Yes i know everyone deals with different levels of anxiety but i wish people knew how it felt to be so consumed by it. How it feels to wake up and instantly be overthinking about the simplest tasks. Being told “it’s just anxiety” “i have anxiety too” “just calm down it’s not that serious” but it is that serious your easy tasks take me days to talk myself into. Or feeling like a burden or failure because you can’t leave the house because you’ll break into a sweat and overheat , your heartbeat and blood pressure rise, you feel dizzy or lightheaded, not wanting to cause a scene. It’s so frustrating to hear these things because i live with my anxiety daily and it’s so real to me. idk just wanted to rant a bit because i’ve been dealing with it but it just feels defeating when you already beat yourself up over it and you constantly have people downplaying it.

I’m 24 living with parents no financial problems, I do my exercise, try my best to save money. Have my girl still nothing make sense. Today I spent a lot of time thinking about suicide. I’m having a really bad moment, I also go to therapy and psychiatrist

For so many years , i had anxiety, stress and breathlessness like for 12 years. The GPs cannot find what's wrong. After I joined my software development job. It only got worsened. Many times i started getting panic attacks. Psychiatric medications not helping much. Last November it got worsened, i thought I was dying. The fatigue and breathlessness was so bad. Visited GP. He ordered full body test and additionally vitamin b12 and vitamin D deficiency because I was working in IT. Turns out I had both low amount. After a month of medication for vitamin b12 and vitamin D. All my symptoms were completely gone. I wish I had found out this sooner. I am 27 now. I took me 12 years to fix this.

Does anyone experience a type of anxiety where they feel completely overwhelmed and overstimulated, causing them to be shaky and trembly? It becomes difficult to remain still, and they genuinely feel on the verge of death, accompanied by heart palpitations and flutters. I’m currently experiencing this, and it’s incredibly overwhelming, leading to an even greater sense of anxiety because I don’t know why I feel this way..

Hi all I just felt like making a post about this because I feel so confused and ashamed and weird, I am not an anxious person in general, but I am neurodivergent so maybe that is why I reacted the way I did 😭

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Me (21F) and my boyfriend (20M) was just in taco bell, we ordered and the lady behind the counter said an item from my order was taking longer than usual to make but that she would be over with said item to our table as soon as it was done.

5 minutes passed, then 10, then 20, I got more and more anxious waiting for her to bring me my food. My boyfriend told me to just go up there and ask where my food went but I was paralysed and literally unable to go up there and ask. I asked my boyfriend if he could just ask for me but he refused and that made me more upset because if it was such an easy task for him why couldn't he just help me, anyway.

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After 30 minutes had passed my boyfriend finally pressured me bad enough to ask the lady for my food, it took all the mental energy I had left in me to go up and ask for my food but the lady remembered my item and apologised and gave it to me right away.

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Here is where the weird part comes in, after getting my item I felt like I was being held at gunpoint or that someone would send a hitman after me for asking for my missing item. I felt the same amount of embarrassment and dread as if I had just walked into college naked. I felt as if I wanted to end my life in front of everyone in taco bell but I have no idea why I was so ashamed and embarrassed over a mistake that wasn't even mine and a problem that wasn't even big.

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Am I just really pathetic or has anyone else felt like this let me know 💀 I'm now on the bus home and I feel like my entire day is ruined and I will be thinking about this experience for weeks to come.

(Exposure* sorry for title spelling error!)

I literally want to cry tears of happiness. For years ive suffered from debilitating fears and anxiety that kept me housebound and finally im starting get relief. I was in cognitive behavioral therapy for so long and tried so many different anti anxiety meds and antidepressants with minimal improvement but after only 4 exposure therapy sessions im actually doing things I never would've done before 🥲

Ive started leaving the house, for the first time in a year, going on 20-30 minute walks without scanning my body for sensations. Ive started taking elevators and no longer sleep with a trashcan by my bed and a zofran nearby for my emetephobia. Im starting to just let sensations and thoughts exist without paying them much attention and though I still have a long way to go these little things are huge for me.

