I know that Anxiety is something that a lot of us deal with. One of the reasons that I like avatar sites, for example is because I have social anxiety that keeps me from really meeting and conversing with people that I meet at work or at school and the partial anonymity makes me feel safer. I assume that people in the real world probably think I'm either weird or rude and have come to accept this as part of my life. (My Resting Jerk Face probably doesn't help either)

I've noticed that general anxiety feels a lot different to me than when I'm having an actual anxiety attack. If I'm just feeling anxious, I might talk faster, apologize more, or move about in a hurry like I have so much to do, even if I don't. I usually end up cleaning like a maniac!

An attack is more like drowning. Sometimes it's so hard to catch my breath that it feels like an invisible hand is covering my mouth. My heart beats faster, and I can feel my abdominal muscles twitching, like my body is trying to make me curl into the fetal position to "protect me" or something.

I usually deal with this through meditation or intense focus on a task that I'm interested in (I've recently gotten into bookbinding, and sewing signatures together is actually quite relaxing). I have to talk myself down if there isn't anyone around that knows what my anxiety looks like, and it usually involves me repeating 'you're fine, you're fine' over and over in my head.

I know I'm not alone, so what does anxiety feel like to you? Do you take medication for it, or do you try to control it like I (probably shouldn't) do?

For me anxiety is like a storm in a bottle. I was raised not to show any of it, so usually the external view is completely unchanged if not a bit quieter.

General anxiety though just like a wound spring.

No meds for it. Family wont admit it exists.

I have alot of social anxiety im always scared of people unless they are really close or family ive had panic attacks they are small and can be controlled best thing for that is chamomile tea i know what you mean about the cleaning i do that and my mind races from one thought to another like im in a rush when i get freaked out or something gos wrong my heart pounds out of my chest dont take meds some days feel like im losing my mind and i try talking about it but just makes me seem crazy lol seems like its always frowned upon when women have anxiety like aint supposed to have it

The stigma for anxiety is real! I can't believe that family members would blatantly ignore it, especially if it's causing physical discomfort.

I don't think I will ever want to take medication for it, unless it is severely interfering with my lifestyle (i.e. my social anxiety gets so bad that I don't leave my room/bed for months) which has thankfully never happened!

I can understand sounding crazy, especially when I'm explaining the feeling of a hand being over my mouth. the usual response is, "so what, you think ghosts are trying to murder you?" which does nothing but make me not want to mention it to anyone anymore. I have an overactive amygdala, I'm not delusional.

They aren't willing to accept that their family has any defects. We were "born perfectly normal" according to them.

I think regarding the mouth it feels a bit heavier, but not sure I have felt the whole "hand on mouth" feeling.

I have anxiety, but also a load of coexisting "conditions" that I am treating with medication.

I am currently taking medication for my other mental health conditions (and some of meds are both for my other conditions and anxiety too). So, I take meds for it....

I am also trying more natural coping skills, I bought a personal oil diffuser. It's called monq. It looks like an e-cig, and it works like an e-cig, but instead of breathing in nicotine, you are breathing in essential oils. The one I have is for sleep, but it doesn't make me tired. I got it because the oils are ones I have used before for sleep and all they did was make me feel slightly calmer, so I got that one.

To me, anxiety feels like a really deep, intense fear that kind of hovers over me and makes me feel physically sick. I am diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder so I don't have very many panic attacks. I've had many a three in my life. I also find that anxiety feels like as soon as I wake up, anxiety embraces me like a robe and slippers and I absolutely hate it.

My anxiety controls everything in my life, it stops me from making friends, stops me from getting my driver's license, stops me from leaving my house without my mom. It honestly controls every aspect of my life and I can't do anything about it. Hopefully, my psychiatrist puts me on a better anxiety medication and I can actually do things.

I'm a very anxious person. I have general anxiety and I also get panic attacks. The panic attacks are mostly under control, but the general anxiety is still a problem. I tend to get really paranoid people don't like me, or that I'm an "outsider" in a group, especially when I get talked over.

I'm also agoraphobic, so leaving the house is usually extremely stressful for me. I'm terrified of walking around in public and suddenly feeling sick because of my 'issues' and I don't want to puke or something on the sidewalk.

I cope with medication and meditation. Also I sing silly songs in my head like "Row Row Row your boat" until it goes away. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it comes back.

