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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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G1997 Teacher anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hello! I am a graduate teacher who recently took over in a maternity position role. I have OCD, general anxiety and depression but I am fairly on top of it usually. Last year, I worked my butt off going to therapy, a healthy diet, exercising everyday... View more

Hello! I am a graduate teacher who recently took over in a maternity position role. I have OCD, general anxiety and depression but I am fairly on top of it usually. Last year, I worked my butt off going to therapy, a healthy diet, exercising everyday and completing self care practises and it made the world of a difference. I went off medication and felt like I was really in control of things. I love my job a lot and have enjoyed the term thoroughly. However, when it came to report writing time I suddenly started to experience anxiety around it. I had no motivation to go to work, I have been panicking about it and obsessing over it wherever I go. Even when I am in bed reading my book or scrolling on my phone it’s all I can think about. I was having a panic attack almost every single night after work. Logically, when I speak to people I am able to think about things clearly and feel calmer but it’s not long before I spiral again. I ended up going to emergency as I couldn’t calm myself down and I had recently moved house where I had not set up a GP or psychologist in my new area. They gave me some medication to get through the weekend which helped but I was to the point where I couldn’t complete reports without having medication. I saw a doctor who put me back on medication but most psychologists are currently not available until September and it’s tricky that I work school hours. I have reached out to my school who have been super supportive and I expected to feel relief after having a good conversation with them but it hasn’t gotten any better. I am still either consistently anxious or I’m sleeping all day and not getting out of my pyjamas. I am to the point where I want to leave my job or ask for a job share position. I feel like a failure though because I worked really hard at uni to achieve this and I feel like I’m throwing it away. I’ve been told that I have so much potential as a teacher and that I am doing a great job but at the moment my anxiety is crippling me. I don’t want to give up but I don’t know what the best decision is for my health. Does anyone have any advice or has been in a similar situation??

jakewillo Anxiety question
  • replies: 2

Hi, I believe my son has anxiety he is 9 years old. He sleeps in the same room as me as hes scared on his own. He recently started having nightmares. He asks me sometimes if hes in a dream. He came home from school today as i think he had anxiety. He... View more

Hi, I believe my son has anxiety he is 9 years old. He sleeps in the same room as me as hes scared on his own. He recently started having nightmares. He asks me sometimes if hes in a dream. He came home from school today as i think he had anxiety. He said he asked his friend if he was in a dream, he said yes and his tummy started hurting. I have looked online and i think this may be derealization although i am not entirely sure. I think its defo a form of anxiety?? Any tips would be helpful.

Helpmeeeee Hey guys I have a question
  • replies: 2

CW: d*ath Does anyone else feel absolutely terrified and hopeless because everyone you know and love will eventually die? Follow up question: How can I manage this? At this point I'm really scared of losing everyone, and I feel like it's gotten to th... View more

CW: d*ath Does anyone else feel absolutely terrified and hopeless because everyone you know and love will eventually die? Follow up question: How can I manage this? At this point I'm really scared of losing everyone, and I feel like it's gotten to the point where it's irrational. Like I'm worried about this almost all the time now and it makes me feel sick.

Wubbit Struggling with terrible health anxiety
  • replies: 2

First time member here. I am having such a hard time right now and did not know where else to turn. I have a few weird symptoms going on and because of terrible health anxiety I have decided that I have MND. I saw my doctor yesterday who is running s... View more

First time member here. I am having such a hard time right now and did not know where else to turn. I have a few weird symptoms going on and because of terrible health anxiety I have decided that I have MND. I saw my doctor yesterday who is running some tests. He told me he did not see any red flags and was not concerned about anything sinister. My GP is great and I trust him BUT this bout of anxiety has turned to debilitating fear. I can’t eat, I can’t function in life at all and I am pacing my house all day every day monitoring symptoms, just expecting more to turn up. I am terrified. I am trying to be rational but I can’t snap myself out of it. This has been going on since Sunday and I am exhausted, anxious and scared beyond belief. I have a very supportive husband but he does not suffer anxiety and I think struggles to understand my behaviour. thanks for listening.

Lucyyy Sudden disorder after recreational drug use
  • replies: 6

Hi guys! little introduction, I’m Lucy. I’m 21 years old and have recently been told I have a weed induced anxiety/panic disorder. One night I was out with a friend and we decided to smoke a joint together. I started to have what I believe now to be ... View more

Hi guys! little introduction, I’m Lucy. I’m 21 years old and have recently been told I have a weed induced anxiety/panic disorder. One night I was out with a friend and we decided to smoke a joint together. I started to have what I believe now to be a panic attack but at the time I truly thought I was dying. It felt like my vision blacked out and my feet were so heavy and felt swollen. I couldn’t walk straight and my heart was pounding. I was in hospital at the time of this diagnosis and they told me it should only last around a month before I’m back to normal but it has been 4 months now. I constantly have panic attacks thinking I’m losing my vision and dying, that I’m having brain aneurysms or strokes or that my brain is bleeding even though I had a CT scan in hospital which cleared all those possibilities. I’m struggling a lot with this and am finding it hard to get on with every day things. It’s been especially hard to sleep as I constantly tell myself that if I fall asleep I won’t wake up again. I’ve always had anxiety but I never experienced panic attacks like this before the weed incident. has anyone else experienced this here? How did you get through it and what steps did you take. My brain constantly tells me I’d rather die than live like this so I know it’s time to get more help thank you in advance

silicontrip I just need to vent (or why isn't anyone listening)
  • replies: 2

I've been dealing with many different things since the last time I posted and it's all just now that I need to get it out. Yesterday I got a call from our rental agent that the owner is selling and we have 60 days to get out of the property. I've onl... View more

