What Does The Anxiety Feel Like?

[wolfie205]

I started getting really anxious in my session when I had to share with my T about the things that happened this week. I started rubbing my hands together and she noticed it. She asked me what was causing me to do that and that she knew my heart had started racing and my breathing was getting heavy. Then she asked me if things slowed down when I got anxious and I told her yes. I never realised that I would feel things going in slow motion when I got anxious but sometimes it did. Is this what anxiety is supposed to feel like? I doubt I was getting triggered in the session, I was just talking about the anxiety and how it felt like.

 

[ronin47]

It certainly makes sense. You are making yourself emotionally vulnerable to someone when you talk about your feelings which is often very nerve wracking. However, your brain isn't thinking, "emotional vulnerability" when it has a reaction like that. No, the brain is much more simplistic in that regard. It is thinking, "Danger! Potential threat! React! Be on the lookout!"

It seems logical if you are having the so called fight-or-flight reaction that your brain would slow things down. That would make it easier for your to react to the next perceived threat. If you were an animal it would make it easier for you to jump out of the way of that proverbial tiger when it springs out of the bushes and tries to jump on you.

 

[Meadowsweet]

I agree with what ronin47 has said. They sound like anxiety symptoms to me.

 

[arfie]

For sure, it is tough to describe, much less be certain we are describing the same thing.

I think my anxiety often leads to fight or flight mode. I think I speed up in fight or flight mode and time seems slower because of my elevated perception. Anxiety is only one of the ways I can arrive at a panic or fight/flight.

Anxiety is a more generalized sensation for me. Kinda electrical, like I just swallowed a battery. Seems like anxiety can grow into more than one other state when it escalates. Paranoia, delusion, etc.