Weird Anxiety Symptom

When my anxiety gets really bad, my chest hurts everytime I inhale, and I can't stop all of the thoughts racing in my head, I sometimes get this strange feeling... It feels like my mind separates from my body for a few moments(sometimes it lasts for a few minutes). It feels like I'm spectating myself from a distance. My body still functions just fine, it's just that my mental state is far away. I feel like in those moments that I am losing my mind and that maybe I don't even exist... when my mind returns, the anxiety doesn't seem as intense as before, but I'm still left with the feeling that something is very wrong.This doesn't happen often, but I still wanted to know if anyone else knows what this is. This makes me freak out and feel crazy... Any advice would be appreciated!

it sounds like your anxiety is causing you to dissociate. look into it.

Not that weird to me. There are a wide range if what can happen in an attack. I've had something similar. Best thing to do is have someone ground you in reality. What I mean is them getting you out of your head by helping you talk about something that is unrelated to what is happening in your mind.

I had my first experience of disassociation at the age of 6...that was over 45 years ago....I now know it goes hand in hand with anxiety...when these feelings take over ...I tell myself I can deal with them....that eventually they go away....still not a lot of fun....you are the first person I can relate too...always thought that my feelings were unique....hope this helps....

I'm glad that I'm not the only one that has gone through this! The first time that I experienced this was a few months ago (I'm 16 years old). I've had anxiety problems many years before that, but that was the first time that I had felt dissociation. Thanks for the advice!

Sounds like a panic attack. I've had a few in my life (I'm a lot older than you). My body feels like it has an electric current flowing through it and my head feels like a helium balloon--if it wasn't attached it would float away. These physical sensations subside over time, I've found. Hang in there, it gets easier...

There's also depersonalization and derealization--not sure if that falls under disassociation or not. I experienced that some as a kid, where I suddenly felt like nothing was real around me and it was like I was in a dream or something. I still have that occasionally, usually if I'm really stressed out. I think my brain is trying to take a break for a few minutes almost. Definitely a weird sensation.

I looked online about depersonalization and derealization. It was definitely interesting because I've had most of the symptoms on the list within the last few months. It is definitely something that I'll have to keep an eye on. Thanks for the input!