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

Jezza53 Migraines, Severe Anxiety and panic attacks. Looking for positive recovery stories
  • replies: 17

Gday guys, im a 30 year old male, life long sufferer of migraines and strong anxiety, which have become more and more debilitating the older i get. i had a very active life, and although i wasn't really well, i was able to actually go out and live my... View more

Gday guys, im a 30 year old male, life long sufferer of migraines and strong anxiety, which have become more and more debilitating the older i get. i had a very active life, and although i wasn't really well, i was able to actually go out and live my life. That was until my panic attacks caused my to lose my job, lose my ability to live on my own, to be away from home etc. I've been seeing therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists for the past year, and have tried 4 different medications, for the correct amount of time, all have which have either not worked or have made me much, much worse. my problem is i can handle anxiety, but when it turns to panic and im away from home, no amount of CBT or deep breathing or positive thinking can help, and i have to either go do things with people or suffer extreme torment until im able to get home and wait out the attack. im still trying new doctors and medications and therapy avenues, but i live in a rural area and cant physically travel to where the good help is without completely losing my mind due to panic. I do my best to stay positive, but to do so while suffering migraines, constant anxiety and sporadic debilitating panic attacks that have quite literally ruined my life, its very, very hard. im looking for people who have suffered through similar comorbid conditions, as the only thing thats worse than going through this, is going through it alone. for anyone wanting to suggest change of diet, exercise, bloodworks, mri's etc, i have tried no sugar for months, no difference, no caffeine for two weeks, no difference, extensive mri on head neck and back, all clear, bloodworks, all clear, exercise generally makes no difference or makes me feel worse with headaches. i used to train for triathlons and being able to run 6km, ride 30km and swim 1km did nothing to quell the strong anxiety and flighty panic response to emotions. i have breakthroughs, where im able to work on myself with healthcare professionals, start feeling good, going out on my own driving etc and like, feeling that im getting my life back, but its like when i get used to one form of panic, randomly, for no discernible reason, i will suffer a new form of panic that i dont know how to deal with, that postive habits and thought patterns cant touch. ive had about 7 such relapses in the last year, and now my only option is to cycle through medications at the risk of them hurting me again. cheers for any help, much appreciated.

MJK1976 Swallowing when feeling anxious
  • replies: 3

I have been suffering with anxiety for many years and lately it’s getting worse. When faced with anxiety or I feel uncomfortable, I have to swallow, this is mainly at work situations because this is where I feel the most anxiety. It’s making it diffi... View more

I have been suffering with anxiety for many years and lately it’s getting worse. When faced with anxiety or I feel uncomfortable, I have to swallow, this is mainly at work situations because this is where I feel the most anxiety. It’s making it difficult for me to communicate and speak freely because I don’t want people to notice my condition. This condition has prevented me from stepping up at work and getting any promotions and has basically held me back in life. I went to see a doctor recently and they told me to talk with a psychologist. Is this is best option for me, or would medication help me. I know my doctor wont give me meds. Is there anyone else out there that experiences a condition like mine?

Rabb Trying to find therapist. Pls help, any tips
  • replies: 7

Hi. I think my mental health is pretty bad at the moment. I have been depressed and anxious. I am trying to find therapist but i am not sure how to find right one? I am doing researches but can’t decide. I am so anxious that I won’t be able to find r... View more

Hi. I think my mental health is pretty bad at the moment. I have been depressed and anxious. I am trying to find therapist but i am not sure how to find right one? I am doing researches but can’t decide. I am so anxious that I won’t be able to find right one to talk to. Pls any tips??

startingnew Struggling with anxiety, and self doubt thoughts over a great opportunity
  • replies: 12

Hi Everyone, I Have been given this amazing opportunity for a few months time but im getting so anxious over it and my self doubt is taking over. How does everyone manage the negative talk in your own head? All i can think is 'What will happen if i s... View more

Hi Everyone, I Have been given this amazing opportunity for a few months time but im getting so anxious over it and my self doubt is taking over. How does everyone manage the negative talk in your own head? All i can think is 'What will happen if i stuff up?' 'What if i fail?' 'What if im not good enough?' I am Panicing and so unsure of myself and doubting my abilities.

