Anxiety is awful.
It is one of the worst mental and physical feelings in the world.
You literally want to jump out of your own skin. Inhabiting your body is like living inside of a live-wire suit with no means of escape. You are buzzing, overstimulated, and filled with a vague sense of dread.
Living with anxiety feels like that moment when you see a speeding car headed straight at you — only that moment lasts for what feels like an eternity. Your “fight or flight” systems are in full activation mode.
There's a heaviness in your chest. Your palms might sweat. Your heart is racing. You feel the urge to pace the floor, shake your foot uncontrollably, or rock back and forth just to dispel some of the anxious energy.
You might try to take some deep breaths to calm down, only to feel the anxiety rush back in like a tidal wave.
You may have other physical symptoms, like digestive problems, headaches, trembling, and insomnia.
Internally, your world is pinwheeling out of control.
You can't stop ruminating and worrying about phantom problems and unseen boogeymen. To add to your worry, you fret endlessly about your anxiety. “How long will this last? Why is it happening? How can I make it stop? Please just let it stop.” You feel out-of-control and helpless.
Concentrating on the most basic tasks feels like a Herculean effort. All of your focus is devoted to not falling on the floor in a quivering heap of tears and panic.
When so much energy is devoted to just getting through the day, you don't have much left over for work, relationships, and the things that normally bring you pleasure.
Everyone feels some anxiety from time to time. But when anxiety becomes your constant companion, when you find it looming larger and larger in your daily life, then you must take action before it becomes completely debilitating.
