Immediate support
Immediate 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 discussion

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
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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.

All discussions

Start a discussion

Addie_ Covid restrictions, LDR and BPD
  • replies: 2

I’m in a LDR with my boyfriend and I in different countries, and I’ll be going to school in a couple months to get my qualifications and start a career in aged care and will be moving to close the distance once I’ve gotten a year or two of experience... View more

I’m in a LDR with my boyfriend and I in different countries, and I’ll be going to school in a couple months to get my qualifications and start a career in aged care and will be moving to close the distance once I’ve gotten a year or two of experience or so. The last two years with lockdowns and restrictions have been so rough for my BPD, anxiety and depression though. Realistically I know things are a lot better than they were last year when no one had any idea what was happening and everyone was panicking, everything is progressing school and work wise and at least where I am almost everything has reopened and so have the borders with mask mandates indoors and vaccine passports, but my head still keeps coming up with these ideas that it’ll never get better and we’ll be going in and out of lockdown and stuck with these restrictions for good, or at least for years from now. I’m just in need of support right now that life will go back to how it was before covid, and it’s not impossible for me to have my dream job and for us to be able to follow our plans and have the life we’d like together.

Thesadguy92 Anxiety never stops
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone my name's Bruce I'm 29 years old I have been suffering from anxiety and being a hypercondria since I was 18 first it started with struggling to breath heavy chest and rapid heart beat dry mouth and feels like death is right around the cor... View more

Hi everyone my name's Bruce I'm 29 years old I have been suffering from anxiety and being a hypercondria since I was 18 first it started with struggling to breath heavy chest and rapid heart beat dry mouth and feels like death is right around the corner it's terrifying IV had every test known to man been in and out of hospitals more times I can count. I managed to get my anxiety undercontrol with medication, with excessive gym workouts and everything was fine until I had the Carona virus it sparked my anxiety like never before I'm back to haveing Holter monitors and lots of visits everytime I go out or go gym the heart triggers none stop and I can't make it stop it's really hard to function I just want it stop so I can live a normal life and not having to deal with this alone I have not seen anybody to talk to about this every dr I have been to has diagnosed me with anxiety and being paranoid I'm the kind of person who like to hold it in I feel like IV got nowere to turn the constant rapid heart beats and palpitations dry mouth feeling weak has taken its toll on me mentally all I want is for to stop if you guys could help me with some positive words would mean the world to me thanks so much for reading.

Monkeysss I feel like I'll never be normal again
  • replies: 5

Hey everyone, I haven't been active here in around 2-3 years, bc I felt 'normal' again but now I feel like I'm back to square 1. Last night I was cleaning up a little bit and began feeling a bit shaky I lay down for a lil bit maybe 5 min and dinner i... View more

Hey everyone, I haven't been active here in around 2-3 years, bc I felt 'normal' again but now I feel like I'm back to square 1. Last night I was cleaning up a little bit and began feeling a bit shaky I lay down for a lil bit maybe 5 min and dinner is ready. I begin eating and I'm shaky and my brain starts feeling weird. I can't explain the feeling. But I had a sudden wave of intense fear. I said to my mum I don't feel normal, she said it's just my anxiety and I am normal and safe. My dad then said for me to go to the hospital (he has never seen me have an attack before) which made me even worse. My brain felt weird, I felt like I needed a scan of my head to see if there was a tumour or stroke or something. I was crying asking my mum to take me hospital she said she would if I wanted to go but they're not going to do anything for a panic attack. I was shaky and had this weird feeling and kept thinking over and over 'it's happening somethings wrong somethings wrong'. My throat felt very tight. Very detached from reality thinking I wasn't real, life isn't real, my family aren't real etc. Even my body felt numb. Eventually calmed down but couldn't finish my dinner bc I felt so nauseous. I stood up to go bathroom and felt like I was walking funny, like I was going to drop, or I was swaying or being pulled to one side. Idk. My mum said she knows it's a panic attack bc this is how I acted last time but I can't remember having that particular feeling that I can't quite describe, nothing just felt normal or right or ok, I can't even explain it. I went to sleep and woke up today and had an odd feeling still. Nothing too bad just don't feel right. I had half a coffee which was a mistake, I started getting jittery, caused another panic attack throughout the day. I am on medication and took half my tablet (normally take a full tablet at night) but took half a tablet and felt better. That lasted a couple hours then panic set back in. I didn't have an attack but I became terrified and emotional over the thought of going to work tomorrow. I ended up calling in sick. My brain feels like it'll never feel 'normal" again and even tho it's been around 30 hours since the initial big panic attack I feel like I don't know what normal feels like now. I'm worried I won't be able to go to work. Idk what the point of this post is. I guess I just need reassurance that I'll feel somewhat normal again. Sorry this is so long. Also I have a dr apt tomoz.

