Physical anxiety attacks in body
November 6, 2023 6:59 AM Subscribe
I get anxiety attacks which consist of strong uncomfortable feelings in my body - does anyone have similar experiences and know what helps physically with them?
I am female and neurodivergent, sometimes I inadvertently really mess up and offend people or upset them or hurt them and they attack me or blame me. It causes me immense pain and a feeling of horror, shame, rejection and helplessness (because I had no way to know or predict that what I thought was being helpful or reasonable would cause people to attack me or would hurt or offend them) and I feel that as a strong bodily feeling of discomfort (not physical pain, not hyperventilating or shaking) which wells up into tears if I try and talk about it, but there's a bodily feeling - in this case a marked discomfort on the left side of my waist that's very hard to describe and very uncomfortable and feels like the anxiety in my body (if that makes sense). Does anybody here recognise this sort of thing? Is there anything that relieves it and removes the uncomfortable bodily sensation? I find physical exercise/ exercises very difficult so bonus points if anyone knows anything else that could help Thanks
I am female and neurodivergent, sometimes I inadvertently really mess up and offend people or upset them or hurt them and they attack me or blame me. It causes me immense pain and a feeling of horror, shame, rejection and helplessness (because I had no way to know or predict that what I thought was being helpful or reasonable would cause people to attack me or would hurt or offend them) and I feel that as a strong bodily feeling of discomfort (not physical pain, not hyperventilating or shaking) which wells up into tears if I try and talk about it, but there's a bodily feeling - in this case a marked discomfort on the left side of my waist that's very hard to describe and very uncomfortable and feels like the anxiety in my body (if that makes sense). Does anybody here recognise this sort of thing? Is there anything that relieves it and removes the uncomfortable bodily sensation? I find physical exercise/ exercises very difficult so bonus points if anyone knows anything else that could help Thanks
I get a sensation of tightness and "wrongness" in my chest and trunk when I feel anxious. I suffer from GAD, and some times I feel anxious for no reason at all. The only thing that helps me when I am fully screwed up is a weighted blanket, and rocking in my recliner. If I am able to, thought stopping often helps. "I am not actually dying, this discomfort is just my anxiety, and it will pass soon. Let me go play a video game for 15 minutes and see if I still feel bad".
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 7:37 AM on November 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 7:37 AM on November 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
If it's accessible to you, you might want to see if you can book some sessions with a somatic psychotherapist. There are modalities of psychotherapy that are focused much more on the body (e.g., sensorimotor therapy, somatic experiencing) and less on narratives, and a professional trained in one of these might be able to help you process and address the sensations you're experiencing. It's been really helpful for me.
posted by Kosh at 7:38 AM on November 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Kosh at 7:38 AM on November 6, 2023 [4 favorites]
This sounds like vagus nerve activation. You can quickly reset it by doing this. You can search on YouTube for 'vagus nerve reset' and find lots more. If you are interested in reading about how the vagus nerve plays into anxiety, check out Polyvagal Theory in Therapy by de Dana.
posted by ananci at 7:38 AM on November 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by ananci at 7:38 AM on November 6, 2023 [5 favorites]
People experience it in different ways but "feeling anxiety in your body" is a pretty common experience. Some people tense all their muscles (me!), some people throw up, some people feel pain, but I would venture to guess that almost everyone holds stress and anxiety in their bodies sometimes.
I think you might benefit from trying out various ways of "completing the stress response cycle." A lot of people use physical exercise to work off the stress but it's not the only way. Deep breathing is probably the easiest one for you to try in the moment. Also, if you need to cry, cry! (Go somewhere safe if you need to.)
Also I hope you can cut yourself some slack. People should not be "attacking" you even if you do mess up. Everyone messes up, ALL THE TIME. Sadly, I don't think it's possible to get through life without inadvertently hurting people once in a while.
posted by mskyle at 8:05 AM on November 6, 2023 [15 favorites]
I think you might benefit from trying out various ways of "completing the stress response cycle." A lot of people use physical exercise to work off the stress but it's not the only way. Deep breathing is probably the easiest one for you to try in the moment. Also, if you need to cry, cry! (Go somewhere safe if you need to.)
