I recently asked my Instagram followers about their most feared anxiety symptoms. The three most common responses were dizziness, depersonalization/derealization (DPDR), and heart palpitations. These symptoms can feel scary, but understanding them can help you manage anxiety more effectively.

If you’re experiencing new or worsening symptoms, always consult with a healthcare professional. But in this post, I’ll share helpful tips for navigating these anxiety symptoms.

1. Dizziness: A Common Anxiety Symptom

Dizziness during anxiety feels like being off-balance, light-headed, or like everything is spinning. It’s common when anxiety causes shallow or uneven breathing, triggering dizziness.

Tips for managing dizziness:

• Don’t overreact: Stay calm and avoid seeking immediate reassurance or safety.

• Breathe deeply: Slow down your breathing to help your body return to normal.

• Stay active: Keep doing your usual activities without letting dizziness stop you.

Over time, you’ll learn to trust your body, even when feeling dizzy.

2. Depersonalization and Derealization (DPDR)

DPDR can make you feel detached from your body or surroundings, often during extreme stress. While these feelings are unsettling, they are temporary and a protective response from your brain.

Tips for DPDR:

• It’s temporary: DPDR sensations will pass.

• It’s not “losing it”: You’re not going crazy—this is just your brain’s way of protecting you.

• Give yourself grace: It’s normal to have cloudy thoughts during DPDR episodes.

  
  

Understanding that these symptoms are a form of protection can reduce the fear around them.

3. Heart Palpitations: Racing Heart from Anxiety

Heart palpitations, like a racing or pounding heart, are common during anxiety’s fight-or-flight response. While they can be frightening, they’re not dangerous.

Tips for managing palpitations:

• Accept it: Your heart rate increases with anxiety—this is normal.

• Avoid checking your pulse: Constant monitoring can fuel anxiety.

• Tolerate the sensation: Let your heart rate increase without trying to stop it.

The more you practice accepting heart palpitations, the less they’ll control you.

4. Self-Care Tips to Reduce Anxiety Symptoms

While anxiety symptoms can’t be entirely eliminated, self-care can minimize their intensity. Focus on these practices:

• Stay hydrated: Dehydration worsens dizziness.

• Prioritize sleep: Sleep is vital for mental and physical health.

• Move daily: Regular exercise can help reduce anxiety.

• Practice mindfulness: Meditation or deep breathing can calm your mind and body.

  
  

The Key to Overcoming Anxiety Symptoms: Allow Yourself to Feel

The key to overcoming the fear of anxiety symptoms is to allow yourself to experience them without resistance. By gradually facing these symptoms, you'll build trust in your body and your ability to cope.

Need Extra Support?

If anxiety symptoms like dizziness, DPDR, or heart palpitations are affecting your life, check out my free 60-minute masterclass. Learn 5 actionable shifts to manage anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia in healthier ways.

Additionally, my Overcoming the Symptoms and Panic Attacks Mini Course offers practical tools to help you navigate anxiety symptoms with ease.

In this mini course, I’ll teach you the tips and tools that helped me (and hundreds of my students) to experience much more peace and ease. And no, I won't just tell you to do breathing exercises, meditate more, journal, cut of caffeine, or any of the other things I'm sure you've already heard many times before!

Check out what people had to say after taking this class...

Get Started Today

Take the first step toward healing and peace by signing up for my masterclass or mini course. With small, healthy actions, you can overcome anxiety symptoms and start living a life of freedom and joy.

Until next time, my friend, keep taking healthy action!

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