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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.

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Kpb16 Excessive hand washing
  • replies: 2

Hi, hope all is well. I’ve been washing my hands excessively and I can spend 20-30 minutes doing so and it’s starting to hurt my legs and knees. I do need help please on how to stop. Thanks.

Hi, hope all is well. I’ve been washing my hands excessively and I can spend 20-30 minutes doing so and it’s starting to hurt my legs and knees. I do need help please on how to stop. Thanks.

I_wish_I_could_learn_by_o Don’t know how to ask for help, what I’m asking for...
  • replies: 7

Just not feeling like I can (should) reach out and ask for help. Read through some of the new posts but found it overwhelming and confusing. Not even sure WHAT I am asking for, have never really been able to ask for help, or have had unrealistic expe... View more

Just not feeling like I can (should) reach out and ask for help. Read through some of the new posts but found it overwhelming and confusing. Not even sure WHAT I am asking for, have never really been able to ask for help, or have had unrealistic expectations of what help means or looks like. Don’t want empty platitudes like “it will get better” because of course it will. A lot of anxiety exacerbated by being in lockdown and socially isolated, can’t remember how to hold a conversation, or maybe I just don’t care anymore? Now a single mum, over 40, DV situation which lost me the support of my family, intellectually disabled child, have psychologist and psychiatrist, on new meds with recent bipolar diagnoses. Anxiety, depression, maybe BPD or complex PTSD. Lost? Getting along okay. Not sure how to make connections with people and would like to learn how to converse with people and make friends and be friendly again.

Buzzybees101 Anxiety and throat symptoms
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone, I hope you are having a good day today. This is my first post. I have suffered from anxiety and sometimes depression for my whole life. Recently my anxiety has been 100x worse (since job loss earlier in the year and losing any sense of d... View more

Hi everyone, I hope you are having a good day today. This is my first post. I have suffered from anxiety and sometimes depression for my whole life. Recently my anxiety has been 100x worse (since job loss earlier in the year and losing any sense of direction). Today I dropped my FIFO partner at the airport to go to work and had a panic attack, crying, vomited, hyperventilating etc at the thought of spending time without him while he is gone. Since then I have been feeling like my throat is swollen even though I am able to breathe and swallow fine and of course my brain's rational response is a self diagnosis of thyroid cancer! I am terrified now (I made the mistake of googling it and google only ever tells us we have cancer). Has anybody else had similar symptoms with their throat? I want to book an appointment but I am worried I am going to sound silly explaining this to a doctor. Thank you for reading

Aussie.Girl Stressed about everything...
  • replies: 4

Hi, this is the first time I've actually posted here. I guess I just need somewhere to vent, but If I can get some advice too that would be great. Reasons I'm stressed... I have a horse who is currently agisted (which basically means I 'rent' a paddo... View more

Hi, this is the first time I've actually posted here. I guess I just need somewhere to vent, but If I can get some advice too that would be great. Reasons I'm stressed... I have a horse who is currently agisted (which basically means I 'rent' a paddock to keep him in). Unfortunately the property has been sold and I can't find anywhere suitable to move him to. I am honestly not being picky; I just want somewhere safe, reasonably close and not extremely expensive. Unfortunately most of the land nearby (within 1hr drive) is being developed so there aren't many places to choose from and most are $200+ a week. I'm in my early twenties and live with my family. We have to move house at some stage in the near future (for various reasons). I really don't want to move away from the house I've lived in my whole life, but at the same time I'd love to live somewhere I could have my horse at home. I'm currently in a lockdown area, and feel really guilty about being at home not doing anything 'productive'. Does anyone else constantly feel like you're 'running out of time' for no reason? Also regarding lockdown, I'm finding it a bit 'difficult' everyone being home constantly. Don't get me wrong; I love my family, but I share a room & with everyone at home there's nowhere I can go to get some alone time (I'm an introvert in case it wasn't obvious). I miss being able to have space to myself to read in silence or sing without disturbing anyone. The fact that everyone else in the household is stressed too (again for various reasons) doesn't exactly help. I don't have any friends (aside from pets and family). I mean this quite literally. I grew apart from my high school friends years ago and while I am on 'friendly' terms with my co-workers they are all significantly older than me so we just don't have that much in common. It usually doesn't bother me - again I'm being completely honest here, but sometimes I find there are things I'd like to do or talk about with friends and I can't. There are more examples, but it's not things I want to share. Thanks for reading this far & sorry if it comes across as just me complaining about everything. If you have any advice regarding the above, please let me know.

