If you’ve ever experienced intense anxiety before then you’ll probably be no stranger to weird anxiety symptoms. You might not even realise at the time that the weird symptoms you’re feeling are to do with anxiety. I wanted to write this post to lay out some of the weird anxiety symptoms that I’ve experienced in the past because most of the information out there talks about the typical anxiety symptoms.
However, there’s so many more anxiety symptoms or things that can happen to the body when you get a burst of anxiety flood over you. To be honest, these weird anxiety symptoms are uncomfortable and some are just straight up gross but it’s important to talk about them because everyone experiences different symptoms, depending on how anxious they become.
I wanted to write this post so that you know that if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you’re not alone!
Here’s the weirdest anxiety symptoms that I’ve experienced;
Weird anxiety symptom one: sweaty palms
One of the weirdest anxiety symptoms I have is sweating of the palms of my hands. Whenever I get an intense wave of anxiety, I find that my hands tingle and become instantly sweaty. Kind of gross I know!
Weird anxiety symptom two: irritability
Since before I can remember, whenever I’m anxious I become irritable by others very easily. If someone’s trying to talk to me whilst I’m preoccupied with a worry I find them annoying and become less tolerable of them. It’s a weird symptom that I’m not proud of because I can become rather grumpy!
Weird anxiety symptom three: lack of concentration
This ties into being irritable. A lot of times I find it hard to concentrate when I’m really focusing on a thought. The rest of the world seems to become irrelevant and I have to try and get out of my own head before I make things seem worse. This weird symptom is also annoying because it means I can’t appreciate other things at the same time.
Weird anxiety symptom four: goosebumps
Yes, the classic goosebumps. It’s that moment when you think that you’re being called to the head teachers office to be told off. All the hairs on your body stand on end and you get that cold shiver. It’s a funny feeling that I’ve always had, whenever I’ve become anxious.
Weird symptom five: dissociation
If I’m really worried about something then I’ll just zone out completely. I feel as if I’m not really present, as if I’ve left my body and I only exist in the realms of thought. It is really quite hard to come back down to earth when I become dissociated and so it takes working on some grounding techniques to shake it off.
Weird anxiety symptom six: rambling
Probably one of the most embarrassing weird anxiety symptoms is rambling. For whatever reason, I start to ramble on and on when I get anxious. It usually involves me repeating myself or stumbling over my words, as if I’m trying to correct myself as I go.
Weird anxiety symptom seven: becoming compulsive
Since forever I have been OCD when anxious and it ties in with being irritated. I’ll find myself tidying up and cleaning quite obsessively if I’m anxious, even if I’m anxious for no reason. I’ll get OCD and need some kind of order in my mind and that translates into getting my things in order around me.
Weird symptom eight: a feeling of guilt
I’ll often find myself feeling guilty about the things I’ve done in the past that I’m not proud of. This usually happens when I’ve got too much time to think about I make myself become anxious and find it hard to get out of my head.
Weird symptom nine: feeling overly stressed
For some reason I don’t just get the typical anxiety symptoms when anxious, I also get overly stressed out and need to seperate myself from people. First I get irritated by distractions and then I feel overwhelmed, as if I need to leave the room or just unwind for at least half an hour.
Weird anxiety symptom ten: super fidgety
When I get anxious I sometimes get twitchy, as if I can’t sit still. This usually manifests itself by me picking at my nails, clicking my fingers and scratching myself, even if I’m not itchy. A lot of times I’ll have to walk around aimlessly to try and shake off unhelpful thoughts.
Everyone experiences different things when they feel anxious so if you experience anything that’s not on this list then chances are many other people are too! You’re not alone.