When mine gets really bad, it’ll feel like a slow buildup of tension that is quickly released without my control. Almost like an attack. In the past, it’s actually felt like a shock as well.
But it sounds like NT people I’ve talked with don’t see it like that 🤔 and frankly neither does the internet at large 🥴
It’s paralyzing to me. Tons of pressure builds up in my core. As it builds, I’m able to think and do less and less. The pressure spreads to the rest of my body. If left unchecked all I can do is lay down and wait for it to go away.
To me it feels like an inability to do something, like trying to click on a greyed-out text option in a game or something. It’d be like if you tired to move your arm and it just didn’t work and stayed still no matter how hard you tried, like being paralyzed. Sometimes it gets bad enough where it feels like completely panic where my brain is screaming at me to leave what ever situation I’m in and that’s the one and only option I have, although that’s rare. There’s always an aspect of fear to it, but only actual panic when it gets bad enough
I feel like I have learned helplessness preventing me from having normal panic now from 5 million undone imaginary homework assignments and texts i didn’t answer and fake cold war anxiety from being a neoliberal child so now I just shut down when I’m truly afraid. I don’t try to concoct a wild escape plan unless I can truly make a break for it like, hearing sirens and jumping over a fence, real escape. But concocting wild lies and explanations isn’t something I can do off the cuff now sadly.
Like you say its a build up of tension that gets stronger and stronger as I get more agitated then it hits a point and explodes into pure fear and complete paralysis at the top end. And I will experience this for something as stupid as calling someone
Suffocation, paralysis
Kind of bleachy like cleaning chemicals
Anxiety feels way better when you have a perfect diet and exercise sadly, felt better when I had more muscle and body fat!
I tried to ignore social anxiety and I got okay at that but in truly tense situations like presentations and interviews I’ve just gotten beta blockers laying around 😅😅😅 that way I can ignore and nobody else can see
Paralysis
I get panic attacks when it’s really bad where my perspective zooms above my head like a drone shot
Anxiety is a monster
For me, it usually peaks with a feeling of imminent death in addition to the paralysis 😃
Oh I thought that part was just normal
I’ve come to rely on visualization to help me cope with my overwhelming feelings, so for me, anxiety is like a set of reels in my chest, spinning at high speed to heighten the tension in wires spread throughout every muscle and joint in my body. It makes everything tighten up, speeds my heartbeat and breathing.
Sometimes when it’s quiet and I focus on my breathing I can make the reels slow down and get some progressive muscle relaxation started up.
I get social anxiety in my eyes sometimes. I cant make eye contact and my eyes itch like I need to cry and I blink lots. There’s no mental fear or faster heart beat just my eyes being dumb. its fucking annoying.
I’m not autistic but my panic attacks usually feel like some one is sitting on my chest.
