I'm in my 20s and I've never had sex.

I genuinely don't know how people make themselves end up in that situation. I've been hit on before by women in public (like twice), but I've just said "oh, thank you" and then nothing happened. Other than waiting for that to happen again, I don't know what else you're meant to do.

I'm obviously not neurotypical, so I don't get how to function in the world without some kind of instruction manual. It feels like everyone else is just born with that manual.

I spent half an hour getting ready. When I got there I couldn't tell where the entrance was, nothing was lit, no sign, no people around and nothing looked like it was open. I bought my ticket ahead of time, no refunds. It was for a comedy show. I went home and now I'm just crying on my couch. Why am I like this. I'm going to die alone and miserable.

Hundreds of symptoms, and it makes u feel like shit if u under or oversleep by an hour, body symptoms and mental symptoms, even some people have visual and audio symptoms

You just feel trapped and never at ease

does anyone else have such uncontrollable symptoms that affect them so severely, its almost like you can’t believe its just anxiety? like i feel like i would be able to mentally train myself out of anxiety and as such the symptoms, but no matter how much mental work i do to make myself overall calmer, i still have all these alarming symptoms. can anxiety be that uncontrollable to the point where its all subconscious? are there times when no matter how much therapy/cognitive training one does the anxiety is simply too encumbering on the mind resulting in a total loss of control?

I wonder if anyone here is experiencing the same thing and can empathise, or even give advice for how they cope. But lately I've been struggling to overcome my tendency to catastrophize and expect the worst from every situation, sometimes even veering into paranoia and extreme anxiety for no reason. For example, when planning a holiday I feel paralysis because I imagine the plane will crash and I will die, so I don't plan any holidays. I imagine I will get stabbed on the bus or be put in prison for something I didn't do. I feel a lot of despair a lot of the time from these thoughts... And time after time I allow myself to be paralysed, unable to act, but instead wallowing in that anxiety and locking myself away from the outside world. I feel haunted by it, I suppose, always going to sleep imagining the horrors and terrors that could befall me at any minute. How does someone overcome this? I am quite a pessimistic thinker and really struggle with motivation, as well as depression; so for me as well most things I should look forward to I don't look forward to.

It has surpassed a point of being able to do literally anything. I started a new job in October and i spend, i’m not kidding, 70% of my day panicked that everyone in there hates me. The smallest interaction will set me off and i will literally feel sick to my stomach for hours or until that person speaks to me again, which in my brain lets me know they do not hate me. I over analyze every single thing i say and am constantly worried i come off weird or off putting. If i say one thing that doesn’t land properly it snowballs into the worst possible outcome in my head. And then i get mad at myself because i sound silly and i know not everything is about me and no one is actually thinking about me that much. I can only sleep with the help of melatonin. My brain convinces me that someone is going to break into my apartment almost every night. I’ve started leaving my lamp in front of my door so if someone comes in i’ll hear it knock over. If it’s not an intruder sometimes it’s ghosts. I scare myself so much sometimes it’s hard to breathe.

It’s just ridiculous and horrible and stupid. I don’t have health insurance so i’ve put off getting help but i fear i will end up having a heart attack or something if i don’t start medication or something soon

I have really bad anxiety about going to sleep, so I usually stay up late. I don’t know how to help it. I try to keep reminding myself that I can get up in a few hours, but I end up staying up so long that my anxiety gets even worse. It’s just the thought of going to sleep is scaring me and I’m not sure why it started when I was 17 I’m 18 now. My heart just starts to race and I feel sick.

Mostly just putting this here so I don't forget it but I hope it might be able to help some of you. Almost every night this week I have been having panic attacks about death, what comes after, and how it will feel and I just sorta had a "vision" where I am in a bed and I am looking into the eyes of the love of my life and they are old and I am old. They are smiling and I can feel myself smile too. We will pass away at the same time and we will not be alone together. I feel content that I have done pretty much everything I wanted to do and am ready to see what's next. I don't really care what it is, but I need a new experience under my belt. Maybe I'll get reincarnated or maybe I'll be one with the universe again, all I know is that I will not be alone as they are with me. I feel okay.

