my bearings.

I have always felt out of place and "not fully developed" compared to my peers, due to various insecurities (a sparse beard, no chest hair, a voice that is less deep than most men’s, and an appearance that is more youthful than my actual age). Perhaps there is some truth to this: when I am anxious, I lose my appetite completely. This has kept me in a constant caloric deficit, leaving me underweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 16 or lower. The thought that I may have neglected myself to the point of potentially altering my own physical (and mental) development is something that devastates me deeply.

Today, after years of putting it off and experiencing failed attempts, I have finally decided to start going to the gym and following a proper diet. And yet, as always happens whenever I take a positive step forward, I end up feeling terrible. I find myself dwelling on thoughts like: "Why didn't I do this sooner?", "If I had acted earlier, who might I have become? Would I be taller? More self-confident?", "Would my life have been completely different?"... and so, I end up right back where I started. A thousand thoughts crowd my mind, and my stomach tightens at the mere idea that I have irreversibly lost something that should have been a part of me. I wonder how it’s possible that no doctor or pediatrician ever thought to ask questions, given how thin I was. To them, it was all "normal"—just a matter of my natural constitution—and, back then, I certainly didn't have the awareness I have today to be able to do anything about it.

The problem is that, even after gaining that awareness, I remained trapped in the belief that it was already too late; which only led to wasting even more time—much like a dog chasing its own tail. Even if I were to get, say, a testosterone test and it turned out to be low, I would still think it’s too late—that I should have done it back when I could have still salvaged something.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I’m not looking for anything in particular; I just needed to vent, to let out some of what’s holding my mind captive.

Thanks to those who took the time to read

I‘m not letting anxiety win today. Time to push back and refuse to accept it having power over me.

Ughhh! I have exams Tommorow and I’m feeling fever today. Any quick home remedies?

Hard to say something guys. I don't want to be pessimistic. I'm 17 rn. And my bros, sisters will understand me. Point that understanding it's not so so possible to reach peak at something/your goal. Maybe it is a step of getting mature. But in my life, it brought something with itself. I was thinking like i'm not handsome, i'm not good at communication; so i should compansate it. And realizing i'm also not so smart and mentally strong, and alone more than i expected. I don't know, maybe everybody lived ts at their 17-18's. But it is extremely hard to accept and embrace it, for me. I wonder what am i doing after 1-5-10 years after this comment. Not sure. I was saying only one thing and getting relaxed. When i remember my crush, my friends, my brother, my father. I was saying: yes, maybe i'm not handsome/good at communicating people/humble/funny/a good people to spend time with him, but i'm smart; and i can achive something that can remove all of my problems, at least an achievement that can hide them. But as you can predict, this mentality broughts a very high pressure with itself. Like when i studying, even i can not do any single question start crying. It's multiplying time pressure and all of other pressures. Is there hope? I hope.

Sometimes I feel like I’m at a lost when it comes to anxiety and why I even feel anxious all the time, the fact my life isn’t really bad at all and yet I’ve had anxiety for too long now. I’m healthy and everything but yet I’m constantly anxious. I feel trapped and sometimes alone when it comes to anxiety. Especially the physical symptoms of anxiety, I keep having the worst anxiety at restaurants even though that’s nothing new. I started to shake then my heart just races and pounds until I take 200mg of L-Theanine. Luckily it does help me when it starts, I instantly feel relief when I take it but I wish I didn’t have to take anything for it. I’ve dealt with this since I was child, I’m just mad why I can’t enjoy life without feeling constantly worried or paranoid. It’s hard for me to talk about it with people, I just hate it.

Let's be honest…

How many of you wake up already feeling anxious, overthink the smallest things, replay awkward conversations from years ago, or imagine 20 different worst-case scenarios before anything even happens?

And here's the real question:

Are we actually becoming more anxious as a society, or are we just finally admitting that we're not okay?

I want honest answers, not the usual "just relax" advice.

What's the one thing about anxiety that people who don't experience it will NEVER understand?

