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Is it normal to feel more anxious when you're alone?

307 Answers
Last Updated: 04/17/2022 at 6:09pm
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Top Rated Answers
EverlastingLove96
February 4th, 2015 1:32am
Yes that is completely normal. I feel more anxious alone because there is nothing there to keep me distracted. Even when I am sitting in the room with my boyfriend and we are not talking or doing anything together I feel calm. When I am sitting in my room alone and doing nothing, I feel anxious. The presence of another does a lot no matter what they are doing.
Anonymous
November 9th, 2015 7:34pm
feeling anxious when you're alone and your mind is over thinking about alot of things that you're scared of it to happen
whit144man
March 27th, 2015 3:00pm
Different people experience anxiety in different ways. Social anxiety is a common issue, and folks with social anxiety may be more comfortable alone. For me and many others I know with generalized anxiety disorder, being alone is more anxiety-provoking. With no one to talk to, I end up retreating into my own head.
gracefulNutella94
May 10th, 2016 10:00pm
Yes it is being alone does make anxiety worst for me, because I need someone with me to let me know I'm not alone, to help me calm down, and to just let me know it's going to be alright, if I'm by myself, senerios run through my head bad thou g hts, things that will make the anxiety worse.
ScorpioSun11
September 15th, 2016 3:14am
Yes. When you're left alone with your mind, a floodgate is often opened and all kinds of thoughts flow through. Some thoughts could cause paranoia, anxiousness, or fear.
IntrovertedPandaNZ
February 15th, 2017 1:57pm
Normal is a subjective term. Anxiety is a hell of a feeling regardless if you're alone or not. I don't wish the feeling on anyone.
FuzzyLittleKitten
June 30th, 2017 9:00pm
It's absolutely normal to feel more anxious when you are alone. It is always important and it always helps, when you have someone fighting alongside you in your journey! Sometimes the comfort of a caring person who will listen you is enough to relieve you, because it feels good to be heard and acknowledged and cared for. That's why it's a good idea to surround yourself around supportive family and friends when you're feeling low. And if you can't do that, you always have me. :) And the other listeners here on 7 cups of course, hehe!! :D
specialDreamer97
October 20th, 2016 4:50pm
I feel that it is. Since you feel that you're maybe more vulnerable or unprotected when you're alone you tend to sense more threat than is actually present.
BeIiever
October 23rd, 2016 4:31pm
I suffer from anxiety and find this to be very true for me. I find that having a sound support system can really help my mood and anxiety. If you're struggling with it, maybe you could connect to a listener on here to make you feel less alone?
HealingLight0893
September 21st, 2015 3:52pm
Definitely! Anxiety takes many different forms, and it can come from just your thoughts alone. There isn't any way that panic or anxiety attacks can be considered 'unnormal', regardless of the circumstance. Everyone has their own anxieties and they can come out at any time.
Anonymous
June 1st, 2018 1:42am
Yes. I feel especially anxious when I am alone and when I do feel anxious, I just want to talk to someone I love and trust, or even just have someone sit beside me so I don’t feel so overwhelmed and alone. For me that is my family. I am incredibly grateful I have a loving and supportive family. Even though it may seem even childish to rely so much on my family, I know it is not because there isn’t absolutely nothing wrong with gaining support from people who love you. On the internet, you don’t always see people who talk about relying so much on their family. So this post is for the people that may feel embraced to rely on their family, but trust me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it at all. Some people just feel happier with their family and there is NOTHING wrong with that.
Anonymous
September 18th, 2016 2:25pm
It is normal but it sometimes can not be normal because that could be a sign of separation anxiety. Fear of when your alone or when someone who you loves, leaves you to go somewhere else.
Pastellove
August 24th, 2015 6:37pm
Yes, I personally have experienced this and felt as if the whole world was on my shoulders. It helped to take deep breaths through my nose and out through my mouth.
hopealex
May 5th, 2017 4:32pm
It's definitely normal to feel more anxious alone! You don't have the support or safety net of someone being beside you, so it's a totally common feeling. People seek support when anxious, and being alone makes it hard to get support.
