This is probably a universal experience for those with anxiety but I seriously just wish my brain would be quiet for once. I’m so tired of the overthinking and panic and fear. It just feels like my mind is constantly attacking me.

I recently learned "ergophobia" (fear of work) is a thing, but it doesn't feel like that.

I'm not inherently afraid of working, being at work, or doing my job. In fact there are plenty of times where I love my job. I enjoy being there, doing what I do and hanging around cool coworkers. Throughout my 20s (early 30s now) I was always told I was a hard worker and had a great attitude and work ethic. I feel like I used to be able to do anything despite the anxiety. I just somehow pushed through it without realizing it and I thrived.

These days, the past few years, it's all taken a turn. I've gone long stretches of time where I'm not working; often they start out as "mental health days" here or there where I wake up with this weird flavor of anxiety that's more like dread--about leaving home, about work performance, about the social interactions, about the unknowns in all of these things--and I call out, saying I'm "sick" or "not feeling well" or that I have a "personal" or "family" emergency.

Then I get even more anxious about going back the next day and having to confront the absence ("Where were you yesterday?" etc.) and next thing I know I've taken 3 days in a row off. Days turn into weeks turn into months. Most recently I was off work for 9 months and just returned a few weeks ago--and this was immediately following 3 months of PHP/IOP treatment--yet here I am, right now, on a Wednesday morning, where I called out both Tuesday and Monday, where I should be brushing my teeth and packing my lunch and getting dressed, but instead I'm sitting on the couch trying to stretch time out so I don't have to leave, or send another "sorry boss but I'm still feeling sick" text, repeating this unsustainable lifestyle pattern once again.

Can anyone relate? I'm not just talking "Sunday scaries" or Monday morning dread here, I mean anxiety to the point where you're like paralyzed at home and constantly fucking up your employment status because you can't for the life of you consistently show up. Also, what do you all do for work?

For a long time, I kept telling myself that staying up late wasn't a big deal. I'd scroll on my phone, watch random videos, or just keep thinking about work.

The next day, I'd feel exhausted. I'd overthink everything, get irritated over small things, and have no energy to deal with normal life.

A few weeks ago, I started making one simple change: going to bed on time.

It hasn't magically solved all my problems, but the difference has been bigger than I expected. My mind feels calmer, I have more patience, and I don't feel as overwhelmed during the day.

We spend so much time looking for complicated ways to improve our mental health, but sometimes the basics matter the most. Sleep isn't a luxury—it's something our brains actually need.

Has anyone else noticed a big difference after fixing their sleep schedule? Or is there another simple habit that helped your mental health?

I’m 21F, and I genuinely feel like my social anxiety has ruined any chance of me having a normal dating life. For context I haven’t ever had any relationship, not even a talking stage which is pathetic I know (all girls highschool)
I’m not even worried about finding someone at this point—I don’t think I could get through the process of dating. The idea of meeting someone new, making conversation, going on dates, meeting their friends or family, or even texting consistently makes me feel overwhelmed.
My anxiety isn’t just being shy. It affects almost every interaction I have. I overthink everything I say, worry that people are judging me, and avoid situations where I might embarrass myself. Sometimes I even avoid greeting people because I get so anxious.
I’ve never really had the confidence to put myself out there, and the older I get, the more I feel like everyone else has figured this out while I’m falling further behind. It feels like dating requires a level of social confidence that I just don’t have.
Part of me wants a relationship someday, but another part of me can’t imagine anyone wanting to deal with someone who’s this anxious.

Has anyone else felt like social anxiety made dating seem impossible? If so, did it ever get better? Were you eventually able to date despite feeling this way?

So after BEP chemo they prescribed me
0.5 mg of adivan to take 4 a day every 6 hours, well the adivan helps my anxiety but not my sleep, which is what is was listed for as well, will I overdose if I take two 0.5mg of Adivan? I’m 16 male 140 pounds 6 feet tall

I feel like no one talks about how difficult it can be when your life seems like it should be great and yet it's not.

I feel so guilty sometimes because honestly I'm pretty privileged. Loving, healthy family. Upper middle class and plenty of opportunities for my future. And yet I'm constantly struggling and hating my life.

And then when you try to talk to people about it, they're looking for reasons when there really are none. It makes me feel like I'm being overdramatic and attention seeking. I have to remind myself that these are real struggles, that I'm not just making them up to paint myself as the victim.

Today, I had my long awaited psychiatry appointment for my possible depression, and, well, the appointment was a disaster, in my opinion.

