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Feeling Constantly Scared And On Edge

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heyheyhey

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hi everyone,

At the moment I am feeling constantly frightened. This fear just sits with me all the time. It goes away when I'm with people I know. It's strong at night and when I wake up from nightmares, which happen a lot and are about all kinds of stupid horrible things (like my baby niece getting eaten by tigers and my friends hating me and ghosts and the end of the world). It's so stupid, I know there's nothing to be scared of but its just an instinctual fear; I get scared of strangers, scared of my own shadow, jumpy when my boyfriend snores....its actually even funny how silly it is lol. When I hear sounds - or any new kind of sense imprint, seeing anything - my mind starts intensely scanning for danger and I feel scared. I get scared to sleep and feel scared of my own mind and my dreams; I get scared I might just lose it...

I know I'm not in danger! But I feel frightened....


Right now I've felt scared for the past three days (since going out partying and not getting any sleep....won't be doing that again) when before I was fine...it's like it comes in circles "I'm fine" and then something stressful triggers me and I'm so scared for days.

I feel like I'm going crazy or scared I am and I get scared to tell anyone :(. I'm scared to tell my boyfriend and my parents... (I'm early 20s but feel like I need their support...). Does anyone else have this? Is it just normal PTSD? Any advice? I guess I'd love some advice on fast relief?

I guess I'll try and keep myself busy and keep up with my counselling, self-applied SE and massage - it HAS to get better.

Peace to everyone ❤️. Sorry that you all have to suffer this terrible thing as well.
 
I have the same thing now. I happened to feel very safe quite long time andone event triggered me and "the fear" is back. Not 24/7 but it's back. It's being alert and stressed... selfsoothing much needed.
It's so frustrating because you think you are fine just to drop in this hole again.
 
As long as you KNOW that the things you are afraid of, are nothing to really be afraid, of it's ok. I went through this too when my PTSD was way out of whack. I felt afraid, scared of noises in the night, and just plain weird shit. I too would sit there and talk to myself and tell myself to STOP the craziness,. It was worse when I was sleep deprived, or had high anxiety.

It has stopped now. I think that once you work on whatever is triggering it, it will subside.
 
Possibly learning some self care routines will help. It is not silly at all, but fortunately symptoms we can learn to manage.
Are you on any meds to help with the anxiety? .And there are many meditation and relaxation techniques that can be learned.
Google Tara Brach. Her meditations are short and I find them very soothing and easy to follow. Hope you are feeling more relaxed soon. This is one of the hardest symptoms to deal with.
Wishing you a more peaceful day.
 
I have the same thing now. I happened to feel very safe quite long time andone event triggered me...

Yes, totally - you feel safe and then boom!! It's back. Hopefully it will lessen with time - I'm sure it will. I've been doing some somatic experiencing exercises, which help a lot. The main things that make it evaporate - are being with friends, being with animals and working. Thanks for sharing, and sorry you're having a hard time too - it's so hard!

As long as you KNOW that the things you are afraid of, are nothing to really be afraid, of it's ok. I we...
Thank you :)!! How did it stop for you? I think I'm realising I just can't handle any kind of stress...

Possibly learning some self care routines will help. It is not silly at all, but fortunately symptoms we...
Thanks very much :))! Great advice - I'm doing progressive muscle relaxation and metta meditation - which both help and mindfulness meditation. What are some good self-care exercises? Honestly, I'm also PMSing pretty badly right now, so it's always worse then and I'm sure it will get better :).
 
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Oh hate it for you that PMS is throwing you off even worse. I hated being alive during that. Thank the Universe that I am an old lady and one less thing to make my PTSD worse. Sending gentle hugs, you can always put them on a shelf and use them later, as opposed to throwing them across the room while PMSing! :nailbiting:
 
I become more hypervigilant and fearful when I am avoiding dealing with issues needing dealt with. I hate the feeling you are talking about. It is awful and creates a vicious cycle...have nightmares...poor sleep...harder time coping...poor sleep...etc. Hang in there. You are not alone!
 
Oh hate it for you that PMS is throwing you off even worse. I hated being alive during that. Thank the Un...

Thanks so much for your kind reply Ladee ^^!! It was like a lovely warm hug lol!! Good thing about PMS, is that you know it's a temporary low :). I'm feeling confident I'll get better....I think it's just about avoiding stress and getting the right support :). Thank you so much for your reply :)!
 
I become more hypervigilant and fearful when I am avoiding dealing with issues needing dealt with. I hat...

Thank you so much Enalia!! It really helps so much to know I'm not alone, just having you all understand really makes so much difference and I realize I'm not crazy; I'm just frightened and triggered unnecessarily by a faulty burglar alarm (nervous system :)).

I have a massage on Friday, I'm setting up acupuncture and I'm seeing my counsellor next week. I'm also figuring out my stressors well so think I know what I need to avoid :)). I only recently had a bad experience so I think that's why I'm so amped up - over time I'll relearn safety and learn to adapt to my new tolerance for stress (I'm realising I can't do the things I used to and that's okay, I just want to look after myself and support myself).

Thanks so much for your reply; every one is like a beautiful gift, it makes a world of difference. So kind of you all to take the time to reply to me, I truly appreciate it - thank you all.
 
For me it's usually a sense of being watched contemptuously. So I try to locate the sense of being watched in my physical body. This has to be rooted somewhere -- where is it? Sometimes I can actually feel some pressure in my upper back, and I say, there it is. I can start to feel calmer and more grounded if I remember to keep doing it.
 
@heyheyhey like I said.... Find out what is triggering the fearfulness. There usually is something within the trauma that is causing you to now be afraid.

I always had a hard time going to sleep when I was in full blown PTSD mode. I was anxious, couldn't sleep, scared, ect. During therapy and digging really deep with my therapist we finally figured out WHY night time was so difficult for me, and why I couldn't get to sleep before 2 or 3 in the middle of the night. That was the ONLY time I finally felt safe. It was when the rest of my family was finally asleep and I didn't have to be on edge. When I didn't have to worry that one of them was going to get me.

Once we figured out why, then we had to work on ways to make me realize I was NOW safe and could sleep. It was a process, but most of the time I have no problems sleeping...
 
Thanks guys ^^! I've been doing some somatic experiencing and it's helped loads....I'm still scared or anxious but far less...It's normally at night really, I've always felt a little anxious at night "like what is out there?" "what if I'm in danger?". Then it's just heightened now....
 
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