I've been dealing with many different things since the last time I posted and it's all just now that I need to get it out. Yesterday I got a call from our rental agent that the owner is selling and we have 60 days to get out of the property. I've only had very bad experiences with moving as a child, associated with my mum having a relationship breakup and then moving into whatever she could afford by herself. As a consolation I'd get a new computer, so technology is my safe place. I never felt secure anywhere, until I bought my own place (something about high water and hell...) until my current wife, who didn't like the property, said we should rent. I admit the location was much more convenient but I never felt safe or secure. Dreading what happened yesterday (I probably just manifested that) when I came home trying my best to keep my anxiety under control, in front of the kids. My wife did state, "why are you so stressed, I'm the one who will have to do all the work" to which I was so stressed that I couldn't coherently remind her of how moving has been for me. She isn't listening. oh wow, I've run out of characters for my next concern but wait there's more (I wanted to get it all out) ... I feel that this online forum engine isn't listening. frustrated, sad, alone. No one is listening. (not proof reading it either, you'll just have to deal with spelling mistakes, typos an incorrect use of you're and they're)

PsychedelicFur I’m struggling
  • replies: 7

I’m really struggling with a lot of anxiety at the moment.

I’m really struggling with a lot of anxiety at the moment.

Flipperz Ocd pure o intrusive thoughts
  • replies: 8

Hey, I’m new to this and this will be my first time posting on any type of forum but I have been struggling for probably a few years now with 100% certainty pure o and also ADD both being undiagnosed so far but with some internet searches I strongly ... View more

Hey, I’m new to this and this will be my first time posting on any type of forum but I have been struggling for probably a few years now with 100% certainty pure o and also ADD both being undiagnosed so far but with some internet searches I strongly believe I have them ! I do think I have done quite some damage to my brain in my 20s with partying being my main focus for the majority and never really set meaningful goals so my brain chemistry has been a little wack for a while but porn has also been a problem so sexual thoughts were quite frequent but never really bothering me too much. Until a few years ago multiple videos of some fetish pornography videos were shown to me and of-course shrugged and cringed as most would but out of nowhere I kept getting flashes of some of those scenes throughout the day and started thinking yuck why did that pop up in my mind but would only be about a dozen times per day but as I’ve read the more you dwell on a thought the stronger it becomes so fast forward a couple of years I now suffer with constant images of that theme which is extremely embarrassing to even admit even though I understand they are just thoughts but also just total confusion and scattered thinking to the point I can barely think at all or focus on any task at hand I quite literally feel I’m becoming demented at times but to the average eye I probably seem fine and I guess just a little slow sometimes! I strictly have disgusting foul images, there is no voice in my head saying that I want to be this way or no urges at all and funny enough no real anxiety just pure disgust and feeling like I’ll never have nice thoughts and clarity again! I’ve seen a psychologist for a few sessions but he pretty much told me what I’ve already read and was costing too much, so now as I know I shouldn’t be doing is googling ways to attack this rotten monster that saps away at my soul and this is where I’m stuck because on one end is ERP but that’s aimed at reducing anxiety where I feel I don’t have much of that due to the thoughts only when I can’t give my undivided attention to someone and the other was from a book I read called brain lock where they talk about rewiring your brain chemistry through focused attention on anything you value so more of a mindfulness approach to getting through this disorder! I’m not sure which way to turn on this cross road :s I’m very sorry for the lack of grammar but I would love some advice thnx

Sarah0209 Bulimia & chest pains
  • replies: 1

Hi there, ive never been diagnosed with Bulimia but I’m pretty aware that I have it. Ive been having symptoms for quite a few years now and we’ll aware that I have a problem. My dr is aware that I have issues with my body issues but I have never brou... View more

Hi there, ive never been diagnosed with Bulimia but I’m pretty aware that I have it. Ive been having symptoms for quite a few years now and we’ll aware that I have a problem. My dr is aware that I have issues with my body issues but I have never brought up all my symptoms. Yesterday however, I have noticed that I have been getting sharp pains on the right side of my chest during an episode and this has continued to happen today. Obviously being the opposite side of where my heart is, does anyone know what this could be? thanks everyone..

Worried_Dad Anxiety before work
  • replies: 3

My son has just left school and started a job. He was very nervous the first two days, but talked highly of his experience and people he worked with, on both afternoons after work. On the third day he was unable to get out of the car to go into work ... View more

My son has just left school and started a job. He was very nervous the first two days, but talked highly of his experience and people he worked with, on both afternoons after work. On the third day he was unable to get out of the car to go into work and sat there shaking and feeling like he was going to throw up. He tried again today, with the same result. I am not sure what I can do to help personally and not sure what help I should try and get him professionally.