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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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So_alone Insecurity making me fearful and severely anxious.
  • replies: 9

I've been reading through the forums for the past few months on other people's emotional pain and suffering but felt too insignificant to join in and express my own. Hit rock bottom last night and had anxiety/panic throughout the night and dreading a... View more

I've been reading through the forums for the past few months on other people's emotional pain and suffering but felt too insignificant to join in and express my own. Hit rock bottom last night and had anxiety/panic throughout the night and dreading another episode tonight. I'm a 71 yr old female who spent a good part of my childhood in various orphanages in WA due to my mother's mental illness, she was unable to care for me or my other 3 siblings. After the Covid border closures and lockdowns in 2020, the trauma of my childhood resurfaced and i've been struggling with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks ever since. Feel like i'm re-living the emotions i felt when i was a child being ripped away from my mother without warning and locked away in orphanages indefinitely. I am trying so hard to get on top of this myself using different methods of relaxation, deep breathing, guided meditation vids but this only gives short term relief. It's like my nervous system has become over sensitized and i cant control the way i am feeling anymore. I feel trapped in a constant loop of horrible anxiety which has led to Agoraphobia, can't travel too far from home. Had 6 sessions with a CBT psychologist last year but the anxiety and panic still persisted. It's a very lonely life living with anxiety on a daily basis and would be comforting and reassuring to know if someone else on BB has experienced anything similar.

lelebe Medication Struggles
  • replies: 13

I have just entered my second week of medication for anxiety and still feel nauseous which is frustrating, but more frustrating is my mental fight about having to take medication, you see I work in the field of alternative medicine so feel like a fra... View more

I have just entered my second week of medication for anxiety and still feel nauseous which is frustrating, but more frustrating is my mental fight about having to take medication, you see I work in the field of alternative medicine so feel like a fraud at not being able to help myself. Does anyone work in this field of work and struggle mentally with the decision to medicate or is this feeling common for a lot of people? Thanks

Tim1982 Worrying/Stress
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone. First time user here. The last few years I've been doing really good with controlling my anxiety until about a month ago both my ears blocked up a few days after wearing airpods. At first I didn't think anything of it and used waxsol and... View more

Hi everyone. First time user here. The last few years I've been doing really good with controlling my anxiety until about a month ago both my ears blocked up a few days after wearing airpods. At first I didn't think anything of it and used waxsol and it helped. My left ear became unblocked and my right ear was getting better until I decided to get a cotton tip to clean it, to only what felt like I pushed wax back in my ear and developed an instant ringing in my ear and numbness. Two days later, my chest kept getting tight, my legs and left arm felt achy, numbness in my face and head and my eyes seemed funny. This is when I decided to go to the emergency. They checked the nerves in my mouth, eyes and ears, all was fine. My right ear I had a lot of wax and she couldn't see my ear drum. Saw the GP, he softly syringed my ear and told me I had a small scratch and pimple in my ear. He told me it could be tinnitus and everything I'm experiencing is normal and to just try and relax. But my thoughts kept thinking the worse. Even though sometimes throughout the day, I felt like everything had gone back to normal, it would revert back when I start thinking about it. I Stupidity googled my symptoms and one of the possible outcomes was a brain tumour. This put me in instant panic attack and I'm constantly thinking this is what I have. So... I saw another doctor a week later and I told her I googled and these were the results. She tried comforting me, by telling me that a brain tumour would be very unlikely and that if I wanted a catscan I could to give me some relief. I decided not too because I want to try and control my worrying and trust the doctors. She looked in my ears, still have wax in my left ear and she said I had fluid behind my right ear drum which would cause the ringing and numbness feeling. After that I felt a lot of relief. She said it could take up to 8 weeks for the fluid to go. She believes it is stress and anxiety that is causing all my other conditions and has put me on anti depressants and putting me on a mental health plan. 20 minutes after seeing the doctor, I developed a tingling like sensation on my feet, the bottom half of my legs and left arm started to ache and I felt like the other ear is doing the same as my right... This went on all day, although I had moments I felt normal. I'm just in constant worry and I can't switch off thinking the worst.

BMM79 Thinking about getting a diagnosis for anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi, I am quite sure I’ve had mild to severe anxiety for most of my life. Never been diagnosed and mostly thought it is stress. I’ve had health issues for a good 20 years (1/2 my life) and I think these are related to anxiety. I’ve just made a list of... View more

Hi, I am quite sure I’ve had mild to severe anxiety for most of my life. Never been diagnosed and mostly thought it is stress. I’ve had health issues for a good 20 years (1/2 my life) and I think these are related to anxiety. I’ve just made a list of what goes on in my head. Hear it goes. General anxiety, social anxiety and nervousness in social settings. worrying about what people think. overthinking, worrying, dread and fear of general life challenges and work challenges and expectations. Jealousy of others that appear to be better and have more. High expectations of others. Wanting to be better than others. Easily frustrated and angry. Constant road rage. Sometimes not very empathetic towards people. difficulty relaxing. worrying about forgetting something that seems important for work or in general. Feeling like I concentrate on myself a lot and rarely consider others. Can’t seem to turn my thoughts off. Wanting more money and better things that everyone else. Often unhappy with life and my general situation. Often worried about doing the wrong thing or making bad decisions. Often wanting to avoiding social situations. I actually feel like I can deal with these issues slightly better the older I get. Do others get this kind of anxiety? cheers. bm

