View Full Version : Can anxiety really cause speech issues?
I've come across a few anxiety sites they say yes, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Can anxiety over speaking mess up your speaking? Specifically, mispronunciation, clumsiness, words running into one another, being unable to enunciate clearly?
Has this happened to anyone here?
Yes. Just think about it. Most people get nervous about public speaking. They stutter, speak too fast, say things like "um" and "uh" or don't remember what they've said. Now multiply that by multiple days of anxiety.
Yes. Just think about it. Most people get nervous about public speaking. They stutter, speak too fast, say things like "um" and "uh" or don't remember what they've said. Now multiply that by multiple days of anxiety.
Thanks, friend :)
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It's hard to tell if it's all the time, or just when I focus on it. I've no way of telling if it's still messed up when I'm not paying attention to it. If a tree falls in a forest ...
MyNameIsTerry
13-12-17, 05:02
To add to what Vee said, how about people who are exhausted? Do they act tip top all the time? This question is largely the same as for the memory issue threads we get on here - your cognitive functions suffer when you are knackered as many a sleep deprivation study will show. The same with mental health problems.
I've seen plenty of threads about speech issues. They often tend to be HAers and about things like brain tumours or ALS.
I've experienced many issues with memory, as mentioned across plenty of threads about this subject since being on here, and also with speech.
Slurring, mispronouciation, etc can all occur in anyone for many reasons. Drink, tiredness, being distracted by several people demanding your time at once, etc.
Just look at actors' outtakes. We used to call it being tongue-tied when I was younger.
Something you may come across with anxiety sites/sufferers are issues with the tongue and excess saliva. The tongue feels bigger, like it no longer fits in your mouth. It's well known we lift the tongue to the mouth ceiling rather than relax it. We change our breathing. And I'll put money on all these causing speech issues.
Speaking is something we do without thinking. It’s like breathing. Breathing is an automatic process but as many with HA will tell you the minute we start trying to control our breathing we start having breathing problems eg unable to take a deep breath. So the minute you start trying to control your speech you are interfering with an automatic process and problems with speaking normally will occur.
YES YES YES!
I find that I'll find certain combinations of words really hard to pronounce together and when it happens I feel a jolt of panic and go off and practice in private and record myself like a weirdo. Do you do that? Record yourself and listen back to it while locked in the loo? I feel such a freak!!
Speaking is something we do without thinking. It’s like breathing. Breathing is an automatic process but as many with HA will tell you the minute we start trying to control our breathing we start having breathing problems eg unable to take a deep breath. So the minute you start trying to control your speech you are interfering with an automatic process and problems with speaking normally will occur.
This is what I am thinking may be happening. I am very aware of the location and movements of my tongue, especially, when I'm speaking and to a lesser degree my lips. I think this is "getting in the way" of speaking naturally. I hope this is the case. It would also explain why when I'm distracted and speaking without this hypervigilance, I don't notice myself stumbling.
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YES YES YES!
I find that I'll find certain combinations of words really hard to pronounce together and when it happens I feel a jolt of panic and go off and practice in private and record myself like a weirdo. Do you do that? Record yourself and listen back to it while locked in the loo? I feel such a freak!!
Ha, no, I have not done that. Thanks for the suggestion :yesyes:
I have, however, read aloud and tried to say tongue twisters (poorly!)
AnxiousGirl1
13-12-17, 18:12
I get this a lot now and I feel like it's really affecting my communication. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this? Once you start overanalysing it and paying so much attention to it, it is very hard not to.
TThe tongue feels bigger, like it no longer fits in your mouth. It's well known we lift the tongue to the mouth ceiling rather than relax it. We change our breathing. And I'll put money on all these causing speech issues.
Terry that was how this all started. I was sitting reading one evening and it hit me, this feeling that my tongue was too big for my mouth, and then suddenly I felt like it was moving by itself in my mouth :ohmy: Sure enough, I went and looked in the mirror and the tip was curling up and back, slowly and rhythmically. I FREAKED OUT, and had the worst panic attack of my life and ended up in hospital. This was how my tongue obsession began.
tryingtosurvive1
14-12-17, 02:15
yeah, I think so.
Look I can't remember exactly how long you've had tongue worries but with ALS I'd think you'd be quite progressed by now. Way beyond what you describe.
yeah, I think so.
