I Feel Anxious for No Reason

I've dealt with anxiety for a long time, and I've gotten to a point where I can recognize the symptoms of it. The problem is that sometimes anxiety happens for no apparent reason. When this happens, it's hard not to attribute it to something happening at the time. But sometimes, there really is not anything to attribute it to, and so, trying to problem-solve to help reduce any symptoms related to anxiety becomes difficult. 

What It Feels Like to Feel Anxious for No Reason

When I feel persistent anxiety for no reason, I feel constant agitation and sometimes nervousness, and I might have a hard time focusing on things. Because I have a hard time focusing on things, especially tasks I am working on, I might find myself jumping from task to task as I try to center myself. I might also find myself with this pervasive feeling that something bad is going to happen. Lastly, I might experience a panic attack out of nowhere.

Feeling like this can become tiring and can get in the way of life in general, so I've put in work on getting to the bottom of "why." I've worked with my therapist to work through issues that I haven't confronted. I've worked on understanding anxiety and the physical and psychological symptoms of it. And I've worked on building my resilience to stress to help buffer my stress response when I do encounter stressors.

What I've Learned About Feeling Anxious for No Reason

One of the things I've learned about feeling persistent anxiety for apparently no reason is that sometimes it is the result of constantly experiencing a stress response. Or, perhaps, I've gone through a stressful situation, and I'm still experiencing the effects of it. It's important to recognize that the body doesn't necessarily quickly recover from experiencing stress, especially if you've experienced chronic stress for a long time.

I've also learned that there are some things that trigger my anxiety that I've either previously ignored or didn't know existed. So, it is important to be aware of these triggers and process them through things like talking to someone or journaling.

Lastly, I've learned that I need to take specific steps to reduce the possibility of experiencing anxiety despite anxiety triggers. For example, I've reduced my intake of caffeine because I know that caffeine can make my anxiety worse. I've also made sure to exercise regularly and sleep well in order to reduce some of the effects of chronic stress.

Trying to figure out how to cope with feeling anxious for no specific reason is still a work in progress for me. Are there things you do to cope with chronic anxiety? If so, share your thoughts in the comments below.