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Anxiety

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Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

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bumblebee3160 Health Anx Advice!
  • replies: 5

Looking for tips and tricks to snap out of an anxiety attack relating to health. My main issue is worrying something sudden will happen to me like a stroke or something, as a result of worrying I become fixated and I start to focus on sensations in m... View more

Looking for tips and tricks to snap out of an anxiety attack relating to health. My main issue is worrying something sudden will happen to me like a stroke or something, as a result of worrying I become fixated and I start to focus on sensations in my body that are probably harmless, but these thoughts end up keeping me up at night which is very frustrating! I’ve been fighting this for so long it’s starting to get exhausting. I also want to know if anyone has experienced this before: sometimes when I’m anxious I feel like my body is numb, I wonder if life is real, if I’m real, like I don’t feel myself, I can’t feel my body, I lose my memory for a moment and feel like i cannot talk. It’s frightening! Any advise would be amazing!!

BobbyOz Panic Attack during Exam
  • replies: 4

I just had a massive panic attack while doing a university exam, I couldn't sit still or think properly at all and had to leave the exam. I'm on medication, I try breathing in but nothing seems to work. What should I do?

I just had a massive panic attack while doing a university exam, I couldn't sit still or think properly at all and had to leave the exam. I'm on medication, I try breathing in but nothing seems to work. What should I do?

Brightbee Health anxiety - overwhelming
  • replies: 3

Hello, I’m new here but I have an old problem. I’ve had severe health anxiety for a number of years. I know what causes it - a build up of stress and internalising problems. It started after my dad passed away 10 years ago following untreatable cance... View more

Hello, I’m new here but I have an old problem. I’ve had severe health anxiety for a number of years. I know what causes it - a build up of stress and internalising problems. It started after my dad passed away 10 years ago following untreatable cancer. It comes in waves - I can be fine for years and then something triggers me - work stress, reading something in the news etc. I am very creative and boy I can scare myself. It’s horrible being like this in front of my husband and children. I feel guilty and ashamed. This is the worst I’ve been though and again is due to a lot of stress - my younger brother has pancreatic cancer and I’m very close to him. He’s doing well so far and is due to have a huge operation. I’m his main support so feel a big pressure to be up and happy around him too. I also lost my job a month ago so there’s been a lot of time for obsessing and googling. I have risk factors for breast cancer and have a mammogram and infrasound today. I am a mess. Beyond a mess really. I’m taking my husband with me but want to know if anyone else has gotten through anything similar. If it’s a bad result, I think I will totally collapse

Lind779 Your positive story... please share
  • replies: 103

Hi everyone, I would love to hear your stories on how you overcome your anxiety or improved life with anxiety... I know majority of us don't refer to these online forums when feeling great but if there are some, like myself that stay on here to help ... View more

Hi everyone, I would love to hear your stories on how you overcome your anxiety or improved life with anxiety... I know majority of us don't refer to these online forums when feeling great but if there are some, like myself that stay on here to help support others, please share.

Athena_00 I’m worried I’m manipulative
  • replies: 4

I have autism and really bad anxiety. I have also been feeling lots of mood swings of sadness and emptiness. I told my school counselor and they said I should look into treating symptoms of depression. I told my mum what they said and she said that I... View more

I have autism and really bad anxiety. I have also been feeling lots of mood swings of sadness and emptiness. I told my school counselor and they said I should look into treating symptoms of depression. I told my mum what they said and she said that I probably just choose to stay in a bad mood. I sometimes also come home from school early because I’m not feeling okay and I can’t really explain it. My mum tells me I’m manipulating her to try and get out of school by crying and faking sadness. She says she sees me happy and laughing sometimes so I can’t be depressed. I don’t know what to say when she tells me this and I am definitely not trying to be manipulative, I just want help but I don’t know what type of help because I have no explanation for the things I feel. Do I continue telling her my feelings? Do I ask for days off school when I’m feeling overwhelmed? Am I being manipulative? What do I do?

rainynight11 I feel like a phoney at times
  • replies: 13

I’ve been accused of faking having anxiety. I struggle badly with social activities and being around large group of people. It’s rear for me to go to social events as it’s difficult for me. I worry all the time about everything. I use to exercise reg... View more

I’ve been accused of faking having anxiety. I struggle badly with social activities and being around large group of people. It’s rear for me to go to social events as it’s difficult for me. I worry all the time about everything. I use to exercise regularly by myself and would shop for food and stuff regularly by my self or with 1 other person who also needed stuff. Because I’m capable of doing that, I’ve been accused of lying by people who are trying to prove I’m a phoney. My understanding is shopping isn’t a social activity unless you are doing it for fun with another person. That, I really do. At times I do wonder if they are right about me being a phoney since I know anxiety can stop people from being able to shop, but I still manage to.

maddie_faye Feel like going crazy at home
  • replies: 2

I really hate being stuck at home even if it’s for a day or two with no where to go and I’m really worried about getting covid and not being able to leave the house for 7 days as it would be really bad for my mental health. as i get extremely restles... View more