Also I hope you can cut yourself some slack. People should not be "attacking" you even if you do mess up. Everyone messes up, ALL THE TIME. Sadly, I don't think it's possible to get through life without inadvertently hurting people once in a while.
posted by mskyle at 8:05 AM on November 6, 2023 [15 favorites]
For more regarding completing the burnout cycle/stress response cycle, check out this podcast episode and/or the transcript (scroll to the bottom of this page).
I definitely have rejection-sensitive dysphoria. I also somatize my stress pretty deeply, apparently. I had a seriously traumatic experience this past week similar to what you describe, and while I feel like my brain is doing well, my body is still not right—feels like massive inflammation. I'm waking up with my trigger finger stuck for the first time in a long time, my digestion has been a wreck, and after I eat, I've been getting chills. My guess is that the stress hormones are causing my existing autoimmune conditions to flare up.
So I'm treating this like I would any other illness that causes inflammation: drinking a lot of tea and liquids, eating anti-inflammatory foods (and avoiding foods that I know are inflammatory to my body, like gluten), making sure to take my medications and herbal supplements every day on time, trying to get outside and walk around, doing projects that feel fulfilling and give me a sense of achievement (for the dopamine if nothing else!), listening to music, and trying to rest when I feel like I need to rest.
So that's an approach to try when this hits—treat yourself like you're sick and conduct intensive self-care.
posted by limeonaire at 8:28 AM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
I definitely have rejection-sensitive dysphoria. I also somatize my stress pretty deeply, apparently. I had a seriously traumatic experience this past week similar to what you describe, and while I feel like my brain is doing well, my body is still not right—feels like massive inflammation. I'm waking up with my trigger finger stuck for the first time in a long time, my digestion has been a wreck, and after I eat, I've been getting chills. My guess is that the stress hormones are causing my existing autoimmune conditions to flare up.
So I'm treating this like I would any other illness that causes inflammation: drinking a lot of tea and liquids, eating anti-inflammatory foods (and avoiding foods that I know are inflammatory to my body, like gluten), making sure to take my medications and herbal supplements every day on time, trying to get outside and walk around, doing projects that feel fulfilling and give me a sense of achievement (for the dopamine if nothing else!), listening to music, and trying to rest when I feel like I need to rest.
So that's an approach to try when this hits—treat yourself like you're sick and conduct intensive self-care.
posted by limeonaire at 8:28 AM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
As a fellow neurodivergent woman, I was really surprised last year when therapists kept asking me where I felt the emotions I described in my body. Turns out feelings are physical? Who knew. Anyway, there is some consensus about where people tend to feel different emotions in their body, which may be helpful to you. Working with a therapist, or particularly a somatic therapist if your insurance allows, might be helpful in learning how to physically feel your feelings and what to do with those sensations.
There's also some scientific consensus that feelings only take 90 seconds to complete, as chemical events in the body. Beyond that, we can stay in the physical sensation if we keep thinking about it, but we're apparently able to let emotions wash through us and leave, if we can let go of the thought that triggered the emotion in the body to begin with (yes, this is harder than it sounds). So it might help, when you're in that moment, to remind yourself that it's a chemical event that can complete if you let it pass through you and wait it out.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2023 [9 favorites]
There's also some scientific consensus that feelings only take 90 seconds to complete, as chemical events in the body. Beyond that, we can stay in the physical sensation if we keep thinking about it, but we're apparently able to let emotions wash through us and leave, if we can let go of the thought that triggered the emotion in the body to begin with (yes, this is harder than it sounds). So it might help, when you're in that moment, to remind yourself that it's a chemical event that can complete if you let it pass through you and wait it out.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2023 [9 favorites]
I have autism and pretty bad generalized anxiety disorder (40M) and definitely have this exact thing, although the trigger differs depending on the situation. As others mention, the basic treatment for this is to do something to release the emotion/trauma as otherwise it kind of gets "trapped" in the body. For the specific cases like you mention I have had good success journaling about the issues as that helps "resolve" it. I have not really had much success using breathing exercises to deal with this kind of body anxiety, it seems to work well for some people but when I try to do them I just hyperfocus on the body sensations which makes them feel even worse. Based on a reddit thread I saw last night I'm apparently not the only person with this issue.
