I have been suffering from anxiety and panic practically constantly for the past 4 months, and most of the time it feels like I’m anxious for no apparent reason. I get so frustrated that I can’t figure out the root cause, and I’m so desperate to know so that I might have a fighting chance of working through my problems to get some relief.
Anyways, sometimes I will just get a big ass Red Bull and chug it to give me even worse anxiety, and it’s almost comforting in the sense that at least I know where it’s coming from. I’m just going to be anxious anyway so what’s the difference. Does anyone else do this? Or am I just off the deep end at this point?
Dunno if this is a helpful thought, but at least for me often this feeling comes from something feeling wrong at a body level, often some kind of stomach discomfort, be it an upset stomach, or being hungry, that often gets interpreted as anxiety for me.
Trying to identify where the anxiety is felt in your body, or trying to make sure you’re taking care of all of your physiological needs might be worthwhile troubleshooting step 🤷🏻♂️
In DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) the PLEASE skill is just about attending to those physiological aspects of feeling alright mentally: