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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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Amanda2000 anxiety - my coping tool
  • replies: 3

Hello fellow anxiety-sufferers. Do you recall the many times that you've been all worried about nothing? But you only know this after having wasted a lot of time and energy feeling so so so worried. And then at the end, you're fine! Next time when yo... View more

Hello fellow anxiety-sufferers. Do you recall the many times that you've been all worried about nothing? But you only know this after having wasted a lot of time and energy feeling so so so worried. And then at the end, you're fine! Next time when you find yourself excessively worrying about something, try to remember one of these positive incidents from the past. It's become a powerful tool for me to manage my anxiety issues.

RISL Trouble talking
  • replies: 8

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if anyone else has difficulties talking in front of others? I get so nervous I muck up my speech and then that makes me more nervous. Does anyone have any advice? Thankyou

Hi everyone. I was just wondering if anyone else has difficulties talking in front of others? I get so nervous I muck up my speech and then that makes me more nervous. Does anyone have any advice? Thankyou

Petal22 The War and Ukraine … Strategies that can help
  • replies: 59

I have seen and heard so much that is going on with the war in Ukraine My heart goes out to each and every one in Ukraine. Our minds can begin to spiral in a negative way which is sometimes fuelled by anxiety in regards to the war. When our thoughts ... View more

I have seen and heard so much that is going on with the war in Ukraine My heart goes out to each and every one in Ukraine. Our minds can begin to spiral in a negative way which is sometimes fuelled by anxiety in regards to the war. When our thoughts begin to spiral…we can: Just allow the thoughts to be there and then allow them to float away when they come back still allow them to be there and float away….. try not to give them your attention. What we give attention to we give power to. When we have the thoughts we can put our attention on something positive in the present moment and not what’s going inside our minds. Focus on your breath, use your breath as an anchor this will help ground you. If we want to do something positive for Ukraine we can pray for them and direct our positive energy towards Ukraine in their time of need to help lift them. I believe that Ukraine are strong and very resilient people who would do anything to protect their country. Hold high hopes for Ukraine we are with you .

Karen0901 Panic is hard to deal with
  • replies: 5

Hi, I'm really struggling with an increase in my anxiety symptoms. I have been placed on medication and it has helped but not enough. My doctor said severe anxiety is hard to medicate so I'm feeling a bit let down with medication options. If my mind ... View more

Hi, I'm really struggling with an increase in my anxiety symptoms. I have been placed on medication and it has helped but not enough. My doctor said severe anxiety is hard to medicate so I'm feeling a bit let down with medication options. If my mind wanders to things that are causing me anxiety, my physical response is immediate and difficult to calm. Does anyone have any ideas for things that have worked for you with controlling the feeling of panic? It's difficult to stop thinking in cycles so the panic is coming too often. I have tried breathing techniques but it only seems to help with some symptoms. Examples of symptoms I can't control include a sick feeling, restless energy and a lack of concentration. Lack of concentration means I find it hard to distract myself to change my thoughts and to focus on ways to change my thought narrative. Thanks

dee_1 My workplace has changed me emotionally...I don't know how to cope.
  • replies: 5

Hey guys, So, I struggle everyday with anxiety, I'm not on medication at the moment but I feel what contributes to my anxiety is my workplace. My workplace is at a petrol station and you would think its a simple job but it couldn't be farther from th... View more

Hey guys, So, I struggle everyday with anxiety, I'm not on medication at the moment but I feel what contributes to my anxiety is my workplace. My workplace is at a petrol station and you would think its a simple job but it couldn't be farther from the truth. Inside my petrol station we have a barista coffee station, the middle is the console and the other end of the business is a Juice bar which I run as a team leader. I absolutely love working there. It's an amazing job and when I'm left alone to run the joint I'm at my happiest but it's not like this at all. My daily routine consists of: Getting to the store and there is 2 people on. One person is stuck on the coffee machine all morning literally from the time I get in at 5am or 6am until a 3rd person comes in at 9 where they can help out. During that 3 to 4 hour morning period I'm responsible for opening up my business which takes 15 minutes but in between that I have to serve customers in the middle to process fuel, shipping items, coffee orders, make toasted sandwiches, go back to my store finish up opening, go back to the centre help out on the fuel side, take care of store, sometimes I need to prep fruit because without fruit I can't run a juice bar. I then have to consider ordering stock, serving customers some more and then taking care if my store. My store opens at 8am which means I'm making smoothies, running back and forth between 2 stations, serving fuel, making sandwiches, making smoothies, taking orders for etc etc... I'm exhausted by the time the 3rd person shows up at 9. Even when someone shows up I'm expected to keep the shop in emaculate condition which I want to do but I'm stuck on my own cleaning, prepping fruit making sure weekly and daily tasks are done. I finally get a lunch break but I'm in the office having a half hour break and I can see a line up of customers needing to be served but they have to wait because once again there's only 2 people who can serve. This nightmare of yoyoing between stations has been going on since the covid lockdowns with the business reducing hours in the shop to save money! I'm at my wits end and I feel like a crazy person because I can't handle the stress anymore. It doesn't help the customers treat you like dirt all the time because the service isn't prompt enough. My entire mentality has been compromised I don't know whether I'm just weak and can't handle pressure or my work place is mistreating employees. I feel hopeless.

