I get this every time my anxiety gets bad. But lately it is scarce. It used to freak me out and I would freeze when it'd happen to see if it's an earthquake or if it's me... and it's me. And then I'd notice that it's sometimes my heart beat that I'm being overly sensitive too. It doesn't bother me as much anymore.
I used to have that feeling also and it went with all the other sensations when I overcame the panic. It is very rare that I will feel that way and then only if I am very tired.
I understand the feeling that you are getting. That is the main way that I experience anxiety now. If I am seated in a chair during a work meeting, I feel like I am going to fall out of the chair and grab on to it tight. If I am walking, indoors or on sidewalk like Sunny said, I will feel disoriented/lightheaded/like I am losing my balance. I know that this is how I experience anxiety, because I am able to control it by box breathing, telling myself that this is just how I experience anxiety right now, and by positive statements to reinforce that I can handle it. I think that you should get checked out by a doctor first to make sure there is not something else going on. If it is related to the anxiety, try managing the symptoms with breathing, etc. and see if that helps instead of the chocolate. I think you would feel so much better about it in the long run and that may even help to decrease your overall anxiety. Chocolate also has caffiene in it which can increase anxiety. : ) Although I do love chocolate too! They say also that it is good if you can keep your blood sugar level throughout the day by eating smaller meals through the day so that you don't feel the spikes in blood sugar. Just some ideas. I do understand the sensation though and it is very disconcerting. Good luck and let me know what helps!
Hello Erikat: Welcome to the site. When I was in a support group one of the participants had exactly those symptoms - the feeling of falling down. She was afraid to go up and down stairs, walk on a sidewalk even. She had had a physical, had her ears checked. For her, it was a symptom of anxiety and eventually after working the CBT program, she was able to walk everywhere and didn't feel off balance or that she would fall down. So I guess it can be just that.
Studies have shown that it is dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa which has the antioxidants good for us. Maybe you can switch to that, or drink a glass of water. Not as tasty! I can just hear everybody saying that, lol. Just trying to find a substitute which is less fattening. lol. Sometimes a teaspoon of peanut butter is better too, good fats and protein. Keep posting, and let us know how you are doing. good luck.
Welcome to the group and the program. As for feeling like you are falling all the time. It could be vertigo a inner ear problem, low blood sugar, and oxygen exchange problem or many other things. If it was I am not sure why chocolate would help unless your blood sugar is low. I am not a doctor and can not give medical advice. I do think it would be a good idea to see a doctor and have it checked out to rule out a physical cause. In the mean time you can start working the program and see if it helps. Good luck to you.
Thanks for sharing this with us. As your fellow members have mentioned, work through the program to learn more about anxiety. You can also begin to track your experiences in a journal and notice any particular patterns or factors that influence this feeling of falling.
What positive alternatives could you use instead of eating chocolate to relieve your feeling of falling?
We have a lot of power failures. My shop has no windows. When the power goes out I am in total darkness. I have to lean on something or I will fall down. I have good hearing but I think it is a bit better on one side than the other.
like lucid said it is worth checking out. In my case I also got the falling feeling in day light.
I can relate. When I used to have really bad anxiety, I would reach for something salty, thinking that I was lacking salt. I'd usually feel better after and so I associated it. There were times that I even sprikled salt into my hand and would eat that. Ewwww!
But, you can replace the eating part with other, more positive strategies. Try this program out and remember: it's your thoughts that can be giving you that falling feeling, so if you change your thinking / reactions to something more positive, it can replace the eating of the chocolate.
Although, don't totally deny yourself! Chocolate in moderation is a good thing!
Oh, and a thought: have you had your ears checked? Maybe your falling feeling is an inner-ear thing? I know that I feel off-balance when I have a lot of wax build-up.
This is different. What I think you have,and I am usually right here is one of the side effects of fight or flight. when you are scared your stomach tightens up, your breathing slows and you get dizzy and nauseous if it lasts too long. Your mind blocks out every thing except that which is necessary to run if you have too. I got the falling feeling as my mind would shut down. I used to eat cheese and if there was no cheese then anything. I'm still twenty pounds over weight.
This fits right in with the stress thread because I think you have some low grade stress that is not strong enough to come to the surface as panic but as constant anxiety. Eating works as a distraction to get your mind off the fear long enough for the fight or flight to shut down, only to start up again. If this is the case you need to go some where quiet and replay the whole day so you can see if you can find the cause of the stress. Is there some thing you do but don't want to that happens before you get this feeling. It doesn't have to be an all day thing. Your mind will replay the fear sub contsiously all day to keep the fear up. You may not be able to find it if it is buried well. Doing the relaxation skills and coping skills in the program will clear your mind enough to find it, If you still need to. Then do the self talk part where you replace negative thought with positive and you will be on the road to getting rid of this feeling.
Some people get it as a tightening of the skin on the scalp, some get arms that tingle or legs that go to sleep. There are probably other sensations but the cause is basically the same thing.
Welcome to our group, I hope you will stay with us and post often, we are here for you.
I feel constantly like i am falling - like im on a roller coaster ride and you know that feeling in your stomach - wel that is what it is like and it seems only to get better with eating (especially chocolate!) well at least it feels that way and now im getting fat cos im eating constantly, does any one have this experiencee???? how can I control it!
