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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. 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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Shizzle How do you manage really bad bouts of anxiety? I cant live like this
  • replies: 6

I have had anxiety all my life - but have mostly self managed it - grabbing soma holidays from time time when I have really needed it from reluctant doctors and its worked well for the most part for me personally Although I occasionally I get depress... View more

I have had anxiety all my life - but have mostly self managed it - grabbing soma holidays from time time when I have really needed it from reluctant doctors and its worked well for the most part for me personally Although I occasionally I get depression - I am not overly prone to it - but the anxiety can be bad - but never had anxiety in this flavour Anyway- recently I had a whole tonne of life changes hit my life at once - more than I would think is reasonable for anyone to take on at once (both good and bad ) Anxiety got so bad - I just wasnt coping at all with moods swinging from one side of the spectrum to the other- I went to the doctor for the first time looking for a longer term solution as well as a temporary soma holiday to get through a few weeks - finding myself racing and ranting one minute and well you know what anxiety is like when its at it height- I got put on anti depressants which are supposed to have an anti anxiety effect as well Its been about 3 going on 4 weeks - and I am getting intrusive thoughts (which is highly unusual but could be also due to the type of stress I am under ) - and honestly I dont feel much better and I am still swinging like a pendulum in moods My question is how do I manage anxiety this bad that you are all over the place ? I cant live like this - its driving me insane - I am not managing it - I can barely pretend in public that I am What do I do?

Alotgoingon Medication for anxiety, what was your experience?
  • replies: 13

Hi All, I am a mum of a toddler and have had issues with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but recently they have started to get worse (over the past 5 months or so). Some days I feel wonderful and other days I wake up feeling nauseous and jitte... View more

Hi All, I am a mum of a toddler and have had issues with anxiety for as long as I can remember, but recently they have started to get worse (over the past 5 months or so). Some days I feel wonderful and other days I wake up feeling nauseous and jittery, it is really inconsistent. I have a great psychologist but my Dr recently spoke to me about using medication to balance what he thinks is a hereditary chemical imbalance in my brain which is causing the anxiety. I have read about the side effects and they scare me to be honest. I am healthy, I regularly practice meditation and breathwork and am seeing a psychologist which all help in the short term but I am still finding myself in an anxious state throughout the day. Has anyone used medication for a similar issue and noticed an improvement? Just looking for people who have been where I am & have found medication to be useful. I have never been medicated for my anxiety but I'd love to start feeling better!

AliMa Serious burnout - what worked for you
  • replies: 16

I have been feeling burnt out for a long time and finally hit the wall a few weeks ago. I had/have nothing left in the tank. I went to my GP and she gave me 2 weeks off work. She told me just to rest and to do nothing apart from watch TV, sleep, and ... View more

I have been feeling burnt out for a long time and finally hit the wall a few weeks ago. I had/have nothing left in the tank. I went to my GP and she gave me 2 weeks off work. She told me just to rest and to do nothing apart from watch TV, sleep, and perhaps work on something creative. At first I felt ok (apart from feeling guilty for not being at work, I love my job) but after a while I found myself back to feeling the same - super stressed and exhausted. I went back to see her today. She said that the 2 weeks off wasn't enough and that I am in a crisis state of high stress and that I am still not fit for work. She also said I need to be careful that my burnout doesn't turn into depression, which obviously concerned me. She has given me another 2 weeks off and prescribed me 1 weeks worth of diazepam to see if I can start to feel less stressed and anxious, and to help me see things more clearly so I can make some decisions about next steps. She also suggested that I see a psychologist but not right now - that I am too stressed at the moment and that now is not the time to work on strategies etc to address the stressors. To perhaps give that a few more weeks. I thought that was interesting as my instinct is to read up on burnout and stress to help me make sense of how I am feeling and to try and start to put in place strategies for the stressors I can control, but on the other hand, I see what she is saying in that I might be in too fragile a state to do that well now. I guess I am posting to hear from others with experience of serious burnout (especially those that have perfectionist tendencies) as to what worked for them and how they found their way forward. Any advice appreciated.