ScarlettR Can chronic dehydration lead to anxiety?
  • replies: 3

I know this sounds an odd question, will try to make sense. So I have chronic dehydration, and everytime I get uncomfortably dry and hot, it leads to mild anxiety attacks, as well as being irritated. Does anyone else feel their anxiety issues are tri... View more

I know this sounds an odd question, will try to make sense. So I have chronic dehydration, and everytime I get uncomfortably dry and hot, it leads to mild anxiety attacks, as well as being irritated. Does anyone else feel their anxiety issues are triggered by dehydration?

GreenGuy How to stop feeling cursed?
  • replies: 8

Hello, This is a very minor issue for me compared to a lot of people here, but it has been something that's bugged me for a while. I've become hesitant about certain mundane habits for fear of evoking misfortune. For example, there is a song I really... View more

Hello, This is a very minor issue for me compared to a lot of people here, but it has been something that's bugged me for a while. I've become hesitant about certain mundane habits for fear of evoking misfortune. For example, there is a song I really like (it's a black metal song with occult themes if you really must know with evil chanting) but every time I listened to it, bad stuff would occur: my Nan getting cancer, my neighbours abusing me, my sister breaking her arm, even the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, so on and so forth. It's just one of a few habits that I tend to avoid for this reason. Now, I prefer to be a skeptic of paranormal occurrences; I'm an agnostic yet can't help feeling something divine (but specifically demonic) force is punishing/cursing me. I am fully aware, that these events are beyond my control, and my brain has attempted to pin these habits as a scapegoat. I've been training myself to stop looking for such scapegoats as a coping mechanism... With that said, what other tips can I use to stop feeding into my paranoia/anxiety?

Noel1982 Severe health anxiety after minor cancer diagnosis
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, First time posting here, been having a read of some others experiences here and its re-assuring that I am not going crazy. About 2 months ago I was diagnosed with a small early stage skin cancer on my lower lip, have an appointment in 2 ... View more

Hi everyone, First time posting here, been having a read of some others experiences here and its re-assuring that I am not going crazy. About 2 months ago I was diagnosed with a small early stage skin cancer on my lower lip, have an appointment in 2 weeks with a surgeon to discuss options for treatment/removal. Since this diagnosis, originally I was ok with it, I was shocked that at 39 years old, this was a reality I was facing but the doctor seemed really not concerned with the whole thing and said based off what it was, my options were to either wait and see if it keeps growing, or go see a surgeon to remove it. I immediately chose the surgeon, as the fear of something potentially life threatening scared the daylights out of me. When I got home from work that day and seen my 15 month old daughter (our only child after years of IVF)and my wife, I fell into pieces and have not been able to really put things together since. I have made the terrible mistake of googling this condition and the possible complications from it and that has made me extremely anxious, so much so that I have on multiple occasions, thought I have found something else in my mouth/lip and fully freaked out, so much that my wife had to spend the next few hours reassuring me that there is nothing there and if there was, the doctors weren't stressed otherwise you wouldn't have to wait for this long for an appointment. On Sunday night, I think I had my first panic attack, I felt like I was having a full blown heart attack, or the cancer had somehow spread to my lungs (crazy right), and I ended up having to call 000 and go to hospital to make sure that my heart was ok, as I just could not calm down and get the feeling to go away. Needless to say I was ok and the chest X-ray was clear. This little excursion wasted the ER`s time and also cost me a great ANZAC day marching with my mates. I have since had a skin check (no concerns there) and a dentist do a full check of my mouth and lips (again nothing found) and yet I still am terrified that there is something wrong.. After reading on here about health anxiety, I understand that this is what I have and that I am not losing my mind. It has been the worst month of my life and it has significantly affected my life. I have some work to do moving forward but hope that once I see the surgeon and have a plan, life can get semi back to normal. What have people here used as tools to cope with the waiting and the unknown when it comes to health?

T1278910 How to stop panic attacks about health
  • replies: 3

I keep getting worried about my health derailing and it puts me in a negative pattern. I wish I can just forget. But it’s so hard not to procrastinate and worry about the future. Just need an ear

I keep getting worried about my health derailing and it puts me in a negative pattern. I wish I can just forget. But it’s so hard not to procrastinate and worry about the future. Just need an ear

LCM83 Please help
  • replies: 2

Please help. This anxiety episode came out of the blue on Easter Saturday and it hasn’t gone away. I’ve barely eaten since then, I can’t sleep. I had a psych appointment on Friday but she’s not available again for two weeks. The first Psychiatrist ap... View more

Please help. This anxiety episode came out of the blue on Easter Saturday and it hasn’t gone away. I’ve barely eaten since then, I can’t sleep. I had a psych appointment on Friday but she’s not available again for two weeks. The first Psychiatrist appointment wasn’t available until 17/05. I had trouble sleeping last night. It hurts so much. My poor husband and children, they deserve so much better.