Support
Support

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Start a conversation

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

BeyondBlue Hi! Check out this post if you're not sure how to start
  • replies: 0

Hi there and welcome to the Anxiety section of the Forums First of all, thank you so much for joining us here. We think it’s amazing that you’ve taken this step to getting support and learning from this Community. You are very welcome here and we are... View more

Hi there and welcome to the Anxiety section of the Forums First of all, thank you so much for joining us here. We think it’s amazing that you’ve taken this step to getting support and learning from this Community. You are very welcome here and we are really interested in what you might want to add to these conversations. We get it, having anxiety makes it hard to share in a public place. Remember, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anxiety in some form in their lives. This might be in social settings, at work, or just in the day to day. You don’t need a diagnosis to post here. If it feels like the right spot for your post, go right ahead! We know that feeling anxious can make it hard to reach out so we want you to know that getting this far is amazing and a great start. A few tips for getting the most out of this section: Get involved when you can! Posting and replying is the heartbeat of this community and you DO have something worthwhile to share (when you’re ready ) Every experience is different. There is no competition here. We know how challenging anxiety can be and how it comes in all shapes and sizes. What you are experiencing will be respected and supported here. Trust yourself! You are the expert in your experience. This community works because people like you share what has worked for you. Thank you for getting involved and taking a look. We can’t wait to hear from you! Beyond Blue

All discussions

Start a conversation

JaySee2135 Anxiety over false accusations
  • replies: 3

Hi all,I've been living with anxiety. One form it's taken over the last few years is a kind of brooding, ruminating thought process, in which I fear that someone (known to me or a stranger) will falsely accuse me of a criminal act (sexual harassment ... View more

Hi all,I've been living with anxiety. One form it's taken over the last few years is a kind of brooding, ruminating thought process, in which I fear that someone (known to me or a stranger) will falsely accuse me of a criminal act (sexual harassment or violence against them), in order to express anger and/or profit from compensation. The fear is general and doesn't concern a specific person, location, etc. It's just a generalised fear of being victim of a false allegation.I've done many bad things; I'm hardly a saint. I have made off-colour jokes that offended people, said hurtful things, broken promises and failed people when they needed me. I feel regret and tried to apologise and make amends when I could. I have maintained most of my friendships, but I also lost a few regrettably.As far as I'm aware, I have never committed any act of sexual harassment or violence, or any kind of physical abuse, either threatened or acted upon. I was only subject to occasional low level of abuse (spanking) from my father as a child, and have been physically threatened only twice in my life, by someone I shared a house with. (I never reacted in any untoward way, but simply fled the situation.)I'm not sure of the origins of these fears, but I worry I might have some kind of neurological condition. I had a phone conversation with a close family member. I was in a state of high anxiety and anger during the call, and unfortunately, I said some very unkind and hurtful things which I now deeply regret. During the conversation, she said that I was not in a healthy state of mind, and said that I need help and probably should see a psychiatrist and may need to be medicated.I don't know how serious she was, but her concerns may well be justified. I've saw a psychologist regularly for years and she helped me a lot with my anxiety. The last year I stopped seeing her, because I was feeling much healthier and didn't feel the need, and she expressed a similar thought. But now, after that conversation with my family member, I'm strongly considering resuming my appointments with the psychologist and/or seeing a psychiatrist (or maybe both).Thank you for reading and sorry for the long-winded message. It helps a lot just putting my thoughts into words.Love and peace to all

Guest_79694090 Im worried all of my dreams will be ruined
  • replies: 3

Im so scared can someone please help? So a few months ago i broke up with my bf and i got so mad and i wasnt thinking straight at all. i sent some really angry texts insulting him and i even said "i could unalive you if i wanted to" i didnt mean any ... View more

Im so scared can someone please help? So a few months ago i broke up with my bf and i got so mad and i wasnt thinking straight at all. i sent some really angry texts insulting him and i even said "i could unalive you if i wanted to" i didnt mean any of it i was and still am so discgusted in my behaviour. I apologised the same day and he forgave me and we both moved on but after i was still in a deep depression for weeks. I lost a bunch of weight and now im underweight and i just cant believe i said those things. I am also so scared for my future because i really want to become an artist because its my passion and im worried that if i become popular this resurfaces and my ex tells people what i said because his friends know and im just so scared it haunts me every night and i cant sleep, i feel nauseous and i want to throw up everytime i think about it. If i do well in art and it resurfaces people will hate me and i will lose my passion and i will never make art again. I also cant get over the fact that i actually said those things. Im 16 and thats way too old. I feel like a monster.

