Today, while I was doing my skincare routine, my lip started to tingle a bit and it felt like a hair was stuck to it.
You know that annoying feeling when you have a hair stuck to your face, but just can’t seem to get it off?
I realized there actually was nothing there, that my lip was just a little tingly and, while it felt annoying, I shrugged and just continued on with my skincare and makeup.
Another 10 minutes went by and one side of my face started tingling and feeling kind of numb, the same side where I had felt the annoying tingly lip twitch.
Out of habit, I gave my face a quick check in the mirror to make sure all looked okay and brushed it off and went on with the rest of my day.
Now, as someone who has suffered severely, and I mean severely with anxiety in the past, the fact that I am able to brush off symptoms like this now versus obsess over them for the rest of the day and the following days/weeks really does show me just how far I have come.
When this symptom used to come up, my brain would scream “stroke!” and I’d go into panic mode, analyzing my face for signs of drooping, while my brain fixated on my other symptoms like dizziness, blurry vision and stumbling over my words, as Google had listed these all out as stroke symptoms.
Stroke fears were HUGE for me, and I know that so many people deal with this awful fear too.
My mom made the mistake of one day telling me that if you can lift your arms above your head and smile (something to this effect) then you aren’t having a stroke.
So you can guess what I started to do when my face would tingle from that moment forward…
Oh boy, anxiety and the extreme fear that goes with health anxiety is really no joke.
Facial symptoms are not talked about enough, with the emphasis often being on the more “obvious symptoms” such as a racing heart or shaky hands.
So let’s talk about it!
Today I’ll give you an overview of the most common facial anxiety symptoms you may experience and why they occur.
Once I learned exactly why these symptoms were occurring, I was able to start better managing them on my own.
If you have anxiety or panic disorder, I know you can relate to believing something is seriously wrong with you whenever you get a strange symptom out of nowhere!
When panicking about a symptom, logical reasoning flies out the window. I know because this happened to me every time a new physical anxiety sensation appeared.
But perhaps when you try to Google these symptoms, you feel frustrated because there’s not always enough information about the less talked about anxiety symptoms.
It is still so seldom talked about that many people do not realize anxiety is more than just worrying!
When I first started frantically Googling every symptom I had, I would often end up feeling even worse than before!
I would stumble across medical sites (you know the ones) that would tell me my symptom was always serious.
I wrote this as your new Google 🙂
Let me just say that anxiety symptoms are completely normal, although they can feel pretty damn terrifying and sometimes downright weird.
The symptoms I’ll talk about in this blog all relate to facial sensations, and when I first started experiencing them, I would freak out and think I was having a stroke!
I would stare at my reflection and look for signs of drooping in my face or slurred speech, and even when it was obvious I was okay, a little nagging voice would still linger at the back of my mind and leave me feeling unsettled for the rest of the day.
If you’re experiencing weird sensations in your face along with your anxiety, keep reading and see which ones you may relate to on this list.
1. Facial Tightness/Tension and Pain In The Face
This symptom feels like a tightness or “pulling” in the face, similar to when you leave a clay mask on for too long.
It could be in one area (often the jaw or forehead) or all over your face. When I experienced it, my face would feel tight and weird on one side often.
You may also experience pain, like a dull throbbing ache or shooting pains anywhere in your face.
This tension may also extend into your head, neck, and shoulders. I’d get intense pressure in my head too, that I would always describe as feeling like my head is going to explode!
What causes tension and pain in the face?
This symptom is not pleasant at all, and when you experience it for long periods, it can be debilitating.
There is a logical explanation for your facial tension anxiety symptoms, even though it may feel like they don’t make sense.
When you’re in a heightened state of stress or anxiety your body naturally releases hormones that stimulate your sympathetic nervous system.
When this happens, your muscles to tense up in preparation for the fight or flight response, and eventually, this tension or tightness can lead to pain and other weird sensations, which we’ll talk about in this article.
When we are constantly anxious or stressed, we tense up muscles, in both our face and our body, without even realizing it.
Go ahead and pay attention to any areas you may be holding tension in your face right now.
Relax your jaw, soften your forehead and release those bunched up shoulders. Everything is connected so long-term tension in the shoulders can end up affecting your face and head too, in the form of tightness, pressure, and uncomfortable and scary pain.
💡 Here are a few ways to get facial tension relief:
Finding ways to release tight muscles can give you the facial tightness and tension relief I know you’re desperately seeking.
