[purvis]

Thanks for posting this! I'm always interested in other people's experience with anxiety. I'm slightly jealous yours has an origin story though. I've been anxious for as long as I remember and can't recall any traumatic experiences nor come up with any logical explanations.

[jpernst]

It's important to remember that anxiety and panic are neurochemical responses and can have strong physical and genetic components, they don't always need to have a psychological "cause."

One thing I'd suggest, if you haven't already, is look into your family history for any for signs of it. In my case, there's a very clear hereditary line of panic disorder and other similar ailments that came down through the generations, eventually landing in me as well.

We like to think of our "mind" as something that exists completely separate from the physical reality of the brain, but in the end it's an organ like any other, and any malfunctions within it can affect us in subtle ways. For example, during the run up to a panic attack, I tend to get very irritable and easily frustrated. I've come to recognize it as a sign of what's to come and take steps in advance to try to curb it.

[purvis]

> It's important to remember that anxiety and panic are neurochemical responses and can have strong physical and genetic components, they don't always need to have a psychological "cause."

Agreed. Members of my mother's side are especially known to be "worriers". Sporadic levels of anxiety on my father's as well.

> I've come to recognize it as a sign of what's to come and take steps in advance to try to curb it.

Via therapy, I've discovered my own version of this, mostly around breathing. I tend to hold my breath as I start to go into my head. If I catch myself doing this, I can sometimes reduce most of the physical effects by focusing on breathing again. It's easier said than done.