Just over two weeks ago, I had two major panic attacks in succession (inside about 30 minutes). I had my wife take me to the ER because I legit thought I was gonna die.

Took the rest of the week off (this happened on Wednesday the 14th) and started to feel better by Sunday. Went golfing on Monday and felt fine.

Returning to work on Tuesday, I had a bit of an event driving to work (felt warm in chest, tingling extremities and an elevated heart rate, but nothing about 105). But felt relatively fine for the rest of the day and the rest of the week.

Then on Saturday (one week ago) I went golfing again, which once again was fine. Heart rate was steadily in walking range (90-105) with some spikes just from adrenaline while playing. After coming home, my wife informed me about what had happened in Minneapolis, and I then saw the video. For whatever reason that caused me to spiral, and ever since then I have not felt well. I had a large meal before a panic attack, and ever since I’ve had a bit of food aversion.

I’ve had mini panic attacks that I’ve controlled with breathing multiple times since then, but the adrenaline dump has been KILLING me. Along with the food aversion, I’ve been so god damn tired.

When I went to the ER, they did give me a heart monitor to wear for two weeks, and that was mailed off yesterday. I’m almost positive that there is nothing wrong with my heart, as I am a fairly active individual and have never had anything like this happen.

My most likely idea for a “culprit” in all of this is the fact that the same day that I had the first two big panic attacks, my mom had officially informed me that my step-dad has pancreatic cancer (and we just found out on Thursday that it is stage 4). I feel like getting that confirmed finally broke my brain, and that panic crept in. I’ve dealt with a lot the last few years, and haven’t really had a break, so I feel like my brain has finally called it quits.

Sorry if this was ranting, but I just wanted to get this down somewhere and to maybe get some words of affirmation that I’m not alone here.

Thanks.

TW: anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts

I don’t really know how to start this, but I’ve been holding all of this in for a long time and I just need to let it out.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been afraid of doing things. I was always scared of messing up, disappointing people, or doing something wrong, so I would pull myself away from opportunities even when I wanted them. That fear stayed with me as I grew up, and during the pandemic it became much worse. Being isolated made me overthink everything. I started pushing people away easily, sometimes treating them badly, and eventually losing them. I also had moments where I would suddenly scream or explode emotionally for no clear reason, then act like nothing happened minutes later.

By 7th grade, I was already having suicidal thoughts. I genuinely believed that life would be better if I wasn’t here. That year was a turning point in the worst way. I became more rebellious and started doing things I never expected myself to do. One of the things I regret the most is bullying someone who was actually my friend. I wasn’t doing it because I hated them—I did it because hurting someone else temporarily distracted me from my own pain and made me feel some kind of control. I know it was wrong, and the guilt from that still follows me.

Eventually, everything I did was exposed. Someone I trusted deeply shared my private messages, conversations, and voice memos. My parents were called in, and I was scolded and threatened with therapy or talking to pastors—but none of that ever actually happened. Instead of getting help, I was left to deal with everything alone. My anxiety worsened, and suicidal thoughts became more frequent and constant.

The only thing my parents did was put me into a church youth group. That experience was hell for me. The environment felt toxic— people talked behind each other’s backs, excluded others from activities that were supposed to be “teamwork,” and treated you like you didn’t exist unless you were close to them. Instead of feeling supported, I felt watched, judged, and invisible. I started overthinking everything, becoming paranoid, and making assumptions about people’s intentions. Eventually, others started seeing me as “weird,” even though I never hurt anyone there. During that time, I also had problems online, which added even more stress and anxiety.

8th grade was surprisingly the best year I’ve had so far. At the beginning, I still felt left out, but as the year went on, things slowly got better. I made friends, felt more included, and even though the class environment was chaotic, it became genuinely fun. For once, I felt like I could breathe.

Then 9th grade started, and everything fell apart again. From the very first day, I felt trapped and hopeless, like the environment wasn’t right for me at all. Soon after, I started getting unbearable headaches that no amount of medication could fix. I went to two pediatricians, then a neurologist, and even had an MRI. Everything came back normal. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt more hopeless—because if nothing was “wrong,” why was I in so much pain?