For me, taking magnesium for anxiety is a lifesaver. Magnesium is better for long-term relief; it also helps boost your mood and improve your sleep.
However, if you’re seeking instant relief, then an external magnesium gel or magnesium spray may be a better option for you right now.
⏰ Setting reminders on your phone is a good tip because sometimes we genuinely need to be reminded to RELEASE the tension.
Try this tension relieving meditation I made on Youtube.
2. Facial Tingling & Numbness
If you’ve ever wondered, “Can tingling in my face be caused by anxiety?” you’re not alone. Tingling in my face would always scare the heck out of me!
Anxiety and face tingling go hand in hand and if you’ve ever had it, you can relate when I say it feels like a pins and needles sensation.
Facial tingling due to anxiety can occur anywhere on your face and scalp.
For me, it was usually either around my mouth, jaw, on my lips, or one side of my face (hence the checking for droopy features I mentioned earlier!)
What causes tingling in the face?
When your stress response is activated, blood pulls away from certain areas and goes where your body feels it needs it most. In this case, your face/head area.
This sudden rush of blood may lead to the tingling sensation you feel in your face and other parts of your body (like legs and arms).
Also, teeth grinding or jaw tension can lead to facial tingling, as well as some other pesky (or perhaps horrifying!) symptoms, including dizziness and ear pressure/pain. A tight jaw can also cause significant pain! If you have health anxiety it latches on to this pain and you find yourself obsessing.
I grind my teeth at night, especially when I go through my nightmare phases, as I have been experiencing recently. This causes my entire face and jaw to feel tender the next day, I even experience teeth sensitivity as a result, and guess what… health anxiety makes me fear tooth issues or infection.
No surprise there, huh.
💡 Here are a few ways to get facial tingling relief:
When having a panic attack, you breathe faster, causing tingling in the hands and feet and even numbness.
Instead of immediately allowing yourself to jump to the conclusion that something is seriously wrong (difficult in the moment, I know), remind yourself to breathe.
Deep breathing is so important when in the midst of panic.
I especially love the alternate nostril breathing technique to help control my breath, especially when I’ve taken in too much oxygen.
You can find a video of me demonstrating the technique here:
- Close your one nostril with your thumb and inhale through the other nostril.
- Close the nostril you’ve just breathed in through and exhale the air through the other nostril.
- Now breath in through the nostril you’ve just exhaled out of before closing and exhaling through the other nostril.
- Repeat at least 5 times and do it throughout the day, whenever you need to clear your mind and get focused.
Make sure to talk to your dentist about possible options, maybe a mouth guard, if you think you are grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw in your sleep.
I also love this breathing tool and genuinely use it all the time!
3. Facial Redness
When I was studying as an aesthetician (many moons ago), there was an incident one day that was quite unpleasant.
Long story short, a girl I went to school with freaked out at me one day (I understand now that she was dealing with mental and emotional issues). She cornered me and threatened to throw a chair at me.
I remember being so incredibly confused, as I didn’t even know her and this came out of nowhere.
Writing this down seems amusing now, but at the time I was terrified.
After things settled down and I went to talk to the school director in her office, my whole face and chest started burning and turned super red.
It was like some random rash that erupted out of nowhere. It stayed for an hour or two and started to die down and fade when I relaxed.
This redness also feels hot to the touch and can burn quite intensely.
While we should never have to feel self-conscious from any anxiety symptom, the fact is that some symptoms do make us feel self-conscious and so, I would just like to validate you here.
I know this symptom sucks, but you are not alone with it, I promise you!
What causes facial redness?
I learned that this redness happens due to dilated blood vessels when stressed.
Thinking back, I had it happen a few times when I was upset or very nervous, like before a speech at school.
I had no idea what was happening but knew it only came when I wasn’t happy and feeling very anxious.
💡 Here are a few ways to get relief from redness in your face:
The redness will eventually subside as your blood flows normally once again.
But, if the warm-to-the-touch skin bothers you, you could use an ice pack or something cold on your skin to find some relief.
I also like to carry a cold bottle of water with me to sip if I feel flustered.
Your breathing is a tool that you have with you at all times so really use it when this one happens. Try breathing in and out through your nose only or out through pursed lips, as if you are breathing out through a straw.
This extends the exhale and provides instant relief for a frazzled nervous system.
4. Facial Twitching
Ah, twitching, my old friend. NOT.
