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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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Scarlett06 Anxiety for travel
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone I’m being extra paranoid. I have to go home to another state to grab the rest of my things to bring back to my partners home. I’ll be gone for 3 weeks give or take as I have to home qurantine for 14 days. I don’t think this is something h... View more

Hi everyone I’m being extra paranoid. I have to go home to another state to grab the rest of my things to bring back to my partners home. I’ll be gone for 3 weeks give or take as I have to home qurantine for 14 days. I don’t think this is something he’d do, but I’m worried that if we fight and I’ve left majority of my stuff at his house, he won’t want to give ir back. Example; my PC. Once again I know I’m just paranoid, but is there a way to help me feel certain he won’t be able to hold on to it? (I can’t take my pc back with me as I’m flying and it will 100% get damaged and that’s just less room for me on the way back to pack stuff, I’ve also thought about posting but that wouldn’t work either.) im also worried about when I should leave, if I leave at the end of November I do have to qurantine but if I leave the end of December I don’t. I don’t know who I want to spend Christmas with, (my family or his) and I’m worried I’ll be unsafe by myself back at my family home for three weeks. Another con to going in December is I don’t have to stay for as long. But I do want to see my bird Louis. She’s my emotional support animal and I miss her like crazy, I don’t know how to get her down here either. Im sorry if this post was all over the place, I’ve got so many thoughts rushing through my head right now and I know beyond blue always helps me out. Thanking you, Scar.

PsychedelicFur Feeling really disconnected from myself
  • replies: 6

Hello everyone. First and foremost I have very high functioning autism. And lately, for most of this year I have been working on survivor mode and autopilot. I feel incredibly disconnected from myself. Each day I barely get dressed properly. I take t... View more

Hello everyone. First and foremost I have very high functioning autism. And lately, for most of this year I have been working on survivor mode and autopilot. I feel incredibly disconnected from myself. Each day I barely get dressed properly. I take two showers a day. I feel completely overwhelmed. I am flying through university, as I am an overachiever. However, with every spare second I get to myself I just feel so utterly drained and emotionally exhausted. Unfortunately, I have to mask myself for my university classes. I have to do a one year pathway in order to get into the degree that I want. The pathway is heavily sports orientated. And I am flying through it. Even though I am certainly not a sports person! I have roughly under six weeks left and then I can get my Diploma. I’ve been masking for YEARS. And I had never realised it. I mask my autistic traits so some of the Neuro typical people, around me in my course, don’t feel so uncomfortable. It’s frustrating. Working in groups to complete assessments can be utterly debilitating and taxing, on my psychological health too. I find that - conversing with unfamiliar people can make me really want to step away and become even more reserved. More specifically, if they don’t react in a positive light. I’m actively working on this trait of mine though. I just feel so disconnected from my body, soul and spirit. I feel drained. I enjoy my university work, of course. As it temporarily distracts my mind of my mundane thoughts.Or somewhat at least. I love actually creating the work. And I am successfully passing, so that is amazing!! Consequently though, when I don’t have online classes or it’s the weekend - I just feel so deprived of sometimes sleep, energy and motivation. I know it will all be so worth it in the long run though. I can feel it. I just feel so mentally frustrated and drained at the moment. I am hoping that it will all pass soon though ... PF.

44Max44 Am I developing (or do I already have) a eating disorder?
  • replies: 5

Hi, So last year wasn't a great one for me. My confidence was at an all-time low because I had gained a whole lot of weight and didn't like how I was looking at all. I didn't really notice myself eating more than usual, but I guess I most likely was ... View more

Hi, So last year wasn't a great one for me. My confidence was at an all-time low because I had gained a whole lot of weight and didn't like how I was looking at all. I didn't really notice myself eating more than usual, but I guess I most likely was because I'm not sure how else I'd have gained so much weight otherwise. Anyways, so this year swung around and like most people do I had a new years' resolution to lose weight and get fit again. At first for around the first 2 or 3 months I was in the gym, but that didn't really make me lose any weight at all and if anything just made me gain muscle while still keeping all the same fat (and maybe even gaining some more). Then something clicked in my head, I thought 'if I just stop eating as much, I'll lose weight.' so I did. I stopped eating. Whenever I felt that usual hunger pang in my stomach, I didn't reach straight for some food to satisfy it. I just let myself starve. It's gotten to a point where I eat only 2 meals a day and some snacks here and there. I find myself going to work feeling super hungry a lot of the time, and it's not unusual for me to feel very hungry most days but just ignore the urge to eat. I've dropped weight now so I am back within my 'healthy' BMI but I'm worried that if I continue like this I'll continue to lose weight and maybe even become underweight. Food isn't repulsive to me or anything, I can still eat it whenever I feel hungry no problems, it's just that I don't want to eat a lot of the time because I really don't want to become overweight again and stoop back into the depression I had last year because of my weight issues. I find myself feeling really hungry for hours and hours most days, usually to the point where I just stop feeling hungry because my body realizes I'm not going to eat. It's not very pleasant but I don't really know of any other way to lose weight, and I'm worried that if I go back to my usual 3 meals a day routine that I'll just pack on all that extra weight that I've lost this year. I don't know what to think. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you if you've read this far, I appreciate you.