Look I can't remember exactly how long you've had tongue worries but with ALS I'd think you'd be quite progressed by now. Way beyond what you describe.
Seven months :weep:
tryingtosurvive1
14-12-17, 03:09
well, that in itself should put your worries to rest as far as ALS and brain tumors. I'm sorry you are having these intrusive thoughts though.
well, that in itself should put your worries to rest as far as ALS and brain tumors. I'm sorry you are having these intrusive thoughts though.
Thank you for your kind words :)
Brain tumour is not my concern. I'm not a cancer-worrier. It's ALS, and I'm far from convinced enough time has elapsed for me to be in the clear, unfortunately
What else is new in life, Mel?
What else is new in life, Mel?
Trying to distract myself by planning a vacation to Portugal :D
OOOOooo, I've never been to Portugal. When are you going?
OOOOooo, I've never been to Portugal. When are you going?
I spent a month there in the early 90s. Loved it. Curious to see how much it's changed, but from what I've read, it still has that Europe-of-a-bygone era vibe. I'm not sure when, maybe next fall, or else spring of 2019. I am long overdue a trip home to Sydney first ...
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(I am finding it hard to make solid plans atm)
How did you end up in California? Spouse?
I want to go up to Seattle. I haven’t been there since I was in college, and I have relatives up there. I also would like to see Boston, Newfoundland and Denmark.
How did you end up in California? Spouse?
I want to go up to Seattle. I haven’t been there since I was in college, and I have relatives up there. I also would like to see Boston, Newfoundland and Denmark.
Ah, yes. Copenhagen looks dreamy. I have been tossing up between Portugal and Denmark. I haven't been to Seattle either. Is it terrible in March? I was thinking of maybe a quick trip up for my birthday. Either there, or Portland.
(Yep, my husband is from Memphis)
The rainiest time in Seattle is in the winter months. March would be okay, though not a 100% guarantee. It’s not too different from where you live. Just more maritime. Portland is pretty too, though not as much stuff to see.
Hey, at least you get to live in CA and aren’t stuck in Memphis.
Planning a holiday sounds like a very good thing to do, Melfish. If you are free to go, book something special to look forward to? Liberate yourself logistically and mentally-work on not taking your fears with you? Bodily hypervigilance is draining, gruelling and ultimately plays tricks on you. You are being held prisoner by your hypervigilance and you know this. Only you can loosen its hold.
Had you ever heard of ALS before you started having problems with your tongue? I know someone who had ALS (MND) as it is known here. His first symptom was loss of grip in one of his hands. He was at a friend’s having dinner and couldn’t pick up his fork. It wasn’t just a moment of inability. It was permanent and he could never pick up a fork with that hand/arm again. He went on to get an MND diagnosis and he deteriorated rapidly over a few months.
You don’t have ALS Mel.
paranoid-viking
14-12-17, 16:10
I've come across a few anxiety sites they say yes, but I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Can anxiety over speaking mess up your speaking? Specifically, mispronunciation, clumsiness, words running into one another, being unable to enunciate clearly?
Has this happened to anyone here?
If I have a very "violent" panic attack; yes it does. Please reassure that I dont mean dangerous when I write "violent"; I mean when the panic attacks is so bad I get the feeling I am going to pass out any moment. Anyway; that is just my experience.
Hey, at least you get to live in CA and aren’t stuck in Memphis.
I've been to Memphis a couple of times. I liked the ducks at the Peabody and also ... yes, the ducks were good
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Thanks, everyone. Every time I allow myself to loosen the grip, or find myself beginning to be in the moment, my anxious brain explodes with, "nuh-uh, don't be so sure, you need to keep on top of this or it'll get you when you're looking the other way, you'll jinx yourself, why shouldn't it happen to you? what makes you exempt?" etc etc.
I have been trying, though, to just acknowledge the thought, then let it pass. I also haven't been on the ALS forums for over a month, which definitely helps. I had a little setback this week when Promethease sent me a promotional email offering to run all my genetic tests for free, and I convinced myself it would show I have one of the determinant ALS genes.
Triggers, it seems, are everywhere. ALS-related stuff kept popping up in my facebook feed too, even though I do not google it.
swajj, yes, I actually did some work for an ALS charity about 20 years ago, after a colleague died from it. Do you think it's been lying dormant in my subconscious all those years, ready to pounce? Because I didn't freak out about when I was writing about it, nor in the years since. Weird
I suspect that it has, Mel.
