c/anxiety·Posted by u/nora_klein·1h ago
Why do I feel anxious after good news instead of actually enjoying it?
I got a yes on something I'd wanted for months, a small project at work, nothing flashy, and instead of being happy I spent the evening waiting for the catch. I was sitting at my kitchen table with the email still open on my laptop, rereading the word approved like it might change. My first thought wasn't pride. It was don't get used to this, and then a list of ways I could mess it up before it even starts. Friends said congratulations and I smiled and felt like a fraud for not feeling the thing I was supposed to feel. Bad news I know how to sit with. Good news makes me suspicious. Anyone else get a spike after something goes right, like your body doesn't trust the win?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/ravi_kapoor1h ago
I got a raise and spent the night googling whether they were about to lay people off. Same backwards reaction.
u/lila_nguyen1h ago
I close the laptop and wash one dish. That's the whole celebration. Sounds sad. It stops the reread loop.
u/jordan_hale1h ago
How long does the suspicious feeling last for you, same night, or into the next week?
u/aisha_r1h ago
I text one person the news and then mute the thread. I don't need a parade. I need to not sit alone with the email.