Why Anxiety Makes You Shake And Shiver (With Tips to Stop Anxiety Shaking)

When I’m anxious, one of the common symptoms I experience is trembling and shivering. When I shake from anxiety, I can’t even hold a glass of water, let alone stop the tremors from knocking over everything around me. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever felt your limbs shake and shiver uncontrollably, without any reason? 

This jittery feeling and shaking can be because of anxiety, for one reason, and thus can be termed anxiety shakes or anxiety shaking. Anxiety is our body’s natural response to overwhelming emotions and stress, or when it perceives a threat nearby. 

When you’re faced with a threatening situation; real or perceived, your body’s stress response aka the flight-fight-freeze response can be activated, releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

These stress hormones can cause hyperalertness, sharp focus, and heightened senses, but can also cause restlessness, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and trembling. 

Occasional anxiety is OK, but when anxiety is persistent and continues to interfere with your day-to-day routine, that’s when you need to seek help or employ coping strategies to cope with it. In this article, we’re exploring more about anxiety symptoms such as trembling and jitteriness. 

Keep reading to know what anxiety tremors are, what causes anxiety shaking, and how you can stop shaking from anxiety. 

What are Anxiety Tremors?

Anxiety tremors could also be referred to as “anxiety shaking” or “anxiety trembling”. These are involuntary movements that can impact different body parts including your hands, legs, and sometimes, even the whole body. These anxiety tremors are physical manifestations of your body’s stress and anxiety response. 

When you experience anxiety, you may feel physical sensations as your body reacts to stress. These physical reactions can cause shaking, tremors, and trembling. In some cases, anxiety shaking is a symptom of panic attacks. 

When you go through anxiety shaking, you may experience other anxiety symptoms such as; 

• Trembling limbs
• Muscle shakes
• Rapid heartbeats
• Shortness of breath 
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
• Sweating 
• Nausea and vomiting

What Causes Anxiety Shakes and Shivers?

When you face a stressful situation, your body releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones prepare your body for the flight-fight-freeze response. The increased levels of adrenaline and cortisol can cause heightened muscle activity, eventually causing shaking, sweating, and trembling. 

Anxiety can also trigger the sympathetic nervous response, the system responsible for the stress response. This sympathetic nervous system can cause increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and trembling limbs. It can feel like your body is gearing up for a reaction; whether fight or flight, in the face of the perceived threat. 

Anxiety can also create an excess of nervous energy thrumming through your body. When this excess energy doesn’t get an outlet; more often than not in the form of physical exertion and activities, it can manifest as shaking and shivering. That’s when you begin to feel jittery and shaky because the leftover energy from anxiety is still in your body. 

Why Do You Feel Jittery and Shaky?

The feeling of jitteriness that you might feel during anxiety can often accompany anxiety shaking and tremors. This jitteriness could be a result of your body’s heightened state of arousal and hyperalertness.

It’s like, your body is a stringed instrument, and anxiety causes all strings to be played at the same time. This can make you feel jittery and shaky. 

Anxiety shaking typically lasts until the cycle of the stress response is complete. It could take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. 

How to Stop Shaking from Anxiety?

Here’s how you can stop shaking from anxiety; 

1. Practice Deep Breathing:

You can take slow, deep, and deliberate breaths to calm your nervous system. Breathe in slowly through your nose, hold your breath for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth. You can repeat this process many times until you feel calm once more. 

2. Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation:

PMR is a technique that allows you to slowly relax and calm by tensing and then, relaxing your muscles. You can do this by tensing your muscles, and then slowly releasing each muscle one by one. This practice is known to alleviate tension and even reduce anxiety shaking. 

3. Become Mindful:

You can also work to embrace mindfulness through meditation or other exercises. You can start by focusing on your breathing and being present in the current moment. This practice can slow down your racing thoughts and soothe anxiety tremors. 

4. Seek Professional Help:

If your anxiety tremors last more than a few minutes, then don’t hesitate to reach out to your loved ones for help. Once you’ve calmed down, you can consult your therapist or find one.

Talking about your anxiety triggers, feelings, and emotions can provide insights into yourself and also offer coping strategies to manage anxiety shaking. 

5. Talk Therapy:

There are strategies of talk therapy such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and other approaches that can help you understand the pattern of anxiety, your thought process, and how you can change your thinking to calm anxiety symptoms. These talk therapy approaches can help you soothe anxiety shivers as well. 

Wrapping Up…

Anxiety-induced tremors and anxiety shaking could be common physical manifestations of anxiety and stress. Knowing where it comes from and what causes it can help you find the right tips to manage it effectively. You can add relaxation techniques such as mindfulness and meditation, as well as therapy in your daily routine to stay calm and remain calm. 

You’re not alone in your struggles, and with the right help and resources you can follow a more balanced and calm approach to manage shaking from anxiety, 

These aforementioned strategies can help you take back control of your body’s stress response and find peace among the chaos and tremors. The next time, anxiety comes, you’ll have the above-mentioned tips to face it head-on. 

I hope you found this article helpful. Let me know what you think about the causes of anxiety shaking and how to stop shaking from anxiety in the comments below.

Take Care!