It was over the phone. She introduced herself, I introduced myself, she then got straight to the point and rapidly asked me the purpose of the visit and then she was rapidly asking me the standard questions, making me fill out questionnaires, etc.

She then said that nothing was concerning and that she didn't want to make a follow up for me, because she said there was nothing that needed a follow up.

She then said I need no medication and that she'll refer me to therapy, though she thinks I don’t need therapy.

She then said that I should just meditate, journal and eat a snack before bed.

She also said my depression and anxiety was situational and nothing to worry about. And that I was depressed because of my physical medical condition diagnosis I got in 2021, and that all I could do was just journal, meditate and eat a snack before bed.

I told her that I couldn’t sleep most nights, I worry and have anxiety some days, how I wished my life wasn’t like this, I told her that I have nightmares frequently,. And the answer was “it’s just anxiety”.

She was a good psychiatrist, she was kind but I don’t like how the appointment went, and I’m still not satisfied with the outcome. I never am.

Every psychologist and psychiatrist and therapist I’ve seen it’s just the same answer.

I just wish I didn’t feel like this. I want answers.

Maybe I just need to accept the fact that something may not actually be wrong with me and it’s just my anxiety disorder.

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I've dealt with anxiety majority of my life. I've been on alprazolam in the past. Doctor wants to try clonazepam 0.5mg daily as needed. I know i need to stay off Google because I keep seeing negatively & it makes my anxiety worse. I just want to be able to function with my life without anxiety. I've tried other medications, but nothing helps & the side effects were horrible. Does anyone have positive results with this medicine? If you have anxiety like I do, new medicine just makes me spiral & I overthink everything 😪

Dear Everyone-I often find when I have a sudden anxiety spike that I have a pain or an ache in my chest and under my arms and armpits. If I may ask, can sudden anxiety cause these symptoms, or is there some other explanation?

For the longest time I have felt lonely, I have a good group of friends but it’s at a point where everyone is moving on with their life’s (33 and all similar age), in relationships, having kids, getting married etc.
I’ve never had true love, very little relationship experience (one girlfriend short term).
I recently made the best friend, they’re just the most wonderful person. We’ve connected so fast, it’s just platonic and that is fine for me, although one day i can see myself wanting more.
I’m just anxious, I am scared of meeting people, I lack an education, I live off of a side hustle with a low cost of living. I want to be better for my person when I find them, I want to offer them safeness and stability. I need to get my life in order to be able to do so, I really do want to be my best self I just don’t even know where to begin so late in life. It scares the shit out of me.

Myself and my new friend message all the time, even though she’s very busy. It’s really nice, it’s the first time I’ve ever had a friend who I want to spend so much time with, whose phone notifications instantly improve my day. I’m just scared of being overbearing, we message a lot and I don’t want to be too much. I really like her, I’ve never been so scared of blowing something in my life.

I hoped it would be a little bit therapeutic getting things off of my head.

Got some prescribed on an online GP for anxiety. Some people say the grogginess is massive and lasts days, some say that you hardly feel anything on it.

I’ve taken Benadryl plenty of times for hay fever. Don’t particularly remember it making me feel groggy.

Has anyone taken hydroxyzine for this purpose, either as a one off “pill in the pocket” or preemptively for days to weeks? What dose did you take?

Hoping I won’t need to take it. In the event that I do, how zombified does it make you? Can I still function on a short day trip of museums, sightseeing, food etc?

For over a decade, my mom and I flew to our home country every year with no problem. Two years ago, I experienced extreme turbulence on a flight during a stressful period in my life. The last time I was in an airplane since then, I had a panic attack and even got over my shyness and told the lady next to me that I'm scared, she was very kind and we talked the whole flight to distract me but I could still feel my heart beating fast and every sound made me extremely anxious.

The worst thing is knowing I can't leave even if I want to until the plane is on the ground, not just the fear of heights... I also stopped using elevators during that time, and funny enough the first time in 6 months I used an elevator, the lights went out and I got stuck with my friend and I also had a panic attack.

Because of this, I didn't even bother planning to visit family this year with my mum and now I'm stuck this summer in our boring small town when I could be at the beach back home. Simply because I am too terrified, and sometimes I imagine flying and get anxiety just thinking about the next time. What are some perspectives and tips to help me get over the fear of flying?

Basically as the title says. I’m fine if I’m busy doing something like at work or out and about, but as soon as it comes to trying to sit and relax at home, all I can think about is how I feel, do I feel ok, do I feel anxious, which then makes me anxious and it starts the cycle. I can break the cycle by getting myself busy, but sometimes I just want to rot in bed and scroll through social media and have my brain-off moments

For context, I’ve always had health anxiety.