Anxiety, to me, feels like my chest is being crushed and it feels like the blood is draining from my fingers and lower legs...
I attribute this to a possibly overactive adrenaline response to certain triggers.
I do not medicate...though I do smoke marijuana to combat chronic pain on occaision, I rarely smoke after or during an anxiety attack, as smoking has an unpredictable effect on my anxiety...Sometimes it helps me calm down, and sometimes it just makes me focus stronger on the anxiety.
I usually cope by telling myself it will end eventually and try to distract myself from thinking about it.

Anxiety is silent for me. I put on a brave face, but I will tell you that on the inside I am overwhelmed.
Really, think about a bird in a cage. The best way that I have learned to cope is to stay optimistic. I'm an optimistic pessimist. The three biggest stressors for me are socializing, arachnids (seriously, can't even look at a picture without having a mini heart attack), and the worst case scenarios of the future. I feel these are typical for many of the population.

Oh boy, I was just talking over with my co-worker about anxiety today.

For me, anxiety is a roller coaster of emotions. Negative thoughts take over my mind, I feel almost shaky, I end up wringing my hands together and it's just a barrel of poop. My stomach feels all knotted up, and by the end of the day, you can find me curled up in bed planning whether it's doing something in my bullet journal or working on planning something out that I already know with my novel.

Anxiety for me is hard... to me it will never be cured, you can only learn to cope with it. I have Social Anxiety as well, plus some other issues and frankly it took me years to get to the point I am at now, and it's still not where I want to be. For me, I am constantly checking my surroundings for the nearest exit, I will sit the farthest I can from people, when I am around people my shoulders are tight and when people are too close I get that mantra 'go away, get away, too close' in my head and then my heart starts pounding... etc. I slipped really hard recently and got some intensive counseling and am now getting back on track. For me, meds and I know it sounds crazy, but Mindfulness, Meditation and support groups have been a Godsend to me, that and having a supporting sig other who puts up with me, lol. Also for me at least(this just might be a quirk of mine, but if I don't have a shower before going out my anxiety is a lot worse.) Hang in there is all I can say... there are more people than you know dealing with this stuff and I think knowing that helps me as well.

To me anxiety feels like everything around me is rushing and I'm in slow motion. It's all moving too fast and I need to find away out, I take solace in my fidget cube and carry it everywhere. I know they are usually for people with ADHD or ADD, but I find it helpful to focus on something small, something in my hands. It helps me breath better.

There are also times when the cube does nothing fore me, when I just have to leave and find a quiet place. It doesn't help that i was raised by a bi-polar mother, I'm pretty sure that's where my anxiety came from. Not knowing when she was going to be in a good or bad mood, it was hard.

Honestly I've been told I should take medication, my father takes nerve pills (also because of my mother) but I don't want medication, I'm okay with who I am. I'm going to become a teacher, and I know that sounds crazy, but I'm much more fine with a room full of kids than a room full of people my own age.

You should try a fidget cube, you can buy them from most convenience stores and possibly toy stores for just a few dollars. You can also try a fidget spinner, I just saw them at the dollar store the other day.

Fidgit spinners have started to get really annoying.
They are extremely distracting for me so I could never use one. They make a quiet sound but it's loud enough to make it hard for me to focus if it's near me.
The same thing would probably happen to a clicker, minus that silent clicker one.

I struggle a lot but i tend to pull through it.. in the end the only thing keeping me alive right now is to live my life and love my cats..

Cats are the ultimate anti-anxiety med :D

My social anxiety is terrible, too, and it is also a reason why I like avatar sites and social media. I do meditate but it does nothing for my anxiety. I just find that the older I get, the less I care about what others think of me, and it helps me have an easier time of things. My wife is also extremely bubbly and outgoing, so in social situations I use her as a crutch. (Like she'll order for me at restaurants, do all the talking when we're out with friends, make phone calls for me, etc.)

I wish someone would make phone calls for me! I hate talking on the phone!

I get anxiety really badly. It's been worse the past few months to the point I got back on medications for it. It feels like when you miss a step and feel yourself falling but it just keeps going and I can't catch myself. Most of the time I could stop it by stepping aside and getting away from people but it started getting to the point where I couldn't breathe and would freak out over nothing. It got so bad that I thought I was pregnant again since that was the only time I really had panic attacks. It seems to be getting better now that I'm on meds so hopefully it continues to improve.