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Anxiety

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

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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. Remeber, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anixiety 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 you 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 worthile 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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gracielou22 Struggling through my notice period at work! Advice?
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I'm hoping for some advice. I resigned from my job two weeks ago, but due to my contract terms I have to see out 6 weeks of notice before I can finally be free of the place! I'm finding it really difficult to get through the notice period. It... View more

Hi all, I'm hoping for some advice. I resigned from my job two weeks ago, but due to my contract terms I have to see out 6 weeks of notice before I can finally be free of the place! I'm finding it really difficult to get through the notice period. It's a small office environment and the only other employee who is in office for the same hours I am is being quite passive-aggressive and hostile towards me, and it's making me extremely anxious and miserable. Has anyone had any experience re-negotiating notice periods due to mental health issues? If so do you have any advice for how I could approach my situation? My boss is also pretty inflexible and stubborn sometimes so I'm wondering if I need to go to my GP for a medical certificate or something official to help me escape this corporate nightmare! They're yet to find a replacement for my role so I imagine that will also factor in. Additionally, I have no capacity to work from home so I'm really feeling stuck in the situation! Thanks!

that_one_quieter_kid Does anyone know how to describe this..?
  • replies: 3

Hey so, I'm new around here so mind me if I'm intruding. Does anyone know how to describe the feeling that everyone you know hates you, whether it be family, friends, it could be anyone. Am I just paranoid or is it related to how other people have tr... View more

Hey so, I'm new around here so mind me if I'm intruding. Does anyone know how to describe the feeling that everyone you know hates you, whether it be family, friends, it could be anyone. Am I just paranoid or is it related to how other people have treated/treat me? Honestly I feel as though I intrude on every possible thing, I feel as though I don't belong anywhere. It's not even just that, I feel as though some of those people want to take their anger out in specific ways towards me, no matter what it be. I don't know how to describe it really. Whenever I try to talk to a friend about it they brush it off or ignore me completely, it gets to a point where I am constantly asking myself "do they hate me?" and when I ask them that same question, they get frustrated at me for saying it. I don't really ask it anymore. I'm half coming on here for advice and half coming on here to look for a way to explain how I feel. Not one of my friends understands how mental health works, not that they're dumb, they're really sweet, I guess. I just can't express how I feel without being laughed at or being made to feel insecure about my own feelings. I guess that's it for this 2am forum post. I'm really sorry if I'm disturbing you guys on this forum, it's not my intention at all, I just really need some help figuring this stuff out.

Ishbel I feel like a failure
  • replies: 4

I am a mum of 6, including 5 with mild special needs. Earlier this year 2 of my children attempted suicide within a fortnight of each other. 1 was due to depression (he has autism) & the other had been bullied at school. I spent so much time taking t... View more

I am a mum of 6, including 5 with mild special needs. Earlier this year 2 of my children attempted suicide within a fortnight of each other. 1 was due to depression (he has autism) & the other had been bullied at school. I spent so much time taking them from therapy to therapy to get them help, that I got very rundown, as I also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. I was also working as a casual contractor organising events for a company (nothing was happening due to the pandemic). Eventually, after very little support from the new boss at my work, I chose to resign and be there more for my family. I stupidly said to another person that I had no faith in the company as they’d never bothered to learn how to run the conference from me. Also, 1 of the sponsors quit as she only wanted to sponsor the conference if I was running it. Next thing I find my ex boss coming after me with a court case, as he’s panicked. I was the only one who knew how to run the conferences (he/no one else in the new company tried to learn what I was doing or showed any interest) and thinks I might jeopardise his company and take away all the sponsors. He’s wealthy and wouldn’t think twice about ruining someone for his own personal gain. But now I feel even my worthless. I said 1 stupid thing and he’s blown it all out of proportion. We have good lawyers, but I can’t help but think that I’m a failure at everything.

Sadie243 Different Friend Groups
  • replies: 5

Hi there, I have OCD and anxiety and ive had it for 10 years so I know my way around my brain. Lately I've become anxious about mixing friend groups. I belong to multiple friend groups but they are all different. My 2 oldest friends are great but the... View more

Hi there, I have OCD and anxiety and ive had it for 10 years so I know my way around my brain. Lately I've become anxious about mixing friend groups. I belong to multiple friend groups but they are all different. My 2 oldest friends are great but they have completely different interests to me. My boyfriend friends who I get along with really well and have become close friends with have similar interests to me. I always worry and get about mixing those groups together when it comes to having a birthday or social gathering. I always worry that my boyfriends friends are going to judge me on my friends and their interests. My oldest friends boyfriends are also a bit different. They have different interests like gaming and dressing emo. I'm however the complete opposite to all that but I still love my friends. I would love to know how to come about my worries and how to deal with it

misties Not good enough
  • replies: 9

I am having issues with low self esteem, as I get older I am 69. I am concerned that my husband will no longer find me attractive. He tells me I am gorgeous and beautiful holds my hand we have sex about once a month but he has pics of naked beautiful... View more

I am having issues with low self esteem, as I get older I am 69. I am concerned that my husband will no longer find me attractive. He tells me I am gorgeous and beautiful holds my hand we have sex about once a month but he has pics of naked beautiful girls should i be worried that I am not as good as them?