If you are interested in some simple physical exercises, I have had some success with Trauma Releasing Exercises which is basically a method for encouraging your body to "shake it out" which is a natural human reaction to body stress that my body does not tend to do naturally so I need to encourage it. I've also had some success with chanting meditations (nothing complicated, just humming for 20 minutes) as that engages the muscles around that part of the body and seems to convince them to reset.
posted by JZig at 8:49 AM on November 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you are interested in some simple physical exercises, I have had some success with Trauma Releasing Exercises which is basically a method for encouraging your body to "shake it out" which is a natural human reaction to body stress that my body does not tend to do naturally so I need to encourage it. I've also had some success with chanting meditations (nothing complicated, just humming for 20 minutes) as that engages the muscles around that part of the body and seems to convince them to reset.
posted by JZig at 8:49 AM on November 6, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh also, long hot showers work wonders to help me release this kind of stress.
posted by limeonaire at 8:55 AM on November 6, 2023
posted by limeonaire at 8:55 AM on November 6, 2023
I'm autistic and nonbinary. I am struggling hard with exactly this situation you describe, although my bodily sensations aren't exactly the same.
It sounds as if you, like me, have poor interoception and alexithymia, which makes it difficult to know what emotions you experience, and to tell what bodily sensations mean. This episode of the Neurodivergent Woman on Alexithymia and Interoception has some good practical advice.
This article about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria has a section on practical strategies on how to deal with the big emotions that are part of being neurodivergent.
The advice on self compassion, noticing & identifying the thought patterns, and processing through writing or other creative ways of expression has been very helpful to me.
You might also find this article on the window of tolerance helpful.
posted by Zumbador at 10:34 AM on November 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
It sounds as if you, like me, have poor interoception and alexithymia, which makes it difficult to know what emotions you experience, and to tell what bodily sensations mean. This episode of the Neurodivergent Woman on Alexithymia and Interoception has some good practical advice.
This article about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria has a section on practical strategies on how to deal with the big emotions that are part of being neurodivergent.
The advice on self compassion, noticing & identifying the thought patterns, and processing through writing or other creative ways of expression has been very helpful to me.
You might also find this article on the window of tolerance helpful.
posted by Zumbador at 10:34 AM on November 6, 2023 [6 favorites]
Rejection sensitive dysphoria is real, and when it tangles up with anxiety and shame spirals, oooh wow does it pack a physical kick. Neurodivergent woman joining the chorus to say you're not alone. And judging from this thread, you've got plenty of company.
Echoing the deep breathing, and also echoing the fact that it can be reallyreally hard in the moment.
Also: strong tastes can help. Suck on a lemon slice, lick some sugar or salt, something like that, just to give you a competing physical sensation.
And you're not alone.
posted by SaharaRose at 11:46 AM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Echoing the deep breathing, and also echoing the fact that it can be reallyreally hard in the moment.
Also: strong tastes can help. Suck on a lemon slice, lick some sugar or salt, something like that, just to give you a competing physical sensation.
And you're not alone.
posted by SaharaRose at 11:46 AM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: You're all the best and there's lots here to look into. Thanks so much. Just seeing your comments has helped so much for me not to feel alone
posted by Flitcraft at 1:16 PM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Flitcraft at 1:16 PM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just something to try -- I have physical sensations that I interpret as anxiety even though I am not anxious, and they haven't responded to any of the good ideas like deep breathing, etc that I've seen here. But I was just told by a medical practitioner that they could be the result of a magnesium deficiency. It's too soon to tell, but I'm starting on magnesium supplements to see if they can help at all. Since this has been going on forever and no one suggested magnesium to me before last week, I thought I should mention it here just in case it could help you, too.
posted by janey47 at 1:17 PM on November 6, 2023
posted by janey47 at 1:17 PM on November 6, 2023
Sometimes just drinking a glass of cold water helps me. I don't know if it's the fact of focusing on something else (the getting and drinking of the water) and/or if it's the competing physical sensation as SaharaRose says, or if it's related to mammalian diving reflex, or both, or neither.
