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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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Sal559 Should I leave a great job over my anxiety?
  • replies: 7

I’m thinking of quitting a great job because I am so anxious and overwhelmed. I’ve only been there for a few months and I work with some super smart, caring people. But I can’t shake the anxiety and dread I feel every day going into work and having t... View more

I’m thinking of quitting a great job because I am so anxious and overwhelmed. I’ve only been there for a few months and I work with some super smart, caring people. But I can’t shake the anxiety and dread I feel every day going into work and having to hide it from my small, close knit team. Some mornings I wake up with heart palpitations, I have trouble sleeping and sometimes I don’t eat for whole days from the stress. I’m a software engineer but was a late career changer and prior to that I worked in the arts. I was an A-type in my last career, but in this career, but more specifically in this job, I feel like I am drowning. I have major anxieties when pressured to think on my feet or present/talk in groups even though I know I could do it if everyone wasn’t watching. I look like an idiot because I’m tripping over my words or blanking out and each time it happens, it knocks my confidence even more. I feel so stupid compared to my colleagues. I’m the least experienced in my team and I feel like I take so much longer to learn or achieve anything compared to everyone else. It doesn’t help that I’ve had brain fog over the past year which I suspect is from some trauma in 2020 (big breakup and general burnout I never resolved). The fogginess is affecting my cognitive abilities—I’m way more forgetful, scattered and not as sharp as before. It's really frightening. No one is telling me I’m doing a bad job but I know I am. The lockdowns have only exacerbated the anxiety and negative feelings and I feel like I can’t cope. On top of it all, I feel so guilty for not enjoying a good job. It’s stupid, but the biggest thing that holds me back from quitting aside from not having anything else lined up is the thought of the extra stress I’ll endure having to explain everything to my team and the guilt of letting down some excellent people. Some days I feel like I can push through and other days I feel like I must leave in order to get better.

Bulldogbobby73 Heart rate
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I have been feeling okay lately, still have moments of anxiety. Had a moment this morning about how fast my heart was beating, I had my arms folded and for a brief moment it felt like my pulse was high, this instantly put me in panic mod... View more

Hi everyone, I have been feeling okay lately, still have moments of anxiety. Had a moment this morning about how fast my heart was beating, I had my arms folded and for a brief moment it felt like my pulse was high, this instantly put me in panic mode and have been anxious ever since. my biggest phobia is my heart rate and I have to constantly resist taking my pulse as it was taking over my life. Another thing is, it seems I don’t feel anxious yet I am always vigilant regarding my heart rate, seems to always be in the back of mind - ironically my heart rate seems higher since taking my BP meds, even though my BP had gone down to normal, also every time I see my doc my heart rate is in the normal range and makes me feel I going mad, I’ve also had all the tests and all have come back normal - yet I still cannot shake this anxiety, is there anyone out there who has the same or similar thing??

bitter_biscuit Feeling like I black out for a second
  • replies: 8

Hi guys, I've been dealing with severe anxiety for just under a year now and have made some progress with counselling etc. Though I don't panic as much anymore, I still get this weird symptom occasionally where I'll be sitting down (usually on my pho... View more

Hi guys, I've been dealing with severe anxiety for just under a year now and have made some progress with counselling etc. Though I don't panic as much anymore, I still get this weird symptom occasionally where I'll be sitting down (usually on my phone or laptop) and I'd feel like the room just tips over very quickly, I feel like I pass out and my heartbeat become very palpable, and then it'll be gone in just a split second. Like my brains been washed over in a rush of darkness. Sometimes it only happens once, but today it has already happened twice. Has anyone else ever experienced this and have you managed to find out a cause? And has anyone managed to treat it? I might go and see a GP just to be sure, as I do tend to think of the worst possible scenario (typical health anxiety... ) It is honestly the one thing that scares me the most and I find myself worrying for the rest of the day.

Bordercharlie Hormone issues? (Male)
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I feel like my body is broken. When I should be excited I get anxious and irritable. When I have alcohol, it inhibits me in the following days way more than it does for others. When I should feel sad I often feel nothing. And recently wh... View more

Hi everyone, I feel like my body is broken. When I should be excited I get anxious and irritable. When I have alcohol, it inhibits me in the following days way more than it does for others. When I should feel sad I often feel nothing. And recently when I have tried to exercise with increased intensity, I have had major crashes the following day that I can only compare to some kind of drug comedown (no I do not take any substances). It's bizarre and disheartening. Has anyone else experience this? Any tips?