Snowbunny Anxiety Issue
  • replies: 3

Hi there - all of a sudden I have been feeling extremely anxious. About 10 years ago I moved into a house and had a large mortgage. After a few years I decided that perhaps I should sell 2 lovely blocks of land and pay off the mortgage which I did. N... View more

Hi there - all of a sudden I have been feeling extremely anxious. About 10 years ago I moved into a house and had a large mortgage. After a few years I decided that perhaps I should sell 2 lovely blocks of land and pay off the mortgage which I did. Now I just can't get it out of my head that I should have waited longer as prices have gone up and it is really ripping me apart. Does anyone else know what this is like?

ms108 Feeling stuck with perpetual anxiety and depression
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I really need some help. I have been struggling with anxiety and episodes of depression for the last few years, mainly having to do with living in a different country from my own since 17 y/o and needing to maintain a job I really didn't like... View more

Hi all, I really need some help. I have been struggling with anxiety and episodes of depression for the last few years, mainly having to do with living in a different country from my own since 17 y/o and needing to maintain a job I really didn't like to get my citizenship there (mainly to please my parents). I felt deep down angry, frustrated and as a victim, as I felt truly alone and isolated, not doing what i wanted to do and not having anyone to rely on (friends I've made during uni years have moved back to their home countries, as they were internationals too). In 2018 I have met my now partner and jumped into a long-distance relationship which caused a lot of anxiety, as I thought that this relationship would save me from my misery. Fast forward 1 year, I moved with him to Australia - which I really love btw, this is my dream place! I thought it will be really easy to adjust to a new country, having been through so many obstacles before, and in some ways it was. But in some, it wasn't. A lot of my demons and insecurities and fears have come up and added toxicity to our relationship. I was very angry and resentful and hurt - and I've hurt him a lot too. I've gone to Beyond Blue coach before, who was really helpful, but then I got a MHCP from my GP and talked to a number of (ineffective) psychologists, finally resorting to going to a psychiatrist who prescribed me SSRI medication. My partner tries to help me but he doesn't know how to handle my emotions and mood swings and I just really need someone who understands me. We have a community of friends here, however, I don't really click with his close friends which makes it a bit of a suffering experience to hang out with them often. I made some friends but I wouldn't say those relationships are strong enough, people just very busy with their own lives and I don't want to overburden them, even though I need a friendly soul. Importantly - I don't work since 2019, I'm a homemaker, however, I have several business projects. Yet I feel very isolated as I don't have regular social interaction with people and from my past experience seeking some random events to go to just makes me feel more empty and like I'm wasting my time... Bottom line - I feel stuck, disenchanted from all the help there could be - as I tried many different things but nothing seems to work - and desperately want my partner to be there for me in a way that he cannot be. Please help me with advice of what to do and thank you!

Weldermate Anxiety that's overwhelming
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I'm trying to find ways to not feel overwhelmed and panic about things.im a over thinker about pretty much everything. And for the last week it's about going to work. I love doing my job and I don't get why it's overwhelming me about goi... View more

Hi everyone, I'm trying to find ways to not feel overwhelmed and panic about things.im a over thinker about pretty much everything. And for the last week it's about going to work. I love doing my job and I don't get why it's overwhelming me about going or doing it. I've been working there in the same place now for 10 years and this has only started to happen about 6 months ago. I had a bad rash that made me panic really badly. And now even the smallest things can set it off. I need to see someone about it but I've been told by friends that this could help as well. I'm every quick to stress about things and need help on ways to work around dealing with it. Thank you for your support.

user9463728 feeling guilty
  • replies: 29

im just gonna get straight to the point. almost 2 years ago i became "obsessed" with blindness. im aware of how ridiculous it sounds. it got to the point where i would spend hours a day researching just about everything about blindness. i decided i w... View more

im just gonna get straight to the point. almost 2 years ago i became "obsessed" with blindness. im aware of how ridiculous it sounds. it got to the point where i would spend hours a day researching just about everything about blindness. i decided i wanted to be blind. at the time i recognised that what i wanted to do was stupid but nothing could stop me. i made up my mind. i began trying to harm my own eyesight. i then told my parents "i had a black dot in my eye" and was taken in for eye scans. they said they could see macular damage on the scan and they even mentioned "we don't know whether this damage will progressively get worse or not." my parents were freaking out and couldn't sleep. i was so happy that this was going somewhere and "i might finally be blind." i didnt realise the stress i put my parents through for something so small. i had many doctors appointments and cost my parents a lot of money. in the end, the doctor diagnosed me with some eye condition that i know isnt what i have. about a month after looking at the sun, i woke up one day and wondered what that was all about. i felt absolutely zero urges to be blind anymore. i was back to normal. its strange because the obsession was so so bad to the point where i was absolutely delusional. but oh, i woke up the next day and boom im fine again. i havent felt any urges to be blind or anything since then. however, ive been feeling so guilty. i want to apologise to my parents for the stress i put them through and i want to tell them everything. ive been getting straight a's and my parents have been so proud of me lately. ive gotten to the point where i cant be around them without the urge to cry. i went out with my mum today. we got food and drinks and she bought me a keyring. ive been crying all night. how can i just accept all this knowing what i did? its not just this instance too. last year i had similar urges and harmed myself. i was totally delusional. when i get "obsessed" with things i just cant think straight. i want to tell my parents soon. do you think i should? will they still trust me?is there something wrong with me? my parents are the only people i really care about and i dont want them to think of me differently.

Daniel_LK91 My anxiety - seeking help
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum. I have anxiety and i think that it is ruining my life. I have no friends and cant socialize. I have a job and can sometimes work but lately I have not been able to work. I spend most of my time alone at home with ... View more

Hi everyone. I am new to this forum. I have anxiety and i think that it is ruining my life. I have no friends and cant socialize. I have a job and can sometimes work but lately I have not been able to work. I spend most of my time alone at home with myself but luckily my parents live with me too so it is nice to have them there. I would really like to get myself back on track. I want my life back and want to be "normal" again even though i feel like that is impossible and think that things are only going to get worse. I really do hope to get better and feel better, hopefully sooner than later. Can anybody else relate? Anxiety really does suck. Daniel.