I too have this annoying problem. I have been battling it for a while now and since March of this year I have been winning. But it still rears it ugly little head. Here is what I've discovered...
I workout and I lead a pretty active lifestyle. Through trial and error I learned I wasn't supplying my body with enough protein. Which is a common practice for most americans. Look at what we eat, the most of it is junk and when it isn't junk its not balanced and consisting of grain and incomplete proteins and the wrong type of fats.
What happens to me and I believe most people is when the body is deficient in, protein, sleep (very important), water and maybe certain minerals I began to get confused or my thoughts become chaotic rather.
It is this chaotic state or feeling of being mentally impaired which triggers my anxiety especially when I need to speak. I'm sure there are other factors that trigger my anxiety i.e. too high expectations of myself in what ever I do, being diagnosed with adult ADD and having been put on tons of meds over the past 3 years both stimulants and anti-anxiety and or having never been taught to eat properly, therefore never learning to unlearn the chaotic state I have grown so accustom to operating in.
I still struggle with it however a lot less so.
here is what supplements I take to lessen it.
omega 3 1-2000mg per day
2 1.5 liters of water per day
protein 250-300g
BCAA — Branch Chain Amino Acids 1000g - 2000 per day
Sleep — if my body does not rest or if I don't give my body enough time to repair itself I become mentally impaired and then anxious a lot quicker than I would if rested.
What can cause bad sleep for me?
watching TV before bed
eating before bed — especially sweets or carbos but eating anything is bad before bed.
too firm a mattress
too soft or too big a pillow
sleeping in the cold — colder temps make me stiffen up and anxious.
I think you said you were vegan and the symptoms started 2 weeks after you ingestion or after your diet change. maybe it's the lack of complete proteins??
I hope this helps.
I have this problem severely. I lack social skills or wasn't taught them. When I am around my family I feel annoyed and don't want to speak, but when I am around strangers I get tongue-tied and my body goes in this stress mode. I get fatigue, muscle tension, anxiety, I feel socially retarded. It has caused me depression and severe anxiety. I am taking lexapro, tons of supplements... Bs, Es, fish oil, turmeric, magnesium citrate and it seems help with a lot of bad symptoms and I drink kratom when i feel extra stress/anxiety. Also you are worried you ingested something that damaged your brain? the body is very capable of healing itself, I doubt your brain is damaged.
I have been taking a Vitamin B Complex supplement the last few days and it has been helping a lot. I became a vegan 3 months ago, and the difficulty-speaking symptom started after the ingestion and after 2 weeks of Veganism. I know I should be more adament about a well-rounded diet more than ever before, and this is something I have been lacking. I really think the Vitamin B supplement is helping because I probably have a deficiency. It's just not like me. I've spoken to how many Poison Control Operators, paid about 5-8 doctors for their medical opinion through the internet, seen 2 primary care providers, and now, the end all to be all, a psychologist. All say the same thing - don't worry about that ingestion. People are exposed to that every single day and it's not a neurotoxin. Funny thing is though, ever since this incident, I've been wittier than ever. I'm just really subconscious of everything that comes out of my mind and sometimes I get tongue-tied or say the wrong word. And beat myself up when I do mess up, and attribute it to my ingestion incident. I will say though, that I am a lot farther than I was 2.5 months ago, when this whole thing happened. Hopefully the road to recovery is just around the corner. Man, the mind is a crazy, crazy thing.
In my opinion, many people experience social anxiety; especially when you are stressed out. I believe you are doing the right thing by seeing a psychologist about this. You are learning to confront and deal with your fears. Just be patient though...it can take awhile to learn how to deal with it sometimes. Keep your head up and don't beat yourself up if you have your bad days with this. Keep us posted!