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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

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Sophiebeth Bipolar partner anxiety
  • replies: 2

I’m hoping there might be some help from other partners of bipolar out there?? I always suffer really bad anxiety when my partner is on his high. He is having his ‘best life’ and I’m having my worst. He doesn’t seem to notice his arrogance, his loss ... View more

I’m hoping there might be some help from other partners of bipolar out there?? I always suffer really bad anxiety when my partner is on his high. He is having his ‘best life’ and I’m having my worst. He doesn’t seem to notice his arrogance, his loss of compassion, rebellious, is never home and becomes extremely selfish to the point that I feel extremely alone and unloved; only to then change (he is seasonal!) in the winter and become his beautiful loving self again. I just find it so hard and feel like I’m living with two different people. I love him to bits but don’t know how I can keep this up forever. We’ve been together three years now. Are there others out there who have come out the side of this? And how??

JWolf17 Socially isolated and feeling completely helpless to change
  • replies: 2

Hi all. I have some thoughts that I just need to get out there. To get right into it, I'm 25 now, and I'd say I haven't really had an irl friend in about 5 years. Right now, I have one friend who I met online pretty recently who I talk to semi-freque... View more

Hi all. I have some thoughts that I just need to get out there. To get right into it, I'm 25 now, and I'd say I haven't really had an irl friend in about 5 years. Right now, I have one friend who I met online pretty recently who I talk to semi-frequently, and that's it. I often feel really alone, but the idea of meeting people and forming friendships makes me incredibly uncomfortable. The same applies to relationships, to an even greater extent. I've never been in a relationship, and although it's something I want to experience it also terrifies me to even think about. I just don't see it as even being a possibility. My day consists of going to work at a job I don't think I'm very good at, getting home, cooking, and spending the rest of the night with video games, finding something to watch, or mindlessly scrolling through social media. And I just don't see how anything changes. My life feels completely stagnant, but any thought of doing anything to change it, or even taking the slightest step out of my comfort zone makes me so anxious that it just feels impossible to do anything about it. Having done some reading lately, I came across Avoidant Personality Disorder, and everything I read about it seemed to match up with my current experience. In basically all situations where I'm faced with short term anxiety, I'll avoid it even if it has bad consequences long term. I feel completely inadequate socially, I have absolutely no confidence to do anything about it. It just feels like a hopeless cause. I've been thinking that I need to start seeing a therapist or mental health professional at some point, but the process to get that started is really daunting. I moved to a new state for work at the start of this year, so I don't have a regular GP, and finding one new one is a daunting task. On top of that, working 8:30-5 on weekdays, it just feels like it'd be a struggle to even find time to regularly see a therapist. It's just confusing and anxiety inducing to even think about.If anyone here has any advice I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much!

SherlockandWatson96 My friend and I have an ongoing issue and it’s causing my some anxiety. What should I do?
  • replies: 3

So this is pretty long so bear with me. My best friend got into a relationship a couple of months ago and at the beginning I was very happy for her because she’s been wanting to be in a relationship for so long. Now I won’t get into everything becaus... View more

So this is pretty long so bear with me. My best friend got into a relationship a couple of months ago and at the beginning I was very happy for her because she’s been wanting to be in a relationship for so long. Now I won’t get into everything because we would be here forever. But after a little bit I started having issues with her girlfriend. The main reason was that I had just come out with being a victim of sexual assault as a child and every waking moment they were together they were they were intimate in some way or another and it made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to tear my skin off. Now i completely understand that this is my issue and I only asked if they could keep it to a minimum around me and obviously I gave them enough time to be together so they could be intimate. Now this conversation with my friend went pretty badly. She went right on the defensive and basically guilt tripped me into teller her girlfriend so that she would understand. Now I understand that was really not nice and I should have stood up for myself. I also went through a bit of a depression because I felt like one of my best friends just chucked me away after I came out with something that hurt me so much. I’ve since minimised my friendship with her so that my expectations aren’t as high. Now onto the most recent event. My friends girlfriend has just continuously made me feel uncomfortable in my own home (my friend and I live together) and it hit a point where she stayed over for 4 days and I just couldn’t handle it.

HamSolo01 Anxiety and intrusive thoughts
  • replies: 6

I've realised that these days I am always thinking bad things will happen. Whether it is bad things coming as a result of something that has happened pr will happen to me or things that won't ever happen. Quick example is this news about the lions ge... View more

I've realised that these days I am always thinking bad things will happen. Whether it is bad things coming as a result of something that has happened pr will happen to me or things that won't ever happen. Quick example is this news about the lions getting out in Taralga zoo.Immediately I start to think what if I was the one responsible for it. Or what if I was a copper and needed to shoot the lion to protect someone. What if social media tried to say I was a bad person for trying to shoot a lion. All that jazz. I need to try to put a stop to all that. Any help is welcome

john12 Social anxiety
  • replies: 8

Hi I’m a 29 year old who believes I’ve been struggling with social anxiety for the better part of 9 years now. I struggle with the thought of planned social events and end up spending days leading up to events running worst case scenarios through my ... View more

Hi I’m a 29 year old who believes I’ve been struggling with social anxiety for the better part of 9 years now. I struggle with the thought of planned social events and end up spending days leading up to events running worst case scenarios through my head. My greatest fear is physical/visible distress, for example racing heart, uncontrolled sweating and being seen to be in distress by everyone. The worst part is not being able to enjoy my self and relax as all my time is spent trying to stay calm. this is my first time talking about this and wanted to get a feel from the community on similar situations. thanks.