MelBouza Anxious about being anxious
  • replies: 5

Hello, My anxiety has been kicking my butt the last couple weeks. Mainly the physical symptoms (mine are mainly gastrointestinal — nausea, loss of appetite etc.) I have been seeing a therapist and been doing CBT which has been helpful on labeling and... View more

Hello, My anxiety has been kicking my butt the last couple weeks. Mainly the physical symptoms (mine are mainly gastrointestinal — nausea, loss of appetite etc.) I have been seeing a therapist and been doing CBT which has been helpful on labeling and identifying pointless emotions and rationalizing them. However, I’m feeling constantly nervous at the moment and very focused on my physical symptoms (which I know are anxiety related). But now ruminating on them, always focused on them. And my anxiety seems to stem from the worry that I’ll keep feeling these symptoms even though I know where they stem from. How do you pull your thoughts away from this? And help stop that “I’m anxious about my anxiety” internal monologue?

Diaman94 Work Anxiety - Looking For Some Tips
  • replies: 8

Hello everyone. I have lived with anxiety and depression I guess most of my life. I have never been to a therapist but hoping to in the new year. I an trying to save some money so in the mean time I was wondering if anyone had any tips. I'll explain ... View more

Hello everyone. I have lived with anxiety and depression I guess most of my life. I have never been to a therapist but hoping to in the new year. I an trying to save some money so in the mean time I was wondering if anyone had any tips. I'll explain my situation a bit more. I am having a lot of trouble speaking and interacting with co-workers. The most I can say is hello, sorry (if I am in the way), or yes and no if more than 2 or 3 in a room. I seem fine or at least I feel it is easier one on one. Or 2. (I know I need to try and speak to strangers more and I can out at shops but it's different at work. I can't even speak to family members I haven't seen in years) I am very aware that everyone there is irritated by me and have heard comments as I enter or leave rooms. (I have been snapped at for not speaking up like an adult should). I usually don't talk much in general anyway and have always been a quiet guy, and got a bit of harassment from people over the years for it. I don't want to blame anyone for my issues as I know I am the only one who can fix this. I have been told by many people that I should leave people alone, don't talk to them, (especially women), as I am a bother to them, make them uncomfortable or people aren't interested in what I have to say, I guess nowadays I unintentionally tell myself that over and over in my head. I do seem to ruminate a lot over little things when at work, if I am snapped at or make a little mistake. I constantly feel I am in others way or bothering them. Doesn't really help I know how they feel about me. Sometimes I can just stop caring what they think and I'll just go about my day doing my job and not talking and get through the day. I do catch myself playing scenes in my head of incidents and how I could make them better or how they could be worse. I wouldn't say this is a problem as I can usually stop myself but it becomes a bit more frequent if I have a bad day at work. Anyway, that is all for now.

Fugazi1 Please Help
  • replies: 5

Hi, My story short: Since i was a Teenager i always had existential questions about life itself and the universe etc. Offcourse there never was an answer to this questions and they made me feel anxious more and more until one day about 10 years ago i... View more

Hi, My story short: Since i was a Teenager i always had existential questions about life itself and the universe etc. Offcourse there never was an answer to this questions and they made me feel anxious more and more until one day about 10 years ago it shifted into some brainfog/detached state. Afwfull ! Then my PsyDoc put me on medication to kill my underlying anxiety issues to eleviate the detachment. It worked wonders… I had my life back !! Fast forward to 2021: 4 weeks ago my mom who i Truly loved passed away. She choosed the euthanasia route cause she was ill for a long time. The weeks before this date i become more and more stressed and anxious cause losing my mom was now really a fact. We all were there around her bed when she slept in. For me it was like a horror scene. My mind collapsed in the hours and days aferwards… the first hour i cried but then my mind shifted to fear. Fear of death in particular. Not like some moments of fear but really obsessed about my own death and the sense of life. 24/7 a day. I can not stop it. Impossible. It drives me completely insane !! I really need advice… My questions are.. Is this trauma ? Shock? Anxiety? OCD? What can i do. Death is a fact of life but life is unliveable when i have to think about it all day long. Please help. Thanks

Meliss I'm not coping and it's not getting better what should I do?
  • replies: 4

So I'll try keep it short. Start of year I had a workplace altercation that wasn't my fault. My employer Still want to get rid of Me but I put in a workcover claim as I was attacked verbally and physically which has caused me to see a psych. The proc... View more

So I'll try keep it short. Start of year I had a workplace altercation that wasn't my fault. My employer Still want to get rid of Me but I put in a workcover claim as I was attacked verbally and physically which has caused me to see a psych. The process so far has taken 8 months. Since being in lockdown I have struggled. I've gone from working before the incident to not being able to work and we are living on one wage. I have panic attacks and am convinced that I'll never get another job and I'll die. I've also been very anxious about the vaccine. I was supposed to be married and that has been postponed more times than i can count on one hand due to covid. And now I'm worried I'm pregnant. I've been exercising. I never exercised at all and now I've gone from 0km a week to 30km or more in the last 6 weeks as I've been walking 5-6 days a week instead of sedentary. And now I'm late. We don't want a baby at this time. So I don't know if I'm late due to pregnancy, the panic attacks I've been having or the new exercise regimen. What should I do to reduce the stress it's all becoming too much and I'm terrified to take a pregnancy test. How do I deal with the anxiety it sucks and I'm fed up