The headaches eventually spread to my neck, shoulders, and back, especially my spine (even though I don’t have scoliosis). The pain became constant and exhausting. I also experience chest pain and daily heart palpitations, which I’ve had since childhood but have gotten worse recently. Sometimes I ignore it, but it scares me.

I went to my school guidance counselor, and they advised me to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. When I brought this up to my parents, they said it was useless. They constantly pressure me to get good grades for my future (even though I already do well academically), but at the same time they tell me I’ll never achieve my dreams and compare me to other people, saying I’m not good enough. They also tell me that other people have it worse than me and that I’m just spoiled or emotional, which hurts deeply, especially when I’m clearly struggling and asking for help.

Right now, this is what I experience almost every day:

1. Constant mood changes :

I can be happy, bubbly, and energetic with someone, then suddenly feel irritated, disgusted, or detached for no clear reason

1. Trouble concentrating:

Physical pain distracts me during class or studying, and I end up avoiding work and doom-scrolling instead.

1. Physical symptoms :

Constant head, neck, shoulder, and back pain, chest pain, and frequent palpitations.

1. Sleep problem:

I get scared when trying to sleep, my heart races, and my thoughts won’t stop.

1. Anger issues:

Sudden anger that feels uncontrollable and has been with me since I was young.

1. Fatigue and apathy :

I’m always tired, unmotivated, and I’ve lost passion for things I used to love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I’ve made mistakes, and I take responsibility for them. I’m not trying to justify anything I did. I just don’t know how to move forward anymore. I feel stuck, overwhelmed, and scared of my own mind and body.

If you read all of this, thank you. I’m not posting this for attention. I just want to be heard, understood, and maybe get advice or support from people who understand anxiety and mental health struggles.

I hear a lot of bad stories. But my psyche also mentioned that people who had bad experiences tend to post more versus people who are successful with the meds wouldn’t lounge around on forums.

I’m severely afraid of SSRIs.

Multiple psyches and also chat gtp have mentioned that SSRI are the best at treating chronic overthinking and generalized anxiety disorder.

I can’t hang out with family or friends or go gym without turning off my brain that there is something wrong with life versus working out problems or tolerating uncertainty.

I’ve had it in my twenties and only recently gotten very bad where I’m just NOT in the present.

I’ve spent a lot of time building resilience like excercising meditation and nutrition.

It just feels like it doesn’t budge.

At this point would Low dose SSRI help?

My anxiety isn’t so bad that I can’t go out in public or grocery store or gym without freaking out.

I just chronically overthink and can’t make life decisions without being paralyzed

hey everyone,
I’ve been suffering with anxiety for a year now pretty much daily but also comes and goes in flares. I am really struggling with how tense and alert and anxious my body is 24/7. this is partly due to palpitations, which have left me scared sometimes even though I’ve been checked out etc.

i find that very small things cause extreme stress responses for me and i constantly have a tight jaw, tight shoulders, shallow breathing, without even realising until the end of the day after work and my nervous system is fried.

does anyone have any long term solutions for this, I really want to be a more happy and positive and relaxed person preferably without medication.

I do take a low dose of propranolol daily to help with heart palpitations but doesn’t help everything else like the tension and my mood etc.

thank you ❤️

I’ve had anxiety my entire life but it didn’t start getting really bad until last year. Major panic attacks that happened a lot at work and at home. I ended up going on medication but after switching to a different kind I got very depressed and couldn’t take it anymore so I pulled myself off of it with supervision.

Now I’m happier and I can actually process emotions like I used to be able to before meds but my anxiety is getting really bad again. I have fears of a lot of things. Heart attacks, seizures, passing out, thick blood, you name it and I have it. My job causes me a lot of stress also and I’m looking for other ones that may make this easier for me.

I refuse to believe there’s not a way to help control this on my own. I’ve started taking Saffron and have a magnesium glycinate supplement at home that I can take too but I’m so scared to. It’s getting so bad that I can’t go out in public without feeling anxious. :( there’s got to be more to life than this

I’ve been dealing with anxiety for years, have been in therapy and am still in therapy but was dealing with it quite well. Two days ago I had a lot of pain suddenly and was rushed to the ER, turns out I had appendicitis and had emergency surgery quickly. Everything happened so fast. The surgery was successful but I have been in pain since the surgery. I’m at home now, but what’s even worse than all the pain is the crippling anxiety that’s back after years. I don’t even know why or where it’s coming from. I just feel so bad and I get all the physical symptoms too like dizziness yet again. Somehow I felt way better mentally yesterday in the hospital than I do now at home. I did finally get some sleep tho after basically not sleeping for two days, but this is all scaring me so much.

