[TomaszZielinski]

In my case the increased anxiety was basically rumination--constant, repetitive thinking whether I looked good in the eyes of the people I talked to, etc. It was basically trying to retroactively control other people's thoughts with the power of my mind. I still experience it, but it's far less frequent these days. And writing about it helps, just as you wrote, as then I can "escape" the loop in my head.