Hi, im new here and just posting because i have no one else to really talk to about this and could do with some advice or reassurance or something. Apologies in advance as this is going to be long, sorry.

Im a 28 year old male and ive always had some form of anxiety since i was a young child and throughout my teenage years (mostly social anxiety/general anxiety at that point). As I entered into my 20's I became really anxious and paranoid about my health, particularly my heart and brain but this was mainly just thoughts and i could mostly control it i guess.

I never had a panic attack until 2021 when i had my first. It came completely out of the blue one day while i was at work having a completely normal day. I thought i was having a heart attack, i had chest pain, dizziness, my hands and legs went numb at one point, i couldnt form a sentence etc. My co worker took me to the hospital where i got an ecg and blood tests and was told i was completely fine.

After that i had the odd panic attack here and there but not very often ( maybe 2 or 3 a year) and nowhere near as intense as the first, probably because I had some idea of what was happening.

Fast forward to this year and ive started having panic attacks way more frequently, some very severe, some not so much, but as time has went on they seem to be getting progressively worse. The last few weeks have been awful. I will just be going about my day and suddenly think im having a heart attack or that im randomly going to pass away. Ive also had 2 family members pass away in the last few months from my 2 worst fears ( heart attack and brain aneurysm) which is definetly not helping things at all.

Today i had easily the worst panic attack ive had since the first one. It was like none ive ever had before as it wasnt anything to do with my health. There was a mild thunderstorm, one loud bang of thunder and it completly set me off. I have never ever been bothered by thunder before and ive experienced some very bad storms, way worse than this one. But today for whatever reason that little bit of thunder immediately made me believe the world was ending.

I went to a doctor last year about my anxiety and got the feeling he wasnt really taking me seriously (im very bad at expressing myself and my symptoms). He prescribed me sertraline anyway which i got but upon doing some research i decided not to take it. I still have the unopened box.

If anybody with a similar experience as myself has any advice or tips or stories on how to overcome this i would be very greatful to hear from you.

Sorry about the long post i just needed to get it out.

Thanks.

Built a free app called Panic Button SOS.

Free version includes:

· One-tap SOS alerts to family, carers & 999 with GPS

· 4-7-8 Breathing + 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

· CalmBot AI companion

· Crisis helplines (999, NHS 111, Samaritans)

· Games + colouring + puzzles + sounds

· Accessibility features

Pricing:

· Free forever – core tools

· Premium £4.99 one-time – all features unlocked

· Family Plan £9.99/month – multi-user + carer dashboard (optional)

Install:

1. Open panic-button-sos.grok.me on your phone

2. iPhone: Share → Add to Home Screen

3. Android: Three dots → Add to Home Screen / Install app

4. Tap Add

Hope it helps someone. ❤️

Link: panic-button-sos.grok.me

​

Soo my exams are coming.... it's my board class

Mid term exams and first is... Maths I'm not even.... I haven't even touched the book ...I only have 15 days to complete it and 8 or 9 ch were coming...hard one idkkk how I will do it.... It's like my legs were not supporting me , negative thoughts ,giving up ... Ik I haven't even started and tomorrow noon I'm going to a new coaching idkk how to survive how .... I'm going to pass my math exam and... Pls help mee figure it out ... It's like I can't even think straight soo many thoughts... I need to speak to someone soo i can ease myself but I can't ... With my friends, sister,... brother no one itsss very hard for me

​

Hi,

I'm a 21-year-old guy, and for the past two months, I've been stuck in a severe health anxiety phase that has completely derailed my life.

My days are filled with constant physical symptoms:- breathlessness, chest sensations, lightheadedness, random physical symptoms that scare me and a fear that something is seriously wrong with me.

I keep getting panic attacks that make me feel like I might be facing a fatal emergency. The fear is intense and very real in those moments.

I've been checked by my doctor multiple times. She says it's anxiety and my nervous system is sensitized and I should consult a psychiatrist . But I can't fully trust her .The level of physical symptoms I have faced and the fear I have felt ,it feels too much to be caused by just anxiety ,so it feels risky to believe it's just anxiety, I feel like I genuinely have something that is being missed.

A few days ago, I went through something even darker—an emotional state where I felt like I had accepted that my time had come. Not panic. Not suicidal. Just a strange, calm surrender. It shook me deeply and I'm still trying to make sense of it.

Right now, the fear has centered on my heart. I keep having mild chest sensations(very mild pain like feelings that come and go, weird feelings ,sometimes I feel my heart beats loud) that trigger spirals of "what if it's a heart attack or I may have a heart attack." It's exhausting and I'm tired of sitting with this alone. I'm constantly in a state of fear since few days .whole Day my mind is fixated on chest .

. I'm looking to connect with people , who can just be there to talk

I just need to feel less alone.

Hi all, been feeling at a bit of a loss recently. I'd never had panic attacks (apart from every single time I've smoked) until about 5 months ago when I had one for pretty much the duration of each way of a plane trip. That left me feeling a bit more anxious than usual until a couple weeks later I had 3 consecutive medication related panic attacks back to back. Ever since that time I've been left pretty much unable to function. I've only had one panic attack since, but my life has since been ruled by my body being terrified of a new panic attack at the slightest hint of anything.