Linger316 Anxiety about work
  • replies: 11

hi All, I have been a long-time lurker of this forum and finally got the courage to post a thread. As the title says, I have anxiety about work. It all started when I got the promotion that I applied for. Every morning when I wake up I feel anxious a... View more

hi All, I have been a long-time lurker of this forum and finally got the courage to post a thread. As the title says, I have anxiety about work. It all started when I got the promotion that I applied for. Every morning when I wake up I feel anxious about work, I don't know what to do. I am regretting even putting my hand up for the promotion and sometimes I even want to just give up and resign. I tried all the advice here on how to manage anxiety, eat well, exercise, breath, and meditate but nothing seems to be working. By the way, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type 1 last year and am taking medication. My psychiatrist already up the dosage when I mentioned my anxiety but I don't think it helped. Well, it helped a bit, but not completely. I don't know the point of this thread, I just want to share and maybe get some insight from you guys. Do I give up and resign, although I don't think we'll be able to afford it if I resign? or do I push through and hope for the best?

Tim1982 Head/Ear
  • replies: 1

Hi All, A few weeks ago I got blocked ears (after using airpods) and my left ear cleared up (even though I still have wax in it) and my right ear was getting better... until I stuck a cotton tip in it and felt like I pushed the wax back in and got a ... View more

Hi All, A few weeks ago I got blocked ears (after using airpods) and my left ear cleared up (even though I still have wax in it) and my right ear was getting better... until I stuck a cotton tip in it and felt like I pushed the wax back in and got a ringing sound after that. Ive been to the emergency and seen 3 doctors. All saying I had a lot wax in my right ear and that the numbness on the side of my face and my head on that side is normal. I've been given antibacterial drops but Ive been told there is no infection. There was a slight scratch in my right ear and a pimple and one of the doctors syringed my ear. There different doctors in a month. I still get the ringing and weird sensations like numbness sometimes in my face, tight jaw, sometimes feel like I'm tight around my nose, eyes feel strained, and I have a weird sensation on that side of my head. From time to time, it feels like it goes away and I feel normal. r Naturally I googled and mentioned it could be a tumour. So I've been panicking and my thoughts/focus seem to constantly be on the ringing and sensation in my head. The last doctor I saw, who Ive seen twice now has told me I have fluid behind my ear drum and can cause these sensations but think it's my anxiety/stress doing this or making it worse. She said this is normal and to not worry about. She doesn't believe it is anything serious and if she had the slightest concern she would do more test. I feel like the symptoms stay with me for long periods of time (and now for a little while I feel normal) and I also get aches in my legs and arms including weird tingling sensations in my toes. Again, they say this is all symptoms of anxiety. She has put me on anti depressants and started a mental health plan. But my thoughts keep going back to worrying. Does anyone else experience these symptoms? Sometimes I feel completely normal but I feel like when I think about any of it or focus on that particular part of my body it gets more intense and sometimes I don't think I'm anxious or stressed but still have it.

Rascally Whole body tremors
  • replies: 10

Hi, I’m new to this (never publicly spoken about my condition of 35 years). First anxiety attack at 17, no triggers, very happy, writing a letter home (no internet back then) suddenly my whole body starts shaking & trembling. I just laughed it off. A... View more

Hi, I’m new to this (never publicly spoken about my condition of 35 years). First anxiety attack at 17, no triggers, very happy, writing a letter home (no internet back then) suddenly my whole body starts shaking & trembling. I just laughed it off. Attacks since then would begin to occur once every couple of years, then every year, increasing to a few times a year. Since 2018 my whole body shakes/ trembles all day every day. Natural therapies don’t help, a plethora of prescribed medications caused negative reactions. Psychologist, psychiatrist, counselling etc. it is beyond frustrating & completely debilitating. I get angry & want to smash things, get sad & cry. I feel these emotions are warranted. It has impacted on every part of my life & I’m lucky if I get 4hrs sleep a night. The only thing that helps is sedative type medication & this stops the shaking so I can at least function in life. (It doesn’t make me groggy, I feel normal) Obviously this isn’t ideal & my gp is reluctant to prescribe it. I don’t know what to do. Used to meditate, yoga & always physically active yet due to chronic medical condition I’ve become limited with any physical activity & It’s difficult to meditate because my whole body is trembling. The only way I can describe it is I’m hanging onto the edge of a cliff, so scared I’m going to fall. Has anyone experienced something like this? I have no one to talk to or who understands.