Twitching always used to get me into a major state of panic! The biggest reason why is when I looked up my symptoms, I came across article after article about debilitating diseases!
Sitting with my finger hovering over the Google search bar would get me into a fear state. I would sweat, shake, and my heart would race.
Fear is a scary emotion to have, and it can seriously mess with your headspace.
Twitching would trigger fear, and as a twitch came on, I would obsess over it. And guess what? It only got worse. Sometimes it would hang around for weeks!
No, make that months.
It started with a twitch in my finger, then my wrist, my ankle, my knee, my eye, you name it, and it’s twitched. That sounds a little weird, but seriously, I have twitched everywhere! Yes… my butt too.
I even started crying one morning when my eye twitch got super intense because I thought it was serious.
Trust me, crying makes eye twitching worse. I learned the hard way.
So you may know about eye twitching, maybe your eye is twitching as you read this, but perhaps you’re wondering what other parts of your face can hop, skip and jump too.
I’ve had twitching in my forehead, my cheeks, my nose (that one was a little uncomfortable), my eyelid, under my eye, my lips, my neck, my jaw, yep all over my face.
The more you panic and stress and tense up your muscles, the more intense the twitches get and the longer they hang around.
What causes anxiety and facial twitching?
To give you the best possible answer, I am going to quote directly from a website that helped me tremendously when I was dealing with anxiety symptoms:
“Behaving apprehensively stresses the body. A body that becomes overly stressed (stress-response hyperstimulated) can cause the nervous system to behave erratically, which can cause nerve impulses to fire erratically. Since nerve impulses control muscles, an erratically behaving nervous system can cause muscles to twitch. As long as the nervous system is even slightly overly stressed, it can cause erratic muscle twitching.”
So as you can see, anxiety is definitely to blame for chronic muscle twitching and as long as your body remains in a heightened state of stress, the twitch will stick around.
Also, caffeine, alcohol, too much sugar and lack of sleep can all contribute to eye twitching, in particular. I share all the holistic remedies and nutrition advice that finally helped me manage constant symptoms like this in my first book.
For me, just learning that they weren’t serious was really all I needed. I became far more relaxed every time I had a twitch, and this chilled out response caused them to disappear much quicker!
💡 How to stop anxiety muscle twitching:
This is going to sound too easy to be true, but the best tip I can give you when it comes to stopping muscle twitches is to stop focusing on it!
I would walk around for hours, days, weeks, obsessing and giving attention to a twitch.
And, of course, it stuck around.
The moment I would catch myself no longer thinking about it, is when I’d realize the twitch was “magically” gone.
Now, I realize saying “stop thinking about your twitch” likely isn’t going to help you in this moment!
Just as magnesium helps for tension and pain, it too helps for twitching. Magnesium relaxes tense muscles, which are often the cause of twitching.
Here are a few of my favourite magnesium brands I personally recommend and use:
Organifi Essential Glycinate (save at checkout by using code TAMRYN)
CanPrev Magnesium Bis-Glycinate
Orange Naturals Magnesium Glycinate
I hope this article has brought some relief if you are experiencing any of these horrible and weird symptoms.
I share every one of my personal health anxiety obsessions and fears, including stroke fears, as well as all of my health anxiety tools in my book, health Anxiety is Ruining my Life!
Save $19 when you get all my books in my bundle (I wrote them to all work alongside each other to give you everything you need on your journey).
I was exactly where you may be.
I know that feeling of utter frustration and desperation tinged with hopelessness that likes to come in on your darkest days.
Be gentle with yourself, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and learn everything you can through my bog and my podcast, as I just want you to feel better.
It starts with simply deciding that you deserve better and then repeating it enough times until you believe that you deserve it.
Here cheering you on, always.
I hope this blog helped you relax and worry a little less if you’re experiencing any of these facial anxiety symptoms right now. If you did find it helpful, consider joining my free newsletter for weekly inspiration, advice, and help.
I am currently dealing with some severe anxiety. I have never experienced this before and it is extremely scary. The tension in face is so bad right now. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I going through the same thing right now. horrible facial tension and pain. my Face and lips also go numb.
