I’m not sure if this will get thrown into the ether…don’t think my Karma is high enough lol but here goes! I also haven’t posted on Reddit since I was 16 and cringe lol so apologies for any missing context/weird formatting.

I (22F) am moving to NYC tomorrow. I’ve been preparing for about a month now and am super excited, but of course now is when the influx of nerves and anxiety comes in. I know it’s understandable, but it’s definitely not helping me sleep lol. I have 2 roommates and live in a pretty safe area, but now I’m starting to get the “anything can happen to anyone at anytime” thoughts and can feel myself spiraling.

For those that live/have lived in NYC, do you have advice for staunching these anxieties? Any grounding tips (besides staying aware and alert)? Thanks in advance ◡̈

This is my third semester at csuf as a transfer. I am not sure if I have anxiety, but I am diagnosed with adhd and have to take a non-stimulant medication. I spend hours a day laying in bed trying to ignore my this feeling of impending doom and lose hours of sleep worrying constantly. I put off assignments/procrastinate to the point where I have to have a drink alcohol in order to get past the fear. My previous semester went very badly (hence why I'm retaking 2 classes) and I'm afraid I can't afford to fail. Unfortunately some outside circumstances (having to work more hours because my coworker quit) have caused me to be behind on school-and the more behind I got, the more anxious I would get, and then I would put off studying and get a bad score. I just failed my most recent midterm and I am 2 weeks behind on most of my classes. I know I need help but i dont know where to start.

I’m struggling with a constant, uncomfortable background feeling that’s hard to describe. It resembles internal anxiety, restlessness, boredom, or uneasiness, but isn’t tied to anything specific. I can work, exercise, socialize, or spend time with family, yet it remains in the background. It’s sometimes quieter in the mornings or when I’m engaged, but can also last for hours.

I’ve become hyperaware of my thoughts and emotions. Before this started, I didn’t monitor how I felt throughout the day. Now my brain automatically checks for the feeling, and researching or thinking about it seems to make it worse. I also constantly need stimulation and struggle to watch TV without using my phone or doing something else.

I’ve taken Zoloft for over a decade and was stable for years. This began earlier this year around the time my dose was adjusted. I was later prescribed Abilify, and within a couple of weeks I felt almost completely like myself again: I enjoyed life, had energy, and wasn’t bothered by the feeling. However, after 2–3 weeks it returned. I stopped Abilify and later restarted it, and the same pattern happened: significant initial improvement, followed by the return of the discomfort.

Abilify has helped my depression tremendously, but not this symptom. Clonazepam makes it less upsetting and easier to ignore, though it doesn’t eliminate it.

I’m currently pregnant, so hormones may be contributing, although this started before pregnancy. I’ve wondered about somatic OCD, chronic introspection, anxiety, DPDR, or akathisia. It doesn’t feel like an obsessive thought so much as an uncomfortable internal state my brain can’t stop noticing.

I still function—I work, exercise, care for my kids, and live my life—but internally I feel very different.

Has anyone experienced similar constant background emotional discomfort/nervous system sensitivity rather than traditional anxiety or panic attacks? What helped, and did you eventually feel like yourself again?

I don't know why it happens. Can someone please help...

Just want to start off by saying the main culprit is I haven't had dental insurance in ages. But, more than that, I've also had depression for my entire adult life. And as you can imagine, depression causes you to not really take care of yourself. So, my mouth is a mess. Thick, thick tarter especially on my bottom teeth. I consider the fact that I've never had a tooth ache a miracle.

I know I need to get this dealt with, but I'm freaking out. For one, I was never comfortable with having someone poking and prodding in my mouth, and now it's been 20 years since the last time. But also, I'm also super freaked out about what the x-rays will find and seeing the damage below the tartar. I know, I know. Dental technology has likely come a long way in 20 years. And I keep hearing about trials that literally re-grow teeth (if that ever comes here). But I also fear without insurance any fixes are going to be financially out of reach and definitely won't be covered in the complimentary free cleaning many places offer.