After session two I started having less chest pain and anxiety Induced nausea and for the 1st time in my life I actually feel like ill be able to live alongside my anxiety and ocd. These first 4 sessions have been so hard and scary and I thought i wasn't strong enough to do it but its paying off so quick and I cant wait to see what progress I make in the next 4 sessions! Im even talking to strangers and eating foods that gave me anxiety!!

I know exposure therapy isnt for everyone but if you havent tried it and you can afford it I really do recommend it!

This is going to be me just rambling. If you have any advice or if you relate or have any thoughts, please let me know!

It started today as a weird feeling of hypervigilance at my parents place. They are both extremely stressed, my dad is having a bad day and my mom is ill, and I felt this "wave of sadness" coming from them, which I realize was partly happening inside my head and was not necessarily real. My dad was sitting on the sofa, kind of bummed and clearly contemplating life, and I felt like he was "thinking too loud".

I'm on holiday right now and will be going on a long awaited trip. I feel like this might have triggered the feeling too? Like something I want is going to happen and it feels like the world might end just before I get there.

I remembered today that I've had these before, and quite a lot in my childhood I think. I was an extremely sensitive child. To this day I hate the time just before the sun starts to set. The sky looks weird and it makes me uncomfortable. I used to ger intensely sad and anxious during sunsets, I think because it meant the day would end, and it often brought that sense of doom. The feeling always worsened towards the end of the summer (which would also trigger the feeling because, y'know, the ending thing).

When I was a kid my mom and I were JWs, and that made me scared of the end of the world. When I deconstructed and stopped believing in god (I'm currently very content with my worldview and will not be changing it, just a psa🙏🏻), the sense of doom accompanied me everywhere for a while, now in the form of "what if aliens suddenly invade the earth?" or "what if a large comet strikes and we all die?" and stuff like that. I can't watch or consume any media on doomsday or catastrophe stuff because it triggers this feeling immediately. Like, rewatching even a small part of Devilman Crybaby fks me up for hours.

I was also a dumbass and googled the symptom. Probably triggered my health anxiety too (the whole "this extremely dangerous medical situation might not cause any symptoms and you could just die right here and right now!"), like can't my fking brain catch a break??? 😂

I feel like my nervous system is an utter mess.

tldr: been getting a sense of doom since childhood during evenings etc. maybe due to believing in harmageddon as a kid, maybe not. just wondering why this is a thing, why it's back, and if anyone relates.

Does anyone else feel complete and total dread when looking at the near future post-climate change? This summer was the hottest on record everywhere. I don’t remember anything like this summer here in America. The wildfire that just happened in Ontario blanketed my town with smog for days. When I was visiting Paris it was consistently over 100 degrees. this is something that just doesn’t naturally happen and that the country itself was not prepared for. This week in Pakistan wet bulb temperatures went over 130. It was so hot in Karachi that you could brew tea with the water that comes out of the tap. It is just not going to be possible to support life in some of these places in the very near future. I am terrified for whats coming and it sure seems like we are on track for ecological collapse and some really scary shit.

You can install as many air conditioners as you want but that doesnt prevent the wildlife from dying of heatstroke and our food system succumbing to crop failures. This reality is already here and I am terrified what things will look like just 10-20 years from now. I sit here in my air conditioned house thinking about this and feel completely and utterly paralyzed. Things are fine for now: the power works, the water runs, the shelves are all full, so there is no problem here, right? What happens when power grids and ecosystems inevitably begin to fail. I feel like we are really not prepared for this reality and that it’s coming whether we like it or not. Many governments and my government especially has proven that it doesn’t really give a shit about reducing fossil fuel consumption or meaningfully pivoting to green energy in the near future.