Breathe1208
December 14th, 2015 10:31am
Yes it is absolutely normal to feel anxious when you're alone. And it's perfectly OK to. Being alone is a lot of people's fears. I think its just the fact that if you're going to be ok that makes you more anxious. But remembering to breathe is always good. Distracting your mind is also a great way of getting rid of the anxious feeling you have while being alone.
QuirkyAnne
April 18th, 2018 11:38am
Yes, because you're more likely to overthink when you are alone because no one will interrupt your line of thoughts.
TheTripleS719
September 17th, 2016 4:19am
Yes. Anxiety hits a lot of people harder when they're alone because they're either afraid something is going to happen to them or they feel like they're missing out on something, whether they have a clue as to what or not.
empathicForest15
July 29th, 2018 12:01am
It's absolutely normal to feel anxious when you are alone. I live alone, and I still experience anxiety about things I have to do, or a relationship with a friend or family member, or even just thinking about things in the past or fears of the future.
Anonymous
April 27th, 2018 1:28pm
For some this is normal because you don’t have the safety of someone else with you. I personally experience anxiety more when I am by myself due to not having an ‘safety person’ to talk to comfortably about how I am feeling
Anonymous
June 7th, 2015 9:50pm
Yes, that happens to me a lot as well. It's just that with others you always have someone to help you and humans are usually beings that feel more comfortable in groups. So yes, it's compleatly normal!
Anonymous
September 22nd, 2016 1:22am
It is a perfectly normal feeling to be anxious when you are alone. Sometimes when you are with yourself without distraction, you can often focus on the negative aspects of your life and allow those negative thoughts to ruminate. But learning to combat those thoughts and to have a coping mechanism in place can really help to build your confidence and to be calmer when you are by yourself.
Geveda
February 16th, 2015 3:36am
My anxiety really kicks in full force when I'm alone, so I would say so but it might depend on the person. Personally, it's a normal for me.
Anonymous
September 14th, 2017 3:30am
Yes. Being alone can be scary when you're in a head space you need comfort in. In other cases you can be "triggered" into feeling like you're always going to be alone.
Anonymous
February 18th, 2018 11:33pm
Everybody's different. Some people may feel more anxious when alone but other people will feel more anxious when in the company of others. It's completely dependent on what your anxiety issues are based around.
OneMomentInHerPresence
May 9th, 2018 7:46pm
Yeah, that’s completely normal to feel more anxious when you’re alone. If you are anxious and there is no one there to support you then it makes things a lot worse, plus just being alone in general can give some people anxiety.
seventyninedays
March 29th, 2016 11:55am
Of course it is! Being alone is miles more emotionally in depth, you have to be more switched on, you're alone with your thoughts. Emotions can easily be heightened and overthought when alone.
VibrantCarousel26
February 21st, 2018 9:15pm
When we're by ourselves, it can be easy to settle into a negative feedback loop, since the things we tell ourselves are amplified--they bounce off the walls of our mind without a chance to be intercepted or corrected by someone else. It's a little like a statistical sample--if you have a sample size of one, the results won't be very helpful, and the conclusions you make will be pretty skewed! If we're only talking to ourselves, we don't have the chance to rethink what we're saying based on what someone else has to say.
Anonymous
July 12th, 2019 7:19pm
Anxiety is a feeling that we all experience at one time or another. It sounds as though on top of this you are feeling lonely. I understand how you are feeling, and I’m sorry that you feel as though your situation has made you more anxious. It’s natural to feel worried about different aspects of life. Sometimes talking through anxiety can help to ease it a little or understand what is going on. Could you help me understand what’s going on by describing the situation you are in a bit better? Why do you feel like you are alone?
hermione15
March 30th, 2018 2:28pm
It is normal to feel anxious when you’re alone. It gives you a sense of isolation that can be very troubling.
MrsAshleyMarie
August 8th, 2019 2:12am
That's absolutely normal. Sometimes when we're alone, we have less distractions and therefore more time to think and dwell over our worries. Finding something to distract you might be helpful, such as watching TV, reading a book, listening to music, or exercising. The idea is to get your mind focused on something specific (bonus points if it's something you enjoy). The busier the mind is, the less time it has to be anxious. For example, if you like reading, and you find yourself with some alone time, pick up a good book. You can keep your mind busy while also doing something fun and relaxing.