Noomi Anxiety about work
  • replies: 4

I am looking for serious advice.. I feel like this is the only place I can turn. I am 24 and I work in marketing, however I have found that I have been made redundant from nearly 2 roles already. I am just so upset and taking it to heart/personally t... View more

I am looking for serious advice.. I feel like this is the only place I can turn. I am 24 and I work in marketing, however I have found that I have been made redundant from nearly 2 roles already. I am just so upset and taking it to heart/personally that it’s my fault and I am very incompetent at doing my job. I have started at a new job now and really just want to stay here for a while because my partner and I are looking to buy a home this year. Can someone please help me with my worries. I feel so upset that I’m just incompetent at everything.

Crannie Heya
  • replies: 6

Hi, I thought I'd give this a try, I used to see a psychologist before covid n it kinda helped but i still felt like i held back from telling them everything, so i thought I'd try talking to some like minded strangers. I've just had my 2nd child and ... View more

Hi, I thought I'd give this a try, I used to see a psychologist before covid n it kinda helped but i still felt like i held back from telling them everything, so i thought I'd try talking to some like minded strangers. I've just had my 2nd child and am struggling with extreme anxiety, I always feel angry n get the shakes often. What can I do?

Birdy77 Sense of Impending Doom
  • replies: 132

Hello everyone. I have been really struggling today, and I thought writing here might help. What I am about to describe may sound weird, but it is a true feeling for me. I wondered if anyone else reading has experience of it? Every now and then, I ge... View more

Hello everyone. I have been really struggling today, and I thought writing here might help. What I am about to describe may sound weird, but it is a true feeling for me. I wondered if anyone else reading has experience of it? Every now and then, I get this terrible sense of impending doom. Like, everything, everything, is about to go horribly wrong. I have realised that I have been having these feelings semi-frequently for the last few years. A few years ago I experienced an intense trauma in my life, and I'm wondering now if there are triggers, like little, tiny things, that possibly happened before the trauma, that I am not necessarily conscious of, that again happen now, in my life, and set me off on this spiral of doom. This morning, the feeling of impending doom had me thinking that the police were likely to turn up at my door and take me to prison. My life is good. I am safe. In my house. Consistently not committing crimes. And yet ... occasionally this feeling that the world is conspiring against me and everything good is about to implode just takes over. I understand that it's irrational, but there's something that sends me in a spiral, and anything simple can bring me back up that spiral as well, like a text from a friend, or something tiny like that. It brings me back to safety. I just wanted to put this out there in case anyone else feels this way. I want you to know that you're not alone, and I thought I might feel some relief voicing this in a safe space. I'm not really looking for advice or anything, just kind of wanted a place to talk about it, not just for me but for anyone who experiences this. I feel so vulnerable. I mentioned something similar to my dad once and he said it's because I have a guilty conscience. birdy

StressHead63 Feeling anxious - life and uncertainty after car accident
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I'm normally a "stress head" anyway but this has been exacerbated recently as I was injured in a traffic accident in May. I'm currently two months into a physiotherapy program for my injuries but am having problems going back to work. My... View more

Hi everyone, I'm normally a "stress head" anyway but this has been exacerbated recently as I was injured in a traffic accident in May. I'm currently two months into a physiotherapy program for my injuries but am having problems going back to work. My work environment is stressful normally and coupled with my current pain level, I can't seem to manage being there, even for a few hours. My stress lies in the fact that I only have limited annual leave/sick leave hours and the TAC only pays 80% of my pay. My husband does not work (unable to do so at this stage). My specialist tells me that I may be up for another 4 months or so of pain. So I stress about when I can return back to work and my potential loss of income, leading to loss of my house etc if I can't pay the bills. I still have 10 weeks worth of annual leave up my sleeve but that isn't 6 months worth. I worry constantly about what will happen after the 10 weeks worth of annual leave is up. We don't have many savings. This anxiety is at me constantly and what is making it worse, is that I am normally a person who over-thinks everything and likes to be fully prepared for any circumstance. Now that control has been taken out of my hands and I struggle. Please help me to help deal with this all.