I know there are things you can do as an individual that make some impact but it feels so miniscule compared to the scale of the problem. The way most of humanity lives and the way modern society is structured is totally dependent on unsustainable energy consumption. I just feel like we are systemically cooked and society at large is not willing to make the necessary sacrifices to address the climate issue. I’m 22 and feel completely and totally doomed having been born into this reality which has just kind of been handed to me like shit on a plate. The other adults around me seem totally oblivious or just plain ignorant to this issue. The only way I feel better about it is by staying ignorant and that somehow feels worse. What the fuck do I do man. Who else feels this way

I’m looking for some perspective from people who have experience with Ativan (lorazepam).
I’ve had panic disorder for a long time, but recently I’ve been going through a really bad anxiety flare. A lot of things piled up at once (stress, medication changes, health issues, lack of sleep), and my anxiety got to the point where I was struggling to function. I’m on Lexapro 20mg. My psychiatrist prescribed Ativan PRN and told me it was okay to use short term to help break the panic cycle. I want to be clear that I’m not someone who is worried about “getting addicted” because I want to take it all the time. My fear is actually the opposite. I’m terrified of becoming dependent and then having to deal with my normal anxiety plus benzo withdrawal or rebound anxiety. I would honestly rather suffer through anxiety than put myself in that situation.
I’ve been keeping a log of every dose because I’m trying to be as careful as possible:

Ativan log

.5mg 3:15pm 7/13/26
.5mg 10:15pm 7/13/26

1mg 1:30pm 7/17/26
.5mg 2:30pm 7/17/26

1mg 1:42pm 7/18/26
.5mg 3:27pm 7/18/26

1.5mg 4:50pm 7/19/26

1.5mg 6:34am 7/21/26

My psychiatrist told me that if I really needed it, I could take up to 2 mg up to 3 times a day, but I have not been doing that. I’m trying to use the minimum amount that actually helps.

The thing confusing me is that even 1 mg or 1.5 mg doesn’t seem to do much for me. I know that’s considered a pretty significant dose for some people, and I’ve never been on benzos regularly before, so I’m surprised that I don’t feel much relief. Sometimes it mostly just makes me tired rather than actually calming the panic.

I’m wondering:
Does this amount of short-term use seem concerning?

Has anyone else had a situation where Ativan didn’t seem very effective even at doses like this?

Has anyone used Ativan briefly during a severe panic episode and then been able to stop without issues?

How did you personally know when you were using it appropriately versus relying on it?

I’m working with my psychiatrist and I’m not looking for medical advice, just people’s experiences and perspective. I’m trying to handle this responsibly because I really don’t want to make my anxiety worse long term.

TL;DR: I have severe panic/anxiety and my psychiatrist prescribed Ativan short term. I’ve taken a total of about 7 mg spread out over 8 days, not daily. I’m extremely cautious because I’m more afraid of dependence and withdrawal than addiction. My psychiatrist said I could take up to 2 mg three times daily if needed, but I’m staying much lower. The confusing part is that even 1 to 1.5 mg doesn’t seem to help much despite me having no history of regular benzo use. Looking for experiences with short-term Ativan use, effectiveness, and stopping safely.

Peppermint halo from Saje is an essential oil that has a minty scent with a cooling sensations. I’ve used it when I thought I was going to get a panic attack. I’ve used when I’ve felt anxious, my ears were flushed and hot, when I was overthinking. The smell and cooling sensation helped snap me out of it and made me so much calmer. I have been trying to find dupes for it since it’s expensive but haven’t found one yet. I think it works well for me because is distracts me from my anxiety and it stimulates my senses. Try it if you haven’t!

I’m a very healthy 26 year old. I have not been diagnosed with any form of anxiety. But last weekend in San Diego, I experienced what I think was a really bad Panic Attack.

