What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
I’m not sure what anxiety feels like for everyone else, but I think I can explain a little bit of what it feels like to me.
Have you ever been in a vehicle, whether as a driver or passenger, when someone cut you off and for a millisecond you thought you were going to be in an accident? Imagine if that stomach lurch never ended.
For me, anxiety comes along with a host of god-awful physical symptoms too. For instance, I often feel sick, nauseated, tense, or dizzy. Anxiety can feel like you’ve just contracted a stomach bug, and it’s swimming around in there just waiting to make the right move (the one that makes you puke at the most inopportune time).
Sometimes “dread” is the only word that does what I feel any justice. Sometimes, on my way to class, work, or even an ostensibly “fun” social event, I feel as though I’m marching toward my doom. I’m not speaking hyperbolically.
What does anxiety feel like to you?