posted by librarina at 2:23 PM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by librarina at 2:23 PM on November 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Internal family systems
Basically the emotions are your subconscious trying to communicate its worries and concerns, but it can’t use words just body sensations. IFS is a framework for communicating with each sensation to understand what concerns it has, and how you can help alleviate its concerns. Then the sensation eases up considerably.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:47 PM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Basically the emotions are your subconscious trying to communicate its worries and concerns, but it can’t use words just body sensations. IFS is a framework for communicating with each sensation to understand what concerns it has, and how you can help alleviate its concerns. Then the sensation eases up considerably.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:47 PM on November 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
I feel that as a strong bodily feeling of discomfort (not physical pain, not hyperventilating or shaking) which wells up into tears if I try and talk about it
One technique in IFS is to let the sensation know that you want to get to know it better, but you need some space and perspective in order to do so, and being overwhelmed by sensation makes it difficult for you to engage in dialogue. So you ask the sensation to give you some space so that you two can have a conversation. In many cases the sensation will ease up enough that a back and forth is possible.
This podcast shows a live demo of IFS as the podcast host addresses his past trauma.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:51 PM on November 6, 2023
One technique in IFS is to let the sensation know that you want to get to know it better, but you need some space and perspective in order to do so, and being overwhelmed by sensation makes it difficult for you to engage in dialogue. So you ask the sensation to give you some space so that you two can have a conversation. In many cases the sensation will ease up enough that a back and forth is possible.
This podcast shows a live demo of IFS as the podcast host addresses his past trauma.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:51 PM on November 6, 2023
Much love to you and everyone else in this thread chiming in to share this common experience! I get something quite similar, although according to the professionals I’ve worked with I don’t have RSD. I do have sensory processing difficulties and in particular bad proprioception and interception so I think that has a lot to do with it piled on top of my GAD. Anyway, some things to try to see if they can help, that sometimes help me if I can get myself to do them:
- Take a warm bath while drinking a big glass of ice cold water. I am not normally a bath person but in the past doing this has given me a full body sensation I can only really describe as a manual degaussing.
- When I was much younger we had a very large family dog who would lie on top of me and squish me; I now recognize this as a form of deep pressure. Key to this though is that the dog made it multisensory, with his doggy smell and warmth and wiggling and heartbeat and occasional licking so I was pulled out of my spiral on almost all fronts. Unintentional therapy dog! I can’t do this now, although having a cat on my lap does help a little in combination with weighted soft things.
- Singing out loud. I think this helps me manipulate my breathing. I learned how to diaphragm breathe when I was really little but it’s hard to make myself just do that on cue when I’m feeling so bad. But belting out a song makes it happen naturally and I get the benefit of accompanying music and catharsis. I’ve talked about this with musicians in my family and there are anecdotes from people who play wind, reed, and brass instruments who say very similar stuff.
Of course the things that really help the most are talking things through with a loved one or therapist, taking the right meds for me, and exercising, but those are all waaaaay more complicated to make myself do, especially in the moment.
posted by Mizu at 4:34 AM on November 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
- Take a warm bath while drinking a big glass of ice cold water. I am not normally a bath person but in the past doing this has given me a full body sensation I can only really describe as a manual degaussing.
- When I was much younger we had a very large family dog who would lie on top of me and squish me; I now recognize this as a form of deep pressure. Key to this though is that the dog made it multisensory, with his doggy smell and warmth and wiggling and heartbeat and occasional licking so I was pulled out of my spiral on almost all fronts. Unintentional therapy dog! I can’t do this now, although having a cat on my lap does help a little in combination with weighted soft things.
- Singing out loud. I think this helps me manipulate my breathing. I learned how to diaphragm breathe when I was really little but it’s hard to make myself just do that on cue when I’m feeling so bad. But belting out a song makes it happen naturally and I get the benefit of accompanying music and catharsis. I’ve talked about this with musicians in my family and there are anecdotes from people who play wind, reed, and brass instruments who say very similar stuff.
Of course the things that really help the most are talking things through with a loved one or therapist, taking the right meds for me, and exercising, but those are all waaaaay more complicated to make myself do, especially in the moment.
posted by Mizu at 4:34 AM on November 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
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As far as what causes the overwhelming physical sensation, I am not a doctor but my guess is that it's a version of the adrenaline dump that can leave you shaking after a near-miss while driving a car. Only much, much worse, because emotionally speaking, you crashed that car.
posted by rdc at 7:28 AM on November 6, 2023 [7 favorites]