I don't know what to do. Keep putting it off til I get insurance, just suck it up....I feel like anything I do, I'm never going to have teeth that anyone wants to set eyes on.

Title. The smallest dose of xanax or half of the dose. My father is addicted to alcohol if it matters. I cant stand this anxiety and im thinking about taking xanax (it is an episode, not an ongoing anxiety)

omg i feel so weird
whenever for eg im at church and its very silent
or in an assembly hall whatever and again its silent
i actually cannot function like my palms get sweaty and then im terrified for when the bell rings or someone coughs or makes a noise because im so scared im gonna start flinching.

i get super tense - like the feeling someone is lurking behind ur shoulder but u cant turn around if ykwim

its mainly when its dead silent or someone is speaking into the mic but everyone is sitting in rows and is quiet and watching

seriously i dont know where i developed this stupid shit and i fucking hate it omds it legit came out of nowhere i cant.
(also i had a panic attack bc of this in church all the way back in march (Was legit fine every other time in church before this) and now every sunday and assembly i have to experience this)

can anyone help/explain pls lol 😞

i’m unsure where to post this, so i’m asking for advice here. on saturday (10/10/26), i decided to take a stronger hit of weed from muha meds vapes. i took one from an indica vape and a satvia vape (~2.5 seconds each). i’ve only greened out twice before and NOTHING compared to what happened five days ago. those mild ones only lasted about 20-30 minutes, while this lasted at least 6 hours.

as for what i went through, i had extreme paranoia and felt as if i was dying. i couldn’t stay still for long or i felt as if i was going to go crazy. i was in a permanent mental state of “oh my god, im going to fucking die,” and “i need to call 911.” laying down caused terrible anxiety, and attempting to watch shows that normally provide me comfort made me worse. grounding techniques never helped throughout my life and only worsened my paranoia. i felt as if i wasn’t real and had permanently damaged my brain somehow. i wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy.

for additional context: im not a heavy user of weed, and i had only started recently. i’m 18 (19 next month) and a college student. the only people who know about my experience are my friends who don’t use marijuana. my parents are the ones who gave me the vapes and encouraged me using weed for anxiety/sleep, but i am worried about getting professional help because i am, for one; 18 years old and not 21, and two; my parents are the ones who provided me the drug in the first place. i don’t want any legal trouble over my stupidity. i take zoloft daily (25MG) and up until that point, it had been working great.

it’s been five days since then. the day after was fuzzy and still had some lingering effects, but got terrible at the same time i ended up smoking (around 12ish that night). that led into the next day, and on tuesday, i felt substantially better, like i was ‘normal’ again. the same goes for yesterday, with only mild symptoms, like that deep, sinking feeling in my chest when i thought about that night. last night (10/13), i had triggered something to cause my body to go into a full fight-or-flight mode. my thighs were twitching and convulsing in waves and i had extreme anxiety. i was weak and shaky with that same sinking feeling in my chest that’s been haunting me since saturday. i also had trouble sleeping and needed to take medication to do so. if i closed my eyes for too long, id jerk awake.

today, ive had that lingering anxiety and mild derealization. i’ve struggled with thoughts of ‘am i even real?’ in the past, but nothing beyond just stupid thoughts. i’ve read around and i’m worried that this anxiety and DPDR will last months. i’m unsure of what to do besides wait it out, but i don’t know if i really have the willpower to do that. i’m more susceptible to feeling insane, i noticed. i’m worried that i have developed some form of trauma, DPDR, or mild psychosis just from me being stupid and taking longer hits than i should have. i know it’s the satvia that caused this - indica has NEVER caused me to green out, only satvia.

tldr; i had a severe green out five days ago and i still have lingering anxiety/paranoia and fight-or-flight responses. it comes in waves and is freaking me out. while im more mentally stable, im worried that this feeling will never go away. im 18 and dont want anybody to get in legal trouble for me using cannabis underage. any advice helps :-)

edit: i forgot to mention the physical side effects during my green out. i felt as if my uvula was stuck to my throat, and all of my body felt light and as if i couldn’t control myself. i was restless and fully awake. i never passed out or lost consciousness but i was nauseous (although no vomiting).