This has helped me so much, I don’t think I have ever read something and related to it so much. I have so much tension at the moment it’s causing so many issues. They have given me beta blockers. Bit I’m a bit too scared to take them. I have a numb feeling on top of my head which has since extended to my face. And for days have had spasms in my legs I couldn’t control now my legs ache and feet feel numb. It’s debilitating 😞
Wonderful read. I’ve always gone back and forth between being a pretty self-confident man and then also debilitating symptoms of anxiety. I get tension in my face, shortness of breath, and a shaky feeling in my torso so annoying! The symptoms become more of an issue than the actual cause sigh. Working on not focusing on them. 🙏
Wow. I am SO glad i came across this. I have had the feeling of drooping on my left side for about a week, also tingling/burning in the left side of my lip. On and off, if im having a good day its baretly there. I suffer with bad health anxiety and i was triggered into daily panic attacks 2 weeks ago when i had blood tests done for an existing condition, also 12 weeks post partum in lockdown, it was inevitable with my mental health history too. Thank you for helping me see it’s my mind playing tricks on me. I am going to try magnesium!
I hurt my wrist at the gym and developed tendinitis As a result I’m experiencing some hand weakness and a random twitch of my pinky finger I did see a wrist specialist who injected it with cortisone However I made the mistake of googling finger twitch and was immediately sent to sites for ALS and Parkinson’s I’m a mess I’ve since developed and eye twitch and some tingling in my cheek I’m convinced I’m going to die from a terrible neurological disease I can’t sleep and I’m constantly focused on all of these issues 24/7 I’m an avid weight lifter and this worry and fear has now started to interfere with my workouts I have panic attacks as well Your article was helpful but I’m still pretty scared and worried about what I read on the internet
Hey Susan, I know exactly what you mean. I used to sit on Google all day reading about my symptoms and it freaked me out so bad. I convinced myself I had every serious disease under the sun. It wasn’t a good time 🙁
If your symptoms persist, of course, I have to recommend you to see a doctor.
However, if you’d like to try what I did, I do have a few resources for you.
Check out the blog post I did about magnesium and how it helped me : honestlyholistic.com/magnesium
Book I wrote about my experience and what I did in detail: honestlyholistic.com/ebook
Come join my community on Instagram, I think it’ll be very helpful to you: instagram.com/honestlyholistic
Omg reading this sounds exactly like me.. I didn’t even think it was anxiety I just thought it was something else 😂 but I pretty much get all of these symptoms lately in past few days it’s been really bad I keep shaking I don’t know if that’s part of anxiety but I’ve got that and I keep getting hot and going red.. and my eye twitches all the time it’s horrible. I do have social anxiety but even now just staying at home it’s bad. I might try get some magnesium tablets or something tomorow.. would try anything for it to help 🙈
I’m so glad you came across this post, Jess! Honestly when I was in your exact spot I too would have done anything! In fact I did! I was so desperate for the symptoms to just GO AWAY! I’m sure you can relate.
Yes, please do get yourself some of the magnesium, it is a lifesaver for me to this day.
Also check out my post I did all about magnesium here: honestlyholistic.com/magnesium
Thankyou for writing about this. Some of the things you have discussed are feelings and sensations I have felt on and off for the last few years when my anxiety is at it’s worst and it is reassuring to know I am not the only one to experience this!
You are definitely not alone Melanie 🙂 So glad you found some peace reading this. Please join our community on Instagram if you haven’t yet – loads more helpful resources there for you! Find me @honestlyholistic
I have experienced lip, face, and scalp tingling/ numbness for a long time but realized it was anxiety. I worried I had a stroke at one point of my life. Prayer and meditation works the best for me. Finding a way to calm myself. A doctor told me eye twitching was fatigue but anxiety makes more sense to me. After reading your article I am going to try magnesium. Thanks for the article it helps me understand a little better.
I’m so happy you found this article Gina! Magnesium is a miracle mineral for a reason! I’m excited for you to see the positive effects it has 🙂
I have been overly stressed and with anxiety these past months. I work as a medical receptionist. I have muscle twitching and facial/head spasms, eye twitching, tense jaw and TMJ pain, nervousness…you name it. I am taking magnesium, Vitamin B12 sublingual in liquid, teas, Vitamin D, massaging my face and even then I feel nothing is working. I went with a lady friend who gave me a massage and said I was very swollen from my neck up and my nerves were very tense. I will definitely try out the external magnesium. I have even put my 2-weeks notice at my job where I have been 15 years. I have two little ones and am scared of getting any sort of paralysis. I have muscle spasms above my ears, closer to the eyebrows, is there anything you recommend for this?
