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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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Sadie23 Messed up interview
  • replies: 4

Hi There I have been unemployed for 3 years and havent done a job interview for that long. Applying for a new job has been completely triggering my anxiety but I finally applies for a job last week and got an interview. I was so excited but also got ... View more

Hi There I have been unemployed for 3 years and havent done a job interview for that long. Applying for a new job has been completely triggering my anxiety but I finally applies for a job last week and got an interview. I was so excited but also got very stressed. The interview was this morning via zoom and I botched it. I talked too much, went off on a tangent, didnt answer questions properly and sweated so much it must have been noticeable. Now I am feeling like a failure and overwhelmed with anxiety. Any tips to calm me down. I did go for an hour long walk.

_blank i feel like my anxiety has been getting worse
  • replies: 4

I feel like my anxiety is just progressively getting worse. I really don't know what to do except try to cope with it by typing about it. I feel like every time i am feeling any sort of emotion it causes me to overthink. Overthinking is all i seem to... View more

I feel like my anxiety is just progressively getting worse. I really don't know what to do except try to cope with it by typing about it. I feel like every time i am feeling any sort of emotion it causes me to overthink. Overthinking is all i seem to do and i have no idea how to distract myself from it. I wish i could just stop but it feels like i am stuck in a vicious cycle where one thought leads to another and i am just left upset. My main worry at the moment is about my girlfriend who suffers from depression and anxiety like me. Due to circumstances we have had to make our relationship long distance and now she is on the opposite side of the world. I love her so much and i honestly don't know what i would do without her. I feel so distant from her and it just feels like i can't protect her, it's just so far outside of my control. I want to be there for her but the only way I can be is through words. I am just really not sure how i am meant to show her that i love her. I am mainly scared of her leaving me, from what my friends have told me and put into my head is that the long distance relationship is a bad idea. They don't understand how much i love her and how much she means to me, they think that she will leave me the first chance she gets and won't even tell me. I have a lot of trust in her but frankly it is really hard to block out their input because it means a lot to me. I feel like it is some sort or warning but i just don't want it to be, i love her and i don't want to breakup with her but i feel like i also want to protect myself. I am really hoping that it gets easier for me to live with the fact that I can't physically be with her but for right now it just scares me and makes me really nervous and anxious. In the past she has also tried to self harm, this scares me because i don't want her to try again. The experience I had with this situation was really terrible and I honestly didn't know how to cope with it, it just hurts so much seeing someone i love so much go through these things. I have tried my best to pinpoint the cause of my anxiety lately outside the basic things like school that are always sort of there. I just feel like it's getting worse and harder to cope, it just puts me in a depressive state which i hate being in.

aegidius Approaching dementia has made me hypervigilant and anxious
  • replies: 5

I don't actually have a dementia diagnosis. I can sit in a doctor's office and ace the MMSE, because I'm not distracted and never had trouble with exams. But I'm forgetting things more and more as the years wear on. I've become convinced - perhaps wr... View more

I don't actually have a dementia diagnosis. I can sit in a doctor's office and ace the MMSE, because I'm not distracted and never had trouble with exams. But I'm forgetting things more and more as the years wear on. I've become convinced - perhaps wrongly - that dementia is in my future. I'm 67, and my father suffered from it (but not the quick-onset familial kind, afaik). It has made me very worried about forgetting things, which makes things worse I know, and I'm checking and rechecking everything. I feel greatly ashamed when I (for example) turn up at the shops having forgotten my wallet. Eventually I fear I'll mess up something with real consequences. I can go along for a few days when everything works fine, and then something happens to remind me that it is all a house of cards. I've had to give up creative pursuits of various kinds in order to reduce the distractions and just do what has to be done in the present. I know there's no answer to this, and no answer to the big question of how will the future play out. Just had to get it off my chest.

Petal_17 New to here. Feeling overwhelmed
  • replies: 7

Hello everyone, I am struggling today with my mental health. I have anxiety disorder, depression and OCD. Thoughts of low self-care and worth as I cannot shift ruminating thoughts over a mistake I made last weekend in a social situation. I have been ... View more

Hello everyone, I am struggling today with my mental health. I have anxiety disorder, depression and OCD. Thoughts of low self-care and worth as I cannot shift ruminating thoughts over a mistake I made last weekend in a social situation. I have been seeing a guy and we've been spending bit of time together, just going out for dinner on weekends as both work during the week. Well last Saturday night he asked to kiss me which was OK, but things got a bit heated and he touched me. I was ok with it at the time, not ideal. I went home and slept. The next morning I woke in complete panic as if I had done something wrong, and I just didn't feel my normal self. As the day went on I started crying. I felt a failure, I can't even message him or feel a connection with him any more. I feel like I have ruined a perfect situation by giving in and letting him touch me. I feel so unclean. I feel depressed. I don't want to see any friends. I can't look at my family in the eye. I recognise my thoughts are over the top but I cannot shift from feeling intense doubt, fear, failure. I've been in similar situation about 2 years ago with a different guy, and took me ages to get over. Feeling quite unwell. Not sure if others get similar problems. Think it's my OCD rearing it's ugly head.

