For a long time I thought it was anxiety. I was told it was from stress, from nerves. But it didn't fit — it came on suddenly, sometimes after certain meals, and there was no emotional "reason" for it.
What I came to understand: histamine doesn't only act in the skin or the gut — it can also reach the brain, where it produces exactly this feeling of agitation and exhaustion at the same time. For me, it's not classic anxiety, it's histamine.
Why the difference matters
- I'm no longer frightened by the sensation — I know what it is and I know it passes.
- I treat it as a signal that the bucket is full, not as a character flaw.
Just giving it the right name completely changed how I experience it.
A practical trick: when this feeling hits me, I don't force myself to "calm down" and I don't wind myself up further either. I just tell myself: "it's the histamine, it'll pass." I drink water, dial down the stimulation (light, screens, caffeine) and wait. The simple fact of no longer being scared of it makes it pass more easily.