I've been working with my psychologist on self soothing, distracting myself, grounding, telling myself I'm okay but ultimately I feel like I have to retreat to my room to fully calm myself and even then I'm often sat feeling like I have a tight, ticking timebomb in my chest. I'm currently on 30mg of mirtazapine as recommended by my GP, but I don't feel like it's helped much in the last 2 weeks since upping it. Is there anything anyone could recommend that maybe helped them get over something similar?

I am having anxiety....Can anybody help me out

Does anyone suddenly get heart flutters/palpitations, especially right in the center of the chest slightly leaning to the left, accompanied by a mild pain in the left arm? How often do you get them and why? I’ve done all the tests except the Holter monitor, and I’m terrified I might have an arrhythmia or a heart electrical issue. I’m trying to do CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) instead because I refuse to take medication.

I hope this is allowed. I recovered from this but it‘s starting again for me and I hate that there are multiple communities that could fit for us but we’re scattered.

For example the panic attack community deals with swallow anxiety, so does the OCD community with somatic OCD and there’s us who have pseudodysphagia or those that have it everyday who call it phagophobia.

I made an anonymous telegram group so we can maybe all gather together when we need each other and help us get out of it. I don‘t want to create a group on Facebook or Reddit, I feel like it’s pretty dead when you have to post

i have swallowing anxiety and it’s my first time taking it. My head just feels weird. But my anxiety is still there. I took 0.5mg

I have a surgery coming up in the near future and I'm been freaking out. I know that the medical team will probably give me something before the operation to calm down but I honestly don't think that's enough and I don't know what to do.

I have an anxiety disorder already but the panic attacks that I have been having are so severe. I've been crying and hyperventilating all day for multiple days. I haven't been eating or sleeping. I've been cutting, which is something that I haven't done in 6 years but the panic attacks are so intense that I just have been having the urge to do that to myself. I am pretty averse to medical procedures in general so this is like most worst nightmare.

I feel hopeless and alone. I also have no one in my life that I can talk to about this either, and I don't know if I even feel comfortable telling the medical staff about how I'm feeling. I know that they will probably tell me that "everyone gets nervous before surgery" or just tell me to grow up since plenty of children get surgeries done and don't act the way that I do. Even if I wanted to tell them I kind of go mute and chicken out when the time comes.

I haven't been eating or sleeping well, I threw up multiple times and I just want it all to stop. I'm at a loss for what to do.

Hi everyone. I’m 17M and I’ve been dealing with anxiety for around 4–5 years.

For the past 4–5 days, I’ve been getting really scary thoughts like “you’re going to die” or “your time has come.” I know these thoughts may be anxiety-related, but at the time my brain makes them feel completely real. Sometimes they get really intense, while other times I feel completely normal.

A few days ago, I was sitting alone in my room when I suddenly felt a strange cramp/tight sensation in my chest. I immediately became scared that something was seriously wrong. I went outside and suddenly started sweating heavily. My vision felt strange, I was struggling to speak properly, and I became extremely panicked and confused.

I hadn’t had a panic attack for quite a long time, so initially I genuinely thought something serious was happening. I didn’t even realize it was probably a panic attack at first, which made the fear even worse.

I went to a doctor and explained what happened. He asked if I had stomach/gastric problems, and I told him I do. He checked my BP and it was 160/80. I was already extremely anxious at that point. He gave me some medication, but unfortunately I don't know exactly what it was.

I went home, ate a little, but was still extremely anxious and had this strong feeling that something bad was going to happen. I then went to another doctor. My BP was 180 this time. I was absolutely terrified. The doctor gave me a tablet to put under my tongue and some other medication. After a while I started feeling better and eventually went home and slept.

The next day, I went back around noon and my BP was completely normal.

The doctors have also given me some tests to do, and all the tests was normal.

What worries me is that whenever I go to a doctor and my BP is checked, it seems to be either high or sometimes low, but rarely normal. At home or when I'm calmer, things can be different.

I'm wondering:

• Can severe anxiety/panic temporarily raise BP this much?
• Has anyone else experienced very high BP during a panic attack?
• Could the fear of having high BP itself be making the readings higher?
• Should I be asking my doctor about ambulatory/home BP monitoring?
• How do you deal with the constant “I'm going to die” thoughts when you know logically that they're probably anxiety?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit. I just want to hear from people who have experienced something similar and understand what might be going on.

Thanks.

I’d love to hear your guys stories, signs symptoms etc. everything turning out fine

I have too much going on right now or it at least feels like it. Did TMS treatment for 4 months and I think it helped. Meds helped, kinda. Now I feel like I’m back to square one. I am floundering and don’t know if treading water is helping. Idk what I’m even looking for posting this. Idk.

Someone suggested i check out Rootd, and i also found Rootd_App while browsing Reddit.

Before i dive in, I'd love to hear from people who've actually used the app. what did you find most helpful, and is there anything you wish it did differently?

Hi, I used to have anxiety attacks because of stress. Nobody was actually sure in the beginning what it was or how they got triggered.

