What triggers random anxiety and panic attacks when nothing is going on?

Myself. Especially when nothing is going on, my mind starts to imagine all worst case scenarios and suddenly everything is happening all at once. Being anxious unfortunately is an on going state, it never ends and you don't even get to know where it begins. In the silence, anxiety finds a way to make noise. And it's such a specific noise - whether it's your thoughts racing, or just sudden crash of emotions triggered by something you did wrong or something that is wrong right now. If only anxiety was triggered by only certain things, I'd have an easier time sleeping at night.

I am no doctor and as always an in person examination may be best to help determine what your exact causes are as things like this will vary from person to person. I will tell you based on my expierence and my research on why anixety and panic attacks comes out of nowhere. Lack of sleep, always watch what you eat as that plays a big role in it as well. Make sure you are eating enough throughout the day and make sure you have a healthy balanced diet. Eating right can actually make a big difference when it comes to anxiety. Certain illnesses can trigger it as well such as heartburn. Hormonal changes or imbalance, anemia, If you are on certain medications that could be a factor as well. Overworking yourself, watching certain things on tv, and much more. If you think about almost anything can be a trigger and often times believe it or not it has nothing to do with stress.

I would say generalized anxiety. It is a condition where nothing in particular can trigger anxiety and panic attacks. Though, there may be a recurring thing that you may not have noticed before present during these episodes of anxiety. Next time it happens, try to breathe deeply and consider your surroundings and situation. Notice the little things around you and try to identify possible triggers so you can be better prepared and knowledgeable about what and when you may experience these feelings. If you can spot the issue, it becomes easier to be ready to battle it and ultimately overcome it.

A lot of what pertains to anxiety and panic attacks has to do with neurotransmitters in your brain. A lack or excessive of certain kinds plays a great role in these things. The specific things that trigger them in a moment vary from person to person. Even when you perceive nothing to be going on, your senses and brain can be overwhelmed or overstimulated and can act out in the form of anxiety and panic. Don't blame yourself for this. It isn't as easy to control as it seems. One thing you can try doing in the case that you start experiencing this out of nowhere is what we call "grounding ourselves". What this means is basically getting more in touch with your surroundings and the input from your senses to your brain. First name 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. Take deep breaths while doing this and hold your inhale for as long as you can. Try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth too. Again, this isn't guaranteed to work for everyone but it's just something to try. I hope this helps! :) -LC

Sometimes it can be the smallest things that remind me of what happened; a whiff of that cologne, the same make of that car. I have recognized these triggers and have tried to take care of myself during these moments. But sometimes, I cannot even recognize has caused my panic. Those are scariest moments... when I can't put my finger on why I am having such a strong emotional response. I take deep breaths and try to ground myself, but it can be hard. Sometimes I let the tears come. Sometimes I distract myself with silly sitcoms. Sometimes I touch the walls and remind myself that I am no longer in that situation. Regardless of how I handle it, I recognize that I have come a far way and that healing is an ongoing process.

A key component in this question is understanding that anxiety is in the person's head, it is not circumstantial. Panic attacks can result from PTSD flashbacks, social pressures, irrational thoughts. They can also result from a pile-up of issues. There may be no particular cause, rather lots of smaller issues that the individual may not recognise. So, it is important to realise the things that may be triggering this. Is it a memory? Is it a break in routine? Is it another person? The trigger varies in different cases. Writing things down is important in recognising the issue and identifying coping methods.

Hi I’ve had anxiety since I was only twelve years old. Something that I’ve noticed that triggers my personal anxiety is social media. You see when I was younger I looked on social media and I had to look and act the way other people did because if I didn’t I’d stand out which I thought was wrong, now I know it’s not wrong at all. Another thing was middle and high school because everyone’s judging you by what you look like or wear and so I thought I had to be the top of my game and anxiety formed because of it. I didn’t think I could dress the way I wanted I thought I had to get others approval on everything and so when someone gave me a strange look for doing something as simple as wearing the wrong hair style. But now I’ve cut back social media and spread joy and loving ones self which helps lower anxiety.

Anxiety and panic attacks are often triggered by a specific situation - where were you? what were you thinking before the incident? Was it someone you ran into? Anxiety and panic attacks are taking place when you are perfectly fine - this can be a sign of other possible disorders or depression. Always seek a profession opinion. The bright side is that both disorders are treatable to improve your wellness and prevent it from happing in the future. The brain is a very complex organ, everything connects there. Ask for help, reach to others, do not be ashamed. It is a common issue - I have been there.

sometimes we don't even know that we are in an environment that triggers anxiety. this can be very confusing. i was so surprised when i got my first panic attack. i thought i was physically ill. then when i understood that what was happening to me are panic attacks i couldn't figure out why on earth would i have them. i wasn't afraid of anything, or at least my fears are reasonable, right? everyone has some fear before exams or before going to a doctor right? sometimes the triggers are in our subconscious and we can't even fathom why we have them in the first place but deep down there is a reason behind it. maybe therapy can help you figure out those triggers.

The triggers are different for everyone. They may be due to anxiety or something PTSD related. I would recommend seeing a doctor or therapist if one is easily available to you to really get an answer for this. As I don’t know your life situation and experiences. No one know you like you do so try to be aware of what you’re doing when these attacks come on and see if you can spot a pattern in them. Maybe then you could avoid doing those particular things or at least find a coping mechanism that can help calm you down.