Stroke

Something very similar happened to me a couple of months ago. My hands started shaking all day, my heart was beating really strong (so strong I could hear it). After wasting tons of money by visiting multiple doctors, the diagnosis always came back the same: anxiety.

I never understood what anxiety was exactly until it happened to me. It's definitely an easy trap to fall into if you're a sedentary, overworked programmer. Taking walks in the middle of the day really helped me a lot. Also taking a step back and looking at what you're putting yourself through puts things into a good perspective, and the symptoms tend to naturally fade away after that.

> You might be thinking now that I’m full of shit, that I didn’t really have a stroke. The thing is, it felt real to me, as real, as they say, as a heart attack.

People don't appreciate just how strong panic attacks can be, nor how fierce anxiety disorders are.

Luckily, these disorders usually respond well to CBT and similar talking therapies.

> Anxiety is often caused by too much work, too much pressure. And often, not enough exercise.

That's not a definition I'd use. That sounds more like stress. To be clear here are the definitions I use (which may not be correct): "pressure" is the good feeling that motivates people, the deadlines and the rush of adrenaline. "Stress" is pressure gone too far, pressure that is uncomfortable. Or stress is caused by lack of control over something. You want to get something done and keep getting interrupted by the phone - that's stress. "Anxiety" is a feeling of uneasiness caused by an event (whether the event actually happened or not; or if it's about a future event whether it could happen or not.) "Did I leave the gas ring on?" "Did I lock my car?" "Are his hands clean?" etc.