Bree1 Anxiety- fear of food allergies
  • replies: 10

Hi everyone Just wondering if anyone has any coping strategies for anxiety related to food. Tomorrow I have to go to a restaurant for lunch with my partners family. It’s a set menu and 5 course meal. I never eat different foods or food like seafood o... View more

Hi everyone Just wondering if anyone has any coping strategies for anxiety related to food. Tomorrow I have to go to a restaurant for lunch with my partners family. It’s a set menu and 5 course meal. I never eat different foods or food like seafood or fish or nuts that people are regularly allergic too as I have a fear of having a reaction. I’ve seen someone at a restaurant have a reaction before and it’s really stuck in my head. I know tomorrow the menu has lots of seafood on it and I’m going to have to eat it. I have major anxiety about this. When I’ve had to eat salmon in the past the second I put it in my mouth I panic and stress out. I don’t want to cause a big scene when I’m out tomorrow but I just know I’m going to panic. any strategies ? thank you !!!

Mark h Overwhelmed & Need Help
  • replies: 3

Hi Beyond Blue Community I am looking for anybody that can offer some advice for feeling completely lost, anxious and pretty hopeless in the situation I am in right now. First of all, I am seeing a psychologist for a general anxiety condition that I ... View more

Hi Beyond Blue Community I am looking for anybody that can offer some advice for feeling completely lost, anxious and pretty hopeless in the situation I am in right now. First of all, I am seeing a psychologist for a general anxiety condition that I have had for most of my life and she is amazing. I also have a psychiatrist on board to help with medications. In January last year my wife and I separated after 22 years of marriage. She was my world and to be honest, I just can't seem to get her out of my mind even though it's now been 12 months since we split. We both did silly and stupid things during our marriage but I was absolutely shocked when I found out that after 2 months of separating, she had met another man who was someone I knew and someone who was local to where I live. It made me physically very sick and whilst I wanted her to be happy, I found it difficult to come to terms with everything. Four months after separating, this man had moved into my ex wife rented accomodation with her and they have lived together ever since. Had she been with him whilst we were together, I actually do think so but who knows. She had an affair 10 years ago which I only found out about when we separated too. It's all very sad. Right now, it's all about money. My ex wife is trying to grab as much as she can and I have bent over backwards to make sure that she does get what is more than fair (currently 62% settlement in her favour). I have two older boys, one 19 and one 16. My 19 year old lives with his partner outside of the home and my youngest lives with me. I have been living in our family home since she left and that has been tough. So many memories. I have however purchased a new place which I move into in 3 weeks. I have a very sick father back in the UK, a house move, a business to run, settlement worries plus I can't get this lady out of my head. I feel she is playing huge mind games with me. My eldest son isn't talking to her and my youngest doesn't like going over to her house. I am totally overwhelmed with everything to be truthful and need some advice from community members who have been in a similar situation. I feel physically sick 24/7 and am desperate to move on and put all of this behind me but it just seems like Groundhog Day everyday. My concentration levels are non existent and this is affecting everything too. If any of you can share some wisdom around this it would be amazing.

arthurjames Anxiety strikes back!
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. Long post ahead.. I am finding it extremely hard to cope right now. I have suffered anxiety most of my life so far (27 years old) and I fear it will never go away. It mainly manifests around work and social events. I have always been a b... View more

Hi everyone. Long post ahead.. I am finding it extremely hard to cope right now. I have suffered anxiety most of my life so far (27 years old) and I fear it will never go away. It mainly manifests around work and social events. I have always been a bit of a loner and it didn't used to bother me until I started suffering existential crises about the purpose of life. Right now I am struggling cause I am in a program that I thought would make me happier and but instead is causing me so much stress. I was a postie for a few years, and although I enjoyed it for awhile, a combination of feeling underutilised (I am Uni educated) and a toxic work environment resulted in me looking for something else. I have always thought about teaching as I like learning (especially history and politics) and believed it would be more rewarding. I found a masters program that fast tracks you into the profession; six week intensive course followed by two years of studying while teaching 0.80 hours as opposed to just two years of unpaid study. This program seeks to address educational inequity and places new teachers at traditionally 'hard' schools. I applied over the course of last year and managed to get in, which of course made me quite happy. However, I completed the intensive course and my experience was mixed. The first couple of weeks of learning (all online) was enjoyable, however after doing 10 days placement at school I have found myself utterly dreading being a teacher. I was stressed out of my mind the entire time and suffered a panic attack at 3 in the morning just before my fourth day of placement. I managed to get through it, but now I am really struggling. It's school holidays, which I enjoyed at first as I spent time with my wife and family and was able to distract myself, however now I am at home alone as everyone has gone back to work and I am spending every day feeling horrible about what is to come. Part of me just wants to get it over and done with, so I am not enjoying my days off. Looking at strategies and attempting to plan doesn't seem to help as it just stresses me out. I find myself freaking out about the weirdest things such as: I worry about being depressed and stressed on my weekends and future school holidays; I worry about yard duty and feeling awkward not knowing what to say. At the moment I hate waking up and am crushed with horrible depression and generally just feel like a complete failure of a human being.