Sal559 Should I leave a great job over my anxiety?
  • replies: 7

I’m thinking of quitting a great job because I am so anxious and overwhelmed. I’ve only been there for a few months and I work with some super smart, caring people. But I can’t shake the anxiety and dread I feel every day going into work and having t... View more

I’m thinking of quitting a great job because I am so anxious and overwhelmed. I’ve only been there for a few months and I work with some super smart, caring people. But I can’t shake the anxiety and dread I feel every day going into work and having to hide it from my small, close knit team. Some mornings I wake up with heart palpitations, I have trouble sleeping and sometimes I don’t eat for whole days from the stress. I’m a software engineer but was a late career changer and prior to that I worked in the arts. I was an A-type in my last career, but in this career, but more specifically in this job, I feel like I am drowning. I have major anxieties when pressured to think on my feet or present/talk in groups even though I know I could do it if everyone wasn’t watching. I look like an idiot because I’m tripping over my words or blanking out and each time it happens, it knocks my confidence even more. I feel so stupid compared to my colleagues. I’m the least experienced in my team and I feel like I take so much longer to learn or achieve anything compared to everyone else. It doesn’t help that I’ve had brain fog over the past year which I suspect is from some trauma in 2020 (big breakup and general burnout I never resolved). The fogginess is affecting my cognitive abilities—I’m way more forgetful, scattered and not as sharp as before. It's really frightening. No one is telling me I’m doing a bad job but I know I am. The lockdowns have only exacerbated the anxiety and negative feelings and I feel like I can’t cope. On top of it all, I feel so guilty for not enjoying a good job. It’s stupid, but the biggest thing that holds me back from quitting aside from not having anything else lined up is the thought of the extra stress I’ll endure having to explain everything to my team and the guilt of letting down some excellent people. Some days I feel like I can push through and other days I feel like I must leave in order to get better.

Bulldogbobby73 Heart rate
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I have been feeling okay lately, still have moments of anxiety. Had a moment this morning about how fast my heart was beating, I had my arms folded and for a brief moment it felt like my pulse was high, this instantly put me in panic mod... View more

Hi everyone, I have been feeling okay lately, still have moments of anxiety. Had a moment this morning about how fast my heart was beating, I had my arms folded and for a brief moment it felt like my pulse was high, this instantly put me in panic mode and have been anxious ever since. my biggest phobia is my heart rate and I have to constantly resist taking my pulse as it was taking over my life. Another thing is, it seems I don’t feel anxious yet I am always vigilant regarding my heart rate, seems to always be in the back of mind - ironically my heart rate seems higher since taking my BP meds, even though my BP had gone down to normal, also every time I see my doc my heart rate is in the normal range and makes me feel I going mad, I’ve also had all the tests and all have come back normal - yet I still cannot shake this anxiety, is there anyone out there who has the same or similar thing??

bitter_biscuit Feeling like I black out for a second
  • replies: 8

Hi guys, I've been dealing with severe anxiety for just under a year now and have made some progress with counselling etc. Though I don't panic as much anymore, I still get this weird symptom occasionally where I'll be sitting down (usually on my pho... View more

Hi guys, I've been dealing with severe anxiety for just under a year now and have made some progress with counselling etc. Though I don't panic as much anymore, I still get this weird symptom occasionally where I'll be sitting down (usually on my phone or laptop) and I'd feel like the room just tips over very quickly, I feel like I pass out and my heartbeat become very palpable, and then it'll be gone in just a split second. Like my brains been washed over in a rush of darkness. Sometimes it only happens once, but today it has already happened twice. Has anyone else ever experienced this and have you managed to find out a cause? And has anyone managed to treat it? I might go and see a GP just to be sure, as I do tend to think of the worst possible scenario (typical health anxiety... ) It is honestly the one thing that scares me the most and I find myself worrying for the rest of the day.

