Okay, so you’re here because something really freaking weird is happening to your body and you’re scared out of your mind, right?
Maybe you woke up this morning and your hands felt like they belonged to someone else. Or you’re sitting there right now feeling like you’re watching yourself from across the room, like you’re not even in your own body.
Or maybe (this one really messed with my head) you looked in the mirror and for a split second didn’t recognize yourself.
Like, you KNEW it was you, but something felt… off.
I get it. I’ve been there. And the worst part? When you try to Google this stuff, you either find nothing or you find terrifying medical articles that make you think you’re dying.
*Cough* Web MD *Cough*
But here’s what I need you to know right now: You are not losing your mind. You are not having a stroke. You are not going crazy.
I know it feels like it though!
Let Me Tell You What Actually Happened to Me
So there I was, 17 years old, eating lunch, probably a tuna wrap, like any normal day when my wrist started twitching.
And I don’t mean a little flutter, I mean full on JUMPING. My fingers were moving on their own and I had zero control over it.
I freaked out. Completely lost it. Ran to my mom with this huge medical book I had at at the time (this was before smartphones, thank God) and started reading about every horrible disease that could cause muscle twitching.
That’s when my real anxiety nightmare began. Health anxiety specifically.
Because here’s the thing about anxiety…
It doesn’t just give you the “normal” symptoms everyone talks about.
The racing heart and sweaty palms? That’s like anxiety 101. “Easy stuff” (not really but, stick with me).
The REAL anxiety, the kind that makes you question your sanity? That’s when it starts doing absolutely bizarre things to your body that no one ever warns you about.
And because nobody talks about these symptoms, you end up feeling completely alone, convinced something is seriously wrong with you.
The Symptoms That Made Me Think I Was Dying
Let me share some of the weirdest stuff that happened to me, and I bet you’ll recognize at least a few of these:
👽 The “Am I Even Real?” Feeling
This is probably the scariest one. You know that feeling when you say a word over and over until it starts sounding weird? It’s like that, but with your entire existence.
I remember sitting in my room one day and suddenly feeling like I was watching myself from the ceiling.
Not literally, like I knew I was still in my body, but everything felt so detached and strange. Like I was living in a movie or a dream that I couldn’t wake up from.
The technical term is depersonalization, but honestly, knowing the name doesn’t make it any less terrifying when it’s happening to you.
Your own voice sounds foreign. Your reflection looks weird. You feel disconnected from everything, including yourself. It’s like being drunk without drinking, or high without taking anything.
Why this happens: I’ve since learned that when your anxiety gets really bad, your brain essentially tries to protect you by creating some distance from the overwhelming feelings. It’s not dangerous, it’s actually your brain trying to help… but it feels absolutely awful.
🦵🏼When Your Body Feels Like It’s Not Yours
This one is so hard to explain to people. Parts of your body just feel… wrong.
Maybe your left arm feels weirdly heavy, or your legs feel like they’re not quite attached to you properly.
Sometimes it’s like your skin doesn’t fit right, or like you’re wearing someone else’s body.
I once spent an entire afternoon convinced my leg wasn’t mine. I kept looking at it, touching it, trying to make it feel normal again. My family thought I’d lost it. And honestly I don’t blame them.
But here’s what I wish someone had told me then: this happens because anxiety messes with your nervous system.
Research shows that when you’re constantly stressed, your body’s signals get all mixed up.
Your brain is working overtime trying to scan for danger, so it starts noticing things it usually ignores.
Like how your clothes feel on your skin, or the weight of your arms. Suddenly you’re hyperaware of your body in this really uncomfortable way.
💥 The Twitching That Won’t Stop
Oh man, the twitching. If you’re dealing with this right now, I feel for you!
It started with my wrist, then spread EVERYWHERE. My eye, my leg, my stomach, my back, you name it, it twitched. And the more I focused on it, the worse it got.
I became obsessed.
I’d sit there for hours just waiting for the next twitch, and guess what? There always was one.
The crazy thing about anxiety-related muscle twitching is that it feeds on your attention. The more you worry about it, the more your muscles tense up, and the more they twitch. It’s this horrible cycle that feels impossible to break.
🥴 Your Face Doing Weird Things
This one really scared me because, you know, stroke fears.
My face would tingle, go numb, feel tight, or twitch. Sometimes one side would feel different from the other. I’d run to the mirror constantly, checking to see if I was having some kind of medical emergency.
But here’s what nobody tells you…
Your face has SO many tiny muscles, and when you’re anxious, you clench everything without realizing it.
Your jaw, your forehead, around your eyes. All of it.
Plus, when you’re scared, blood flow changes, which can cause tingling and numbness. It’s not a stroke. It’s not a brain tumor. It’s anxiety being annoying!
🌎 The World Looking Wrong
Ever had the feeling sometimes that everything around you just looks… off.
Like you’re in some Truman Show type world.
Colours seem weird, distances seem wrong, or everything looks too bright or too dark.
I remember going to the grocery store and feeling like I was in some alternate dimension. The fluorescent lights felt like they were attacking me, sounds were too loud, and everything looked fake somehow.
Studies actually show that fluorescent lights can trigger anxiety symptoms because of their subtle flickering. Your brain picks up on it even when you don’t consciously notice it.
