Odd brain changes

I am a 26 healthy male, I don't have diabetes nor any serious medical condition. Except for scheurmans disease which is irrelevant to the topic below.

5 months ago, while driving home I noticed that I am slightly lightheaded. As if I was I had low blood sugar but it wasn't. Since then I started noticing many more symptoms...

I had a slight tremor which started last year. As my mothers family has a history with essential tremor I have thought I had it too but it started getting worse since that day I feel muscles twitching every once in a lifetime while all over my body.

One more thing I noticed, my hands sweat when ever I have an anxious thought like when am watching something on youtube at work... Also when I play competitive multiplayer video games my keyboard gets all wet which wasn't happening 2-3 years ago even thought the feelings and tension is the same.

I feel like I no longer have the energy I used to have 2-3 years ago. I rarely even feel good about myself anymore.

I went to a neurologist who claimed it's generalized anxiety disorder, gave me propanolol then another medicament which didnt change anything.I did a full blood picture, thyroid hormones checkup twice, everything was normal.

I suspect it all started since a very stressful date I had (because since then my eyebrow started twitching and my tremor got worse) but I refuse that beleive it's all mental.

Help, am totally clueless..

Yes twitches can definitely anxiety related. If you have had a thorough physical check - which it seems you have- then it may well be anxiety. I have cptsd and when I get triggered and go into the fear zone ( as I call it) my body tremors and twitches sometimes for a month until my body returns to its normal homeostatic balance. It's scary that's for sure. Our nervous systems are very complex and when under stress ( which sometimes we don't even realise because we may be used to it) our bodies will respond with symptoms and twitching is one of them. It's very exhausting holding the body in a stressful mode, fight or flight so that can definitely rob us of our energy too. It taxes our emotions too so our moods may dip and we lose our inner power.

What meds do you currently take? Some meds can make you sweat. Bp meds can mess with body temps for some people. 

Anxiety can have hundreds of symptoms. I have had all the ones you listed plus more starting in my 20s.  I have had anxiety since kindergarten and finally it all came to a head .  My  physical body couldn't take anymore and I thought I had some terrible disease when my symptoms broke out. My dad took me to a neurologist  and all my test came back normal. Nobody understood what I was going through because nobody could actually see my symptoms. I was scared and frustrated. I dealt with the symptoms  on and off for many years and finally I said enough is enough. No doctor ever truly understood. I decided I had to do something to help myself. As a nurse I know why we get the symptoms from  stress and anxiety. Here is what happens… 

 when we have anxiety and stress, our brain thinks we are in danger so it sends out a hormone to protect us. This hormone can increase our heart rate, cause lightheadedness or dizziness, sweating, etc.  when we feel the symptoms, we get anxious which causes more hormone to be released. A vicious cycle! 

All this energy the brain mustered up has to go somewhere, so it comes out as other symptoms such as muscle twitching you feel.

Low energy is very common with stress. I thought something was wrong with me when I was tired ALL the time.but nothing was.

Muscle twitching is very common with anxiety. I had it on and off for years. Athletes commonly get this too.

 so millions of people have these same symptoms with anxiety.

 what do you do? Well in order to decrease or eliminate the symptoms like I have been able to do, you need to calm down the brain. 

 it's very important not to overreact to symptoms!!

.   Remember, symptoms of anxiety cannot hurt you! They feel weird and uncomfortable but that is all. I have had them for many years.

here is what I do to calm everything down......it may not all pertain to you but use whatever you think may help.

What you have to do is learn how to calm down your brain. That is how I make my symptoms go away. Your symptoms are caused by an anxious brain. Over the years I have learned how to manage it. 

 1.  what I did was first of all speak with a counselor. They see this on a daily basis and have the tools to help you manage this. Anxiety and stress is difficult to manage on our own and it really helps to talk to someone else. I keep going even when I start to feel  better because it's like a lifeline for me. Find a counselor you feel comfortable with. They help you see the anxiety for what it is and it help you manage it. If you ever really feel out of control and can't manage, seeing a counselor would be the first best step!

Remember....FEAR  stands for false evidence appearing real.   Which means sometimes when we have symptoms we think they are related to some terrifying disease, when in reality the odds are much higher that they are not.   Our minds  will go to the negative if we let it, so we must be in control.

Don't let fear take you over! Be a fighter for yourself! 

 2.   Secondly, I go to Google or YouTube and look up audio meditations like one called clearing subconscious negativity. I put in my earbuds and lie down and listen to them. They teach us to separate our thoughts that are negative from ourselves. This is something I think could really benefit you!! They completely  calm down my brain and body to the point where I almost feel like I'm floating. This is such a great thing to do for your brain and overall health. I do this a couple times a day  specially when I'm laying down to sleep. 

There are MANY to choose from just pick the ones that you like. There's also positive affirmation ones that are helpful too. I play them in my car and while I take a walk. The more you listen to these the more your brain and subconscious will believe them and the better you will feel

 it will just calm everything down when you  are having an acute anxiety attack 

For panic attack, search you tube for "panic attack emergency "

3.   Stay active! The worst thing you can do is sit around and think too much about all this. It will bring on more anxiety. As well as the symptoms. When I exercise my body completely calms down and the symptoms often go completely away. 

4.   Stay social! This helps keep your mind off your worries. The less you are alone the better at least until you manage your anxiety. Just do things that you enjoy. 

When  feeling anxious or anytime you'd like, do deep breathing. Breathing through your nose for about five seconds and make sure your stomach rises. Then exhale through your lips as though you're blowing out a candle slowly for another five seconds. Do this as many times a day as you need to. It helps if you're lying down but you can also do  it's sitting. 

Eat healthy! Stay away from processed foods especially sugar. Sugar has an inflammatory response including in the brain. This will just increase your anxiety and can possibly bring on depression. 

The WORST thing you can do is react with fear and anxiety . Now when I get a symptom, I think " it's ok, I can handle this symptom in my body right now."  With this attitude I have been able to eliminate or greatly reduce the symptoms.

I have had symptoms for many many years on and off and now I pretty much ignore them but I do try to stay as healthy as possible and do those things I listed above. The meditation audios really are excellent please try them and do them often !

 You will be fine  once you get this under a little control.  You will have a long great life and you deserve peace and happiness.

Don't let fear take you over!  Fear  is based on non reality.  

Our minds  will go to the negative if we let it, so we must be in control.

if you can get a book called Mindfulness, it teaches you all you need to know about how to manage this.

Hope you feel better soon!!

Thank you for your reply, I have been trying what you suggested for a week now and I can say I feel alot better.

I also started going to a Psychologist who recommended CBT to change the limiting beliefs tat causes the irrational fear.

However I a concerned about the changes my body had, and wanted to know if I can go back to the same old me again or not..

Hello lisalisa67,

I am currently not taking any medication, I took propanolol for 30 days and that's it, didn't feel any changes.

Thank you for your reply lisa72030,

Indeed it's scary how the mental health can affect the physical one, for me it feels like I have been in this "stressed out" state for 8+ months, the twitching has reduced but I always have the tremors, excessive sweating...