Hi Karina,
I’m so sorry to hear how much you’re struggling, I can definitely empathize with you as I too was in that exact position a few years ago to the point where I also ended up leaving my job because my symptoms got so bad. I even had twitching in that exact spot you’re mentioning! I’d like to know which form of magnesium you’re currently taking as that can play a role in how well it works for your muscle twitching. The forms I recommend in the article have worked best for me. Yes, please do give the topical gel a try, I use it to this day.
Do you follow me on Instagram yet? I have loads more information on my posts over there about twitching. I think you’ll find our community very welcoming and it may put you at ease to be around others with the same struggles and open to helping you as well. Join us here – @honestlyholistic
Hi does anxiety causes frequently urinating? I am experiencing this right now with frequently urination
Hi Tamryn,
For the last 3 or so months I have been so stressed on and off. I had vertigo last year and it returned. It’s made so anxious on top of worrying all the time. I can’t sleep and my body twitches and my face twitches. I feel like I’m having a stroke in my face when i wake up in panic mode. It scared me so much. I’m seeing my Dr tgis week coming. I’m drained with it all. I feel that my face muscles are out of control and think my mouth is drooping. I get so scared.
I am experiencing the same thing. My face is so heavy droopy, even my legs. I’ve been dealing with this for 5 years. And it happened to me 4 times, and what start it is a panic attack, and sometimes stays for a long time like weeks, or even months. But last week I just came to the conclusion that it was anxiety. I’ve never tried magnesium, but a lot of people have been telling me to try it. I’ve always been so scared and it always put me down! I really don’t want to deal with it anymore.
Thank you for the very reassuring article. I will have to keep reading it to remind myself when I start to panic. I’ve had twitching above my eyebrows and a lot around my chin for a couple of months now. I have quite a bit of tightness/tenderness across my forehead and the area below my cheekbones. It’s definitely worse when I’m stressed. I’m trying to reduce my stress, but I think it’s going to take time!
Hi..I have the same symptoms..twitching around my chin and bottom lip…especially when I’m anxious…I’m learning alot these days… I’m apparently a mouth breather which has resulted in low tongue posture, for quite awhile…..tightness in jaw, neck, throat and tongue..my voice is horribly strained. I had lpr 9 months ago..did lifestyle changes lost 20lbs..reflux (mucus) is gone but left me with what I think is MTD..muscle tension dysphonia. I see my ent for a follow up. I’m thinking i should have had some voice hygiene or therapy after the lpr resolved. Covid stress and mask wearing ( I’m extremely claustrophobic).. made all of these symptoms worse..
How are you today, if I may ask. Found the reasons or the means to stop the symptoms?
Hi there,
Thanks so much for posting this and I’m afraid it resonates but have only now, by reading this tied it to anxiety response. My twitches started in December, first one eye, than the other, with some breaks in between. 3 weeks ago, my left cheek started twitching as well and I feel tension and tingling on that side. I was the same like you. I went to the optician first, then GP and none of them have advised to do anything, just waited out. Neither did anyone mention it could be anxiety related. When my face started twitching I’ve asked for referral into neurology. And after I came across this, I ordered magnesium as well. How can I be sure or at least have strong indication it’s anxiety related. I mean, yes I would say I’m anxious but not sure if to this level that it would trigger a physical response. Can it be some sort of vitamin or mineral deficiency?
Thanks so much for sharing this. You were more helpful than any doctors I spoke to, you could at least understand and not dismiss right away.
Hey there I’ve had something similar a while back I had heaviness in one side of my face but no drooping and I felt weak in one side of my leg I rang the paramedic but they said it wasnt a stroke and would know if it was. I suffer with severe anxiety and panic attacks. I also noticed I got the same heavy feeling in my face the next day when I felt stressed so think its stressed related hoping to get some things you suggested
Hi..I have the same symptoms..twitching around my chin and bottom lip…especially when I’m anxious…I’m learning alot these days… I’m apparently a mouth breather which has resulted in low tongue posture, for quite awhile…..tightness in jaw, neck, throat and tongue..my voice is horribly strained. I had lpr 9 months ago..did lifestyle changes lost 20lbs..reflux (mucus) is gone but left me with what I think is MTD..muscle tension dysphonia. I see my ent for a follow up. I’m thinking i should have had some voice hygiene or therapy after the lpr resolved. Covid stress and mask wearing ( I’m extremely claustrophobic).. made all of these symptoms worse..
