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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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Noskillz New job anxiety and depression
  • replies: 7

Hi I left a position last week that I had held for over 9 years due to bullying tactics from the new store manager. I accepted a position the same day from a store that was bigger and much more fast paced in my field of expertise. I commenced the pos... View more

Hi I left a position last week that I had held for over 9 years due to bullying tactics from the new store manager. I accepted a position the same day from a store that was bigger and much more fast paced in my field of expertise. I commenced the position 4 days ago. Since starting the job, I have been experiencing high levels of anxiety, fear, loss of appetite, panic and depression. I am losing sleep and feel so lost. I am not sure what to do. I am feeling that maybe I accepted this position too fast and did not deal with damage from my previous workplace. Part of me is wanting to push through this horrible mental issues, while another part of me wants to be fair to the employer and step aside for a suitable candidate. If I stay in this position., I am going to need to update a lot of my learning as my previous workplace did not provide product training at all. If I did remove myself from this position, I do feel that it would allow me time to sort some of trauma that carried with me from previous job. I am so confused and very unsure of what to do. I would appreciate any advice that can help. Finding it hard to think beyond feeling trapped, scared and panicked.

Rupes79 Help with OCD
  • replies: 14

Hi Everyone I’ve been working with a psychologist to overcome an OCD issue and it’s been pretty heavy work. Recently we’ve got to a point where I’ve been able to break the cycle and to a large extent stop the behaviour but oddly I’ve never felt worse... View more

Hi Everyone I’ve been working with a psychologist to overcome an OCD issue and it’s been pretty heavy work. Recently we’ve got to a point where I’ve been able to break the cycle and to a large extent stop the behaviour but oddly I’ve never felt worse. My anxiety is heightened and at time my mood is very low to the point I feel like crying. She has my writing a daily journal about how I feel but the last couple of days I’ve felt so bad I haven’t even been able to write about. It’s too depressing to express. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? If so, what advice can you offer?

Butterfly20 Anxiety or something else. Strange physical feelings
  • replies: 4

I am not sure what to do and what it is that I am feeling. Firstly I want to mention that I have been battling with anxiety and depression for 10 + years. I notice my anxiety gets triggered easily and i have a constant fear of making wrong choices an... View more

I am not sure what to do and what it is that I am feeling. Firstly I want to mention that I have been battling with anxiety and depression for 10 + years. I notice my anxiety gets triggered easily and i have a constant fear of making wrong choices and dont feel good enough amongst other things. I am also generally low in energy. However, over the past 4 months I have noticed severe fatigue, brain fogs, problems with memory and focus. After lunch i feel so sleepy and by 8pm i cant physically do anything as my muscles feel so fatigued. Today especially I became concerned when I lost orientation while driving back from work. I knew what street I was on but I did not recognise it at all. I also get lot of body aches at night. I am only 37 so this is starting to worry me. My GP did bloods and im not lacking in any vitamins/minerals. I started exercise thinking it might help. Maybe it takes time.

Susanna4568 Feeling extremely anxious when parents fight
  • replies: 7

Hi there, I've posted here a few times but am still relatively new so I hope I'm posting this in the right thread I'm in my twenties; however, I still feel highly anxious whenever my parents fight. My parents work long hours (they're shift workers) s... View more

Hi there, I've posted here a few times but am still relatively new so I hope I'm posting this in the right thread I'm in my twenties; however, I still feel highly anxious whenever my parents fight. My parents work long hours (they're shift workers) so they are often exhausted and stressed, and tend to take out these feelings on each other. Although I know that their fights don't involve me, that they aren't my fault, and that I should just stay out of it, I still feel really upset and anxious whenever they argue (even though I don't get involved). I almost always end up crying and panicking, and I feel so anxious/unhappy that it takes me a few hours to calm down and re-focus on whatever it is I want to do (eg. uni work). I worry so much that my breathing is impacted and I have to try and calm myself down. I don't know if it's because they argued a lot when I was a kid and therefore their fights trigger the same emotions in me now as an adult. I would also like to point out that my parents are very supportive of me and they always apologise to me (and each other) afterwards, but I still seem to feel very distressed every time it happens. If anyone could give me some advice, or if anyone has experienced the same thing and just wants to reply, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!