Bordercharlie Hormone issues? (Male)
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I feel like my body is broken. When I should be excited I get anxious and irritable. When I have alcohol, it inhibits me in the following days way more than it does for others. When I should feel sad I often feel nothing. And recently wh... View more

Hi everyone, I feel like my body is broken. When I should be excited I get anxious and irritable. When I have alcohol, it inhibits me in the following days way more than it does for others. When I should feel sad I often feel nothing. And recently when I have tried to exercise with increased intensity, I have had major crashes the following day that I can only compare to some kind of drug comedown (no I do not take any substances). It's bizarre and disheartening. Has anyone else experience this? Any tips?

PsychedelicFur Worried about my living arrangements & heart palpitations
  • replies: 9

Hello there, So. We have sold our house. And of course because my mother is a malignant covert narcissist she is making the settlement and finalisation is the divorce a lot more difficult. Prior to the divorce we could not move out, pay for a rental ... View more

Hello there, So. We have sold our house. And of course because my mother is a malignant covert narcissist she is making the settlement and finalisation is the divorce a lot more difficult. Prior to the divorce we could not move out, pay for a rental and pay for our half of the mortgage because that is simply not viable. And we cannot work miracles haha. We have been applying for rentals lately because the settlement date is quite soon but we want to get in early so we can move all of our things. My mother wants 60/40. We have a solicitor representing us. And I am confident about that part. She is pregnant with another baby and claims to be in ‘ill health’. We have some more plans we are looking into. I just needed to get this off my chest. With our low income we can not afford anything at all extravagant. It’s a very complicated and difficult situation, unfortunately. I’m only nineteen and this is a lot of stress for me. I feel so disorientated. My mother was so psychologically abusive towards me. And now she wants more of the money in the divorce. And we are barely coping to put food on our kitchen table. We frequently get community assistance from food banks to help with groceries and other necessities because we are genuinely struggling. I struggled to pay my uni fees for semester one. The university thankfully waved them due to my circumstances and semester two fees are put on a hex. I am attempting to get through my diploma then apply for a three year degree just to better my circumstances and my lifestyle. I don’t want to live like this forever. It’s exhausting and debilitating. The Real Estate Agents whom we have sold the property with promised to help us find a rental, well they have not. We have asked on numerous occasions. Every time we call them they shrug us off and seem to treat us horribly because we are not from a particularly wealthy residential area. It’s so much uncertainty. And I just need to feel at ease again. I feel like I am far too young worrying about where I am going to live. Like I said my father and I are going to apply for some more options to help us. I am a full time student and have intentions on changing up my life. I am just suffering from PTSD from my narcissistic mother, psychologically abusive ex boyfriend (that I left a little over six months ago), selling the house, my mother cheating on my father will quite a few men, graduating year twelve last year despite the stress of the virus and the divorce.

Dreaming24 Health anxiety and dying
  • replies: 14

Just writing down my thoughts I’m hoping will help me gain some rational clarity on my anxious feelings. I’m really looking for support and positive stories! I have suffered from health anxiety my entire life, especially surrounding my heart. I’m 25 ... View more

Just writing down my thoughts I’m hoping will help me gain some rational clarity on my anxious feelings. I’m really looking for support and positive stories! I have suffered from health anxiety my entire life, especially surrounding my heart. I’m 25 years old and when I was 12 I had an echocardiogram to check out my heart as I told my mum I was suffering palpitations. All was good. On and off my entire life I have gone through stages where I feel such terrible physical feelings that I struggle to explain to anyone but I feel like I am dying. Heart flutters, big heart jumps or beats, head buzzes and feelings of being out of it, and just a sense of something wrong inside of me I can’t explain like a pain or a sensation I can’t put my finger on. I am going through a terrible stage now where I am convinced I have a serious heart issue and am dying. Every single day I believe I am having a heart attack or am going to pass out from a serious arrhythmia. I see a psychologist but have run out of mental health plan discount and struggle to see her more than monthly because of the cost. I have never been on medication for my anxiety and am seriously considering it now. I faced my fear and went to the doctors the other day and organised to get a Holter moniter to check my heart once and for all. The issue is I can’t get in for another week and I’m convinced I’m going to die before next week. I am struggling every day, especially when I’m at home with time to think. The physical feelings are so overwhelming I’m ready to take myself to hospital but they always eventually pass until the next time. Has anyone else thought they had heart issues that they’ve found out to be okay? How do you cope with the overwhelming feelings when everything seems so terrible?