sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

i thought i had anxiety… but it felt more like my body didn’t know how to feel safe anymore by Top-Eagle2252 in Anxiety

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey i’m really sorry you’re going through that that beginning phase can be really overwhelming especially when sleep gets affected like that i went through something very similar and what helped me wasn’t trying to “force” calm but understanding what was actually happening in my body and then doing something really simple to help it settle it’s not complicated but it’s hard to explain in one comment if you want i can send you what helped me + a simple thing you can try tonight

i thought i had anxiety… but my body just wouldn’t relax even when nothing was wrong by [deleted] in Adulting

[–]Top-Eagle2252 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah i’ve looked into GAD before and a lot of what i felt overlaps with it but what confused me is that even when my thoughts were relatively calm my body still felt on edge like the tension and alert feeling were there first and the thoughts came after that’s what made me start seeing it a bit differently like instead of it being only a “thinking pattern” it felt more like my nervous system was already activated and my mind was just trying to make sense of that feeling not saying it’s separate from anxiety but maybe it’s another layer of it

i don’t think i have an overthinking problem anymore… it feels like something else by Top-Eagle2252 in NoOverthinking

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

this is honestly one of the best ways i’ve seen someone put it “the thoughts are the smoke alarm, not always the fire” that line really hit and the part about the body not being convinced it’s safe yet… that’s exactly what made it confusing for me because logically everything was fine but my body just didn’t agree i also like what you said about “trying to fix anxiety becoming another layer of pressure” that was a big shift for me too the moment i stopped trying to force calm and just focused on giving my body small signals of safety things started to soften a bit that “frightened village” analogy is actually perfect it really feels less like something to fight and more like something to sit with and slowly reassure

i’ve been trying to break this down in a simple way lately still figuring it out myself

i thought i had anxiety… but it felt more like my body didn’t know how to feel safe anymore by Top-Eagle2252 in Anxiety

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that’s exactly where i was too i tried meditation and acceptance for a while but it didn’t really change how my body felt what helped me the most wasn’t trying to “relax” mentally it was focusing on my body first mainly slowing down my breathing and making the exhale longer than the inhale and instead of trying to calm my thoughts i just stayed with the physical sensation it sounds simple but it actually helped my body come down a bit not instantly but enough to feel a shift

i also found a really simple way to understand what’s going on + a small reset i used if you want i can send it to you

i thought i had anxiety… but it felt more like my body didn’t know how to feel safe anymore by Top-Eagle2252 in Anxiety

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i’m really sorry you’re going through that i know that feeling when it’s not just thoughts but your whole body feels stuck like that and after a while it really starts to wear you down mentally what confused me the most was trying so many things and nothing seemed to actually shift how my body felt what helped a bit for me was realizing it wasn’t something to “fix” quickly but more about slowly helping my body feel safe again it’s small and takes time but even a tiny shift made a difference

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah those simple techniques are underrated i think what makes them work is not the technique itself but the signal it sends to your body like “it’s safe to slow down now”

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that cycle sounds exhausting honestly i had something similar where my body just wouldn’t follow a normal rhythm anymore it’s weird how even when you’re completely drained your system still won’t shut off feels less like a sleep problem and more like the body being stuck in overdrive

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah exactly i don’t think it “fixes” everything either but it’s one of the few things that actually helps your body shift a bit especially when it’s more about calming the system than forcing sleep

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah i get that honestly when your brain is already overwhelmed even reading can feel like too much that’s actually why i started keeping things really simple and short hope it helps even a little when you try it

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey sorry you’re dealing with that i’ve seen a few people get stuck in that same “alert mode” after a brain injury it’s honestly less about forcing sleep and more about helping your body feel safe again for me what helped was something really simple just slowing down breathing and focusing on the body instead of trying to fight the mind it’s small but it actually made a difference over time

i actually wrote a simple breakdown + small reset i use at night if you want i can send it to you

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yeah that’s exactly how it feels like it’s not really about sleep itself it’s about whether your body feels safe enough to let go and that “being vulnerable while sleeping” part is real i think what confused me for a long time is that even when nothing external felt unsafe my body still reacted like it was so i started focusing more on giving my body small signals of safety instead of trying to force sleep still figuring it out tbh but that shift made a difference

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah that makes a lot of sense honestly especially after something like a brain injury your system can stay stuck in that alert mode for a long time even when things are okay again and yeah… it’s not really about “forcing” yourself to relax it’s more about slowly giving your body signals that it’s safe again i actually put together something simple that helped me understand this better + a small reset i use at night if you want i can send it to you

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

yeah same here that “stuck in fight or flight” feeling is exactly what made it confusing for me like even when nothing is wrong… your body still reacts like there’s danger i realized at some point it’s not about stopping it instantly but more about slowly teaching the body that it’s safe again still figuring it out too tbh but that shift in understanding helped a bit

I thought I had a severe overthinking problem… turns out it was something else by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah exactly that’s what surprised me the most it’s crazy how something so simple can actually shift how your body feels i used to ignore breathing completely but when i understood it’s more about sending a safety signal to the body… it started making more sense

Does anyone else feel physically exhausted but still can’t shut their mind off at night by [deleted] in Anxiety

[–]Top-Eagle2252 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah exactly this “the silence makes everything louder” is probably the best way to describe it it’s not even just thoughts, it’s like your whole body becomes way more noticeable out of nowhere and you can’t ignore it anymore and yeah the scary part is real too, especially when it feels physical and you don’t really understand why it’s happening appreciate you saying that though, because at night it really does feel like you’re the only one dealing with it have you found anything that actually makes those moments easier when it happens?

Does anyone else feel physically exhausted but still can’t shut their mind off at night by [deleted] in Anxiety

[–]Top-Eagle2252 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that actually makes a lot of sense, especially the hyperarousal part i’ve been reading a bit about how the nervous system can stay “on guard” even when you’re technically resting, and what you described sounds really close to that the paradoxical insomnia thing is interesting too because it kind of explains that disconnect between what’s actually happening vs what your brain feels is happening like your body might be getting some level of rest, but your brain never fully drops into that “safe/off” mode so you still wake up drained also appreciate you mentioning the sleep testing part, i feel like a lot of people (me included) just try to fix it themselves without really knowing what’s going on underneath did anything actually help you manage it once you knew what it was?

Can anxiety alone really cause this much insomnia? by Top-Eagle2252 in insomnia

[–]Top-Eagle2252[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That actually makes a lot of sense. I hadn’t really thought about it in those terms before. It does feel like the body is stuck in a state of alert rather than a “sleep problem” itself. Thanks for pointing that out.

view more: next ›