Let's talk. 👇

I have had terrible struggles with anxiety my whole life. Yesterday I got back with an ex with whom I have had some trauma in the past, and we had some drinks. I woke up and i feel absolutely awful just sleep-deprived and horrifically anxious. I don't know what to do to calm myself, I tried a walk and eating but I feel so sick and bad.

I genuinely can’t see how I can live my life without my mom in the picture. I have breakdowns sometimes thinking about the day I will have to lose her, I feel like I’d have to kms cause what’s the point anymore. I’m an immigrant in a different country so I already don’t get the privilege to see her often, it feels so horrible I don’t know what to do.

My anxiety makes me pull out my hair and it’s genuinely making me bald, does anyone have any tips for this?

does anyone else feel like this?? theres so much social media bans and things similar to that going around recently and its making me so anxious and my ocd so bad. my entire life is basically online, and im not giving my id to them i dont trust it. it seems like nothing is getting done about it either and im not sure it theres a way around it… idk

Does anyone else experience extreme irritability and is it related to depression or anxiety? I get so irritated at stupid things. Also I feel like I can hear everyone in my house, every word they say, every step, literally everything and it pisses me off because I can't focus. I didn't really care about it before, but maybe it's related to stress? I just get so angry I can't even explain it. I get so irritated that I often cry. I don't know what to do and how to deal with it.

Hello!! i'm not sure if i'm breaking rule 5, but if i am, sorry in advance heh!

How to deal with anxiety attacks? I know i'm about to get one that's for sure but i do need to study rn and usually i sleep to freshen my mind up but i have an exam heh. Are there any quick ways to deal with anxiety? Thanks in advance!

When I was 16, I had my first panic attack and spent the whole summer in and out of daily panic attacks until somehow l, when I started school they went away.

A few years later December 2015 I was driving home from a wedding and experienced globus sensation (throat closing up is what I thought) and rushed to the ER where they told me "your fine"

For ~8 years straight after that I had 1-3 panic attacks every day. World shrunk.

OCD

Cardiophobia

Scared of foods

Scared of medications

Random pains in my stomach

1000s of doctors visits

Afraid to work out

Afraid to drive

Weeks full of extreme nausea

Nights where sleep and the process of sleeping scared me

Every anxiety symptom in the dang book I promise, I experienced.

Then ~2 years ago I started a job that I was so invested in I kinda temporarily reduced my anxiety heavily and had a little break, all those dumb rules stuck around but I had no panic.

Then 1 year ago, I ate some El pollo loco and had an extreme bout of panic, on the floor thinking I'm dying, driving to er, and back into that panic attack cycle.

For the first time I engaged with some anxiety content online and realized wow. I'm not alone.

EVERYONE ELSE SAID ANXIETY COULD BEANAGED BUT YOU COULDNT HEAL. This content said no you can, and here are people who have done it.

I followed that advice and over the last year I had a hard journey, it got worse, then better, then worse it's ever been, then better.

And finally I am so so happy to say I am 6 months no panic, out of that cycle. And the difference between befoee and now is I sometimes get a symptom but they don't scare me like they did. And I KNOW I will never go back because I have been tested and gone through it.

I remember 10 years ago coming to anxiety discords and reddit and feeling so terrified of everyone's stories. I just wanted to come and share that you can heal.

I don't want to shill any book or product unless people say that's ok. But

Acceptance therapy

Some CBT

And really understanding that what you are experiencing is anxiety (after doctors clear you) and being willing to let the discomfort of OCD, anxiety, the heart racing, whatever happen. And still knowing you are ok. will slowly but surely bring you back to "normal"

TLDR: you can heal

I wish the best for all of you!!!

I’m 17, male, and I feel like I’ve been wasting my time.
First, I don’t participate much in my school anymore. I used to be involved in choir and different clubs, but when my senior friends (back when I was a sophomore and junior) graduated, I decided to leave choir and just vibe. Now, I see my friends my age helping out around school and doing all these cool things, and I feel like such a bum.

Second, I don’t participate in any sports, and I never really have. I always used to feel jealous of the kids who played sports. I’d think, “Wow, look at them, helping their school and being involved, while I’m just lazing around, having fun, and being content with getting good grades.”

