Do you ever have trouble speaking caused by anxiety?

[Anonymous]

Don't know why it happens. Sometimes my throat just closes up and I feel like I can't speak. I get this weird emotional dread when it happens. It's not a medical problem so don't go there. It's something mental. I'm usually pretty down to earth so wtf is going on? Lol

Yes

No

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+1 y

Sniffula packets...

Updates

+1 y

Thanks! I don't feel so alone on the messed up planet anymore.

[KryoAsteri]

Yeah, welcome to the world of anxiety, any serious problems, questions, statements, situations, its like a hand clenching down on my lungs barely allowing me to breathe let alone talk, and if I can squeeze the words out its always followed by crying because it physically hurt to say the words aloud, and the whole time and for a couple of hours afterwards there will be a heavy lump of dread on my chest. Small anxiety attacks caused by stress.

[Anonymous]

I’m the same way it feels like I have a ball in my throat and can’t speak…recently I try to carry something when giving a speech like a pen or paper and when I hold tight to it I can speak easily. Maybe try that

[Asker]

Thanks!

[CuriousJC]

I have to rely on speaking on social media or anything on a device because it's hard to speak to someone face-to-face like a woman without having your anxiety choking you. Everytime I try to approach a woman for the first time my heart beats extremely fast like it's trying to jump out of my chest and run away and I end up saying something stupid causing the woman to walk away or look at me like I'm crazy.

[FunkyMonkee]

So far, only once. I've spent 26 years on stage with my band and NEVER had an issue with that before but, the time I tried out for a DJ at a strip club was the first and ONLY time I ever got mic freight! Had it not been for that lousy audition, I might still have the job, today.

[lightbulb27]

no, were you traumatized as a child... like you saw fear and associated it with speaking? put down by others? explore treatment in early life where you didn't have power, that's likely the cause and the way out of the trap.

[Asker]

I've always been put down and treated like I'm some sort of alien from another planet. Strangely I was stronger in my childhood. Now that I'm an adult the problems have gotten increasingly worse over the years. I've always kept to myself though. I don't fit in with this world. I've tried and now I don't want to anymore. I just wanna be alone.

[lightbulb27]

I think you understand what caused the speech issue... being abused when you talked. Whether other people have this, I'm sure they do. This is the challenge of humanity, including me, to take what the world has given us and decide what we want, and live greater than we received. Most of us out here have issues, especially the more sensitive people who have great gifts that are repressed. Our development was impacted during childhood. The question becomes... what do you want your life to be and what do you want to do about it? Climb into a hole I understand. Staying the same, that's easy path. You were supposed to get love, encouragement, support from before born through 20yrs when your brain was nimble and learning. Instead, you got some abuse you didn't ask for. You now own the vessel as an adult and what your life will be. Will you be what you were oppressed to be, or something greater? You have to do the repair work, if you want it. I understand wanting to climb into a hole... you feel rejected, hurt... it's trauma. Life is in connection, being your true self, giving, loving, striving... failing and achieving.

That's what I'm doing on me. It's a choice. What choice you want to make?

[Asker]

I appreciate the time you took to comment your thoughts. It's difficult for me to express myself in any meaningful way in public. I'm trying not to care what others think but it seems impossible. Anytime I hear someone laughing it takes me right back to that dark place. I've actually overcame this issue once before when I was about 16. Now I've lost that piece of myself and it seems impossible to get it back this time around. I have too many intrusive thoughts caused by others that I can't quiet my mind. This has been going on for the past 8 years and I'm sick of it.

[lightbulb27]

You express yourself very well in writing, it's just the speech part apparently. Then you've got something going on in that part of your brain. There is physical, spiritual, emotional... something is out of what to cause disfunction. I always liked to elminiate the physical (Dr visit... xrays, etc..). They are good at that. If no tumors then it's spiritual, emotional. Those are healed with spiritual work, meditation, things that heal the mind, writing, setting small goals and achieving, etc... rebuilding patterns. What you said makes sense when you look at yourself as human being. Basically, a pattern is setup and repeating, was dealt with but comes back... maybe under stress. As we get older, injuries in early life come back.
8 years is a long time to have a given problem and be focused on it. Your brain is wired in a way you don't like it, so you see it but not sure how to deal with it and ready to give up. That's good... cause your close to saying "F this dammit, I'm gonna fix this"... then chance occurs. "I'll never go hungry again", Scarlet O Hara... was a vow... and I'd bet she never did. That's facing something with courage and strenth, which is the way out of the hole. Baby steps to speak publicly. As noted, your mind works real well.
Speech therapist? Spiritual work... reprocessing old wounds! Dr visit? Mens group/support group where you can share you emotions? More sleep and meditation? better diet? Make videos and practice? Lots of opportunity. We are all working on something. Will feel really good to succeed cause you'll know the effort required to get there. That is value you can give to others.