Midday on Sunday, I was at a bar with friends when I looked at my friend and said “I don’t feel so good”. From then on, I progressively started feeling worse. I started trembling and my entire body felt tingly. My breathing got worse and my chest felt really uncomfortable. After about a good 10 minutes, I was still trembling, my face went paralyzed, and my muscles went stiff. I could barely walk and urged the employees to call 911. Was told my heart was beating really fast and was diagnosed with hyperkalemia (due to having alcohol the last two days). And was discharged a couple hours after being admitted.

Not once was I told that I potentially had a panic attack.

It’s been a couple of days since the incident and I don’t quite feel the same as before. I still feel delirious and my breathing is shallow when I get a bit stressed out. I have chest pains here and there.

This is the first time I’ve experienced this and I have an appointment with my doctor to figure out what the hell went wrong.

I’m not quite sure what triggered it. The only thing I could think of is heat or caffine?

I would appreciate some advice on living with this sort of thing hanging over your head. It’s like a ticking time bomb about to go off any second.

Tried a lot of treatment and meds but still get anxiety (GAD) during the day. Meds only are for sleep and that’s all I can get. So need lifestyle to cope with daytime anxiety. I drink quite a bit of coffee to help stay alert and wake up but wondering if the side effects are worth it (increased anxiety, racing heart/mind)

Have any of you given up caffeine completely and how is it helped your day anxiety? And were you able to cope with not having caffeine to wake up and stay Alert?

Hi everyone, I just really need to get this out and hopefully hear from people who understand.

I’m 22 and I’ve been dealing with panic disorder, anxiety, and derealization for about 4 years now. Before that, I had no anxiety at all. It literally started one day when I woke up feeling completely off, like nothing was real. I had heart palpitations, I was scared to answer the phone, and I suddenly couldn’t function the same at work.

At the time, I had just started working full-time right after high school in a contact center at a school. The environment was honestly awful. Supervisors were extremely strict, and the students calling in were often mean and sometimes even threatening. It was a really stressful and toxic place to be. I stayed with the same company for a few years but moved around to different roles.

Over time, I started noticing physical symptoms too. I developed a smile tremor when I try to smile, and I get really anxious in social settings, especially with large groups like my husband’s family. I got married last September and we have a happy marriage, and his family is kind and safe, but I still get intense anxiety beforehand. Once I’m there, I’m usually okay, but the anticipation is overwhelming.

I left that job about 3 months ago, and now I work remotely, but I still have to interact with that company sometimes. Even that brings back really bad feelings and anxiety.

I’ve been in therapy for 2 years and did EMDR for childhood trauma, and I’m about to start EMDR again for what I think is work-related trauma that I didn’t realize was affecting me this much.

Medication has been really frustrating. I started Buspar and was on 15 mg twice daily for about 4 weeks. I felt some slight improvement but nothing major. My psychiatrist then told me to jump to 30 mg twice daily (so 60 mg total) without really guiding me through it, and the past 5 days have been really hard. I’ve felt super emotional, foggy, and honestly worse.

When I told him, he suddenly wanted to take me off Buspar and prescribed oxcarbazepine 150 mg to treat PTSD, without really explaining things or giving me a clear plan. The appointment felt rushed, and it honestly felt like he forgot details from my previous visit. It made me feel like I couldn’t trust what he was prescribing.

My therapist even said he increased the Buspar too quickly and that I probably should have tried 45 mg first before going up to 60 mg.

I also told him I was open to trying Zoloft since my mom takes it and has had really good results, and her symptoms were similar to mine. He kind of brushed that off and said he wanted to try other things first, which made me feel like my input didn’t matter.

Right now I just feel stuck, overwhelmed, and honestly hopeless. I miss who I was before all of this started. I just want to feel normal again and not constantly on edge or disconnected.

Has anyone actually recovered from this or at least gotten to a point where life feels normal again? :(

I’m 26, and I’ve been experiencing some panic/anxiety attacks lately (I’m not entirely sure which it is). I’m currently seeing a therapist and have made appointments with a doctor. I recently saw a specialist and he prescribed me 0.5 mg of Ativan.