The cortex and the amygdala. How do these tie in with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine? Are my neural pathways wired wrong? Where's the damn neuroplasticity kicking in to rewire things and get my brain back to its normal baseline?

I've been struggling with my mental health for about two weeks after being stable for years. Anxiety, depression, the whole shebang. I've been on the same medication and dose for years, but I'm now on day 11 of slowly increasing my dose.

I'm constantly battling myself, my physical symptoms, and my thoughts, both voluntary and especially involuntary. The symptoms keep changing slightly and evolving, but the underlying discomfort is always the same. I can't tell what's the original flare-up, what's activation from the dose increase, or what's a combination of both.

I'm sick, tired, and exhausted. Moments of genuine comfort are few and far between. It's frustrating, and honestly, it makes me angry and hopeless. How much patience am I supposed to have? I feel like breaking down crying, which I already have earlier in this flare. Some days I have the willpower to push through, and other days I just can't.

Today was one of those days. Stay in bed it is. Dwell. Recuperate. Run more time off the clock. Wait for another dose of medication and more time for my brain to learn that I'm safe.

I recently picked up a book called Rewiring Your Anxious Brain. Actually, I bought a few books, although I'm not sure how the hell I'll read them. I've never been much of a reader, especially in my current state. I could barely concentrate through the first few pages, but I did learn about two things: the amygdala and the cortex.

Apparently, these are major players in anxiety. The panic, impending doom, existential dread, and that persistent feeling that something is extremely off in my head and body. This seemingly never-ending mental and physical discomfort. The stomach issues and lack of appetite, which are so damn annoying too.

Constantly sensing danger, fight-or-flight-or-freeze, breathing discomfort, feeling scatterbrained yet somehow laser-focused on myself, hypervigilance, and rumination. It's like my brain and nervous system are stuck in a perpetual state of unease.

But if the amygdala and cortex are responsible for anxiety, what about depression? How are the two so intertwined? Does being stuck in this overwhelming mental and physical anxiety somehow deplete other brain chemicals or throw everything out of balance? What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Either way, screw them both.

I have a small prescription for benzos to use "as needed." Ha. I feel like I've needed one for the entire two weeks. I've been saving them for worst-case scenarios, partly because I'm worried about dependence and tolerance, but also because I've been told that learning to live with anxiety, accepting the uncomfortable sensations rather than fighting them, is how you eventually overcome them.

That's great for the anxiety side, but what about the depression? The sadness, intrusive thoughts, apathy, and complete lack of desire to do anything or see anyone. There's little to no joy in life in this state. That's difficult enough on its own, and obviously the constant anxiety makes it even worse. Everything that should be simple feels like a chore, and everything difficult feels insurmountable.

And here's something I find strange. Sometimes, when I'm genuinely focused on something, whether it's a work task, answering emails, or finally getting absorbed in a TV show or movie, I get a brief moment of relief. For a little while, I'm no longer hyperfocused on myself or how I'm feeling. It doesn't happen often, but those few minutes are a nice break.

But the second my attention shifts back inward, the hypervigilance returns, the symptoms intensify, the rumination starts up again, and the cycle continues.

Then I'll walk down the street and see homeless people struggling with severe mental health issues. Part of me feels guilty for complaining about my own problems, but another part becomes terrified that I'm just one more downward spiral away from ending up like that myself. And that it could happen completely involuntarily, if my brain somehow decides that's what it wants to do.

Reddit can feel the same way. I come here looking for support or somewhere to vent, only to read about people in even darker places. It's scary. Mental health genuinely scares the shit out of me, and I feel like I have no choice but to navigate this storm, often feeling completely alone, with no daylight in sight. It's like a living nightmare where you're praying the scariest parts are already over and behind you, rather than still waiting to get worse.

I guess my point is that there's anxiety I can consciously recognize and try to manage, and then there's the involuntary anxiety, both physical and mental, that seems to happen regardless of what I think or do.