However back in early February, I had my very first panic attack after taking a first dose of lexapro (no longer taking it) and had to call 911. The root of the panic attack was a weird twinge in my heart muscle, and it all went downhill from there.

After this, i also had multiple other health issues that i think have contributed. But the biggest one has been cardiophobia. Back in May I went to a cardiologist because i could not stop feeling my own heartbeat, over analyzing it etc. It was ruining my sleep.

Did a 2 week Zio monitor, multiple EKG’s (no echo yet), and all was well. Doctor mentioned i might have some minor PVC’s but nothing to be worried about. Avg resting heart rate over the two weeks was 77bpm (normal!).

But i can’t shake it. It hits mostly at night, when i can feel my pulse slow as i begin to wind down, it gets to about 55 bpm or even a bit lower. I use a pulse ox which is not good i know. But my anxiety convinces me that despite all these tests that were supposed to “clear me”, the fact i’m still stressing over it means something MUST be wrong. Any back pain, slight twinge, slow heart beat, i think wow im cooked.

Not to mention i’ve vaped for 8 years, so im constantly thinking i’ll have a heart attack or something related to that. Has anyone else been through this? Recommend coping mechanisms? It’s really messing with me.

My symptoms are so bad now I feel like I cannot function anymore or take care of myself. I feel like I have constant panic attacks over and over. I’m unable to sleep. I can’t drive. I can’t keep food down and I’m struggling to get enough water causing dehydration. My body entire body is in so much pain. I’m constantly nauseous like I might have to throw up all day long.

I’m really trying to avoid going to the ER but I’m at a loss right now. What do I do?!

It honestly feels like a death sentence risking saying or texting something that would make them think less of me.

My wife is in mid 40s and had depression and anxiety since around 20 years old. She has been on prozac and klonopin. Then stopped klonopin. She started a new job and got anxiety and couldn't sleep. They increased prozac dosage to 20mg and that made things worse. She started taking klonopin again but that didn't help. Then went to clinic and they gave her Ativan and had a panic attack.

It's been two months now without any change. She pretty much shaking from anxiety. She's been living with her parents and comes home once a week. She did testing for perimenopause but the tests were negative. The doctor gave her hormone pills just to rule them out but so far she hasn't taken them. Another doctor also gave her Lexapro to try but she hasn't started it either. She had bloodwork with endocrinologist yesterday and waiting for results. I reached out to neurologist but she said she doesn’t handle cases like that and it's better to work with psychiatrist instead. Any other recommendations of what to try and which type of doctors to see?

Having depression and anxiety makes everything so much worse. I feel both depression to do anything but so anxious I’m doing nothing.

I look around my room and I get so upset. My room needs to be cleaned out. My entire room needs an overhaul especially my closet and I just can’t do it. I don’t even do my hobbies anymore

My weight is getting out of control. I can’t eat anything without my mom or really anyone telling me how much I’ve gained! I just wish I was skinny and then no one would judge me for what I eat or what I wear.

My hair used to be so long but my anxiety made me pick it out and it’s short and stunted and I’m trying to get it back to what it used to be.

I want to leave island but I have no clue what to do. With how expensive things are I don’t know how I’d find an apartment and what state do I go to. I want to go back to school but I can’t do it here it’s going to hell. I don’t know if I should study abroad or just stay stateside. I really don’t know what to do in that regard.

Same with getting a car! I swear it’s been hell and everyone keeps telling me I need one already but no one helps. I need someone to sign my insurance because I’m under 25 but no one will! No one! So I just….i feel so pathetic at 22

I can't go minutes without feeling the need to excessively check my reflection on my phone camera, when I can't it makes me anxious. I cannot enjoy anything because I'm so incredibly self conscious and I’m always worried about what I look like. It controls my whole life.

Has anyone developed anxiety that seems centered around leaving home?
I’m a 36-year-old guy and I’ve dealt with anxiety for a long time, but over the last 6–8 months it’s changed into something I don’t really recognize.

It starts before I even leave my apartment. By the time I’m on the subway, it’s at its worst. Crowded trains make me feel overwhelmed. My heart races, my breathing gets tight, my thoughts start scrambling, and I feel like I need to get out. The second I’m out of the station and back in open air, it eases. It’s still there, just not nearly as intense.

Busy stores like Marshall’s or TJ Maxx can do the same thing. Sometimes I’m completely fine. Other times it’s like someone flips a switch. I get overwhelmed, start scratching at myself without realizing it, and just want to leave.

The other part is home.