Outdoor_Girl83 Major anxiety over my house and the future in general
  • replies: 6

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences this and can relate.Over the past few months I've been experiencing quite intense anxiety and, at times, a strong feeling of impending doom even when nothing particularly bad is happening. My mind tends to lat... View more

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences this and can relate.Over the past few months I've been experiencing quite intense anxiety and, at times, a strong feeling of impending doom even when nothing particularly bad is happening. My mind tends to latch onto everyday things and catastrophise them — especially issues around my house, money, storms, trees and things going wrong.I recently bought an older house and have been feeling a lot of regret about the decision and the money I've spent on it. There always seems to be another maintenance issue, and I'm constantly worrying about what might go wrong next or whether I'll be able to sell it in the future.I've also been having disrupted sleep and feeling more emotional, overwhelmed and mentally exhausted than usual. When the anxiety hits, it can feel very physical and difficult to switch off.I'm trying to work on not letting fear and anxiety rule my life, rather than constantly seeking reassurance or trying to eliminate every possible risk.For anyone who has experienced something similar: what actually helped you break the cycle of catastrophising and constant worrying? How did you learn to tolerate the uncertainty, stop analysing every possible problem, and get back to enjoying your everyday life? I'd especially love practical advice from people who have genuinely managed to get to a calmer place.

Guest_24173598 I’m so stressed out I don’t know what or how I feel I have a really big fear of death
  • replies: 4

I feel not real so I don’t believe that I will die and when I have episodes it’s like so scary I want to escape and I feel like real and I know death is coming so fast and I’m scare of knowing I’m not waking up one day

I feel not real so I don’t believe that I will die and when I have episodes it’s like so scary I want to escape and I feel like real and I know death is coming so fast and I’m scare of knowing I’m not waking up one day

Guest_46600738 Please OCD help i dont know what’s going on
  • replies: 2

Please help me im spiraling and i dont know what to do. Ok so I’ve struggled with mental health for years now especially anxiety and I have been medicated since I was 11 for it and switched medication a few times. but last year my anxiety got so bad ... View more

Please help me im spiraling and i dont know what to do. Ok so I’ve struggled with mental health for years now especially anxiety and I have been medicated since I was 11 for it and switched medication a few times. but last year my anxiety got so bad to the point that I had to leave school and do online. It was all about germs and health and “contamination”. I would wash my hands but then they would get dirty because of the tap handle, or I couldn’t leave them wet because I thought mold would grow in the ridges of my skin but I couldn’t use a blow dryer because they blow out bacteria, but I also couldn’t use paper towel because someone had to touch them to put them in the container and I didn’t see how they were made. I thought that something would happen and I would make a virus like COVID and I would kill millions of people. And about a month ago I started with a new therapist and on my second session she brought up OCD. Keep in mind that at the time it wasn’t really on my mind at all as I hadn’t been struggling with it. She didn’t say anything certain but she seemed to think I should go see a specialist and look into a diagnosis. I’ve had two more sessions since and even though we haven’t explicitly brought it up (I think she sensed it was difficult for me) I can see her looking at my behaviour and trying to identify triggers. Ever since she brought it up ig hasn’t left my mind ive been constantly thinking about it and analysing everything to see if it’s ocd. Here’s the thing, autism runs in my family and when I spoke to my dad about it he seemed unsure if it might just be autism. Ive brought up getting diagnosed twice to him now, even though im scared shitless because I’m planning on hoing back to school in 6 months and I want to know what’s going on. I don’t know but I’m really spiralling and I think that a diagnosis might help me identify my behaviour and stop the overanalysing or feeling like a fraud. PLEASE ANY ADVICE.

