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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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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.

TheBigBlue Nothing left
  • replies: 3

I don’t even know what to call this thread…. Today was a bad day. It’s my 4th week back in a full time job after about 2 years of working casual hours. I feel so dumb & like I’m making too many mistakes. If the manager asks me something, I panic & my... View more

I don’t even know what to call this thread…. Today was a bad day. It’s my 4th week back in a full time job after about 2 years of working casual hours. I feel so dumb & like I’m making too many mistakes. If the manager asks me something, I panic & my mind goes blank & I just stand there like a mute idiot. The manager also seems to have high anxiety, which then seems to feed off on me & make me feel incredibly uncomfortable. so today I awoke at 0530 in a panic. I just couldn’t bring myself to go to work today. But I had no reasonable excuse as to why I couldn’t work. So I fell back into my old routine of avoidance. I avoided going to work i avoided calling in sick i avoided answering any phones from concerned colleagues i avoided listening to any messages or replying to any text messages i now feel so much shame & embarrassment. I can never show my face there ever again. I have let so many people down. I’ve let my partner down, I’ve let myself down. I can’t even get an appointment with my psychologist until early Dec. plus I don’t even know if I can express myself to her anyway. For those of you who remember my issue with her when she broke my trust, I can’t be completely open with her anymore. Because I fear she will put me in hospital. I’m afraid to go to hospital due to some serious medical conditions & that they may take my meds, medical equipment, or management of my illness away from me. Why is ist so hard to live a “normal” life. WTF is wrong with me? im rostered to work Sat, Sun, Mon but guess I will be a no show for all of them…. God I hate myself

44Max44 I'm really bad at socializing and hate myself because of it. Effecting my work life.
  • replies: 4

As the title says, I'm really bad at socializing, like really really bad. For as long as I can remember I've just not known how to interact with other people. I can interact fine with people over text or online but as soon as I'm face to face with th... View more

As the title says, I'm really bad at socializing, like really really bad. For as long as I can remember I've just not known how to interact with other people. I can interact fine with people over text or online but as soon as I'm face to face with them I just freeze up and go silent. My coping mechanism has always been to just be super withdrawn and try to interact with people as little as possible because as soon as I do interact with people I say or do something stupid which makes me super embarrassed, but that's a double-edged sword because it also means I never get any actual experience in socializing with people so when I'm forced to I'm completely and utterly inept. It really sucks because I have a lot to talk about but I just don't talk about anything. I've worked at a new job for something like 4 months now and I've seriously not even had a single proper conversation with anyone there in that entire time. I keep on thinking that my co-workers think I'm really weird or something for never talking to them or maybe think that I don't like them, but that's not the case at all, I think all of the people there are great people but I just can't express that to them properly. We're having a Christmas party later this month and I just said I couldn't go because I can't bare the thought of having to interact with them and possibly making myself look bad. I also think that if I just started being really chatty tomorrow that they'd think I'm even weirder because of the super drastic change. I don't know what to do. I hate myself for not being able to interact with people and make connections with them. Every time I do something I think is weird in a social interaction I find myself replaying the scene in my head over and over and beating myself up because of it and it makes me very depressed. One time I even cried after getting home because of how embarrassed I was with myself because I froze up from a simple question that someone had asked me. I just can't get the thought out of my head that everyone thinks I'm super weird or rude or cold to people. I'm actually a very friendly person. If someone asks for help I'm the first one to offer a hand. I just really don't know how to express myself or how to socialize. It sucks. I fear I won't be able to make any friends or find a girlfriend because of this. I fear that my work life will suffer because of this. I'm a full grown adult and I can't even hold a simple conversation. I feel like a failure.