Is everyone talking about how you embarrassed yourself last night? Unlikely, it's probably just 'hangxiety'

Have you ever felt embarrassed — maybe even completely ashamed of yourself — after a night of intoxicated celebration, but not really for any reason in particular? 

Well, that might be the "hangxiety" talking.

Hangxiety is a pop-cultural buzzword for feeling extremely anxious while hungover. Yes, it's a mash-up of hangover and anxiety, and it's just as awful as it sounds. 

It can be described as the neurotic, negative emotional side-effects of drinking alcohol, and young people online are creating the conversation.

On TikTok, #hangxiety has over 180 million views worldwide. Most of the videos associated with the hashtag are typically younger adults cringing or making fun of what they said or did the night before — from drunk texting an ex to forgetting how they got home. They're often worried about how they might have embarrassed themselves.

"It's not like I did anything bad, but my brain is telling me that I'm embarrassed," said Claire Tiemstra, a 20-something Calgarian who describes hangxiety as dread and doom of what "drunk Claire" did.

"I haven't done anything too crazy when I've been drunk, but I've definitely had quite a few days where I've spent the next day really anxious and hungover.… I just feel so embarrassed, you know?"

And she's not alone.

Pat Nicholls, who is in his early 30s, says he's typically not an anxious person at all, but if a night out is factored into the equation, waking up in the morning can feel particularly cringe.

"It's this feeling that my gut is being ripped out," he said, describing what hangxiety feels like.

"And then your brain just lets nerves take over."  

But Nicholls and Tiemstra both shared that hangxiety isn't happening because they remember doing something inappropriate, or even particularly controversial. It just happens.

So is everyone actually talking about how embarrassing and weird you were? 

Probably not.