# Healing and Wellbeing > General Health >  >  Physical anxiety, no thoughts?

## BananaExpress

Does anyone ever experience feeling overwhelming anxiety (chest pressure, desperation, wanting to cry) while maintaining a completely clear state of mind and being unable to pinpoint any exact thoughts, ideas or other cause that triggered it? I'm in the middle of something like that right now..

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## silverlining32

yes, more often since my new position at work.  Tight pinching feeling in chest, muscle spasms usually in my back or legs.  I don't know about the clear state of mind though, that used to happen to me during my PMS (but I have PMDD) time period a week before AND after, but I always have kind of an idea of something stressing me out...even though I'm not sure why it's stressing out my body when I feel like it's a stress I can handle, if that makes sense.

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## BananaExpress

I realize I had some kind of idea last night, it just stressed me a LOT more than what's reasonable. I felt pretty lonely, and it snowballed.

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## Screenaddict

I have experienced this many many times in the past and so have other people I have known. Just letting you know you are not on your own with this, it is actually quite common. Its like the mind is blank but there seem to be sensations all over the body and a distant feeling of sadness, distress and worry, but it is very difficult to identify the trigger or the thought behind it. Its exactly how you described no thoughts what so ever. It sounds a bit harmonal which can happen to anybody, its almost as if the body is making it occur more than life or the mind, even though the body is obvoiusly closely linked to the mind so the mind is mostly responsible but the knowledge of why it is taking place and why the mind is temporarily upset is blurred. I really cant think of anything else to add to that, I feel like thats all I know on the subject because I never found out why I experienced it either.

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## Blossom

> Does anyone ever experience feeling overwhelming anxiety (chest pressure, desperation, wanting to cry) while maintaining a completely clear state of mind and being unable to pinpoint any exact thoughts, ideas or other cause that triggered it? I'm in the middle of something like that right now..



Whenever I feel stressed and anxious, there's a pressure on my chest more often than not. It's surely a sign of anxiety / stress but the causes are hard to identify in my case too. I think it's mostly when I try to complete more than one task at a time, and worry too much, when this happens.

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## rachelchloe

I understand where that is coming from. I would get chest pains and it felt like my whole body was tightening up when I got stressed. I still get stressed, and my shoulders rise up when i feel uncomfortable.

I guess from these posts that these side affects are typical with stress.

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## CityofAngels

I get that part of why I quit coffee is it was making that worse.

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## BananaExpress

Yep, same. Skipping caffeine entirely now.

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## synthesis

perhaps its stuff from your sub-conscious trying to break through

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## Antidote

> I have experienced this many many times in the past and so have other people I have known. Just letting you know you are not on your own with this, it is actually quite common. Its like the mind is blank but there seem to be sensations all over the body and a distant feeling of sadness, distress and worry, but it is very difficult to identify the trigger or the thought behind it. Its exactly how you described no thoughts what so ever. It sounds a bit harmonal which can happen to anybody, its almost as if the body is making it occur more than life or the mind, even though the body is obvoiusly closely linked to the mind so the mind is mostly responsible but the knowledge of why it is taking place and why the mind is temporarily upset is blurred. I really cant think of anything else to add to that, I feel like thats all I know on the subject because I never found out why I experienced it either.



YES. This is exactly how I would describe it too. I think alexithymia may also be part of the problem. And I generally have trouble identifying triggers to my mental states especially since my mental states can be quite delayed.

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## autecho

> Does anyone ever experience feeling overwhelming anxiety (chest pressure, desperation, wanting to cry) while maintaining a completely clear state of mind and being unable to pinpoint any exact thoughts, ideas or other cause that triggered it? I'm in the middle of something like that right now..



it sounds like adrenaline release through stress triggers.

have a look into deep breath exercises,these can be learned via waching videos on youtube or reading how tos via google,the pysch of mine tried to teach it but it isnt suitable for everyone obviously,when it is suitable aparently it can really help calm down a person which is important because long term release of stress chemicals such as adrenaline is a risk to physical and mental stuff later on from what have read.

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## Chantellabella

> Does anyone ever experience feeling overwhelming anxiety (chest pressure, desperation, wanting to cry) while maintaining a completely clear state of mind and being unable to pinpoint any exact thoughts, ideas or other cause that triggered it? I'm in the middle of something like that right now..



This is my life. I have Dissociative Identity Disorder and my mind is often not attached to my physical parts. I can be at work and all of a sudden tears well up. This never used to happen when I was split off so much I didn't even feel. But now that I'm integrating more, I will have this sudden fear or sadness for no reason. My therapist has taught me to "ask inside" when this happens. In other words, ask whoever if they are sad and to tell me why they are sad. I know this sounds all Twilight Zone and stuff, but until I'm fully integrated, my thoughts and feelings are out of sync.

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