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loyalSloth3335
2 1,500 M Little Steps 5
PathStep 2 Compassion hearts61 Forum posts2 Forum upvotes3 Current upvotes3 Age GroupAdult Last activeOctober, 2025 Member sinceJanuary 21, 2022
Bio

I have ADHD and am dealing with loneliness from self-isolating, which was/is a coping mechanism due to a childhood trauma.

Recent forum posts
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Anxious about life?
Anxiety Support / by loyalSloth3335
Last post
 July 31st, 2022
...See more I not only experience the day-to-day anxieties of “Oh my god, this project at work is out of my control, I don’t know what to do, therefore I’m going to panic,” but I also have much scarier anxieties along the lines of: “What am I doing with my life? If I don’t *get better* soon, how am I going to be able to take care of myself, live a full life, be in a relationship?” And those kinds of anxious thoughts really hit hard, because I’ve had so many mental health problems and trauma growing up that I have no friends. I’ve been living at home with my parents (who are supportive), but I feel like I’m in a cage, too scared to leave my house, too scared to learn how to drive (was in a minor accident as a young teen that scared me off of learning how to drive). I know, looking back over the years, that I’ve been improving, but it feels like I’m at a standstill or just not improving “fast enough.” My anxiety manifests in anxiety attacks, hyperventilating, fight-or-flight responses, and a general sense of dread. But it also will come in the form of “butterflies in my stomach.” I’ve been really sensitive regarding anything involving my stomach since I was a kid and had a *really* bad stomach bug. Ever since then, I get really anxious when my stomach feels off. This, of course, creates a cycle of anxiety -> butterflies -> more anxiety. Sorry for the long post. Do any of you all experience this kind of “existential” anxiety?
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Butterflies in Stomach
Anxiety Support / by loyalSloth3335
Last post
 November 19th, 2023
...See more I've been experiencing butterflies in my stomach for the past three days now. For context, when I was super young, I got a really bad stomach bug and I've been super sensitive about my stomach/stomach discomfort ever since. My anxiety caused these butterflies, and the butterflies create more anxiety. A vicious cycle. The butterflies started earlier this week as work became super stressful (I had to work over the weekend, which almost never happens). The "butterflies" don't hurt, but they're extremely uncomfortable and almost impossible to ignore. If I'm engrossed enough in work, while also listening to music, they go away (or at least I don't notice them). However, if I'm not doing anything distracting enough (work or play), they don't go away. This makes going to sleep really tough, not to mention it feels like my heart is racing whenever I lie down in this anxious state.
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