I desperately want to get better, but it feels like my effing brain is broken.

How do I do this? How do I keep fighting? When does that normal baseline feeling finally return? When do the constant anxiety headache, bad thoughts, chest tightness, and mental unease end? When does the joy return?

When can I lie in bed all day and actually feel completely relaxed? When can I go to work, sit in my office chair, and not feel like I'm losing my mind?

I'm not comfortable anywhere. Not at home, not at work, not even when I'm supposed to be relaxing.

I just want to feel like myself again. I want to get better. But holy shit, it's so difficult.

When does it get better?

I feel like I've been patient enough.

Hello everyone i was havung fun with ny friend and sending gifs when u suddenly saw a u settling gif and now im so scared i dont know who to talk to but the inage is really bothering me i screen shot it too. If its alright i would lije someone to talk to about it. Its really bothering me

I'm a huge nervous wreck with terrible crippling anxiety that has interfered with keeping/staying at jobs. I've been doing some exposure therapy and decided to apply at a local grocery here in my town. I'm kind of upset with myself because I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be able to handle this job since they cross train you in all the departments but I let the manager know i have anxiety and they do let you stay in the department you feel most comfortable/confident in, which made me feel like, okay! I can do this!!

I'm currently being trained in their cafe and let's just say my anxiety is already kicking in. The manager was walking me through everything and I was trying to listen and pay attention but my brain was all over the place. Everything felt scattered and just so overwhelming. They made me make sandwiches which, i know how to make a sandwich but with people around and customers around and the phone ringing I was sweating and shaking and I took so long making the sandwiches and I felt bad I wasn't helping when it started to get busy and trying to take orders so I can also get some practice on their pos machine.

One of my coworkers was showing me how to make a Chipotle sauce we use for a sandwich and I had to fill sauce bottles to stock up so we had more Chipotle sauce bottles. I made the sauce everything was fine but there's a funnel you can use so it's easier to pour the sauce in the bottles but my anxiety started to kick in and I lost my way of using common sense. I used a spatula to mix the Chipotle sauce and when it was time to fill the bottles i was trying to scoop the sauce with the spatula??? and trying to pour it into the funnel that was on top of the bottle. And my brain was telling me like, this is not the most practical way of doing this- go find a spoon or grab the bowl and pour it slowly into the bottle- but what if I do it wrong and it spills everywhere and I make a mess but I'm already making a mess trying to use this stupid spatula... there was Chipotle sauce all over the table, all the bottles I filled were just dirty and covered in Chipotle sauce and just that self doubt of what my coworkers were thinking watching me do all that just ruined it all for me.

I understand starting a job is very overwhelming and everyone learns differently and it takes time to feel comfortable and know what you're doing. But it makes me so upset how bad my anxiety has gotten and just to keep things short I've quit several jobs due to my anxiety. I quit 1 job my first day of training and then quit another a week after I was hired. Like I'm not dumb or lazy it's just my anxiety that ruins everything and doesn't let me think clearly or function like everyone else does. I feel so disappointed in myself that things haven't gotten better. I want to feel stable financially but as well as mentally. I want to be able to keep a job, interact with my coworkers, make friends, and just be a good person and employee.

Hey guys, so I'v been experiencing this sensation where my heart feels like it skips a beat or just like stops for a second then it starts pounding harder, it feels like the wind is blown out of you for a second and I need to physically regroup before continuing on with anything. This does happen every now and then but recently it's been a lot more frequent. I have really bad illness anxiety so its a vicious cycle because it's supposed to be caused by anxiety. But I just get like heart pain like my chest hurts and feels tight, My upper back hurts a lot too, and sometimes it just feels like my heart is going to give in. I don't know if it's just anxiety it just feels like no way anxiety has this much power over my body... I have done 2 holter monitors for 24 hours each but it never caught the skipped beats...My friend told me to go see a doctor again for another opinion but this triggered my health anxiety and I had a mini panic attack..any advice or similar experiences? I keep convincing myself I am going to die...which is weird because I'm not too scared of death