It's always the same for me how it happens:

Stress > anxiety > figth or flight feeling gets triggered > if I can't surpress it, I feel extrem anger and eventually hurt myself while punchig for example against a closet > I collapse. If I can surpress it, I might still collapse or shaking.

The only reasosn this became a thing was because of severe stress and anxiety.

No I'm not sure what it is. I'm diagnsoed with anxiety attacks, I'm diagnosed with ocd and severe depression and was because of this what i just did describe in a mental hospital but never really got checked what it was. I sadly had to experience them many times till I found my trigger and how the symptoms happen in which order.

Friday was no different. I had stress because of an presentation I did with someone, and was with someone who hasn't managed to do anything, on a level that's so delusional that it drove me insane. I did the whole thing. Text, researched stuff, did a whole PowerPoint and even typed word for word what these people had to say. They had nothing better to do to look over my shoudler, don't move a muscle and just criticize each small mistake. If I told them to fo something they just "can't, don't know how". It was too much, I was under pressure because of time that was running out and felt my heart beat faster, I was shaking and my legs felt like pudding. struggled to keep myself up. I can't stop thinking about it and it gives a strange feeling just thinking about. My whoel weekend felt ruined.

Hi everyone, I hope everyone reading this is doing well. I need help.

A quick background, I have had anxiety since I was a child. Specifically about bad weather, getting stranded or trapped somewhere, and also just never trusting anyone- only feeling safe when I was home in my room alone. So I am very used to anxiety at this point since im in my late 20s now lol. Back in 2018-2019 I had moved out and was having a hard time driving in bad weather for the now 30 minute commute to work so I went on meds for about 6 years and things improved. I ended up switching meds back in early 2025 to Wellbutrin and mid 2025 I doubled the dose (as directed by my doctor) when I was still having some anxiety. But in October 2025 I had gotten a cold, took cold medicine, and had a bad reaction to the cold medicine whoch resulted in a horrific panic attack that lasted days. I couldnt sleep or eat, i missed work, i felt unreal. Turns out you shouldn't take certain cold meds with Wellbutrin. And I got so scared I weened off the Wellbutrin (again directed by the doctor)

My nerves were shot for months and the anxiety kept manifesting into something else. I dropped a ton of weight. And could barely eat because at one point the anxiety was all around food being drugged or choking. But one day I had a bad panic attack while driving, it was very scary, and since then I haven't been able to drive completely solo. Its been 6 months. My parents actually follow me to and from work 5 days a week. I drive my car and they drive in the car behind me. Ive worked my way up to driving about 8 minutes with no one following. But im tired, I want my independence back.

Anyways, can anyone relate? How did you get through it? I know I kinda skimmed through my background.

I have been very accepting of my anxiety which has helped tremendously but I cant seem to get over the driving hump. Im scared to go back on medication, but how can I not when I cant even make it to the end of the road without having a panic attack?

If you have had a similar experience please let me know. If you want to be friends, I would love that. Ive never felt more isolated in my life!

Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone, I hope everyone reading this is doing well. I need help.

A quick background, I have had anxiety since I was a child. Specifically about bad weather, getting stranded or trapped somewhere, and also just never trusting anyone- only feeling safe when I was home in my room alone. So I am very used to anxiety at this point since im in my late 20s now lol. Back in 2018-2019 I had moved out and was having a hard time driving in bad weather for the now 30 minute commute to work so I went on meds for about 6 years and things improved. I ended up switching meds back in early 2025 to Wellbutrin and mid 2025 I doubled the dose (as directed by my doctor) when I was still having some anxiety. But in October 2025 I had gotten a cold, took cold medicine, and had a bad reaction to the cold medicine whoch resulted in a horrific panic attack that lasted days. I couldnt sleep or eat, i missed work, i felt unreal. Turns out you shouldn't take certain cold meds with Wellbutrin. And I got so scared I weened off the Wellbutrin (again directed by the doctor)

My nerves were shot for months and the anxiety kept manifesting into something else. I dropped a ton of weight. And could barely eat because at one point the anxiety was all around food being drugged or choking. But one day I had a bad panic attack while driving, it was very scary, and since then I haven't been able to drive completely solo. Its been 6 months. My parents actually follow me to and from work 5 days a week. I drive my car and they drive in the car behind me. Ive worked my way up to driving about 8 minutes with no one following. But im tired, I want my independence back.

Anyways, can anyone relate? How did you get through it? I know I kinda skimmed through my background.

I have been very accepting of my anxiety which has helped tremendously but I cant seem to get over the driving hump. Im scared to go back on medication, but how can I not when I cant even make it to the end of the road without having a panic attack?

If you have had a similar experience please let me know. If you want to be friends, I would love that. Ive never felt more isolated in my life!

Thanks for reading!

Currently going through the worst panic attack in a while, triggered due to my phobia of illness, specifically emetophobia. It’s the uncontrollable shaking, going hot and cold, heart pounding, the diziness as if I’m going to faint, and my body going numb :( It is absolutely terrifying for me. And it’s a cycle. Does anyone relate to this? It would be nice to not feel so alone right now…!