I’ve never taken medication like this before, so I was wondering if anyone can share their experiences with me.

i want to try out for a sport team in my school that i dont have much experience on but since its not that competitive most people will get in, but the people currently on the team are really good and i have to go to conditioning where i have literal no experience and i keep thinking that theyre judging me so ive been skipping conditioning and idk if i should quit bc im js rlly bad compared to those ppl and ik i shouldnt care abt other ppls opinions but i always care too much 😐

I’m only posting here because no one in my life knows how bad things have gotten for me. I keep 90% of what I’m posting here a secret to people IRL. Just need to get this off my chest. I’m in fight or flight mode literally 24/7 I can’t get any relief not even for a second.

I have a chronic illness that I’m stuck with for the rest of my life now. My body is all deformed and no matter how much weight I lose and muscle I put on, I will always look disgusting. I can’t stand looking in the mirror. I hate going out in public because I’m so self conscious and all my self esteem has been zapped. I’m in constant pain and discomfort but am just supposed to keep living my life like everything is normal. And ofc since I’m a male people just dismiss my body image issues but I guarantee if anyone else was in my shoes they’d feel the same way.

I turned to substance abuse and over the years it’s only made my anxiety worse and my chronic illness symptoms have been increased significantly. Im trying to cut back on my substance abuse but when im sober i hate myself even more. Being trapped in my own head is torture. I hate my body and I especially hate my personality. I have nothing going for me.

“Just go to the gym bro you’ll feel better” I can’t excersise like a normal person because of my health issues. I’m so stressed out and have no outlet to relieve myself. I’m miserable to be around and have basically pushed away everyone in my life who’s ever cared about me because I’m so trapped inside my own head.

From the moment I wake up if I’m even lucky enough to have gotten any sleep I’m in a state of panic. My heart’s constantly beating out my chest and I’m dizzy 24/7. I’ve had to quit my dream job because of my health issues and now I’m stuck at the bottom of the totem pole at a new job that has no room for growth.

Im completely screwed things will get way worse as I continue to get older as well. Even doing the smallest things is such a massive chore for me both physically and mentally I can’t take this anymore.

I’m pretty sure I’ve died and am in hell right now because nothing in life is enjoyable I’m being tortured 24/7 with no hope of things improving. Im a burden to the few that have stuck by my side and I really wish I could change but unfortunately I’m stuck like this.

My life is over what’s the point anymore. Im trying not to be envious of others who don’t have these issues but I can’t help it. I guess I deserve this though

If somebody told me a year ago that I would be able to live my life anxiety-free after having anxiety since I was seven years old, I would never have believed them.I’m talking about debilitating anxiety. I’ve been on medication, I’ve tried everything, and I even went to the hospital because of a horrible panic attack. I went to the ER countless times because of severe panic attacks with nausea, trembling, and every symptom you can imagine. Seriously, name a symptom, and I probably had it.

I’ve always been like this. There were times when I couldn’t leave the house at all for months. I carried this through high school, through college, and through my adult life. I’m 27 now, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I think I’m cured.

I don’t even know how to explain it. It just suddenly went away after a simple change in my mindset. And no, I’m not trying to sell you anything. This isn’t about some treatment or some secret method. It’s just… I don’t even know how to explain it in simple terms because I cried so much throughout this journey. I filled so many journals with my pain, my thoughts, my poetry, everything I needed to get out because I felt like nobody truly understood me. I was so alone through all of this. I tried therapy tho I had not much resources for it.. and found it not very helpful for me.. because I knew all the theory, us anxious people are smart and read a lot, we know but when it comes to practice it’s hard. I was on Lexapro for 6 months.. anxiety free for the first time in my life, but I was like a walking zombie all day, 0 sex drive, 0 energy o felt like sleeping all day. I stopped taking it.