Guest_18535676 Endless anxiety
  • replies: 5

How can anxiety be so powerful it changes who you were, it terrifies me because I never know when it will turn up. I don’t know why it chose me and it turned up when I already had a list of problems. I know it’s telling me something but I’m stuck I d... View more

How can anxiety be so powerful it changes who you were, it terrifies me because I never know when it will turn up. I don’t know why it chose me and it turned up when I already had a list of problems. I know it’s telling me something but I’m stuck I don’t know how to move forward with decisions, I’m scared. Any suggestions?

string_cheese Scared of change and growing and the future
  • replies: 10

Hi there, today I am just overwhelmed by thoughts about how uncertainty and risk is going to turn out in the future. At the moment, I am trying to let go of my control issues and accepting imperfection at work and in love. But while I'm doing that it... View more

Hi there, today I am just overwhelmed by thoughts about how uncertainty and risk is going to turn out in the future. At the moment, I am trying to let go of my control issues and accepting imperfection at work and in love. But while I'm doing that it brings up so many feelings of anger and disappointment and shame and confusion. Sometimes I find it hard to cope with those feelings. Am I going crazy? What can I do to make it easier? I really need to be able to deal with these feelings because I know in life they are guaranteed.

Beaniegirl Anxiety, doubt and homesickness after moving into new house
  • replies: 1

My family and I moved into a new house 5 weeks ago and for that whole time I have felt so homesick for our old house and so anxious I am having trouble eating. This house is one that we had loved (in theory) for a couple of years and when the opportu... View more

My family and I moved into a new house 5 weeks ago and for that whole time I have felt so homesick for our old house and so anxious I am having trouble eating. This house is one that we had loved (in theory) for a couple of years and when the opportunity came up to buy it we felt like it was too good to be true and we couldn't pass it up, even though it would mean moving with a two year old and a 9 week old baby. Since moving though I am finding that expectation doesn't match the reality; I am so uncomfortable in this house and wish that we had never moved. I'm so unhappy and just wish that I could get back the feeling of 'home' and feeling secure in my surroundings. I know that 5 weeks isn't very long and it can take time to settle in a new house (and I did experience these feelings as well when we moved into our old house that I'm now homesick for) but I am just so panicked and scared at the thought of feeling like this for however long it takes for this to feel like home. My husband is amazingly supportive and says that if we give it a go for a decent amount of time and my feelings haven't changed then we don't have to stay; having that as an option gives me some relief but again, I don't know how to cope with the thought that I could feel such heightened anxiety and discomfort for however long it takes for us to decide if this house is right or wrong for us. On top of all that I am feeling so much guilt that I feel like I can't be the best mum to my kids because I constantly feel in fight or flight and on the verge of tears. I hope there might be others who can empathise with this feeling, it feels like such an extreme reaction and so much more than just 'change is difficult'.

JacintaMarie Depressed
  • replies: 58

Hi How are you? Sorry, I'm back & I can't get my mind off of the thought that my management at work is not good. They're okay. I think I need to leave, but I'm terrible at getting jobs. Plus too, I'm the only one who thinks our management is not doin... View more

Hi How are you? Sorry, I'm back & I can't get my mind off of the thought that my management at work is not good. They're okay. I think I need to leave, but I'm terrible at getting jobs. Plus too, I'm the only one who thinks our management is not doing a good job! My brain has given up & I don't want to have ideas, as no one likes them & they don't like change. Most people there think management are the best (I don't say anything, as it wouldn't be professional) , which makes me more lonely as I'm the only one and I feel bad & guilty. Don't get me wrong, their not bad people, just not good managers, more into the money. I'm so bad, that I've been wishing for directors or judges or lawyers to tell them what to do. I can't seem to rid my brain of this thought, to just do my work. I can't go to HR, as they can't do anything - I'm an awful awful person, for even thinking how hopeless they are - plus too, they act like their doing a wonderful job - so I'm wrong Thanks for letting me rant - and I am trying to find another job, but it's hard & than I get more depressed, because there's probably more bad management out there & so there's no point in leaving... I've been doing really great, & now... On the bright side, it was a nice day today... I understand why people get depressed at work, but also sad as management are people, but can't see the wood for the trees, that people can't talk to them, to tell the truth. I can now understand how court cases happen because of it, but that's useless as unless people want to change, they won't. But also too, in the world, there's no hope as bad management stays in organisations- no one cares.

Aly Home life stressful bf works away and feels impossible to be okay without him, panic attack trigger
  • replies: 1

My mums been diagnosed with cancer works a toxic environment and stressful my bf has gone away for work for 2 1/2 weeks and I feel impossible to handle it without him and no one I’m around beilives in (mental health) so I feel alone and scared

My mums been diagnosed with cancer works a toxic environment and stressful my bf has gone away for work for 2 1/2 weeks and I feel impossible to handle it without him and no one I’m around beilives in (mental health) so I feel alone and scared

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map