Hey Warrior — welcome back to Peak of Panic.
Today’s post is one I had to write, because if you’re anything like I was, you’ve probably spent hours googling your symptoms wondering, “There’s no way this is just anxiety… right?”
During the worst years of my anxiety, I experienced almost every symptom in the book — and then some. It felt like every day brought a new sensation that convinced me something was seriously, physically wrong. At one point, I thought I was dying. At many points, actually.
Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: when your body is in a constant state of fight-or-flight, it’s using up over 70% of its resources just trying to keep you "safe."
No wonder you feel drained, dizzy, foggy, or like your body is falling apart. Anxiety is exhausting — not just emotionally, but physically too.
At first, maybe your symptoms only showed up during a panic attack. But then something shifted. Your anxiety became baseline — running quietly in the background. And suddenly you had symptoms even when you didn’t “feel anxious.”
I didn’t understand this at the time, so I did what so many of us do... I googled.
Here’s a very real list of what I convinced myself I had over the years:
Brain tumor.
ALS.
MS.
Blood clots.
Stroke.
Heart disease.
Autoimmune conditions.
Crohn’s. IBS. Diabetes. Cancer. Skin cancer. Bowel obstruction. Fibromyalgia. Internal bleeding. You name it.
But here’s the truth:
I had none of them.
I had anxiety — and a really good WiFi connection.
So, what symptoms did I actually have?
Deep breath, here we go:
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Dizziness
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Fatigue
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Numbness & tingling
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Depersonalization / derealization
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Chest pain
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Leg pain
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Shortness of breath
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Blurry vision / eye floaters
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Racing heart
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Heart flutters / palpitations
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Headaches
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Brain zaps
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Shaking / tremors
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Digestive issues
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Weakness
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Feeling off balance
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Ringing in ears
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Eye twitches
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Sweating
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Nausea
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Feeling like I wasn’t breathing “right”
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Frequent urination
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Wanting to stay in bed all day
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And just generally feeling like my body was shutting down
If you're nodding your head right now — you’re not alone. I’ve been you. And I promise you this:
Anxiety can mimic illness. It can make you doubt your body, your mind, and your sense of safety. But that doesn’t mean you’re broken.
You are not weak.
You are not dramatic.
And you are absolutely not alone in this.
Keep going.
You can and will get through this. 💛