Eoeon Overly protective of others?
  • replies: 1

Hi, I’m 17 years old and in my last year of high school. I’m diagnosed with adhd and am suspected high functioning autistic. I’ve had verbal diagnosis of anxiety and PTSD. when I was younger I had no friends, I was a strange kid so I kind of understa... View more

Hi, I’m 17 years old and in my last year of high school. I’m diagnosed with adhd and am suspected high functioning autistic. I’ve had verbal diagnosis of anxiety and PTSD. when I was younger I had no friends, I was a strange kid so I kind of understand (I used to think I was a horse lmao) id say I didn’t have any more than one close friend until high school, where I saw lots of groups of friends come and go.. I’d say about 9-10 groups of girls Over time I started to become extremely protective of my friends, getting anxious whenever any of them took risks or seemed to be in a bad situation i recently got together with a great guy, but some of our mindsets don’t match. He’s fine with taking risks, and thinks that consequences are important for learning and making better decisions in the future. I however, do my best to avoid conveniences at all cost. i tend to get very worried about him, I hear something small goes wrong like he doesn’t have any University plans, or he bet some money, and I get extremely anxious, I feel nauseous and dizzy, and I tend to hide i Would NEVER stop him from doing what he enjoys and I swear I am not controlling. His decisions are up to him and as long as he’s being smart and logical I love him either way. He’s a smart man and in general I don’t worry about him. but I can’t stop it. Even if I know I shouldn’t be worried the symptoms take over me. He told me he doesn’t like that I worry all the time, and that I shouldn’t let his actions affect me. It kind of hurt my feelings and it made my anxiety worse. i Know I have nothing to worry about and I want to stop being like this. I am medicated for anxiety but even with the medication I will sometimes crack at times that I can’t control, breathing is hard for a long time after too what can I do to stop this? I don’t want anyone to feel at fault for my own disorders. Because it’s not them I should be worrying about, but myself.

Nervybella Waking up super early and super anxious
  • replies: 5

Hi all sorry if this is already a thread but I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. background: I started a new job about four weeks ago. It’s a bit overwhelming and I’m quite anxious as is. then for the past two, maybe three weeks I have been... View more

Hi all sorry if this is already a thread but I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. background: I started a new job about four weeks ago. It’s a bit overwhelming and I’m quite anxious as is. then for the past two, maybe three weeks I have been waking up at around 4am every single morning with a racing heart, sweats, tight anxious stomach. It’s exhausting. I then find it hard to go back to sleep and I find it puts me in a bad mood to start the day im also finding now that I dread going to bed because I know this is how I’m going to wake up has Anyone else experienced this? What did you do to help it? I currently take herbal sleeping tablets but falling asleep isn’t my problem -Bella

Tigerlillys Panic attacks and extreme nausea
  • replies: 1

Hi there, I am wondering if I’m not the only one that experiences extreme nausea when having a panic attack? It gets to the point where I will vomit but still feel sick. My anxiety is also trigged by feeling sick and I have a fear of throwing up so i... View more

Hi there, I am wondering if I’m not the only one that experiences extreme nausea when having a panic attack? It gets to the point where I will vomit but still feel sick. My anxiety is also trigged by feeling sick and I have a fear of throwing up so it a horrible time and my attacks last for hours. I also can’t keep medication down to help the attack. I also shaking uncontrollably and non stop throughout the attack. Does anyone have any advice or tips of how I can manage this? Thanks! ps. Sorry I just need to get it out and tell someone but don’t want to bother people

Yanish42 Anxiety - I am new here and seeking support
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I just need support to keep pushing through. I have anxiety and difficulties sleeping. It tough, I am on medication for my mental health and taking sleeping tablets but I can get only 5 hours of sleep or so. Does anyone have suggestions for a... View more

Hi all, I just need support to keep pushing through. I have anxiety and difficulties sleeping. It tough, I am on medication for my mental health and taking sleeping tablets but I can get only 5 hours of sleep or so. Does anyone have suggestions for a coping strategy?

Catherine3 Have you overcome your upbringing ‘to be seen and not heard?
  • replies: 2

Hi there, Can anyone share some tips to overcome ‘To be seen and not heard’ upbringing? This has led me to be lack confidence to know my view and voice my view and in turn withdraw and be anxious.

Hi there, Can anyone share some tips to overcome ‘To be seen and not heard’ upbringing? This has led me to be lack confidence to know my view and voice my view and in turn withdraw and be anxious.

SquireHarbour Fear of everyone laughing at me
  • replies: 2

Hello, this is probably all irrelevant in the end, but here goes. I slept through the Euro 2020 finals. Woke up to find out that Italy won against England. Cue feeling like I shouldn't even bother liking a team anymore. The anxiety and stress levels ... View more

Hello, this is probably all irrelevant in the end, but here goes. I slept through the Euro 2020 finals. Woke up to find out that Italy won against England. Cue feeling like I shouldn't even bother liking a team anymore. The anxiety and stress levels shot straight through the roof. Spent the last three hours crying in anxious fear. Psych says I have social anxiety disorder combined with my major depressive disorder, autism spectrum and mood swings. These days, I can't shake the mere idea that everything that I support or like, people are laughing at me. Mocking me. Judging me as a person. This Euro final thing is exactly that. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I somehow feel like every Italian supporter is laughing at me for daring to support England. Mocking me for even considering that the English team could break 55 years of pain. Like I should be ashamed of even daring to hope, or dream, or even thinking that they could win... This fear is why I don't reveal what music I like. What movies I watch, what TV shows I like. What sport teams I barrack for. I am so scared of revealing what I have, or what I do. Or even where I go or what I even think on certain topics. I am terrified of just revealing anything personal in general. Because, somehow, I just fear that people, somewhere, will laugh at me/judge me/mock me for revealing anything about myself, all day, everyday. Forever. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't feel like I can even care about things or say what I like anymore. Because I just fear is that the world will laugh in my face if I ever reveal what I like or care about anymore. It's feels like inevitability.