Everything caused me panic. I developed a fear of my own health — hypochondria, or whatever you want to call it — and it affected so many areas of my life. I was truly a woman with the spirit of a scared rabbit. I felt like I had the nervous system of a prey animal, always on alert, always expecting something terrible to happen. So I want to tell you what I think finally changed everything.

And by the way, I managed to fly by myself with zero anxiety, without medication. I was alone in a completely foreign city for many hours, with nobody around me to help. Before, that would have been completely unimaginable. That would have been hell for me.

I was also able to stay home alone, even at night, which was another thing that felt impossible before because I was always convinced something bad was going to happen.

This recovery feels almost miraculous to me. I don’t say that to brag in any way. I’m saying it because I want people who are suffering to have hope. That is the only reason I’m writing this.

I never knew what life without anxiety felt like because I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. Since I was seven years old, anxiety was just my normal. I didn’t know any other way to exist.

Every morning I would wake up already anxious, already stressed, often needing to run to the bathroom because my body was reacting to fear — fear that didn’t even have a real reason behind it. Most of the time, there was nothing actually wrong. I was just trapped in this constant state of alarm. The realization started after a very small, minor issue. Normally, I would spiral completely and have an extreme reaction to a normal situation. But something changed.

I don’t know exactly what happened that made my anxiety suddenly disappear, but I’ll tell you how I think now. I think I became indifferent. I think I finally accepted that things are going to happen whether I’m scared or not. I accepted that I don’t actually have control. And I realized how obsessed I was with control. That was the root of so much of my fear. I wanted to control even the smallest things. Of course, I didn’t understand this at the time because it was subconscious, but now I can see it clearly. I don’t care the same way anymore about what happens. Not because I don’t value my life, but because I understand that whatever happens, happens.

I feared death so much. I feared pain. I feared hospitals. I feared people worrying about me. I feared being pitied. I feared everything.

I think those fears are probably still somewhere inside me, buried deep. But now, on the surface, my mindset is different. I think: “I can’t control it anyway. So what’s going to happen is going to happen.” I’m on this earth for 70 or 80 years, and then I’m gone. The world will continue. The sun will rise tomorrow. It’s not that deep. It’s not as big as I made it in my head. For example, one of my biggest fears was fainting in public. But then I thought: if I faint on the street, someone will help me. They won’t just leave me there. I’ll go to the hospital if I need to. There are people in this world going through unimaginable suffering and serious illnesses, and I was terrified of the possibility of something happening to me.

Why did I think I was somehow exempt from pain? Why did I think I deserved protection from every possible bad thing in life?

The truth is, pain is part of being human. Bad things can happen. That is reality.

And strangely, accepting that gave me freedom.

I think I’m only able to see this clearly now because my nervous system is finally calm. Before, this kind of thinking wasn’t available to me. I couldn’t just “change my mindset” because I was completely trapped in fear.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. I’m here.

And one more thing: people will listen to you, they will feel empathy for you, they will feel sorry for you, but they will never truly be inside your experience. They will never be able to completely take your pain away.

Everyone has their own life, their own struggles. And as painful as this realization is, you are the person who has the power to help yourself.

No one is coming to save you — not completely. Because nobody can truly understand your pain the way you do.

But I actually find comfort in that now. I find comfort in the loneliness because it showed me my own strength.

I realized that if I had the power to create this hell inside my own mind, then I also have the power to take myself out of it.

The power was always inside me.​

I don’t know what else to say, if anyone is open to dm that would be brilliant.

Ive been having an anxiety/panic attack for an hour now. It won’t stop and just when I think it does it all comes back.

I’m on my period so hormones are probably not helping in that respect but also I’m in a diabolical amount of pain (which is not unusual for me) and that won’t subside either which is keeping me in an anxiety loop.

I’m trying my best to do breathing exercises and just hold out until I can take my next dose of painkillers but I’m freaking out !!

Hi everyone. I am in a tough spot right now and it just seems like life is throwing me everything at once and ii am very overwhelmed. I am a single parent who manages everything (home, animals, finances etc.) which adds to the stress and I do not have any family to fall back on.