PsychedelicFur Worried about my living arrangements & heart palpitations
  • replies: 9

Hello there, So. We have sold our house. And of course because my mother is a malignant covert narcissist she is making the settlement and finalisation is the divorce a lot more difficult. Prior to the divorce we could not move out, pay for a rental ... View more

Hello there, So. We have sold our house. And of course because my mother is a malignant covert narcissist she is making the settlement and finalisation is the divorce a lot more difficult. Prior to the divorce we could not move out, pay for a rental and pay for our half of the mortgage because that is simply not viable. And we cannot work miracles haha. We have been applying for rentals lately because the settlement date is quite soon but we want to get in early so we can move all of our things. My mother wants 60/40. We have a solicitor representing us. And I am confident about that part. She is pregnant with another baby and claims to be in ‘ill health’. We have some more plans we are looking into. I just needed to get this off my chest. With our low income we can not afford anything at all extravagant. It’s a very complicated and difficult situation, unfortunately. I’m only nineteen and this is a lot of stress for me. I feel so disorientated. My mother was so psychologically abusive towards me. And now she wants more of the money in the divorce. And we are barely coping to put food on our kitchen table. We frequently get community assistance from food banks to help with groceries and other necessities because we are genuinely struggling. I struggled to pay my uni fees for semester one. The university thankfully waved them due to my circumstances and semester two fees are put on a hex. I am attempting to get through my diploma then apply for a three year degree just to better my circumstances and my lifestyle. I don’t want to live like this forever. It’s exhausting and debilitating. The Real Estate Agents whom we have sold the property with promised to help us find a rental, well they have not. We have asked on numerous occasions. Every time we call them they shrug us off and seem to treat us horribly because we are not from a particularly wealthy residential area. It’s so much uncertainty. And I just need to feel at ease again. I feel like I am far too young worrying about where I am going to live. Like I said my father and I are going to apply for some more options to help us. I am a full time student and have intentions on changing up my life. I am just suffering from PTSD from my narcissistic mother, psychologically abusive ex boyfriend (that I left a little over six months ago), selling the house, my mother cheating on my father will quite a few men, graduating year twelve last year despite the stress of the virus and the divorce.

Dreaming24 Health anxiety and dying
  • replies: 14

Just writing down my thoughts I’m hoping will help me gain some rational clarity on my anxious feelings. I’m really looking for support and positive stories! I have suffered from health anxiety my entire life, especially surrounding my heart. I’m 25 ... View more

Just writing down my thoughts I’m hoping will help me gain some rational clarity on my anxious feelings. I’m really looking for support and positive stories! I have suffered from health anxiety my entire life, especially surrounding my heart. I’m 25 years old and when I was 12 I had an echocardiogram to check out my heart as I told my mum I was suffering palpitations. All was good. On and off my entire life I have gone through stages where I feel such terrible physical feelings that I struggle to explain to anyone but I feel like I am dying. Heart flutters, big heart jumps or beats, head buzzes and feelings of being out of it, and just a sense of something wrong inside of me I can’t explain like a pain or a sensation I can’t put my finger on. I am going through a terrible stage now where I am convinced I have a serious heart issue and am dying. Every single day I believe I am having a heart attack or am going to pass out from a serious arrhythmia. I see a psychologist but have run out of mental health plan discount and struggle to see her more than monthly because of the cost. I have never been on medication for my anxiety and am seriously considering it now. I faced my fear and went to the doctors the other day and organised to get a Holter moniter to check my heart once and for all. The issue is I can’t get in for another week and I’m convinced I’m going to die before next week. I am struggling every day, especially when I’m at home with time to think. The physical feelings are so overwhelming I’m ready to take myself to hospital but they always eventually pass until the next time. Has anyone else thought they had heart issues that they’ve found out to be okay? How do you cope with the overwhelming feelings when everything seems so terrible?

TimHh Chronic insomnia but not depressed
  • replies: 2

Hi, new to this forum. I have suffered from severe insomnia for nearly 20 years with levels fluctuating from mild to extreme over the years. I do not suffer from depression though which is commonly associated with insomnia. I am generally an anxious ... View more

Hi, new to this forum. I have suffered from severe insomnia for nearly 20 years with levels fluctuating from mild to extreme over the years. I do not suffer from depression though which is commonly associated with insomnia. I am generally an anxious person but not in the extreme. My problem with insomnia is complex. If I have a mattress that is nice and soft I'm usually able to fall asleep and get a few hours rest, but this has not occurred for me in 12 months now, as I feel that my mattress is just not right for whatever reason. I load it up with foam overlays to soften it, but if I feel the spring beneath is too firm, I still cant sleep, I just cant seem to switch off and fall asleep. I have bought and sold 6 mattresses alone this year in 2021 and have not been content with any of them. I am at my wits end trying to get enough sleep to survive each day. I run a business and it impacts that negatively aswell as my relationship with my partner. I am constantly fatigued, this in turn stops me from exercising as I'm just too tired to do so, a self perpetuating vicious cycle. The problem is so limiting that I no longer travel anywhere as I just cant sleep wherever I go, it really is a terrible feeling of being trapped in this problem. I have tried everything to try and address my insomnia, from natural supplements, to CBT therapy, even a sleep study overnight stay, some 10 years ago. I didn't sleep at all during the overnight stay at the sleep clinic, so thought they would be able to diagnose a course of treatment for me, but all they said was perhaps take some anti depressants, I was shocked this was all they could offer, which brings me to my next point. My partner has has recently suggested taking an anti depressant, so I went to my GP and asked him about that and he agreed and prescribed me SSRI antidepressant, so now I am sitting here wondering whether or not I should be taking an anti-depressant to treat my chronic insomnia??? im not depressed at all (or at least I don't think so) and its scares me that it will alter my brain architecture for the worse, rather than for the good, but perhaps its worth a shot? Will increasing my seratonin levels cure my insomnia?? I'm really in the dark about anti depressants and their ability to help curb or treat insomnia. I would really appreciate some help or advice as to what to do. Thank you all for listening to my story, I just hope I can find something to help me beat this problem. Cheers, Tim