AlexC1993 An issue has been causing me anxiety lately
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone How are you? It’s been a while since I have posted on here and there is something that I would like to talk about please. Recently I was with friends in Perth and we were minding our own business when one of us was accosted and threatened... View more

Hi everyone How are you? It’s been a while since I have posted on here and there is something that I would like to talk about please. Recently I was with friends in Perth and we were minding our own business when one of us was accosted and threatened by a member of the public for wearing a ‘Sons of Anarchy’ jacket. According to the stranger, the shows creator, Kurt Sutter, has told people not to wear these things. I had never heard this before and we were doing nothing wrong but showing our love of a TV show. No offence intended. Although this man became angry and threatened violence if the jacket was not removed. I am not a fan of confrontations and I detest violence and dealing with angry people is not my forte. We were all shocked and upset that this occurred. However, after some research, I uncovered news stories and personal blogs of people who have been assaulted and badly treated by those who take umbrage at certain fashion choices. My anxiety levels rose as I discovered that websites such as Wish, AliExpress and EBay were selling counterfeit versions of patches of real life Motorcycle clubs. Apparently donning this type of garb can in some cases have lethal consequences. I am very worried,scared and anxious that these websites are selling items that they must not. Ignorant buyers may purchase clothing articles and find themselves in deep trouble. I think more needs to be done to have this removed from the internet or at least a warning of some kind should be present. I know we live in a free society and the fashion police are non existent but with our personal experience of being abused for wearing clothing associated with a fictional club I would hate to think about what would happen to those seen wearing the logos of real life clubs. I imagine there would be some horror stories. Can someone please help me out? People are wasting their hard earned money on something that is very dangerous and I would hate for anyone to get hurt. Thank you very much for reading this.

Panicked_Kylie Newly Developed Panic Disorder
  • replies: 4

Hi! Im about to type a novel. I don't expect anyone to read it, I just wanna write it out. I'm not into posting my stuff on Facebook for the world to see, and I know it's safe here. I'm 32 years old and I've always had general anxiety. These last two... View more

Hi! Im about to type a novel. I don't expect anyone to read it, I just wanna write it out. I'm not into posting my stuff on Facebook for the world to see, and I know it's safe here. I'm 32 years old and I've always had general anxiety. These last two months though, I've developed a full blown panic disorder. I'm constantly nervous and my chest is in almost constant discomfort or pain. I've been on anti-anxieties for a few weeks now that have only slightly worked. I've had my heart checked, I recently had all my bloods done and they came back clear. I'm in otherwise good health apparently. I have no idea why this is happening to me now. My doctor recommended I quit coffee- apparently I drink a lot of it. I use it to substitute sweets, snacks, and food cause I have a habit of binge eating. So my coffee consumption might have a little to do with it. We'll see. It's my only vice, and I'm not sure what I can replace it with. Otherwise, I'm tired, frustrated, confused, in a constant state of discomfort and worry... it's become a self-fulfilling cycle of panic and symptoms. It's difficult to know how to stop it when it keeps feeding itself. I do a lot of things to help distract me. At night, I play thunderstorm sounds. I still get woken in the middle of the night feeling like my heart is beating out of my chest. Feeling waves of nervousness wash over me as I try sleep through it or ignore it. The pounding heartbeat just gets louder and louder. I have a lot of trouble sleeping these days. Either I don't get to sleep til all hours of the morning, or I get woken at all hours and can't get back to sleep for hours after. My GP has finally prescribed me with something to help me sleep... I hope it helps. I still have a couple of weeks to go before my anti-anxiety starts taking full affect. I have to trust the doctor when he says he's not worried about my heart. Its really difficult with the physical chest symptoms, but I have to have faith. It's been going on for 2 months now, and I'm not dead yet. I don't feel sick- just nervous and uncomfortable with an almost constant chest discomfort/pain. For it to apparently develop out of nowhere just adds to the anxiety. I've had anxiety my whole life... why is it now suddenly eating me alive?