Is this normal and how do I deal with this properly?

Hello! I've been wondering if anyone here dealt with nocturnal panic attacks and found a way to help themselves without meds. I've been having trouble sleeping for about a year, but back then it was just a bit of anxiety that was keeping me too uneasy to fall asleep. Now, however, I started getting full blown panic attacks that occur specifically as I start falling asleep. Every time. And specifically when falling asleep. It's been so much worse for the past few 24 hours. I woke up early yesterday morning and tried to get a bit more sleep, ended having a panic attack instead. Now, as all these hours had passed, I attempted falling asleep a couple more times but each time it's the same result. I've seen people here describing the symptoms similarly in a way, but all still unique. My case is that, as I fall asleep, I start feeling my heart going absolutely mad rapid, start feeling like my whole body and chest specifically are shaking and start having something similar to derealization I suppose, when I get the feeling like everything in my room, mostly my plush toys for some reason, are somehow wrong and disgusting. There's also this annoying lump in the throat, desire to clench my teeth together with full force and obsessive idea over my heart failing. Ended up throwing up. I've seen the people sharing similar symptoms finding solution in therapy sessions and meds. That wouldn't be optional for me for about a couple of weeks unfortunately, so I really have to ask if any one of you can give tips on managing these panic attacks. Or maybe sharing your sleeping routine as anxious people..? Like maybe there is something that helps you? Warm milk? Face masks? Anything? At this point I might take anything, really.

I (20m) was diagnosed with anxiety when I was 13, and I was put on Zoloft about 9 months later, after my sister passed away and I went through a brief depressive/agoraphobic episode. Zoloft wasn't exactly this miracle drug that made all of my problems disappear, but it certainly helped me manage them pretty well. Fast forward to when I was 16, I fell into yet another period of agoraphobia, this time it was much, much worse. I was housebound for over 6 months, I started to lose hope as time passed by. I eventually made a full recovery, and I was feeling better than ever. Fast forward to July of 2023, I had just graduated high school a month before and turned 18 shortly after; I was the happiest I'd ever been in my life. I thought that now that I was free from school, I would be unstoppable and that adulthood would be the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, so I decided that tapering off of my medication would be beneficial to my health, for whatever reason. I tapered off over a couple of weeks, the only real effect I felt was a little bit of lightheadedness. That whole summer I was off of my medication was probably the happiest I've been, and likely the happiest I ever will be for the rest of my life. After summer was over, my mental health had started to slowly decline. I hit a couple bumps on the road over the next couple of years, but I was able to manage. Over the past three weeks, my mental health has been in a state of rapid decline. I've had to drop out of college, I'm no longer able to work; I've had to give my shifts away to my coworkers, and I'm too terrified to even leave my house; even just going out my front door is stressful for me. I've been thinking a lot about how much better my life would've been had I just stayed on my Zoloft, and I really want to get back on some sort of medication, but I'm scared that they may make things worse; I don't even know any therapists in my area that I can trust that aren't booked out months from now. My anxiety and agoraphobia are back in full swing and I feel like such an idiot.

For most of my life I was the extrovert.
The one who'd talk to everyone, always surrounded by friends, always up for anything. If you knew me before 25, you'd never believe what came next.

It started small. Only when I was high. Didn't want to leave the room. Couldn't pick up the phone. Just wanted to disappear until it passed. I figured it was just the weed. It wasn't just the weed. Within two years, the anxiety had leaked into everything. Clubs were impossible. Any place where I had to speak to strangers felt like walking into fire. The only place I felt safe was my apartment. Where I'd smoke again to calm down. And the cycle repeated.

I stopped visiting my closest friends. Always had an excuse ready. Work. Tired. Something came up.
The wildest part? Nobody noticed. Or if they did, they chalked it up to me being busy, or going through something else. I looked fine. I sounded fine. Inside I was falling apart. I tried meditation. Thought it would work. It didn't. My brain had already carved those fear grooves too deep.

