Why Do I Feel Anxious for No Reason?

Almost every day it feels like there is a heavy pit churning in your stomach, your chest feels tight and something just seems...off. 

Anxiety is your body's natural response to danger or perceived threat. This comes from hundreds of thousands of years of evolution and is our body's way of keeping us safe from harm, triggering a fight or flight instinct to help us escape any danger. This can show up as a faster heart rate, racing thoughts, tight muscles, shallow breathing or that familiar churning in your stomach

But why do you feel like this even when you can't see any threat?

In the modern world, we don't face the same risks that would have impacted our caveman ancestors, but there are plenty of modern pressures that can trigger our stress responses. Work deadlines, financial pressures, relationship stress and even scrolling through the news can all set off the same alarm system that once kept us safe from predators.

So what are the main contributors to this feeling, and why do they seem to come out of nowhere?

Hypervigilance - "I just feel on-edge"

For some, the constant feeling of anxiety is more closely linked to this ancestral fight for survival than we realise. It is simply your nervous system perpetually scanning for threat. However, it can feel as though this danger alarm is constantly on and there is no way to turn it off. 

This can be developed from past experiences where danger was unpredictable. Whether that was growing up in a high-stress environment, a past relationship or a period of prolonged insecurity, can leave your body seemingly shell-shocked, and stuck in survival mode. 

Accumulated Stress - "I feel so overwhelmed."

Anxiety doesn't always happen overnight and it doesn't have to be linked to one, huge, obvious cause. Sometimes it's the feeling of pressure built up from many small factors over time. This process can happen really slowly, where you don't notice it creeping up on you until suddenly everything feels 'too much'. 

Sometimes this slow and steady 'background' anxiety can feel like it's part of us, making it even harder to notice or acknowledge. It might seem like you've always felt like this and you don't know anything else, only once you pay attention to it do you notice the weight that you carry around all day. 

Physical Triggers - "I feel exhausted."

Anxious feelings don't have to be purely psychological. There are lots of daily habits we have that keep us feeling on edge and yet we never make the connection. Things in our diet, such as caffeine which can stimulate the nervous system, giving us that racing heart, fluttering stomach and restless feeling, indistinguishable from feeling anxious, or alcohol that can temporarily ease anxious symptoms but make us feel even worse the next day. 

Poor sleep will dysregulate the stress response system, making the brain more reactive and often causing us to feel more sensitive to stimulus and overwhelm. 

And of course, our hormones, particularly those related to the menstrual cycle, can play havoc with how we feel in our bodies and can create anxiety-like symptoms with no trigger whatsoever, adding to that feeling of things 'coming out of nowhere'.

Emotional Suppression - "I'm fine."

If emotions, particularly difficult ones such as grief, anger, fear or shame, aren't acknowledged, they don't usually just disappear. They can begin to show themselves in the body in other ways, such as through that anxious sensation. 

This can happen subconsciously, maybe you are going through a tough time but feel the need to 'hold it together' for other people or maybe you have had negative experiences in the past that have made you feel that showing emotions is unsafe. 

Whatever might have been the cause, these signs could be your body's way of telling you that something needs attention. 

So, now we know some of the causes, what can we do about it?

There is no one trick that will make anxious feelings disappear overnight, it takes a variety of approaches, time and focus to manage our dysfunctional danger-alarms - but it can be done!

Talk to someone - It's hard work to carry a heavy weight alone. It's an old saying but as they say 'a problem shared is a problem halved' and this is often true. Tell someone how you have been feeling and what it is that has been worrying you, whether that a friend or family member, your GP or a therapist, and get some support. I know what you're thinking, and no, you aren't burdening anyone with your problems.

Grounding techniques -  Yes, these sound boring and how can counting my breath possibly help me? Well, the mind is a powerful thing and just as it can amplify the feeling of our worries, it can help to ease them too. Looking up some simple exercises such as 4-7-8 breathing, checking in with your senses, or doing a mental body scan can help us break out of a worry spiral just long enough to regain some control over our stress responses.

Looking at your patterns and triggers - Next time you are starting to notice the familiar feelings of anxiety, make a note of what's going on for you. This can be physically, in a journal or on your phone, or just something you log in your mind. What this can do is help you spot any patterns that might be causing these feelings and in turn, help you work out what you can do to help prevent them. For example, you might notice you feel most anxious on days when you've had a bad night's sleep or when you are working with a particular colleague. Even if you can't prevent those things from happening, you might be able to build things into your routine that help you to feel better or stay calmer during those unavoidable stressors. 

Anxiety can feel incredibly isolating, especially when you can't explain why you feel the way you do. But there is almost always a reason, even if it takes some time and support to uncover it. The important thing to takeaway from this article is: 

What you're feeling makes sense, things can get better and you don't have to keep carrying it alone.

If any of this resonates and you feel stuck, there is plenty of support out there. You can get in touch with me at rebeccacrosslandtherapy@gmail.com

Or contact:

Samaritans: Call 116 123

SHOUT: Text 85258