When Anxiety Comes Out of Nowhere

Have you ever been doing something completely ordinary...

And suddenly felt like you needed to escape?

Your heart starts racing.
You can’t seem to catch your breath.
Your mind starts searching for an explanation.

But nothing around you seems to explain what’s happening inside you.

That’s what made Ken’s experience so confusing.

We were leaving for a family trip to Connecticut. We had packed our bags, called an Uber, and were heading to the airport.

Before we even made it a mile from our house, he asked the driver to pull over.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe.

In Episode 27, we talk honestly about that experience, the pressure he had been carrying, and what we have been learning as we work through it.

It Started Before We Reached the Airport

At first, Ken thought he was overheating.

It was summer in Arizona. He felt restricted by his clothes and seatbelt. He got out of the car, took off his shoes, and tried to make sense of what was happening.

After some water, cool air, and time to settle, he felt a little better.

Then we reached the airport.

As we stood in the jet bridge waiting to board, that feeling returned. People were in front of us and behind us. He wanted to turn around and leave.

He wasn’t afraid of flying.

He was afraid of what was happening in his body.

And through much of that trip, he kept checking.

Was he too hot?
Could he get enough air?
Was it happening again?

It became hard for him to be present, even when we were doing things we had been looking forward to.

What We Were Carrying Before We Packed Our Bags

When we looked back, there was a lot happening before that Uber ever arrived.

Ken had lost his job. We were working on our business, recording the podcast, building the website, and trying to keep everything moving.

The business was growing. The financial pressure was still there.

He had given himself a deadline to make it work before looking for another job. And he was thinking about the business almost all the time.

Even leaving for a trip brought another question:

Should I really be taking time away right now?

Then there was the pressure of the visit itself. Trying to see everyone. Trying to spend enough time with family. Feeling guilty when it didn’t seem like enough.

For us, looking at all of that helped the experience make more sense.

The moment looked ordinary.

The season we were living through had been heavy.

I Did Not Always Recognize It Either

Years ago, I had trouble catching my breath while sitting at my desk at work.

I went through medical checks. When a clinician suggested anxiety was part of what was happening, I pushed back.

I thought I knew what anxiety felt like.

I had experienced it before. But this felt different from the panic attacks I recognized.

That experience is part of why I understood how confusing this was for Ken.

It also matters to say this clearly: unfamiliar physical symptoms deserve medical attention. Our story cannot tell you what is causing yours. If you have severe chest pain, serious difficulty breathing, or symptoms that feel urgent or unsafe, seek emergency care.

Here are a few things we are learning as we work through it.

Step 1: Name What You Are Experiencing

One of the hardest parts for Ken was feeling like anxiety was taking over his personality.

He kept coming back to the feeling that this wasn’t him.

When anxiety is part of what you are experiencing, it can help to describe the moment without turning it into your whole identity.

“I’m experiencing anxiety right now.”

There is room in that sentence for what you are feeling today and for everything else you are.

Start by noticing what happened.

Where were you?
What did you feel?
What thoughts followed?

You do not have to judge yourself for any of it.

Step 2: Notice What Has Been Weighing on You

Ask yourself:

What have I been pushing through lately?

Maybe it is a job change. Financial uncertainty. Family expectations. The pressure to make something work when you do not know how it is going to turn out.

Maybe you have been so busy handling everything that you have not stopped to admit how hard this season has been.

We could see that pattern in our own lives.

Getting through the day did not mean we had given ourselves time to process what we were going through.

You do not need to force an explanation for every feeling. But you can make room to acknowledge what has been difficult.

Step 3: Give Yourself Room to Feel

Ken’s first instinct was to fight the feeling.

Get away from it.
Make it stop.
Figure out how to never feel it again.

One thing he has been practicing is noticing familiar anxiety sensations and breathing gently through them, instead of immediately getting angry that they are happening.

That has been hard.

When we recorded this episode, he had experienced anxiety that very morning. We were talking about something he was still working through.

We have also talked about making room for feelings through honest conversation, reading, and letting yourself cry if that is what comes up.

I have shared how much Letting Go by David R. Hawkins has meant to me. Ken has been reading it slowly and reflecting on what feels useful to him.

These are parts of our personal experience. They are not a promise that a feeling will disappear on a schedule.

Step 4: Build a Day That Supports You

After the job loss and the change in our usual schedule, our mornings had lost their structure.

I had been through something similar after I stopped working, and creating a routine had helped me. So we started rebuilding one together.

Ken was not excited about working out in the morning.

He preferred to save it for later. But later often turned into dinner, chores, more work, or being too tired.

So we started doing it earlier.

We made room for movement, meditation, and getting ready for the day. He also turned off notifications and stepped back from social media when even opening his phone felt overwhelming.

Those were small changes we could actually make.

Your starting point might be:

• Taking a short walk

• Choosing a consistent time to begin your day

• Turning off unnecessary notifications

• Writing down what is on your mind

• Setting a time to stop working

Choose something manageable.

Pay attention to what helps you.

This does not need to become another list you use to criticize yourself.

Step 5: Let Someone Know What Is Going On

Even talking about this on the podcast was difficult for Ken.

He did not want anxiety to be part of his story. And he did not want it to look like weakness.

But keeping it to yourself can feel lonely.

Let someone you trust know what you are experiencing. You can start with something as simple as:

“I’m having a hard time, and I could use some support.”

If anxiety keeps returning or is affecting your everyday life, reach out to a qualified healthcare professional. Treatment can include therapy, medication, or both, depending on your needs.

The choices we discuss in the episode are personal. Decisions about medication belong in a conversation with your own clinician.

Reflection Questions

Take a few quiet minutes with these:

• What have I been carrying that I have not really acknowledged?

• What thoughts show up when I start feeling anxious?

• Am I judging myself for having a difficult time?

• What small change could make my day feel more manageable?

• Who could I talk to honestly about what I am experiencing?

This Is Your Reminder

You can be working hard, making progress, and still be having a difficult time.

You can love your family and struggle to be present.

You can know a lot about personal growth and still need support.

That was part of why we wanted to have this conversation while we were still in it.

If you have been quietly trying to hold everything together, give yourself room to be honest about how you are doing.

Start with one thing you need today.

A little less pressure.
A conversation.
Some support.

You do not have to figure it all out at once.

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Episode 27 - When Anxiety Comes Out of Nowhere: What Your Body Might Be Trying to Tell You

If this resonated with you, listen to the full episode:

When Anxiety Comes Out of Nowhere: What Your Body Might Be Trying to Tell You

This post shares our personal experiences and is not medical advice. For more information about symptoms and treatment, visit the National Institute of Mental Health.