Bearzy9_ The thing I enjoy most triggers my anxiety
  • replies: 6

I’m a rugby union player, I love playing its one of the things I enjoy most but every time I go to play I get really anxious. It’s earthed I’m worried about letting my team down or that my family won’t be proud of how I play, or that I’m gonna get se... View more

I’m a rugby union player, I love playing its one of the things I enjoy most but every time I go to play I get really anxious. It’s earthed I’m worried about letting my team down or that my family won’t be proud of how I play, or that I’m gonna get seriously injured cause I have this slight bruise on my knee that hurts so maybe because of that it will cause a serious injury. sometimes I think it would just be easier to not play but I love playing so much, it’s just every time I go to play I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. It’s all this pressure to play well and to not get injured, to be a great player and to continue getting better but I feel as if I can’t live up to that.

worrier13 Health Anxiety/OCD
  • replies: 4

I have always been a worrier but as I’ve gotten older and particularly after I’ve had kids, my anxiety around my health and my children’s health is through the roof. Several years ago, I had an asbestos scare after some sanding I had done on our gara... View more

I have always been a worrier but as I’ve gotten older and particularly after I’ve had kids, my anxiety around my health and my children’s health is through the roof. Several years ago, I had an asbestos scare after some sanding I had done on our garage. After getting it tested, I was informed it was not asbestos sheeting. Every now and then the OCD thoughts return with constant What Ifs. What if they used a different material to the one that was tested (all panels appeared identical before painting). What if they got the test wrong? Nothing suggests it was asbestos. No markings on the sheets, my house being built several years after they started phasing it out, a builder telling me it’s not and of course two tests now (outside and inside the garage, both no asbestos detected). I think it stems from the guilt of not being more aware at the time and potentially putting my family at risk. And I now have these constant thoughts questioning it all and needing to reassure myself. It’s a vicious cycle that’s affecting my life massively. Has anyone else had anything like this happen to them?

Browneyedgirl82 Son needs support
  • replies: 12

Hi, I've been trying to find avenues to get my 11 year old son support for the past couple of years. He is diagnosed as ASD1 although I believe it to be closer to a Level 2 due to social skills and working memory issues. Also ADHD but this is mainly ... View more

Hi, I've been trying to find avenues to get my 11 year old son support for the past couple of years. He is diagnosed as ASD1 although I believe it to be closer to a Level 2 due to social skills and working memory issues. Also ADHD but this is mainly due to the lack of memory and focus rather than hyperactivity. Over the past couple of years his Anxiety has increased immensely. Along with it has come self esteem issues, self hatred, lack of motivation and now he has started punching himself in the head when he gets upset. I have been on a wait list since Sept 2020 to get him into a Pediatrician. He has been to see 2 psychologists who were not helpful. I feel he needs medication for the Anxiety as a temporary measure while we find him a suitable therapist, however without a pediatrician we cannot get this. My question is, where do we turn for support now? Funds are limited as we do not have NDIS. I'm worried that if we can't get him support soon it will take a very long time to fix the damage currently being done.

Muzzatron2000 My 7 yr old son has crippling OCD
  • replies: 7

In the last month, my 7 year old son has gone from a happy, bright kid to a crying, compulsive, germaphobe. Today, it deteriorated 10-fold to the point he is now crying uncontrollably about the possibility of germs on a bench, on a plate, on his mum ... View more

In the last month, my 7 year old son has gone from a happy, bright kid to a crying, compulsive, germaphobe. Today, it deteriorated 10-fold to the point he is now crying uncontrollably about the possibility of germs on a bench, on a plate, on his mum and I...It is breaking out hearts and we cant seem to find a mental health care professional without a 10 week wait.

El1990 Brain Fog Anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, This is my 1st time posting on a forum. I'm so stuck and I just don't know how to help myself. I have had GAD for the best part of 9 years managed with therapy and medication. For the last year I have been struggling with a constant brainfo... View more

Hey guys, This is my 1st time posting on a forum. I'm so stuck and I just don't know how to help myself. I have had GAD for the best part of 9 years managed with therapy and medication. For the last year I have been struggling with a constant brainfog I have been given the all clear by my doctor yet it just doesn't feel right. I can't focus or concentrate, I can't read a book and memorise it. I find it hard to get my words out or even find them in the 1st place Im spaced out and feel cloudy my anxiety has latched on to this so hard. I also struggle with health based anxiety, I feel low in mood and I think I might be a bit depressed. I haven't been on medication for the last 5 months but I'm thinking of going back on. This brain fog is very constant and I just don't know what else to do. I had my bloods, thyroid, Mri, inflam markers. and they all came back fine 🤷‍ Any tips or advice would be much appreciated. I just want to be my best self for my kids and for me.

Guest_206 I want to eat but I can't
  • replies: 8

Hi there, I have an eating disorder history and am currently struggling so much with trying to feed myself regularly. I want to eat, but I'm just not eating as much as I should be. It's like I am just so incredibly picky and fussy that I will go hung... View more

Hi there, I have an eating disorder history and am currently struggling so much with trying to feed myself regularly. I want to eat, but I'm just not eating as much as I should be. It's like I am just so incredibly picky and fussy that I will go hungry rather than eat if I am not fully tempted by it. Does anyone else experience this? Like I have some food in the house now, but I'm not tempted or craving it, so I've just gone hungry. I know this is bad. As I'm writing this, I feel like my ED must be in the driver's seat.