Cloudyblue Panic attacks triggered by PPE at work
  • replies: 6

I work in healthcare and since the onset of Covid have struggled with the constant need for wearing masks for entire shifts at work. I have struggled, mostly silently, but have also been socially isolating myself as as a way to avoid masks wearing an... View more

I work in healthcare and since the onset of Covid have struggled with the constant need for wearing masks for entire shifts at work. I have struggled, mostly silently, but have also been socially isolating myself as as a way to avoid masks wearing any more than absolutely necessary. I have always been somewhat claustrophobic but masks have become very triggering for a crappy incident in the past that I had (so I thought) effectively buried. More recently with the increase need at work for full PPE and now having to always wear a N95 instead of the slightly less restrictive surgical masks, with minimal opportunity for breaks to remove the masks, my distress has increased. Firstly nightmares and worsening depression and mild (mostly controllable) panic attacks until more recently I had a major panic attack during work and was unable to carry on working. It was very distressing and embarrassing for me and now I'm almost having panic attacks about having another panic attack at work. My anxiety about going to work has increased dramatically. I am mentally exhausted from living on edge for such a long time and physically drained from ongoing palpitations whenever my anxiety gets on top of me. Mindfulness and meditations in the past have helped me, but don't seem to have the same effect anymore. Focussed breathing techniques have been my go to previously, but when in N95 masks and wearing all the associated PPE it feels near impossible to get a breath in let alone focussed deep breathing. All this PPE is here to stay for the foreseeable future given my job and I just can't seem to see a way out from where I am. Until now I have avoided medication, hoping therapy would help me through, but the anxiety is now crippling and in turn my depression has reached new lows. I'm not sure what I'm after...I guess I'm wanting to know if there are other healthcare workers who have similar issues and how they are managing to continue working under these circumstances. Working in an area without PPE is simply not an option for me, so I have to find a way to make it work. Thanks for any thoughts.

404notFound muscle and joint pain caused by stress and anxiety?
  • replies: 9

I believe this has been covered before. But as I am currently very anxious and stressed I just want to try and connect with people who may have experienced this themselves. Ever since a friend of mine told me they were unwell and have had some blood ... View more

I believe this has been covered before. But as I am currently very anxious and stressed I just want to try and connect with people who may have experienced this themselves. Ever since a friend of mine told me they were unwell and have had some blood tests, I have felt intense stress and anxiety that something may be wrong with them. They still haven't received the results. Since they told me they were going to the doctor, I have been experiencing the following: Muscle pain and spasms (moves around my body) Joint pain (moves around my body) racing heart tingling feelings in hands and toes. I find it gets worse as they day goes on. I remember feeling similar symptoms when I was waiting on blood results last year. I don't remember it being as bad as this (or maybe I just don't remember). Is this relatable at all to anyone else out there?

EC123 Anyone Else Dealt with Undiagnosed Health Issues?
  • replies: 15

Hi all, I have mentioned in some previous posts I have some undiagnosed health issues (doctors have ran multiple tests and found some abnormalities but don’t know what is causing them). Everyday I am struggling not only physically but mentally. I am ... View more

Hi all, I have mentioned in some previous posts I have some undiagnosed health issues (doctors have ran multiple tests and found some abnormalities but don’t know what is causing them). Everyday I am struggling not only physically but mentally. I am so worried something serious is wrong. My mental health has taken a massive plummet. I try to push myself to do some sort of exercise and talk to people but I mainly find myself at home by myself crying all day out of fear. I am not vaccinated yet as I have been advised not to until we find out what’s going on and can’t go out and see people (for that would be risking my health). I feel so alone. My uni grades and studies are falling apart, my family is sick and tired of seeing me this way, I barely see my boyfriend and don’t see friends, and I’m struggling to see this getting better. Things are getting really dark now Is anyone going through or gone through a similar experience? Xx

