What is the strangest thing that triggers your anxiety?

[MullerInk]

For me it's when we are having a garden day, walking in and out of the garden to the kitchen. It makes me feel so sick with worry@

No, not about the stop button. It's long escalators that are more than one floor at once. Once you get on there is no way off until you get to the other end. I'm convinced I'm going to faint/fall/trip and I get all wobbly. Going up is worse than down.

With you on the buckets and bowls. Also the smell of bleach/disinfectant for the same reason

Balls or other objects being kicked or thrown in my vicinity.
Loud noises
White noise
My children following me around talking to me non-stop
Sitting in the back of the car (nausea)

I’m really anxious about water and children. My best friends daughter drowned when 14 years ago and it’s stuck with me.

When I log on and wait for my inbox to load. I have a lovely job now, but had an awful one recently. I had been signed off with stress and get that lurching feel while the emails come in - even though rationally I know all is good.

Lots of these anxiety-inducing triggers on here resonate with me.
The phone ringing
Kids trying to talk to me
Not knowing where a toilet is when out
Also: water splashed around the kitchen sink
Washing up that needs to be done however small. Feeling overwhelmed and needing to be on my own. Going to the doctor’s. Any unannounced visitor. There’s so much I can’t take in my stride.

Preparing / buying for birthdays and Christmas.

Gerbo I have no idea what set off the weak hands for biology. I was squeamish but discussing amoeba shouldn't have triggered that at all.

The sex and the city opening and closing credits. Reminds me of watching it hungover in my early 20s with 'the fear' or what I did the night before.

Heat. Once it starts warming up I get anxiety about so many things that other people don't think about. I avoid visiting people in their home because I worry they won't have a fan and the heat will be unbearable. I will only sleep over somewhere that I can drive to and being a fan with. I don't bother with certain indoor places for summer because it will be sweltering and busy inside and I'll just want to leave.

I come from the tropics where fans/AC are standard, and cannot cope when we deal with crazy heat and people just deal with being all red and sweaty.

Yes to Halfords and Asda. I don’t know why. I can just about cope with Sainsbury’s.
I’m better in Waitrose but I think that’s because it’s more spacious and less busy.

Not knowing where to park or whether I’ll find a parking spot.

The theme music of Poirot. It always used to be shown on a Sunday night so hearing that music was like the signature tune of horror for my highly stressful job the next day.

Someone playing football nearby

Anything in my mouth that shouldn't be there. My toddler pats my mouth (because he knows about Mummy's mouth/teeth etc) and I feel like I want to throw up - even though his little finger isn't actually INSIDE yet! Just the thought sends me into a panic!

And also hearing someone clipping their nails. I can do my own with no issues, but hearing someone else do it puts me in a state.

Big structures, like oil rigs. Urgh.

When I can't find somewhere to park

Oh and when you get a knock at door after 6pm ish

Some others I have…

I’ll be having a really lovely chat with a friend over a cup of tea and I think about how awful it would be and how shocked she would feel if I suddenly slapped her or chucked my tea over her! I’ve no idea why this happens and of course I’d never do it but the worry and distraction it causes is so unsettling.

I also start shaking uncontrollably whenever I have to go on to an Hmrc revenue site ..even though I have no reason to worry and pay all my taxes/my self assessment is up to date etc. This one comes from the fact I was put on the wrong tax code once and ended up owing quite a lot of money and it was really stressful. I’m always terrified there will have been another miscalculation at work and that I’ll need to sort out and I find talking to Hmrc very intimidating and confusing!

Packing to go anywhere.
I am one of the most laid back people on earth but if I have to pack to go on holiday for a weekend or a fortnight I have a (quiet) meltdown.
Pack weeks in advance so I can unpack and repack and without fail will take twice the amount of underwear that I need plus 4 spares so 2 nights away = 8 pairs of pants "just in case"
Im a lunatic about it.

Driving somewhere new and not knowing the parking situation.

Christmas

Not so much an issue now that I drive, but 'pee anxiety'. Being nervous before setting off on a long journey by public transport that I'll desperately need the toilet.

Using public toilets if there are others waiting. Like I'm somehow holding them up even though I was in the queue first, then I can't go because I feel under pressure...it's worse the fewer cubicles there are!

This thread. The first 3 comments have killed me off