Differentiating Between Excitement And Anxiety

[walker_in_aus]

I've been described as excitable before - and over the last 12 months of figuring out the biochemistry of my anxiety etc I have still stuggled with this one thing!

When I have an idea for something, or a fun thing happening and I get excited - I feel really great but then my feelings turn into anxiety and I can't calm down.

It's kinda like a pleasure rush, but my body is like OH NO and turns it into a minor panic attack. I have to really concentrate and slow down respiration etc to stop it turning into a week long anxiety problem.

Genuinely, I had a great idea for a present for someone and then I had a whole day of anxiety from the initial excitement of thinking of a good idea. It's kinda sad. Does anyone else get this?

 

[LUH 3417]

I've been described as excitable before - and over the last 12 months of figuring out the biochemistry of my anxiety etc I have still stuggled with this one thing!

When I have an idea for something, or a fun thing happening and I get excited - I feel really great but then my feelings turn into anxiety and I can't calm down.

It's kinda like a pleasure rush, but my body is like OH NO and turns it into a minor panic attack. I have to really concentrate and slow down respiration etc to stop it turning into a week long anxiety problem.

Genuinely, I had a great idea for a present for someone and then I had a whole day of anxiety from the initial excitement of thinking of a good idea. It's kinda sad. Does anyone else get this?

Yes. I was just reading Paul Eck's book on nutritional balancing and there's a part about how people with burn out will appear very excited and talkative just to keep the energy output going even though they are exhausted. Another member kindly posted the link if you are interested.

https://raypeatforum.com/community/attachments/energy-an-interview-with-paul-eck-pdf.3827/

 

[Integra]

It's kinda like a pleasure rush, but my body is like OH NO and turns it into a minor panic attack. I have to really concentrate and slow down respiration etc to stop it turning into a week long anxiety problem.
[...] Does anyone else get this?

Yes. That buildup of emotion needs to be released. It's a positive feeling, but it's strong, and the body cannot tolerate it beyond a certain point. I had several "joy-to-panic" experiences, and I think it's a cause of character armor (via Reich's work on the topic). Your body charges up to a point where it becomes scary because it makes the ego feel like it will die, so you get punished by your own mind not to be too happy, because in the past, that wasn't safe for you. You were surrounded by people who hated your joy and maybe punished you for getting too excited.

@seraphim thanks for the book recommendation. I read it in a single breath. Really eye-opening.

 

[Tarmander]

Excitement is an interesting thing, I think about it a lot actually. In western cultures these days, it is very highly valued, but I do not think it has always been so. From my experience, positive or negative, excitement is tiring, and draining. Children are often very excitable, and charmingly so. They have lots of energy and excitement is one avenue it can go down. What I think is dangerous is when adults feed on those who still have the energy to be excited, and drain them. Vampirism. I have always had this distrust of people who want me to be excited. Dogs are excitable forever, and are often little batteries that people use to feed on.