tofu I don’t know how to help myself
  • replies: 3

I don’t really know which section to post, sorry if this is the wrong one. I have lost the desire to do many things and can’t bring myself to do anything at the moment. After more than 7 years of needing help I finally went to a counsellor a few mont... View more

I don’t really know which section to post, sorry if this is the wrong one. I have lost the desire to do many things and can’t bring myself to do anything at the moment. After more than 7 years of needing help I finally went to a counsellor a few months ago. I had an extremely difficult time talking about myself, (I’m a really shy and private person), I opened up a bit but after the next 3 sessions came I felt uncomfortable taking so I cancelled and never had a session again. I think I got diagnosed with anxiety, but honestly was scared to ask and not sure if the person I was talking to can formally diagnose either? I just saw it on my medical record. I had no motivation to follow their advice/homework, I tried but I could never fully bring myself to do anything. I’m honestly really scared and uncomfortable with talking about this stuff face to face with some one that’s a real person, idk how to explain it, even through one on one texting privately (maybe it’s hypocritical of me to post on a forum after saying this?). It’s the fact that I don’t really want to share my immensely personal experiences but I desperately do at the same time, to get somewhere. I just don't really like physically talking/texting about this stuff and I know I’ll never be able to comfortably open up no matter how many sessions and with who. I couldn’t be open enough for them to really help me either, it was really general and they mostly did the talking, or at least that’s how it felt. So to me it’s like what they were teaching me wasn’t what I really needed because I couldn’t say much. I’m scared to go on medication so I don’t think I’d agree to that. I also don’t feel motivated enough to follow indirect advice atm too. In the past I tried it all, journal, exercise, breathing techniques, hobbies I don’t really have interest in anymore etc. I feel so stuck on how to better myself when I can’t bring my self to. Even what I’m fully diagnosed with, if I really have any mental health issues? I don’t have motivation for anything to do with myself, what do I do to help myself? Are there other options ? I feel like there’s too much to address now ahh. Thank you so much for getting down here and reading my essay ♡

Paris44 New job anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hi, this is my first post here. I started a new job on Monday. Did a few shifts but my anxiety got the best of me yesterday. Ended up spending the night in hospital. Dr has given me a week off but I can’t go back. I’m so embarrassed and the thought o... View more

Hi, this is my first post here. I started a new job on Monday. Did a few shifts but my anxiety got the best of me yesterday. Ended up spending the night in hospital. Dr has given me a week off but I can’t go back. I’m so embarrassed and the thought of even walking into the shopping centre where the shop is is terrifying me. I lost me dad suddenly last October and am still struggling with that. At the time, I had a good job as a manager in a store which I was at for 6 years but in February they cut hours back so I took a redundancy. I got a job straight away but in an completely different field. They were so good to me and they knew I was struggling with the loss of my dad. But I got anxiety everyday going to work and thought I wasn’t doing a good job. When I got offered the job in the shop they were understanding and really good about it. I felt so guilty that I was leaving but it’s what I thought I wanted and needed to do. But now I think I’ve made a mistake. I think I was trying to make my life how it was when my dad was here if that makes sense. I really feel like I’ve stuffed everything up and put everyone out. I really don’t mean to but that’s what keeps happening

Bulldogbobby73 Evolving Health Anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone, I am in the process of having my anxiety change symptoms every few days - it is so exhausting and annoying. I go from chest pains for a couple/few days, I get a handle on them, then I will be breathless for three or four days, then that ... View more

Hi everyone, I am in the process of having my anxiety change symptoms every few days - it is so exhausting and annoying. I go from chest pains for a couple/few days, I get a handle on them, then I will be breathless for three or four days, then that will mysteriously disappear, I then wake this morning and worry my heart is beating fast, for no reason and now have spent all day worrying my heart is beating fast. Does anyone else get this as it seems, if on any given day I am not anxious about something, I wonder why and question why I feel relatively normal. I’ve had health anxiety on and off all of my life, up until a few weeks ago it had not surfaced for a few years. I remember being at primary school (9-10 years old) and worried I had a brain tumour cos I had a headache for a couple of weeks and remember being distressed. I am now 47 and still worry most of the time about my health, have had ECG’s blood tests and stress ECG last week and shows I’m okay, just take meds for high bp. All I want is to feel free of anxiety and enjoy being with my kids and wife instead of being too anxious to enjoy being with them. I am so tired sometimes, I want to sleep for a week…

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