I really hate being stuck at home even if it’s for a day or two with no where to go and I’m really worried about getting covid and not being able to leave the house for 7 days as it would be really bad for my mental health. as i get extremely restless and it makes my anxiety worse been stuck at home all day literally having nowhere to go out too. Isolating for 7 days is something I couldn’t cope with and I might as well Stay in bed all day because there would be no point in getting up, sometimes I feel like this just staying home for a day or 2 with nowhere to go I feel like screaming I have to have somewhere to drive to otherwise I get agitated and depressed. It’s gotten worse since I have my license and car because I hate seeing my car sitting in the carport all day and not being driven.

visitor0495 Hearing The Distant Sound of People Talking as People Talking About You?
  • replies: 3

Hi, I have suffered from anxiety and depression for years. I am currently not on medication and waiting to see a therapist. I sometimes get paranoid that people say things about me, but I guess that's not uncommon with anxiety. Within the last year i... View more

Hi, I have suffered from anxiety and depression for years. I am currently not on medication and waiting to see a therapist. I sometimes get paranoid that people say things about me, but I guess that's not uncommon with anxiety. Within the last year it is as if my mind is translating the sound of people talking in the distance into things that they may be saying about me. This usually happens when the talking is in another room and muffled, so I can not actually hear what they are saying if I tried to listen. It just seems to be triggered by excess noise and the sound of chatter. I moved into a small and noisy apartment three years ago. I am still not used to living in such a noisy residence as I lived 24 years of my life in stand alone homes with more distance between houses and thicker walls. I can always hear the muffled sound of people talking outside and noise everyone makes. I am able to analyse these thoughts or sounds when this happens and question them. It's not that I am 100% certain that people are talking about me. It's almost as if I just hear them say it. They are always far enough away that if I actually wanted to hear what they are saying, I would not be able to. It's never a clear voice that's as loud as someone talking to you in the same room. It sounds like a muffled whisper of something negative being said. I am unsure if this is not uncommon for people with anxiety and depression or if it's possibly a different mental illness, e.g., schizophrenia or something. There is a neighbour that gives me anxiety because they are constantly sitting outside talking and our front doors are right next to each other. When I am home and I constantly "hear" them saying things about me. I do not think he particularly likes me, but that's life. I am sure that even though he may say something, he would not be doing it as much as I "hear" it. This also happens at work in the presence of coworkers and customers. I don't think it's Schizophrenia because I am not randomly hearing voices when it's completely quiet and no one is there. It's only triggered when there's multiple people nearby and I can hear the sound of them talking in the distance. I think some of it has to do with low self esteem associated with anxiety as the things I "hear" are things that I am embarrassed or not confident about. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this at all?

StevenN_ Extreme anxiety and stress on school.
  • replies: 7

Im 14 and in Year 9. I'm currently seriously affected by anxiety and worry. I've been falling behind in school work and unable to complete even simple tasks. Today I was in music and we learnt music composition. I had 0 literally 0 idea about what we... View more

Im 14 and in Year 9. I'm currently seriously affected by anxiety and worry. I've been falling behind in school work and unable to complete even simple tasks. Today I was in music and we learnt music composition. I had 0 literally 0 idea about what we did and it was so hard to understand. I just felt butterflies in my stomach and I asked everyone but they seemed to kind of ignore me. I felt so fragile, lost and desperate. This feeling has been happening every single day since I had covid around 2-3 months ago. Everyday I'm shaking and so scared to go to school. I feel like no one understands me and think I'm just lazy but I can't physically complete my work or be motivated to do anything because I'm avoiding the thing thats hurting me in the first place but its only making it worst. Seeing everyone so happy and so ahead of the work compared to me has damaged me. Why is that I've tried so hard but gained so little. I've been crying almost everyday. I know i sound so stupid but im at tipping point. I have so much stress with assesment tasks because I'm not understanding it since I'm fighting my brain everyday. I want to ask for help but im scared of burdening people. im so sad

Ianna I am so anxious about my health
  • replies: 6

I have no confident to tell anyone close to me about my situation but I know I have to express my feeling and hopefully can make me feel better. It was exam week for uni student recently and I have been spending my entire week sitting in library stud... View more

I have no confident to tell anyone close to me about my situation but I know I have to express my feeling and hopefully can make me feel better. It was exam week for uni student recently and I have been spending my entire week sitting in library studying from 9am to 10pm everyday. I am currently suffering from back pain recently and I know it is probably due to long time sitting previously. But every time I get issues related to my physical health I am scared of it, I will be so worried about myself and I don't want to let my parents to be worried about me as well. Therefore I will choose not to tell anyone and solve it on my own like visiting my GP. However, I can't stop thinking about it and I always relate minor health issue to severe illness, which I have no idea why. I can't control my mind, I just feel so anxious and the feelings often persist, affecting my mood. I have past history of anxiety and still taking regular medications. Every time this feeling come, I will have no idea what to do and feel so lost Sorry I don't know what am I talking about but my mind is like a mess I just hope to get some comfort and alleviate my anxiety.