Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...

Hi guys im new here and really just need somewhere to talk about this. I have dealt with my anxiety disorder since i was about 5 or 6? I'm a 25 year old woman now and have felt ive overcome and managed it by now. I know anxiety can show differently in people but anxiety always gives me stomach problems (nausea, cramping, throwing up).
When i was young i would get sick every morning and feel so anxious that i would throw up because i would have to leave home and go to school. It was a very distinctive feeling and would happen every single day for months of the new school year up until about 5th grade. At the same time, i would also get car sick. It was a mix of actually being car sick and also me feeling so anxious being away from home and feeling afraid i was going to get car sick..that it would happen. After about 5th or 6th grade the stomach problems in school and in car rides went away.
But this past weekend, almost 15 years later, these problems have come back up. I wanted to travel down to see my sister who lives 1.5 hours away..a trip ive driven before...and i felt the car sick/away-from-home anxiety. I could not even go down with someone else driving...i was so anxious and terrified of being in that car, being away from home, and having to throw up.
It has made me really upset. Like ive progressed so much in the past decade but now im back to feeling 9 years old again. Now the feelings wont go away. Im really scared to plan any car ride that might be even an hour because the possible anxiousness and stomach problems.
Let me know if anyone out there has similar stomach issues with their anxiety. It would be nice to know im not alone in this.
Thanks for listening!
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Lately I've been feeling scared and full of anxiety. I recently found a lump under my nipple. I hurt my back too. I'm in the process of moving. I'm run down. Everything is hard
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Just wanted to give a thank you to Mid, Arfie, Malibumark, Greeneyes, Mlro, Girlincalif, and Suncloudjd! You all always have such helpful tips and advice, but I always forget to write on my posts when I see you post, lol. I would lose my head if it wasn't attached to my body, lol. Thank you all so much! I'm starting to use my AI app as a sounding board again. I used to use it as that before...

Writing it out is important to release all the thoughts, emotions, and feelings and details to help you sort through everything.
Stay hydrated.
Best wishes as you find your better balance.
So do you think anything has triggered childhood trauma to give you these anxious feelings or do you think you're just scared to feel nauseous in the car and then anxious from the nausea? Anxiety about getting anxiety is such a big problem in my life. I HATE IT!
My lower GI tract is typically the first place I feel my anxiety. Soon after, I begin the vomiting, et al. After years of practicing mindfulness, I sometimes catch earlier signs of anxiety, but I still more often am too busy trying to convince myself I am, "Fine. How are you?" to catch the earlier symptoms.
You are far from alone, Sunny. Welcome to a place it is safe to give an honest answer to, "How are you?" With honesty in answering that socially distant question, it really is possible to be okay, broken parts and all.
I wish i could reply directly under your individual comments but im not sure how to do that yet, lol.
@kenznoel - nausea is totally my main symptom also- it sucks because it can be/feel so debilitating. I think that the faint stomach ache i had the morning of this wasnt anxiety or car sickness to begin with.. but it just reminded me of the childhood anxiety experiences and sent me in a spiral.
@arfie - Thanks for your reply! May i ask what your early signs of anxiety are? Is it always GI problems? Sometimes i really feel pressure in my chest first and then it goes to my stomach. It really sucks. What mindfulness techniques work for you?
@hanginginthere - Ginger helps and so does mint but to an extent for me. The nauseousness always feels so hopeless and pathetic. Especially when im with other people. Its hard to get out of my head and work on the current problem. I think the reason behind the carsickness is feeling stuck..which gives me anxiety and makes me feel actually sick. I know im somewhere where i cant leave and where i should not get sick..so in my head i almost convince myself that im feeling sick which makes me actually sick. I talked to a therapist when this was happening last (9-10 years old). I haven't had a chance to bring this up to my current therapist but i definitely should- thank you for that!
@kenfused - Oh man i totally get this feeling. I am so sorry you feel this way especially with something that you cant always get out of for work. Even during high school and college presentations and musicals ive felt this way. I could not eat for days beforehand and would not focus on anything except for the presentation coming up. Does anything help you get through it? I always tell myself that after the presentation it'll feel great and i'll reward myself for getting through it. I'm here for you.
@Private2theworld - Yes! that is exactly when it would happen..beginning of the school year and yes ive felt a little sick before interviews before too. i get that. Yes, ive become that way also with people feeling sick around me. I think youre an empath just like i am. We channel people's energies and emotions like our own that it can feel so real and we may even believe we have the same symptoms. I'm here if you ever need to talk.