Alotgoingon Covid / Isolation
  • replies: 3

Hello everyone I have tested positive to Covid and am now in isolation with a small child and feeling pretty average. I'm feeling so guilty because I have no energy to keep my child entertained so they've been watching so much TV . I am also feeling ... View more

Hello everyone I have tested positive to Covid and am now in isolation with a small child and feeling pretty average. I'm feeling so guilty because I have no energy to keep my child entertained so they've been watching so much TV . I am also feeling anxious about the short and long term effects of Covid. I'm triple vaxxed and so I am disappointed that i'm still getting quite awful symptoms, really tired, fatigued, body aches, runny nose etc, especially because the booster made me really unwell. I have health anxiety so this certainly isn't helping. My husband is also positive but can work from home so is working all day today which means it's just me and my toddler all day today which I feel super overwhelming. Any words of advice or wisdom? Please no anti vax comments, I'm just after support.

AndyMx Health and Postpartum Anxiety
  • replies: 7

I have been suffering of anxiety for a few years now, especially health anxiety around cancer. I was doing well but after a visit to the Breast Clinic I totally went downhill. They took a biopsy and didn't find anything sinister but told me to come b... View more

I have been suffering of anxiety for a few years now, especially health anxiety around cancer. I was doing well but after a visit to the Breast Clinic I totally went downhill. They took a biopsy and didn't find anything sinister but told me to come back in 3 months for an ultrasound. Right after that day I started getting pain in the armpit, shoulder on the side of that specific breast. I started having panic attacks and to make matters worse I am alone for a couple of weeks taking care of my baby. I am trying to keep it together and I am on the waitlist for Gidget House but it is so hard! I can barely eat and the thought that maybe I have cancer but they missed it makes me so scared. The GP wanted to prescribe me some Valium but it wasn't clear if I can take it when breastfeeding so I refused. Does anybody have any encouragement? I made an appointment to the Breast Clinic in 6 weeks instead of 12, and I still feel like I won't be calm until then.

rosemaryNchilli I just need to spill. I’m not looking for help, I just want to know someone will read this
  • replies: 1

As the title suggest, I just want to know someone will read this. Hello, I’ve actually never done anything like this before. I’m 18 and just started uni, I don’t think I’m sad nor stressed enough to be properly depressed - I also don’t think I’m anxi... View more

As the title suggest, I just want to know someone will read this. Hello, I’ve actually never done anything like this before. I’m 18 and just started uni, I don’t think I’m sad nor stressed enough to be properly depressed - I also don’t think I’m anxious but what I feel still qualifies as something so I apologise to you, reader, who is actually diagnosed with anxiety. I’ve never gone to a medical professional about anything related to my mental health, I just normally assume that it’s a phase that passes like a storm you know? However, recently (more so in the last three years) my phases are occurring more and seeming to start taking a toll on my physical being as well as my mental state. Although my diet and routine hasn’t changed at all, I’ve noticed that my periods happen once every 3-4 months. I feel waves of sadness knock me over and I cry a lot more often than I used to over nothing; quite literally I would just start feeling this horrible sinking feeling and start crying whilst doing nothing at all. I had a pretty rocky childhood, as everyone does, and it’s honestly a little foggy but I blame my horrible memory for that rather than a subconscious block. That being said when I do remember bad or sad things I strangely feel an absence of all emotion. I made a comment to my dad once on my birthday that I felt nothing and was actually a little put off by my lack of excitement and surprise. It’s worrying me alongside my lack of periods. It’s disgusting, but I use animated work to “get a high” I don’t really know how to explain it but I now do it every night. I keep telling myself that I’ll stop but I feel so much better in that short moment before feeling disgusted with myself again. I’ve never taken drugs in my life but I assume it would have the same effect which is why I plan on NEVER getting involved. Last night I had a horrible nightmare that I was assaulted and it felt so real that I woke up in a cold sweat and I couldn’t go to sleep and even tonight I’m petrified to close my eyes. I can’t afford therapy nor get a chance to go to free student counselling. My friends already have enough problems of their own and I have always kept my problems private. Even my close family doesn’t know this horrible version of me. I don’t want to be diagnosed with anxiety, stress, or depression because I don’t want something wrong with me. It’s just a phase with my phases so I’m ok.