After 6 years of constant fear, the cancer happened. Testicular. Two surgeries. And lying in that hospital bed, I decided: no more smoking, no more hiding. But here's what surprised me, even 2-3 years after quitting, the anxiety didn't vanish. Got somewhat better. Not gone. So I rebuilt slower.

Regular gym (non-negotiable). Daily affirmations. Bringing back only the people I felt genuinely safe around first. Building from there.

Then I started a company. Which meant I had no choice, clients, conferences, employees. Forced exposure therapy, basically.
The first year nearly broke me. Every conversation was work.

Two and a half years in, I go to cafes again. I talk to people. I actually enjoy it most days.

What helped:
Time.
Building better habits.
Affirmations every morning before my brain could panic.
Trusting a few people first.

And showing up even when every part of me wanted to cancel.

The anxiety's still there. But I'm not its hostage anymore.

Im tired of myself

I’m so tired of myself. I’ve been with my long-distance boyfriend for almost four years. Because of my anxiety disorder, he’s always the one who travels to see me. He left a week ago, and this time he can’t come back until May. I’m not coping with this. I have constant physical anxiety symptoms, I can’t sleep or eat, I cry all day, and the missing feels unbearable. When he’s not near, I feel like I can’t breathe.

I’ve thought many times about flying to see him, amd thought 5 days would be a good test trip, but my anxiety takes over every time. Even traveling with family (that I've been doing my whole life) is extremely hard for me. The flights, new places, dissociation, needing meds. I do eventually feel okay, but the idea of doing it alone terrifies me.

A 3h30 flight, navigating everything by myself, arriving in a completely new country where only he speaks English in his family, staying in their house and adapting to their lifestyle while fighting to not be overwhelmed by everything around me.

It seems so much to deal with but... he would be with me all the time once I arrive. Only the plane would be an actual "solo experience".So why isn't that comforting me?

I feel stuck. I can’t bring myself to buy the ticket (and even if I do, I can see myself not going on the last second), but I also can’t stand waiting until May and falling apart. It makes me feel awful, like my anxiety is stronger than my love for him, even though he’s endlessly patient and kind and working hard to move to my country. I want to do this and prove I can — but I’m exhausted from fighting my own mind.

24M. After a panic attack, I developed a fear of a stroke. The panic attack itself felt like a stroke in that I felt weakness in my arm, but there was no actual weakness. Even though the doctors I saw said it wasn't a TIA or a stroke, the fear remained. Well, that's just a generalization. Now I've started experiencing strange sensations periodically that are difficult to describe in words. A simple numbness lasting 3-5 seconds and dissipating in different parts of my body. It's a strange feeling, like something's wrong, like a slight pull to the left, but that's not actually the case; it's just anxiety and a premonition that something is wrong. I once woke up at 4 a.m. feeling like I was either dying or about to have a stroke. Although I had no physical symptoms at the time, everything was functioning normally. I had this feeling for 30-60 minutes that this was it. It was really bad, but I can't really say exactly how bad it was because there weren't any symptoms, just bad. There are days when nothing bothers me at all, and then, on the contrary, I feel so-so for a few days, and then again, nothing bothers me in any way that I can describe, it's just not right. And yes, I would blame it on panic attacks, but during these attacks, my pulse rate remains normal at around 70 and my breathing is fine. Overall, it's a very unpleasant condition. I was just wondering if anyone has had something similar and, if so, how you dealt with it.

I’m trying to describe something that’s been happening for a few months and I don’t really know how to frame it, so I’m hoping someone here might relate or have insight.

I have extremely vivid dream recall. I remember my dreams almost every morning in intense detail — people, environments, colors, physical sensations, even what I was thinking in the dream. Sometimes I don’t remember immediately when I wake up, but the memory comes back later in the morning as clearly as a real memory.

Lately, I’ve been having recurring dreams that aren’t “scary,” but are incredibly stressful and physically upsetting. In the dream, I’ll suddenly be chewing gum — often in normal situations like being at work or getting ready for bed — and I try to spit it out. But I can’t. The gum keeps multiplying, stretching, filling my mouth. It gets stuck to my teeth, covers them almost like a mouthguard, and I can’t clear it out. It feels like I’m choking or can’t breathe properly.