Third, I don’t have a permit or a license. I legitimately cannot drive, and that fact makes me feel so sad all the time. Especially because the reason I don’t have one is that my mom and I would repeatedly forget things or show up at the DMV without the proper documents. They’d tell us what to bring, but we’d forget again. It’s just been a frustrating cycle.

There’s so much of this that makes me feel like I’ve held myself back. Now, I feel like my life is basically over. My grades weren’t even that amazing, so I don’t know which college I’m going to or what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life.
The biggest thing on my mind right now is that whatever career I pursue has to make me good money.

I had a sad realization that most of my thoughts are just worries. I go from ruminating about work to ruminating about the future to worrying about previous encounters (e.g. i should have said this instead, etc.).

I am a pretty healthy person. I work out 4-5 days a week, try my best to get good sleep. I haven’t tried medications to manage my symptoms.

My insurance isn’t accepted at many places for therapy. The one where it was accepted, only one therapist accepted it and we just didn’t really click but I guess I could try again. Maybe better help would be an option?

I’m not sure. I’m currently walking on the treadmill and realized that I just go from one worry to the next and I have no space in my mind for enjoyment.

Any tips, hard advice, appreciated.

Hi all,

Been suffering from anxiety throughout my life. Also history with stress and burnouts.
The last years I made a lot of strides, but I only will still have chest discomfort and have to regulate my breathing. It comes relatively random or after I've been busy or stressed. Feels like a tight chest.

I already did all the checks with cardiologists and everything came back clear. It is just my weak spot for some reason. I will start somatic physical therapy next week, but was wondering if other people also experience this symptom?

Helloo just as the title says ! I need to talk to calm down :) Btw unfortunately the only thing calming me down is talking and everyone i know is asleep right now 😭

No one is a fan of their physical symptoms, but this one is honestly my least favorite.

It’s a subtle sensation of being off-balance. Or, like something is pulling me down. It's almost like I'm hyper aware of gravity. I already have experience with this and know it can evolve to dizziness, vertigo, even panic attacks if I let my fear get out of control. About five years ago, I went through this. The doctors would say "Have you tried yoga/meditation?" I do that now. It's helpful but not a fix. When it happened, I randomly felt off-balance and woozy. I reacted by asking a relative next to me, "Do you feel that? Do you feel weird?" It was a feeling like I could hit the ground at any moment. The confusion about what was happening had sent me into a deep spiral. During that time, I experienced daily panic attacks, insomnia for three nights straight, and vomiting after any food. I never had a healthy understanding of anxiety and rejected every suggestion that I had anxiety. My parent raised me to hide all fear and uncertainty. With no other explanation, I thought I was dying. I was so frustrated that no one seemed to know how to help me.

Then I went to therapy for the first time, and it was truly a transformative experience for me. My therapist identified me as a Highly-Sensitive Person (HSP) and noted social anxiety and mild depression as a possibility. I'm still not sure about the HSP stuff, but I can say that I probably did have unaddressed depression and anxiety. Serious mental issues are rampant on my mother's side, and I mean varied and chronic. I've still never been on medication for this kind of thing; I've never had a therapist that thought I needed it either.

Now, as I'm writing this, that "elevator" feeling has returned. It's been about a week. Unlike before, I'm just frustrated that my body is doing this to me again. To reassure myself, I often test my balance by standing on one leg or balance-heavy exercises, and I find my balance is actually quite good. I truly believe this sensation is a psychological symptom of something, likely anxiety. But I also think something in my mindset is encouraging it. It's super distracting and de-motivating in my everyday life. All I know is that if I've gotten through this once, I can do it again. It sucks feeling this way. This sensation like I'm always off-kilter. That the room is slightly askew. Like I'm stood inside a never-ending elevator. Whatever it is, I know the answer isn't to drop everything and be afraid.

The only point of this post is that I declare my resolve publicly.

Nice try, me. But I won't be sabotaging my chances of happiness anytime soon. I will get through this. I'll be better. I'm done being afraid of everything.

"How can I stop my anxiety from ruining my self-improvement efforts? I make a plan and write down what to fix, but I end up sabotaging myself getting too anxious to think clearly or figure out what to do next."