Alannah57 Upset about people assuming I don’t clean
  • replies: 6

I have a small problem where I get upset when people assume I don’t clean or I think people are saying I don’t clean. For example, I just had a very clean roommate move into my house, and it’s been a few weeks. I did improve my cleaning habits in the... View more

I have a small problem where I get upset when people assume I don’t clean or I think people are saying I don’t clean. For example, I just had a very clean roommate move into my house, and it’s been a few weeks. I did improve my cleaning habits in the last few weeks, compared to how they were with previous roommates. I mopped the floor and vacuumed at least once last week, as well as regularly wiping down surfaces, throwing out bin bags twice, and putting away things and not leaving them out. I also stayed at friends’ houses for two nights and didn’t clean until this afternoon after my roommate talked to me. My roommate asked if I could help to clean around the house; and I got upset saying I do regularly clean and it was unfair to say I don’t and tried to feel calm and hand good self esteem, but I got upset and the interaction was slightly sour. But I realise I overreacted, but it made me feel bad about myself when my roommate asked me to help out with cleaning. Does anyone else have overly upset reactions to things that damage their ego? How do you healthily approach feeling upset if like your self esteem has been taken down a few notches?

Truetomyself Tired
  • replies: 305

At the moment I feel really tired and exhausted from my anxiety that is now impacting my depression. I am also tired of having to hide it. Especially with work. I can't afford to loose my job but I can't say what's really going on. I am scared and un... View more

At the moment I feel really tired and exhausted from my anxiety that is now impacting my depression. I am also tired of having to hide it. Especially with work. I can't afford to loose my job but I can't say what's really going on. I am scared and unsure of what to do. I have lost jobs because of my mental health being so up and down. I have no one to talk about it to.

Kazz28 Severe anxiety in social settings with alcohol
  • replies: 8

Hi everyone... I've searched the interwebs for information about how I'm feeling but I can't really find any, so here goes... I'm (M22) in a very stable, healthy relationship, however, when my partner and I go to any events that involve drinking I ve... View more

Hi everyone... I've searched the interwebs for information about how I'm feeling but I can't really find any, so here goes... I'm (M22) in a very stable, healthy relationship, however, when my partner and I go to any events that involve drinking I very quickly become very anxious, to the point where I need to leave the room and/or go and find a dark, quiet spot to recenter, otherwise I'll have a panic attack. Im able to have a couple of drinks (2 glasses of wine or so) before I start feeling uneasy and stop. At this stage, I can't stop fixating on what and how much my partner and those around me are drinking. I really (emphasis on really) want my partner to enjoy herself on these occasions and therefore I normally try and put on a brave face until she's done. We've had conversations about how I feel and she really wants to support me and have good communication about how I feel in these situations, but Im really worried about her feeling as though she can't enjoy herself or her feeling controlled - this is the last thing I want. I can't really out my finger on anything major that would cause me to feel this anxious in these situations. The anxiety can last 24-48 hours after the event. Any responses would be great

Horrendous_Hexapod Anxious about love and relationships
  • replies: 1

As part of my recent obsessions, I’ve been looking into different information relating to love and relationships. I’ve never really been in a romantic relationship, mainly because I’ve never put myself out there, but I keep reading through all of thi... View more

As part of my recent obsessions, I’ve been looking into different information relating to love and relationships. I’ve never really been in a romantic relationship, mainly because I’ve never put myself out there, but I keep reading through all of this information by multiple people online about the supposed nature of women in relationships. On one hand, I’ve received information from studies in multiple countries that tend to show that women seem to prefer men with high income, or men that make more money than they do. On the other hand, however, other studies of multiple countries tend to show that more women are marrying into relationships with men who are less educated where they are the primary earners and even providing for them when unemployed. Some studies suggest that this is because they’re compensating for lower income with men of higher social status, but others suggest that women with higher income do have higher socioeconomic status, and that many of them are choosing to marry men from lower social classes. I’ve also received conflicting information about looks as well, as I’ve read that women prefer to date men taller than them or with a certain face shape, but I’ve also read that their preferences vary over environments and in different countries. There’s apparently hundreds of studies, some of which say different things, and I’ve read through some of them, but there’s so many of them that it’s just too daunting to try and read through all of these studies. I do want to be open minded to new information, but I also don’t want to waste potential hours of my life when I could be doing things I actually enjoy. Keep in mind that, while a lot of this information comes from academic sources, I usually heard about it from blogs and websites created by people with a certain worldview. I think the thing that worries me is the implications of some of the negative studies, as I sometimes worry that if I were in a relationship with a woman and I earned less or was less attractive, she wouldn’t really love me as a person. I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, as I know this isn’t as serious as a lot of the issues others post on this forum, but it’s been weighing on me a lot over the last few years, and especially throughout the last few months.