I suspect that it has, Mel.
Is anxiety really that cunning tho?
Yeah for sure. I went through my ALS/MS period although I soon moved on to other types of serious illnesses. But when I had my ALS fears I kept thinking about the symptoms of the guy I knew. I was waiting to lose my grip or fall over or something. I can remember washing some glasses and when I put my hands in the water I felt a sensation in one of my fingers like a kind of numbness. It scared the crap out of me and I thought that was the start because I knew the guy with ALS first lost his hand grip and soon after his whole arm was affected. I spent a week looking for things to grip so that I could ‘test’ my finger. This was 15 years after the guy first got symptoms of ALS. So yeah it’s lurking there, buried but just waiting for all the stars to align before it raises its ugly head. lol Cunning? Absolutely, insidious.
Hi Melfish,
I've actually been dealing with anxiety over speech lately myself. I recently went through a rough patch with my anxiety and have had some bad memory and concentration issues as a result, so I started to fear I had some type of neurological issue. Then I started focusing on my speech and how weird my tongue felt in my mouth like you mentioned in your post, and I kept getting caught up trying to rehearse everything I was going to say before I said it. Focusing on what I'm going to say and how I say it made me mess up what I was saying constantly. I'd slur my words and mix words up :/ I think it's one of those things where you can really start to become hyper-aware of it, so you try to interrupt it and it just ends up messing it up more. I feel like it's kind of like a type of obsessional thinking where you focus in on automatic processes and it just causes more issues with them then were even there in the first place, (if that makes sense). At least that's what I think the issue may be! Hope you're doing well!
Yeah for sure. I went through my ALS/MS period although I soon moved on to other types of serious illnesses. But when I had my ALS fears I kept thinking about the symptoms of the guy I knew. I was waiting to lose my grip or fall over or something. I can remember washing some glasses and when I put my hands in the water I felt a sensation in one of my fingers like a kind of numbness. It scared the crap out of me and I thought that was the start because I knew the guy with ALS first lost his hand grip and soon after his whole arm was affected. I spent a week looking for things to grip so that I could ‘test’ my finger. This was 15 years after the guy first got symptoms of ALS. So yeah it’s lurking there, buried but just waiting for all the stars to align before it raises its ugly head. lol Cunning? Absolutely, insidious.
Interesting. You know, when this fear started, I googled the colleagues name to see what type of ALS she had because I couldn't remember. Sure enough, it was bulbar. She was also right around my age when she died.
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I feel like it's kind of like a type of obsessional thinking where you focus in on automatic processes and it just causes more issues with them then were even there in the first place, (if that makes sense). At least that's what I think the issue may be! Hope you're doing well!
Hi Bella. Yep, this is what I think could be at play too. I think I'm so aware of my tongue and its movements that nothing is happening naturally. Makes sense logically, now to get my HA mind to believe it.
Am I right in thinking you've been worrying about this for seven months or so? What first triggered it?
Am I right in thinking you've been worrying about this for seven months or so? What first triggered it?
Hi Jojo. Yes, I wrote about it earlier in the thread
Oh yes. Your poor colleague. So sad. But that was years ago. What triggered your episode this year?
It's further back in this thread
Terry that was how this all started. I was sitting reading one evening and it hit me, this feeling that my tongue was too big for my mouth, and then suddenly I felt like it was moving by itself in my mouth :ohmy: Sure enough, I went and looked in the mirror and the tip was curling up and back, slowly and rhythmically. I FREAKED OUT, and had the worst panic attack of my life and ended up in hospital. This was how my tongue obsession began.
You made me work for that!! Before that, did you worry about your health as much as a "normal person"?
And if, by some wonderful magic, ALS could be 100% ruled out do you think your HA would go away?
I'm interested because you are very focused on one ailment- whereas I get one awful disease ruled out and leap instantly- and with utter conviction- onto the next one.
I had health anxiety really bad in my 20s, then it eased off (I'm 49). I still worried more than the average person probably, but nothing like this ALS fear which hit in May. I don't know what will happen after this crisis is resolved, one way or the other. I mean, IMO, there is nothing worse than ALS. Even MS would be a blessing in comparison, so I don't think my fear will remain at this level (if I don't have it)
Oh totally. It is the worst. And I suppose there is a bright side to this. Any time now you will accept that SO much time has elapsed (since first "symptom") that ALS becomes completely implausible EVEN to your HA brain!