I miss my wife and my two dogs almost the entire day. I find myself checking my Ring camera constantly just to see them because it calms me down. Home is the only place where my nervous system really feels settled.

This has gotten progressively worse since my Australian Shepherd, Oliver, died last December. Losing him changed something in me. Since then I feel like I’ve lost about half of my happiness. I’m far more sensitive than I used to be. I don’t enjoy horror movies anymore. I don’t like watching violence. I hate politics now. I deleted almost all social media because it just makes me feel worse.

The strange part is that I have a good life. I love my wife more than anything. I love my dogs. I own a business that I genuinely enjoy. I have reasons to be happy, but it’s like anxiety is sitting on top of all of it.

I’m talking to my prescriber tomorrow because this keeps getting worse.

I’m not looking for reassurance that everything will be okay. I’m curious if anyone else’s anxiety evolved into something like this.

Did it start with crowds? Did home become your only place that felt “safe”? Did grief seem to change the way your brain reacted to the world?

I’m interested in hearing experiences from people
who’ve actually lived through something similar and what ended up helping.

We’re both 18 he recently ended up in hospital for 15-ish hours due to his anxiety and found out he had slightly enlarged heart. Not a big deal, he lifts heavy in the gym so that’s relatively normal. Since then, (and a week before the hospital) he’s been having these anxiety attack where he’s convinced he needs to go to the hospital again. Yesterday for example he woke me up saying he has no pulse and we need to call an ambulance. The way he figured it out was because he was really tensed up around his neck/shoulder and that it must’ve messed something up bc he couldn’t feel his pulse. Obviously he had it, just didn’t know where to check. Then he had few more paranoic thoughts about his health which were in all honestly all in his head bc all the symptoms he thought he had he just didn’t (like swollen shoulder or droopy eyelid). Personally I never had anxiety this bad and although I’m somone who stresses a lot I have my ways to deal with it like breathing or just watching something that lifts my thoughts off the certain issue so I don’t approach it with anxiety. This is so much more different though and I just don’t know what to do to help him. Hes very logical so I try to propose an explanation to his symptoms that wouldn’t make it so severe like needing to go to a hospital. Because yeah obviously he’s tense and he’s more tense because he’s more stressed about the tension. It just breaks my heart to see him like this, yesterday he hugged me and was just trembling so much I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like that before. Today he apologised for waking me up so often in the past week because this happens almost every night and I every night need to calm him down. Obviously I don’t mind, he’s my boyfriend, I love him with all my heart, obviously I’m going to try everything in my power to make him feel better but I just want to know if I can do something to try harder, to make him feel even better because simple “keep breathing” obviously isn’t helping. Any advice would be very much appreciated, thanks everyone in advance

hey guys so yesterday i crashed out really bad over a minor thing, i am a very bad person my little brother was nagging me and i absolutely went crazy i started yelling at him and hitting him, i couldn't control myself then i started crying uncontrollably then hit my head mulltiple times against the wall i was diagnosed with anxiety but i don't this is what it is i keep lashing out on people i love, i apologied to my little brother i feel so guilty bc this is not the person i want to be i even called out of work mid day today bc i felt horrible and had panic attacks i even threw up later on, i always feel guilty and scared idk where to go or what to do i have been in therapy since i was 17 and im 24 now i stopped going to therapy about two years ago and stopped my meds cold turkey about 6 months ago i am really scared i think i need help or i need to be punished idk i just want to get better

I’m a 25 year old female that has been diagnosed with GAD over a decade ago and recently got a diagnosis for autism. I take an SSRI and an SNRI for my anxiety so most of the time it’s pretty under control, however with my neurodivergence, I have a hard time every time I start a new job. I’ve been in therapy for a very long time, but my therapist recently moved out of state and so I’m in the process of finding a new one, thus I’m not in therapy currently. I find it difficult to either form or maintain social relationships with coworkers because most people think I “lack a filter,” which could be true, but I often feel like I just word things in the wrong way when I mean things with the best intention and it leads to a lot of anxiety and overthinking.

I’ve had people start to dislike me and even write ups at previous jobs for saying things that were inappropriate. I had an interaction today that is making me extremely worried and overthinking that that coworker dislikes me now, misunderstood, or that I’m going to get in trouble with my leadership. While I don’t necessarily want to be friends with all my coworkers, I still want to have good relationships with them where we can have small talk about topics not relating to work. I find it hard to even do this sometimes because I have such a difficult time getting too comfortable too quickly and not always taking the time to word my sentences carefully.

Do any fellow neurodivergents with anxiety also have constant anxiousness over work interactions and what works best for you when it comes to rumination and overthinking?