[lightbulb27]

p. s. yes, I had trouble speaking publicly... like with an audience. I was afraid of peoples reactions, ridiculing me and putting me down... which is the crap I got as a kid. It took many times to feel ok with it and especially helped to have people give me positive praise that I was a good speaker. Not caring what others say helps. Thinking differently about the challenge helps... that is my heart rooted in love, rather than fear. It all helps. Anxiety is just fear of some future result that you are aware of and don't want. Remove the fear, problem goes away.

[Asker]

That's what bothers me the most. I'm 26 years old and I run my own business. Half of the business is marketing and connecting with potential customers. It irritates the living hell out of me because I've came so far mentally but lost something along the way. I have solid control of my emotions until I get out in public. Thanks for sharing your suggestions. I'm working on the spiritual side of things in my free time. Honestly if I haven't completely given up yet I don't think I ever will. I'm not the suicidal type but I fantasize about it daily.

[lightbulb27]

yea, that's escape from pain, I've done that... mentally. I can say for sure, it's exploring in yourself, finding the curses, wounds, healing them. Emotional wounds can manifest physically and cause disease. Cell phone/routers near you... they caused issues with me. It's a process of elimination and change, went through it, still going through it. Solve one challenge, another appears. Impressed you run your own show at your age, probably a lot of pressure. save for rainy days...

not to plug religion, but stating fact as I experienced it. I was introverted and shy, when I discovered the value of religion around age 30 and accepted Christ (my choice), which to me was some acceptance of value, love, reaching out, letting go... something freed up and I started to relate in a new way to people... care about them, vs be afraid of them. I was conditioned in fear and put downs. That acceptance opened new doors. I suspect any transformative experience might do that, but I get the value in belief now. The emotional damage to me was deep though, I was cast way off course... growing is an evolutionary process and one of discovery.

[t-8900]

Yep it caused me a lot of failed attempts to ask women out. I usually get blood shot red, my heart racing a mile a second, andy voice breaks up. Uuuuugh I hate it so much. I never have an issue with talking to guys. I can come off almost like a man's man. But as soon as an attractive girl walks into the room all that masculine bravado goes right down the drain and I become a wuss. Only way I can approach a woman is with liquid courage

[ilyess0]

you just need to talk more to people irl. this happens to me when i spend a long time without leaving my house.

[Asker]

The pandemic really fucked me up.

[SofiSin667]

No, it’s the opposite. I say more than what I should and initiate problems.

[Asker]

I have that sometimes too. I have both issues lol.

[SofiSin667]

🤣🤣🤭

[Asker]

It's funny but not really lol

[whirled_up_girl]

I used to have this problem when I was young so I took classes in college like class voice, basic acting, anything where I had to get up in front of people and use my voice. It improved my speaking skills tremendously!

[Ninani]

I feel like that sometimes, especially when trying to speak to someone I want to impress or give a good impression to. I pretty much always feel like that when faced with public speaking (even the thought of it makes me physically choke)

[TrueConfection]

I voted yes, but it only happened to me once. I was so embarrassed.

[Asker]

Happens to me almost every day

[TrueConfection]

I'm sorry. I had one anxiety attack brought on by a reaction to a medication. I can't imagine living with those everyday.

[Asker]

I wasn't always like this. It's not something you get used to either. I'm living in my own personal hell. Anyways, thanks for your time.

[LonewolfMeme]

I’m not a doctor but it happens with me when I’m experiencing strong negative emotions trying to defend something that I have strong positive emotions about or if I feel like I can’t do anything right and someone is pointing it out

[EnglishEuropean]

Yes, especially when I'm on the telephone. My throat tightens up to the point where I can hardly get the words out.

[Asker]

It's horrible how sudden it happens too. Then after you hang up the phone your body feels sick and you're pissed at yourself for it. Anxiety blows.

[Anonymous]

Yes. More so, I have trouble bringing myself to actually speak. It’s like I’ll want to say something but I can’t quite bring myself to say it. It’s crippling sometimes!

[Tomsta]

Sounds like the start of an anxiety attack. I get them fairly frequently

[JakeS00]

Sometimes. I've overcome a lot of it over the years.

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Sort of. Mainly with yelling

[MysticDevice]

All. The. Time.

[Iron_Man]

No I don’t

[Fuentes]

No i do. not