Funnily enough my 20's were the only time I didn't have HA (I'm 41)
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Has your fear already begun to subside?
I have breakthrough moments where it does, and in those moments I experience a great sense of relief. But then the doubts creep back in, and suddenly I am in the throes of it again. I know that the more time that passes, the less likely it is in theory, but still there are all those outlier stories ...
Where are you at with it, jojo? Have you moved on?
Oh I know! You speak to a neurologist and they tell you one thing - with great authority -and then you find a little anecdotal story somewhere buried in the bowels of the internet that contradicts it and BAM - you doubt everything! It is a dreadful and exhausting cycle.
My ALS fear is subsiding a little .....partly due to time.... I began worrying about it in April I think . But it still spikes every now and again. But sadly, for me, I do immediately latch onto a new symptom and a new disease (cancer usually) and manage to generate just the same degree of fear in myself. It seems that I get terrifying symptom after terrifying symptom. (Today for example I got a headache when I ran. Brain tumour sign. Boom. Panic).
Logically it must be hypervigance but it all seems so real. I feel quite defeated by it TBH.
(Felt a bit jealous when you said you don't worry about cancer)
Yeah, it's odd. I am at a higher risk of liver and lung cancer, genetically, and breast cancer too, but I just don't think about it. It's always been the neuro/autoimmune/sensory stuff that's freaked me out beyond all reason
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Today is a bad day and I just can't see my NOT having ALS.
Are you going to go see the Last Jedi?
Are you going to go see the Last Jedi?
hahahaha, I needed that laugh :roflmao:
No one ever said I wasn't good at being random ;)
Interesting. You know, when this fear started, I googled the colleagues name to see what type of ALS she had because I couldn't remember. Sure enough, it was bulbar. She was also right around my age when she died.
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Hi Bella. Yep, this is what I think could be at play too. I think I'm so aware of my tongue and its movements that nothing is happening naturally. Makes sense logically, now to get my HA mind to believe it.
I have no idea what type the guy I mentioned had. He was only in his mid 30s and had 2 small children. A large number of people on this forum fear or have feared that they have ALS or MS. Does it help to remind yourself of that?
I have no idea what type the guy I mentioned had. He was only in his mid 30s and had 2 small children. A large number of people on this forum fear or have feared that they have ALS or MS. Does it help to remind yourself of that?
Yes and no. I mean, I know it's a common fear. But we all think we are the exception that proves the rule, right?
Yes that’s true. You know too much about ALS and you’ve planted all those seeds...
Can you stop reading about it? Not being a smart arse. I found it easy to stop reading up on diseases etc. Probably because my psych made me promise I would stop. But I’ve come to realise that this is near impossible for some people with HA.
Yes that’s true. You know too much about ALS and you’ve planted all those seeds...
Can you stop reading about it? Not being a smart arse. I found it easy to stop reading up on diseases etc. Probably because my psych made me promise I would stop. But I’ve come to realise that this is near impossible for some people with HA.
Yep, I've stopped. Haven't been on the ALS forums in about six weeks. I am actually avoiding any reference to it, except on here. Absolutely no googling. AND YET IT LIVES!
As you say, I've sewn a lot of seeds and my HA is reaping them :weep:
You are doing the best possible thing though. In time it will stop weighing so heavily on your mind. You don’t have ALS Mel. :)
You are doing the best possible thing though. In time it will stop weighing so heavily on your mind. You don’t have ALS Mel. :)
Thanks, swajj.
(I was scared of you when I first came to NMP, but you're a good egg, :bighug1:)
You ladies do any gardening?
I'm a bit of an indoors gardener. I have a LOT of house plants, including an eight-foot ficus
No gardener here...lol
Mel I was wary of you too. :unsure:
But you remind me of me. :)
Do you grow an cacti or succulents?
Do you grow an cacti or succulents?
Probably about half are succulents. I also have lots of philodendrons hanging around :)
I'm trying to grow a Persian carpet flower. It's my second attempt. I really hope it blooms this year :(
They are AMAZING! Good luck!
Ty. Have you grown one? Any tips?
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