Kane_ I don't know
  • replies: 6

I don't exactly know what I expect to achieve from this maybe some kind of answer or closure I don't know. I feel like I shouldn't even be writing this as I know there's people out there way worse off and deserving than myself. But I figured I've bee... View more

I don't exactly know what I expect to achieve from this maybe some kind of answer or closure I don't know. I feel like I shouldn't even be writing this as I know there's people out there way worse off and deserving than myself. But I figured I've been constantly visiting this site for I can't even remember how long now in the hope to talk to someone but never end up getting there before I back out. For quite a long time since my early teen years actually I've been a anxious person always looking over my shoulder feeling judged, worthless, nervous, crying for no reason etc. that has seemed to stick around and progress as I've gotten older. The last 2 years I feel like I'm getting worse I no longer enjoy doing things I once used to love, it now feels like a chore. My eating patterns seem to be all over the place, one moment I can clean out half the house of food and the next I won't touch anything food related for a couple days or so. Sleeping has started to become an issue sometimes I'll sleep fine and other times I won't sleep at all I'm constantly tired no matter if I've had 8-9hrs sleep or 3hrs sleep. Everything in general has started to feel like a chore really I'll come up with any excuse not to leave my house apart from work and food shopping which even with food shopping I'll leave until the very last minute. I used to like getting out of the house on the weekends and exploring, but now whenever I go out I just feel exhausted and start to freak out at random times around groups of people. Which is my main concern just randomly my chest gets tighter my breathing sometimes becomes heavier and my whole body just goes into a very hot flush. Which freaks me out as I feel like people around me notice this happening thinking I'm some sort of weirdo which tends to make it worse. By that point I usually just bail on whatever it is I'm doing and I leave to go back home. I probably shouldn't have bored everyone with my whole life story but I guess I kind of wanted to paint a picture so I can get some sort of answer or closure as I don't want to feel like this anymore. I just want to know whats wrong with me, why do I feel like this? why does it feel like my mind/body is controlling me and not the other way around? Is it something I'm doing? can I fix it?

BM_John Exam help
  • replies: 4

is there anyone who can help to manage the exam stress? I am about to finish my studies and so much stress in my head. Can't focus and do the studies for the exam.

is there anyone who can help to manage the exam stress? I am about to finish my studies and so much stress in my head. Can't focus and do the studies for the exam.

LittleBlueWren Self esteem and anxieties
  • replies: 3

Hey all, I'm new to this and don't know much about threads. Just wanted to see how others have felt and dealt with self esteem issues. Long and the short of it, I am engaged and about to buy a house with my fiance. We have a long history. Like realll... View more

Hey all, I'm new to this and don't know much about threads. Just wanted to see how others have felt and dealt with self esteem issues. Long and the short of it, I am engaged and about to buy a house with my fiance. We have a long history. Like realllly long history, dating back to school friends. We also had a long time apart but found ourselves reconnecting after solo travel etc. We moved interstate together. To start a life we had been dreaming of. I thought things were great! Apparently he may not have. I found out he was advertising himself on a dating site. Trying to meet women for a hook up. He didn't meet anyone and deleted the account but my anxiety is through the roof and now I am doubting everything and myself. Am i not good enough? What is missing? Why cant he come to me about this? Am i not who he wants? Just a safe option. Do we get married and continue to buy a house or not? Do I walk away? If so, where to? We moved 1500kms away and i know no one. He wants to move through it as do I but how do i feel better about myself when this has happened? How do we rebuilt us and how do i rebuild me? Helllppppp

DaffodilDarling I just got diagnosed with OCD
  • replies: 19

Hi everyone, I'm always a little nervous to post in these forums and haven't done so often so please bear with me. This week I received confirmation of what I had been suspecting for a few months-- I have OCD, 'Pure O' to be exact. I was expecting to... View more

Hi everyone, I'm always a little nervous to post in these forums and haven't done so often so please bear with me. This week I received confirmation of what I had been suspecting for a few months-- I have OCD, 'Pure O' to be exact. I was expecting to feel relieved once I got this diagnosis, because I thought that once I knew what was going on, I could start working towards feeling better. But instead I felt the opposite? It kind of felt like this huge weight on my shoulders, like a big heavy label on my forehead that meant things would never be the same again, and I'd always be carrying the weight of my OCD with me. Did anyone else feel this way at first? I have great support from my family, but I'm struggling to explain it all to my partner. How do you tell someone about the awful, horrible, intrusive thoughts in your head without them looking at you differently? These thoughts go so against who I am and what I stand for as a person, that it's just so hard and embarrassing and terrible to explain. Any advice or words of wisdom would be so appreciated! Daffodil x