Hands Off the Panic Button! How to Stop Shaking From Anxiety

Why am i shaking? I thought that one day when I was at work one day. I was a massage therapist then when the tremors started. Of course, you can’t give a massage with unsteady hands, so I had to quit. Plus, I was just starting to get panic attacks. I found a few other jobs over the years, but the shaking from anxiety just kept getting worse.

It was a nervous shaking. The anxiety became so bad, that I quit working altogether. My doctor had me on med after med, but nothing was helping. Soon, I became a recluse, only going out for appointments. Then she tried me on Klonopin, which made me escape the anxiety almost immediately. I don’t know why she didn’t try me on it in the first place.

The anxiety I experienced before the right med came along was physically and emotionally painful. Physically, because my body hurt from shaking all the time. Emotionally, because I tried to isolate from the barrage of emotions flowing through my mind. Some of them were not so nice. But I’m here today, and I am grateful for that.

Uncontrollable Shaking Anxiety

Body Shaking

Sometimes I’d lie there, and my whole body would shake—I just felt all over the place. Anxiety can sometimes cause hyperventilation, which leads to rapid breathing. This can throw off the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your body, and that’s what often causes the trembling.

Muscle tension often comes with prolonged anxiety, causing your muscles to tighten and leaving you feeling tired or shaky. When anxiety kicks in, your autonomic nervous system can become overactive, leading to involuntary movements like shaking.

Leg Shaking Anxiety

My legs were so weak from all the shaking, I mostly stayed in bed. Anxiety is not something to be reckoned with. It can destroy your life in a matter of minutes, like it had done to me. My career was over within minutes.

My right thigh flares up every so often with pain. Restlessness is caused by anxiety, which can make it hard to stay still. This can lead to fidgeting or repetitive movements like leg shaking to release nervous energy. Muscle tension caused by prolonged anxiety can cause your leg muscles to tighten, and the resulting fatigue or strain may lead to trembling.

Trembling Hands Anxiety

If you’re feeling anxious, you might find yourself wondering, “why are my hands shaking?” It can feel a little scary, but don’t worry—this is completely normal. When your body produces extra adrenaline and your muscles tense up, it’s common for your hands to shake.

I’m all too versed in trembling hands anxiety. Like I said earlier, my hands started shaking first. I remember with one of the factory jobs I had, the morning crew came in (I worked 3rd shift), and I was holding on to the product to my chest with my hands shaking. His eyes went to my shaking hands, but he didn’t say anything. I knew my days were numbered.

Anxiety Causes Dizziness

Anxiety can cause dizziness due to the way it affects your body and nervous system. Here are the main reasons why this happens:

Hyperventilation (Rapid Breathing)

When you’re feeling anxious, your breathing can become faster and shallower, which can throw off the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. This can lead to less blood flow to your brain, making you feel lightheaded or dizzy.

Fight-or-Flight Response

When you’re feeling anxious, your body kicks into fight-or-flight mode and releases stress hormones like adrenaline. This can shake things up a bit, causing changes in blood pressure and blood flow, which might leave you feeling a little dizzy or unsteady.

Muscle Tension

Shaking from anxiety can cause your neck and shoulder muscles to tense up, which could restrict blood flow or leave you feeling off-balance and dizzy. This is pretty common for people dealing with anxiety or panic attacks. The good news? Tackling these symptoms early can help keep things from getting worse, so it’s worth paying attention to how you’re feeling!

Inner Ear Sensitivity

Anxiety can make you more aware of how your body feels, including sensations from your inner ear, which helps balance. This extra sensitivity might leave you feeling a bit dizzy or off-balance. I wonder if that’s why I’m having dizziness. So many possibilities.

Dehydration or Fatigue

Anxiety can sometimes lead to behaviors like skipping meals, not drinking enough water, or poor sleep, all of which can contribute to dizziness. Dizziness caused by anxiety is usually not dangerous, but it can feel unsettling.

Head Pressure and Anxiety

Feeling head pressure? It’s a common symptom that can be linked to anxiety. When you’re anxious, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can cause the blood vessels in your head to tighten, which could lead to that uncomfortable pressure in your brain and skull.

Symptoms:

Feeling of fullness or heaviness in the head
Dull, aching pain in the head or forehead
Sensitivity to light or noise
Nausea
Dizziness

Causes:

Tension headaches
Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder
Stressful life events
Migraines

Confused Thoughts

Confused thoughts can happen to anyone, but with any mental illness, it is especially prevalent. With anxiety, intrusive thoughts are the worst. They just absolutely make no sense. And, the harder you try to fight them, the worse they get. They are the epidemy of confusion. Although, I really notice them when I don’t take my anti-psychotic med.