Aresisal Advice on getting help, I feel lost and ashamed
  • replies: 3

Hi I don't know where to start but here goes. I'm not 100% sure but I think I'm suffering from anxiety. Somedays I feel like I doubt every decision I make and am constantly been judged. Wether it be driving and feeling other drivers are looking at me... View more

Hi I don't know where to start but here goes. I'm not 100% sure but I think I'm suffering from anxiety. Somedays I feel like I doubt every decision I make and am constantly been judged. Wether it be driving and feeling other drivers are looking at me going what an idiot, fearing the worst outcome from a decision I make at work or home. I went on a work trip for training and was with people I have never met before and found it hard to interact for the first couple of days, even when we were doing the training and we were asked questions as a group I would doubt my answer and wouldn't respond. The trainer would go round trying to get the correct answer out of the group, and finally explain the answer and I would be sitting there thinking that's what I was going to say why didnt I. I've decided that I want to get help, as it feels like the weight on my mind is starting to bring me down, my problem is I don't have a gp and am unsure of the best way to find one, I'm not exactly in a great financial situation and am not sure if gp acess can help get me started. I want to try and talk to my family about it but feel ashamed. I know if I don't this downward spiral will continue though. I hope I have posted this in the right spot and any advice is greatly appreciated.

johnt88 Low sex drive
  • replies: 4

Hello. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication causing low sex drive. My wife suffers from anxiety and takes it but has zero sex drive. We haven’t had sex for 2 years and are still only in our mid 30s. ... View more

Hello. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication causing low sex drive. My wife suffers from anxiety and takes it but has zero sex drive. We haven’t had sex for 2 years and are still only in our mid 30s. I love her and would never cheat on or leave her but is this an actual side effect or is it me she doesn’t want? It’s affecting me too as I feel like we are roommates and I’m just a pay cheque.

Pop22 FEEL LIKE BEING IN A HOLDING PATTERN
  • replies: 1

Hi this is my first post I'm nearly 59 years old and suffered with anxiety since I can remember. Some days I feel ok but next day just don't want to wake up. I'm married to an alcoholic who is drinking a litre of vodka a day. Day in day out is like t... View more

Hi this is my first post I'm nearly 59 years old and suffered with anxiety since I can remember. Some days I feel ok but next day just don't want to wake up. I'm married to an alcoholic who is drinking a litre of vodka a day. Day in day out is like the one before. Get up watch TV all day then go to bed. I don't want to leave the house. Over the years I have tried therapy, group therapy, all types of medications. I have a doctor that writes a script and says see you next month. I have no energy and constantly worry about money as I threw my job in as my anxiety was worse when I was not at home. Is there anyone else who feels like this ? I have children but the guilt of not coping is unbelievable and I don't want to burden them.

Sunflower151 Guilt and anxiety
  • replies: 3

How do you get over extreme anxiety from guilt? Recently I'll just suddenly remember something that I regret doing and I'll get incredibly anxious about it because I feel like a bad person and I'll always just make mistakes or have bad intentions or ... View more

How do you get over extreme anxiety from guilt? Recently I'll just suddenly remember something that I regret doing and I'll get incredibly anxious about it because I feel like a bad person and I'll always just make mistakes or have bad intentions or something. I try to do my best and I have a strict moral compass so when I do something either by mistake or knowing that it is wrong then I get so so so anxious about it. Everything I am anxious about can't be fixed now, but I know I can change who I am going forward. Some things were genuine mistakes, others I knew it was wrong, some were due to peer pressure l, some would have had big consequences, some little. I just feel like if I don't get extremely anxious about it and punish myself and let it eat me up then I don't get what I deserve and I feel like it's just me normalising doing wrong things and experiencing no negative consequences. I don't know how to move past this. Nothing I've done is illegal (not to say that people who have done illegal things can't forgive themselves) but I just let it eat me up so much and the anxiety from the guilt is extremely immobilising. It makes me think I'm a bad person and I don't care if there would be no consequences or that there haven't been consequences because I'll know in my heart that I did something wrong. I am also obsessed with wondering if I have done something wrong. I will think about it for so long if I think I have made a mistake and think I am a bad person and it's so difficult. Even if I haven't done anything wrong I'll suddenly have a thought and go back to check if I did make a mistake or not depending on what it is. Either real or imagined wrongs just consume my thoughts and make me feel so bad about myself Please help this feeling is awful and I hate myself so much because of it

Chad199992 Hair giving me anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hey all, I've been struggling with body dysmorphia with my hair for a long time. Lately, I get really anxious if my hair doesn't look perfect in the mirror and I keep combing it multiple times until it looks perfect and see check how it looks in the ... View more

Hey all, I've been struggling with body dysmorphia with my hair for a long time. Lately, I get really anxious if my hair doesn't look perfect in the mirror and I keep combing it multiple times until it looks perfect and see check how it looks in the mirror multiple times before I leave the house.I comb my hair to look a certain way and sometimes the wind blows it out of place when I'm outside and it falls down and I get a sudden urge to look in the mirror. When i see its out of place and not the way I combed it, I get really bad anxiety.Any advice would be greatly appreciated

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