But even regular places can look strange when you’re anxious. It’s like someone turned up the intensity on everything, and your brain can’t process it normally.
😶🌫️ Forgetting How to Be Human
This sounds ridiculous, but suddenly you become hyperaware of things you normally do automatically.
Breathing feels manual. Swallowing feels weird. Walking feels awkward. You start thinking about these processes so much that they actually DO become harder.
I swear once I “forgot” how to swallow properly. Every sip of water felt like I had to consciously remember the steps. It was exhausting.
Your brain is just overanalyzing everything because it’s in hypervigilant mode, looking for threats everywhere, even in your own basic body functions.
🕰️ Time Getting Weird
Minutes feel like hours, or hours disappear in what feels like seconds. You lose chunks of time or feel like you’re moving through life in slow motion.
This happens because anxiety messes with your perception of everything, including time. When you’re panicked, your brain is processing information differently, so time literally feels different.
🤔 Words Disappearing From Your Brain
You know that feeling when a word is right on the tip of your tongue but you can’t quite get it? Now imagine that happening with words you use every day.
I once stared at a fork for like five minutes because I couldn’t remember what it was called. I KNEW what it was, I just couldn’t access the word. It was like my brain had temporarily deleted basic vocabulary.
This is actually super common with anxiety. Your stressed-out brain has trouble accessing stored information, so even simple words can feel impossible to remember.
Why Your Body Is Doing This Crazy Stuff
I know all of this sounds absolutely terrifying, and when you’re in the middle of it, it really feels like something must be seriously wrong.
But here’s what’s actually happening:
Your nervous system is stuck in alarm mode.
It’s flooding your body with stress hormones, redirecting blood flow, tensing muscles you didn’t even know you had, and making you hyperaware of every single sensation.
It’s like your brain’s smoke detector is going off constantly, even though there’s no fire. Everything feels like an emergency, so your body responds accordingly.
The weird symptoms aren’t random, they’re all connected to this overactive alarm system. Your brain is working SO hard to keep you safe that it starts creating problems where none exist.
What Actually Helps (From Someone Who’s Been There)
Okay, so knowing WHY this happens is helpful, but what do you actually DO about it?
First, and I cannot stress this enough, STOP Googling your symptoms. I know, I know, easier said than done. But Google is not your friend when you’re anxious. It will always suggest the worst possible scenario.
Second, try to remember that these symptoms are temporary. I know they feel permanent when you’re in the middle of them, but they’re not. Your body WILL calm down.
Here’s what actually helps me:
Breathing (but do it right): When you’re panicked, you gulp air instead of breathing properly. Try breathing in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 4, out through your mouth for 6. The longer exhale is key.
Move your body: I know the last thing you want to do when you feel weird is exercise, but gentle movement helps process those stress hormones. Even just walking around the block can help.
Magnesium: This stuff is magic for anxiety. It helps relax your muscles and calm your nervous system. I take magnesium glycinate since it’s gentler on your stomach than other forms.
Name what you can see: When you feel disconnected from reality, ground yourself by naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear. It brings you back to the present moment
Stop checking your body: I know this is hard, but constantly monitoring your symptoms makes them worse. The more attention you give them, the more intense they become.
The Thing Nobody Tells You
Here’s what I wish someone had told me:
These weird symptoms don’t mean you’re broken. They don’t mean you’re going crazy. They mean your nervous system is working overtime to protect you, even though there’s nothing to protect you FROM.
Your body is actually functioning exactly as it should when it perceives a threat. The problem is just that there IS no threat.
The symptoms feel scary because they’re unfamiliar, not because they’re dangerous.
And here’s the really important part: You are not alone in this.
SO many people experience these exact same symptoms, but nobody talks about them because they sound too weird or scary. Studies show that up to 75% of people experience some form of depersonalization at least once in their lifetime. You’re not a medical mystery, you’re having a very human response to stress and anxiety.
You’re Going to Be Okay
I know it doesn’t feel like it right now. I know you’re scared and confused and probably exhausted from trying to figure out what’s wrong with you.
But I need you to know that thousands of us have been exactly where you are right now, feeling exactly what you’re feeling, and we’re okay. We got through it, and so will you.
These symptoms will pass. Your body will calm down. You will feel normal again.
In the meantime, be patient with yourself. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it. And please, please stop trying to diagnose yourself on the internet.
You’re not crazy. You’re not dying. You’re just anxious, and that’s okay.
Get the Support You Need
If you want to dive deeper, my Anxiety A to Z Encyclopedia covers every weird anxiety symptom you can imagine, plus practical tools for managing them. I wrote it specifically for people who are tired of being told their symptoms are “just anxiety” without getting real help.
You can also listen to my podcast episodes about this:
Episode 57 talks about weird physical symptoms
Episode 44 covers depersonalization
Episode 28 is all about the cognitive symptoms that make you feel like you’re losing your mind.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. There are people who understand exactly what you’re going through, and there is help available.
Take a deep breath. You’re going to be okay.
Disclaimer: We have different bodies and present a unique set of anxiety symptoms that may occur in varying intensities and duration. You do not have to have all of the symptoms discussed on this website to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. You should also not use the symptoms discussed to self-diagnose. Please consult with your doctor who can differentiate between the symptoms being solely anxiety-related and other medical conditions.
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