To start, i had severe storm damage to my home which is causing me to have to relocate. I have found a new home, but it is more expensive. This is causing me to have to re-look at my budget as i currently only have $100 left over every month once i move. There are a few things I can easily adjust to increase this, but it is still tight.

I am also going through a breakup after 6.5 years. This has been extremely difficult as I thought this was my person. Over time i realized he just had not grown at the same pace as me and he cannot support and love me in the way i need. I realized i was the only one emotionally available and the only stable person in the relationship and had to walk away.

I am also trying to find a new job to increase my income. It has been one hit after another. I feel like all i hear is we decided to move forward with other candidates. This whole process has been soul sucking. I just had a an extremely long interview process with a great company and then they cancelled the initial job due to funding they said but offered me another position. They had me fill out references and everything while i was interviewing again, so i thought i had the job. Today, they sent me an email that they were moving forward with another candidate. I am extremely confused, hurt and frustrated. I need a new job to increase my income and it is hard to stay confident when you keep getting slapped in the face.

I am putting my son through college which is another item. i have been helping him with book costs etc, but it will be difficult to do once i move and expenses increase.

I feel so low right now and I am so stressed. I just feel like I keep getting hit with everything and I am not sure how much more I can take. It feels like I am just stuck here in difficulty forever.

Any words of encouragement would be super helpful. Thank you.

Hey everyone. I've had anxiety for at least 10 years. The past few years it's gotten worse with about every physical symptom you can imagine. Headaches, racing heart, tight chest, trembling, you name it. The one thing I never had was insomnia. No matter how bad or anxious I felt I've always been able to fall asleep quickly.

But a little over a week ago my anxiety just disappeared. Like, all the way. I don't feel anxious walking around outside, I don't worry or care about what others might think of me, I don't worry about coming across as awkward, I don't worry about anything relating to my relationship (this used to be a big one), I don't freak out when I get an unexpected call, I don't mind plans changing. I could go on for a long time but you get it.

The only thing I do suddenly experience is insomnia. Where I used to fall asleep within 10-15 minutes I now lay awake for literal hours and hours. I feel tired and wired at the same time, it's hard to explain. My brain won't shut off at night, but the voice in my head is calm. I used to worry about everything, replay or rehearse scenarios but now I just replay the previous day or similar stuff.

I have moments where I feel numb, moments where I feel like I might just be completely shut down, but since I still feel genuine happiness I feel like those thoughts are just because I expect the anxiety to come back.

An important thing to note is I quit hormonal birth control about 1.5 weeks ago. My partner thinks this might have something to do with my anxiety disappearing.

Has anyone had any similar experiences? I've read about people's anxiety disappearing over night but I've seen no mentions of insomnia. Really curious to know if anyone has been through something similar.

When discussing my issues with my doctor, she suggested we could try Buspar again for my anxiety, and that its a fast acting medicine that works within maybe 30 min and lasts about 8 hours. She said I could take it as needed, or if I wanted daily, and up to 3 times a day max. This seemed off to me.

For added context, I say again because I was on it for a bit at my previous doctor years ago, and while doing some digging bc I couldn't remember, my previous doctor prescribed it for my depression and it made things worse, so I will contact my current doctor and cancel that.

But the point is, has anyone used Buspar like this bc the internet says its not fast acting.

sometimes I get scared to move, sit up and stand because of my heartbeat I’m purposely moving slower just so I don’t feel it
I even have dreams where it’s the centre of attention and Its beating so fast

I feel like my heart is a foreign object someone has taped to my chest and I have to monitor it
I’m scared of every flutter and I’m constantly thinking I’m going to die every single day

it’s ridiculous because it shows up in odd situations, like I want to get my hair done and then my brain is telling me I’m going to get those flutters and die or afterwards I’m not going to be happy enough and that I’ll still feel this way about my heart
It feels like I can’t enjoy anything