@annedodrill44 - I have had times when my anxiety feels like my blood pressure must surely be elevated, and I've had mild chest pain (that is clearly anxiety, not actual heart, though I wondered about the effects on my heart), chest tightness, a really stiff neck and shoulders (more than just a normal "I've been sitting at my desk working for hours" type neck stiffness and ache), feel nauseous, have trouble eating and feel jittery and on edge. It feels terrible, and I imagine what it might be doing to my physical health. This comes and goes, but usually if this is happening, I'm at a fairly constant state of more edginess than normal.

My most recent episode, where I was concerned about having more traffic noise (than my previous home) at certain times of the day in our new home, went on for a couple of months, coming and going, even while on vacation out of state. Ruminating on what was bothering me just made it worse, but I had trouble coming back again and again to ruminating again. I think finally my dosage of 40 mg fluoxetine (Prozac) kicked in (I went on fluoxetine/Prozac in May, then it was upped in July), plus I started realizing how common having some noise outside one's home was at other friends' homes. I'd never even noticed it before till I started paying attention. I also thought a lot about what my mother's chaplain friend said about "radical acceptance" when one is having trouble with worry and anxiety. She also talked about saying, "Good dog," acknowledging an anxiety-provoking thought, then putting it down.

Have you noticed anything that makes your anxiety stronger or makes it decrease?

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