This article really hits home. I know there are several kinds of magnesium and they all help with different things. Which one is best for anxiety?
Magnesium glycinate is the one you want! I take it daily. If you want to read some more about magnesium for anxiety, check out this article I wrote: honestlyholistic.com/magnesium
Hi tamryn thanks for the advice I’m currently in the state of tight numb jaw and heavy head or I would say head and face pressure, it’s so uncomfortable and nothing seems to work. Sometimes in my sleep I would think about healing fast but too much on the brain cause my heart to race because I’m nervous. This all started one day as I stop working a 8-5 shift on the computer I had a sudden rush of head and face tension pressure then it tighen my jaw, been to doctors now and then and nothing works. At the point im really club less if it’s anxiety and stress or sinius issues because my nose is block up since may 2021
I’m currently dealing with severe anxiety again lately so thank God I came across this article today to help me reassure myself. I was literally on the verge of calling the emergency services today over the tightness, tingling, numbness and my heart pounding out of my chest. I was once again convinced it was a stroke so I obsessively kept checking to see if I could smile correctly and keep my hands above my head. That, coupled with the burning had me utterly convinced I was a gonner again. Thankfully the symptoms have eased a little now. Thank you for posting this article. It really did help me to calm down a little.
Hi, sometimes when I go outside I get sharp tingling in my face, chest and back. I was worried it was some heart thing. I have episodes of anxiety and high blood pressure. Sometimes when I feel tingling in my face it is red and blotchy. I wonder if this is anxiety or more too it.
Thank You.
Jeff
Hi
I have been having the same problem tingling face tightness across my forehead which is like a constant ache , I too think it’s something more serious have had it on and off for a long period of time , I wear a face mask at work for quite a long time I notice that after I remove my mask it can feel worse! I don’t know why! It’s very stressful and scary!
I suffer from anxiety for years I have been ok for a long time but I got a new job and I was pretty nervous about starting this new job because I know I get very nervous well sure enough now my face and jaw are moving like crazy by itself I do find that on the weekend I’m ok but during the week my face won’t stop it hurts around my jaw it’s giving me headaches I just want it to stop I try not to think about it and I’m ok but then I’m like oh my face is okay then bam it goes again I need to find a way to manage this
I have all the things that you mentioned to a t! It is so nice to hear this from someone else! I already started following you on Instagram! My newest symptom
Of which I hope is from anxiety is my lips feel tingly and my chin hurts! And of course when you good that u read all the bad things as well! Did anyone else ever experience this? Thanks for this post!
Hey! I’ve been having twitching on my right side near the temple/forehead area… Would that be because of my anxiety?
Thank you so much for this article. I feel relief just reading this! I have been going through a stressful 4 month. period. Anticipating a big move out of stateI was really stressing me out. We kept going back-and-forth with plans I have been experiencing some random twitching in my left cheek. I think I notice it when I am getting excited or anxious about making plans…Occasionally it does just happen for about 20 minutes when I’m just watching TV in the evening or first thing in the morning, but not every day. We finally made the decision to NOT move. I do feel less stress but my cheek is still randomly twitching.How long does it take for your nervous system to go back to normal after a stressful long period?
Thanks,
Laura B
Its reassuring to know im not alone. I experienced facial tension eye twitching with my anxiety. I get many physical sympyoje including body aches and fatigue.. does anyone else? My dr puts it down to anxiety but i think i will see a specialist, possibly fibromyalgia. I have waves of good weeks the flare ups. I do notice the flare ups after a stressful anxious time. I myself take magnesium and ashwaghana as it eases my panic attacks. Breath work and restorative yoga has been helpful
I also have developed now cheek twitching and pain on both sides of my face. First started having anxiety in 2017 and not gone away with or without medication. Had therapy, cbd etc which all have not sorted me out. This latest symptom is added to a long line of issues like headaches, brain zaps, heart palpitations, jelly legs etc is very very exhausting but will give the magnesium a try !
This has been really helpful as I’m quite scared of my symptoms: I’m currently suffering from what I describe as a feeling that my face is set in stone and my eye muscles are locked and my sight fees stretched. I don’t know how to explain what’s happening and the dr isn’t interested and it’s not often you find anyone who mentions symptoms such as these
Hi! I just wanted to ask you have you gotten better and what was causing your issues? I have Lyme disease and I believe mine is connected to that or possibly a co-infection from Lyme too.i have strong face pulling sensations on my right side of my face )head too) My vision feels stretched vertical quite often
When my anxiety becomes uncontrollable bad, and my hart starts to pump harder, it feeling like I can feel broken capillaries happening around my eyes nose and checks, and when I go to look in the mirror I feel like all the stress has created them, but it could also be in my head, I do have fair skin so it really easy to see it.