Treatments for Shaking From Anxiety

Learn to Accept Your Anxiety

The more you fight anxiety, the more intense it becomes. But when you accept it, it becomes much more manageable. The symptoms feel less intense. Avoiding anxiety only makes it grow stronger, like a wildfire feeding on fear. But when you face it and refuse to let it control you, it starts to lose its grip.

Many people try to manage their anxiety by steering clear of situations or things that might set it off. Some might even rely on medication or alcohol to cope. While these approaches can provide short-term relief, they often worsen anxiety over time.

On the flip side, learning to accept your anxiety and manage it can bring more effective, lasting results. It’s about recognizing that you might have some uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, but deciding not to let them take charge.

Rationalizing Will Not Help

Anxiety often brings a swirl of negative thoughts, and trying to rationalize them doesn’t always help. But stepping back and seeing the bigger picture can make a difference. Anxiety often stems from fear or uncertainty about the future, making us jump to worst-case scenarios and feel even more anxious. Instead, pausing to understand where these fears come from can help us tackle them more effectively.

One great way to tackle this is through mindfulness techniques. By practicing being present and simply noticing your thoughts without judgment, you can start to spot patterns that might be adding to your anxiety. This gives you the chance to challenge those thoughts and swap them out for more realistic, helpful ones.

Share your anxiety or say it out loud

Opening up about your anxiety isn’t just a form of self-expression; it’s a bridge to understanding and support from those who care about you. By sharing, you acknowledge your feelings, but also invite someone into your world to see it from your perspective. This act can significantly lighten the emotional load you carry, making the journey through anxiety less isolating.

Remember, vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. It allows genuine connections to be formed and healing to begin. So, take that brave step forward and speak to someone close to you about what you’re going through. You might find that in sharing your struggle, you’ll discover a shared human experience that brings comfort, empathy, and an invaluable sense of being understood.

Redirect your energy instead of suppressing it

Take all that energy and turn it into something positive instead of trying to push it down. You’ve got the power to channel your emotions and use them to fuel your growth and success. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, take a deep breath and ask yourself: What can I learn from this? How can I turn it into a chance to grow?

It’s so easy to get caught up in negative thoughts and feelings, especially when life throws challenges our way. But instead of letting them take over, why not use them as a little push to grow and become an even better version of yourself?

Think about all the successful people out there—they didn’t get where they are by always playing it safe or steering clear of challenges. They took on obstacles head-on, channeled their emotions into motivation, and came out stronger in the end.

Have your own mantra

Mantras are simple words, phrases, or sounds that you repeat to help calm your mind, stay focused, or set a specific intention. They’re great for meditation, mindfulness, or spiritual rituals, but they can also be a handy tool for boosting confidence and easing stress.

Examples of single-word mantras can be:

Calm
Peace
Relax
Breath
Now

Feel free to use my personal favorite phrases:

All is well
And that shall pass
Things are always working out for me
May I feel peaceful
May I accept life the way it is
We are all in this together

Embrace anxiety into your life

Anxiety. It’s a word that stirs many emotions—fear, unease, stress, or discomfort. But what if anxiety didn’t have to be something we dread? What if we saw it as an opportunity for growth? Let’s explore how embracing anxiety could help us move forward.

Before you think I’m crazy, hear me out. I’ve dealt with anxiety most of my life, so I know how overwhelming it can be—the worry, racing thoughts, and physical symptoms. But through therapy, self-reflection, and trial and error, I’ve learned that anxiety can also be a tool for growth. It pushes us to face fears, challenge limits, and discover what we’re truly capable of.

When facing a tough situation, anxiety often means spending hours thinking through every outcome. While overthinking can feel overwhelming, it shows we’re carefully considering options. This critical thinking can improve problem-solving and lead to creative solutions.

Sum It All Up

So, my shaking from anxiety started quite a few years back. Then along came Parkinson’s, which truly ended my massage career. The shaking from the anxiety was intermittent. It mainly happened when the anxiety was really bad, and sometimes a panic attack would initiate. The panic attacks would sometimes start right as I was about to reenter the room. I couldn’t turn the knob, and my hands were shaking something terrible.

Just the thought of entering the room scared the crap out of me. I began doubting myself, which led to I can’t do this anymore. Like I said earlier, I tried various other jobs, but the anxiety got the best of me, and so did the shaking. So know that you’re not alone if you’re experiencing shakiness from anxiety. You just have to find an outlet for that nervous energy. Mine was meditation.

Meditation calmed my nerves and gave me a sense of peace that I have never felt before. Even with the Parkinson’s, my body doesn’t twitch like it does otherwise. Finding your outlet will give you the strength to push through the shakiness, and into happier times.

Do some searching and experimenting for what works for you. You’ll be in a much happier place in life. The anxiety shakiness will be a thing from the past. I’m one that thinks things happen for a reason-good or bad. My journey hasn’t always been sunshine and roses, but a bunch of learning curves that crossed my path. Peace and always love. Until next time…