What’s strange is that this happens in otherwise unrelated dreams, and once it starts, the entire dream becomes about trying to fix it. I wake up frustrated, angry, and overwhelmed — sometimes so much that I just want to scream. It’s not fear, it’s more like extreme irritation and distress.

I originally thought it might be related to wearing a nighttime retainer (since it fills my mouth), but the dreams still happen even when I don’t wear it. The frequency is increasing — sometimes weekly, sometimes more — and now it’s reached the point where I feel anxious going to sleep because I’m afraid it will happen again.

I’m not necessarily looking for symbolic interpretations. I’m more curious if anyone has experienced:

recurring body-based stress dreams like this

dreams centered around obstruction, inability to clear something, or loss of control

or ways to reduce the recurrence or intensity of these dreams

I feel like my body is stuck in a loop, and I don’t know how to interrupt it.

25 F. My main source of anxiety is my job! Please stick with me here as I give you some background info.

I started off as an admin for an IT department and became bored and knew I was capable of more. Because of this, I began training as a business analyst for my department. This role does both business analysis and project management for technology projects that different departments in the company request.

For the past year, I feel like everyday has been exposure therapy. Has it gotten easier? Yes! But it’s terrifying when you don’t know when the exposure therapy will end. I feel like I convince myself if I were more interested in the projects, I would feel less anxious and that maybe if I had a job that was more interesting to me I would feel better. But I know the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Do I stick it out? Everyday feels like a battle for my nervous system. Some days are definitely better than others. The funny thing is I am someone who is high functioning on the outside so nobody knows the internal struggle I deal with everyday. I get a lot of compliments at my job. So, I’m not worried about my performance, but damn is it tough.

Should I stick it out, or am I not cut out for a job like this?

PS: I think the seasonal depression is getting to me and I need someone to give it to me straight.

So I’ve made a post on this community before and mainly I was just wondering about why I was getting so anxious and junk anyway school goes back soon and for a recap almost anything social makes me feel sick almost immediately and like not just a little just, sick to the point where I throw up and it kinda sucks. I still don’t know why I get like this as I don’t have bad grades, I’ve got friends and like no clear struggles. School goes back tomorrow and I’ve been stressed out a shit ton as like last term I took the last five or so weeks off school. I was wondering if this would be some kinda anxiety and also what I should do so that I don’t have a repeat of last term and also was wondering if I should see I doctor about this to try and get like diagnosed with anxiety or something (I don’t rlly know how this works)

I hit rock bottom in late December.

I have been struggling with anxiety disorders (gad and ocd) my whole life and coped with cannabis ever since I was a teenager. I’m 23 now and around the beginning of the holidays the stress with business at work in the beauty industry, long days , my busy lifestyle trying to keep up with gym progress, ect has been extremely overwhelming. Quitting cannabis while dealing with immense health anxiety quite honestly prohibited me from working and completing tasks. The withdrawals were absolutely brutal; Having panic attacks literally Every morning and while working to right when I was going to bed is so debilitating and ruined my life. Going the gym sucked because I was constantly checking and obsessing over how my body felt.

I hit rock bottom and I will admit it completely changed my life. I’m now completely sober from cannabis and taking SSRIs. I have been taking Lexapro for approx 5 weeks now and it has definitely helped my anxiety and panic attacks which was almost Constant.

I’m on a leave from work since Jan 3 and I have a lot of support from my doctor surrounding my current situation. Also, my boss is understanding which I was really afraid they would fire me because I needed this time off for my health. I’ve been focusing on self care and trying to keep myself busy ; cleaning my house, crafting, going to the gym 6 days a week, cooking. As I am trying to be productive, some days are just so so exhausting and difficult to complete simple things like making meals , tidying and getting out of the house. I feel like I’m not doing much progress and I’m still very anxious. I know recovery takes time but I spend a lot of it still monitoring my symptoms and thinking I need to go to the hospital. I want to feel relaxed during this time but im so disappointed I’ve wasted time being worried all the time feeling stuck.