I’ve been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for a few months, due to prolongued accumulated stress. I havent had panic attacks for a while and I was feeling overall much better until I suddenly started getting this tingling numbness sensation on the left side of my face, bad headaches and my neck and shoulders hurt too. I am freaking out as I am convincing myself that there is smth seriously wrong….but reading this article….I’ve got all these symptoms. Tingling happens occasionally but not often. I dont know whether I should go for a neurological check up…im really scared.
Hey Elena! It’s known that prolonged stress may definitely contribute to anxiety and panic attacks so it would make sense that your symptoms are worse. Of course, I am not a doctor and can’t give you advice on what to do, so if you are worried you should always check with your doctor. In the past when I’ve experienced stress, I can definitely relate to everything you mentioned here. The tingling, numbness, and even neck and shoulder pain. When we’re anxious and stressed, we tend to tense our muscles all day, which can lead to pain in those areas – the neck and shoulders being top spots for pain. For the pain, I usually make sure I’m doing some form of stretching daily (yoga is great), and even applying a topical magnesium gel (see my magnesium blog post), and then of course finding ways to lower your stress is crucial. For myself I find going for even short daily 20 minute walks helps to ground me, eating filling healthy foods and limiting my sugar intake, and doing something for myself – I enjoy reading for example and music – what completely makes you forget about time when you’re doing it? – do more of that! 🙂 Hope this little bit helps. I also have two books I wrote with my experiences if you’re interested!
Where do we buy ur books?
here is a link to the first one: honestlyholistic.com/help
here is the second one: honestlyholistic.com/atoz
I have suffered for the last three and a half months from left side face heaviness in my cheek and the feeling that my left lips are swollen but in fact they are not..Also tingling in left side in cheekbone, lips, chin…Saw a neurologist vause i thought it was a stroke but no he said..the most bothering is the swollen lips sensation and of coirse i am obsessing over this with such fear. Anyone relates?
I AM SO GLAD I RAN INTO YOUR PAGE WHILE GOOGLING SYMPTOMS!!!! I too have been going through medical anxiety and staying on google. Now my left side of my face felt like a tightness and spasm, then i felt it on my arm and thought for sure i am having a heart attack or something worse. I felt relieved when i read the other comments and others going through the exact same thing. Also just ordered the Magnesium you suggested.
Ha! How ironic is that! I will start to post more on my blog so that in the future if/when you DO find yourself Googling, you run across my blog posts instead of the usual scaries!
I’m so glad I found this page! It has helped me so much! Although I don’t get the sensations in my head or face as others have described I do get the weirdest sensation in my mouth. I always feel like I have food trapped at the back of my teeth and it freaks me out, literally! I then have an anxiety attack because it’s irritating me. I’m then afraid to eat and because I’m hungry I shake more than I normally would. Has anybody else ever come across this type of sensation? Any tips please on how to manage it?
I already went through the braintumor trap a few months ago and had an mri done. Everything was clear! Now a few months later and not worried about a braintumor anymore and i suddenly starter having chronisch headaches and immense head/face pressure-cooker and pagina around one eye. This when i now was worried about my thyroid?? Like what? i don’t understand. So current being dragged back in to the fear of having a braintumor.. 🙁 Also
experiencing an eye twitch sometimes..
Hello and glad i came across your site so thank you, i am having facial anxiety terrible and wondered if the shooting nervy type all around my face is part of it, jawline under eyes and sides of face too, feels like a catch 22 and so difficult to manage is this all part and parcel?
Thank you
Sonya
Hello Tamryn,
I found your website after researching facial tension. It was so helpful and informative. The advice to take magnesium has been absolutely transformative for sleep and mild anxiety cycles. I can’t thank you enough.
Best regards,
Melissa
I’m so happy you found my website and that magnesium has been helping you, Melissa! Join my newsletter if you haven’t yet, I share weekly: honestlyholistic.com/newsletter
I get a very odd feeling in my face when I am feeling anxious. It is difficult to describe but the closest I can come is a feeling in my face and front sinuses that you get if you jump into a heavily chlorinated pool and get some water up in your sinues.