Brenno_the_Dawg 2021 Lost my mind and will how to get through
  • replies: 6

Hi Everybody, I started this year getting dizzy spells daily and being a google doc I went to the gp with the thought I had Vertigo. He sent me to a ent specialist who told me I didn’t. Driving a truck for a living I needed to find out the problem as... View more

Hi Everybody, I started this year getting dizzy spells daily and being a google doc I went to the gp with the thought I had Vertigo. He sent me to a ent specialist who told me I didn’t. Driving a truck for a living I needed to find out the problem asap as it was starting to get dangerous for me to be on the road. I had another doctor when went back to the gp and after listening to my symptoms put me on antidepressants and said they would start working after 4 to 6 weeks. After a week the dizzy spells were starting to subside and we’re all gone by the 3week mark. After the 6th week it was like a fog had been lifted from my head and I could see my life to this date clearly( Anybody had this?) and starting studying anxiety symptoms etc. After a life of paranoia,mistrust and self medication I thought now I would be able to see a way forward.. Big Mistake, I have been in a slow decline to now,depression , stronger thoughts of mistrust and anxiety. I have a business in debt, limited friends who I find hard to trust and my father passed away from dementia in October. After a shitlife due to a undiagnosed mental heath problem, ongoing alcohol and drug addiction and the death of my father I am finding it Very hard to go on or finding the will to live. I have a meeting with a Mental health group on Tuesday so hoping it will help..any stories of how you got through the hard times would help. Thanks

BJS76 Regrets caused by anxiety
  • replies: 7

I’ve felt stuck and fearful in my current job as a visual designer for a long time. I’ve been there 15 years now, and have become comfortable even though there is no advancement opportunities financially or in title. I’ve spent the last 18 months ups... View more

I’ve felt stuck and fearful in my current job as a visual designer for a long time. I’ve been there 15 years now, and have become comfortable even though there is no advancement opportunities financially or in title. I’ve spent the last 18 months upskilling and applying for jobs in UX, but each time I get closer to actually getting a job, either through interviews or talking with people in my network, my overthinking and anxiety take control and destroy everything. I am pretty much saying no to jobs because of my anxiety. The latest one is the one that has really caused me sleepless nights and some pretty dark thoughts about myself. This was a UX designer position with a local company that has offices all over the world. It was a big pay increase from what I’ve been stuck on for years as well. Pretty different to my current job that consists of three people. After speaking with the company recruiter a couple times, he and I really got along and he alluded that I pretty much had the job before my interview and we just needed to go through the interview processes. At the thought of change, and fear of failure I thought of everything wrong with the job, panicked and withdrew my application. The regret is now eating me alive at the opportunity I threw away. It’s impossible to know how crippling and controlling anxiety can be if you don’t live with it. I now see the person who has the job and she has absolutely no experience compared to what I offered, but in her post on LinkedIn she’s beaming with confidence and happiness at her achievement and screaming it to the world. It makes me so, so depressed and angry at myself for letting myself and my wife and kids down each time I do something like this. In hindsight compared to the other jobs I am now looking at, it would have been a really great start to a fresh future for me. Now I feel everything is ruined and I can’t stop ruminating on my failures.

Josephs_Inquiry Where to begin or what to think
  • replies: 4

I am 26 year's old, I am behind with my driving licence and owning a vehicle, and I have to have x2 medical review's every year per 6 month's each, I also have to complete a occupational therapist assessment for a of and on road at the moment too I a... View more

I am 26 year's old, I am behind with my driving licence and owning a vehicle, and I have to have x2 medical review's every year per 6 month's each, I also have to complete a occupational therapist assessment for a of and on road at the moment too I am living In a continuous quarter life crisis since 18, I don't have conventional Interest for entry Job's, or for University or Trade's at TAFE, I am 26 now and obviously without education, but more so without entry casual work history, and only Just 11 month's volunteer In a bull** saver's role that I didn't entirely at mostly at all like or want to continue. I would prefer part time Job's for the guaranteed shift, schedule and flexibility with a MIS diagnosis of schizophrenia, I have been treated for over 8 year's continuously, and I am now stuck on medication, I have contracted pre diabete's Type-2 and had my gallbladder removed also too I wanted to be a professional rapper and guitar player and write comedy Joke book's as a recreational creative passionate hobbie, but have some form of a conventional regular life with full time security and flexibility, and with misfit friendship's, and formulate my driving by now I have a selfish narcissistic father, and a vague mother, and I only have my brother otherwise