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Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

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Kailani Reaching New Low
  • replies: 2

I don't really know why I am writing this tonight. I guess I just feel so overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated that I needed a place to vent. Recently I reached my lowest point. For weeks I struggled to function as my OCD and anxiety ruled my life. ... View more

I don't really know why I am writing this tonight. I guess I just feel so overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated that I needed a place to vent. Recently I reached my lowest point. For weeks I struggled to function as my OCD and anxiety ruled my life. Eventually, something gave and an event (I won't go into detail) occurred. After this event I felt relatively ok. Not happy but not sad. Numb. Which for me is fine. At least I can function. At least I feel relatively normal. However, the past few days I feel myself slipping back into that mindset. And it scares me. I am so terrified of getting stuck in that mindset again. I don't want to go through it again. In fact I don't know if I have the energy to go through it again. My increased anxiety is making my OCD so much worse. My routines are ruling my life, leaving me exhausted. Frustrated. I hate this. I just want to live life normally. But maybe I am not meant to? Maybe I am destined to always feel this way? The worst thing is I have no support network. Nor do I think I ever will. There are too many things stopping me from getting help. I have so much respect for people fighting mental illness. It takes so much strength. I hope u are all well. Now time to go do my rituals/routines... (Just because I am scared someone might accuse me of self diagnosing, I sought help a few years ago and it was during this time that I was diagnosed with OCD and anxiety. However, I stopped seeing a psychologist not long after the diagnosis hence I have no support network)

Freoman Palpitations and anxiety
  • replies: 1

I have recently started getting Palpitations, by this I mean extra beats or a feeling of skipped beats, It only seems to happen when I think about them or think about them when I am taking my pulse. ( eg: My pulse will be steady then I will think I a... View more

I have recently started getting Palpitations, by this I mean extra beats or a feeling of skipped beats, It only seems to happen when I think about them or think about them when I am taking my pulse. ( eg: My pulse will be steady then I will think I am going to miss a beat and I do ) I should add that i used to suffer from Atrial Fibrillation until I had an ablation 3 years ago. These palpitations are nothing like that (when my heart used to race with irregular beats up to 120 bpm) Now my pulse it steady at 65 to 80 bpm but with the occasional palpitations. This has only occurred since i stopped smoking completely 10 days ago so I am unsure if its my body adjusting or if the smoking was negating my anxiety to a degree. Any one else had this happen

Anthony_a Desperately need advice
  • replies: 2

Hi everybody, I’ve been going through a rough patch for the past 3 months. I’ve had problem after problem and haven’t had a break. I’ve been pro active and have been seeing a psychologist which has helped but I’ve still been experiencing constant ove... View more

Hi everybody, I’ve been going through a rough patch for the past 3 months. I’ve had problem after problem and haven’t had a break. I’ve been pro active and have been seeing a psychologist which has helped but I’ve still been experiencing constant overwhelming anxiety and stress. I’ve been sleeping max 4 hours per night and feel like I’m chronically stressed and anxious. I feel like My flight or fight is activated more than it’s not. 6 weeks ago I was lying in bed and got really bad heart palpitations which lead me to the hospital as I thought it was a heart attack ( I got cleared ) A week later I had digestive issues which were quite bad which lead me to think I had colon cancer. This lead to 3 hospital visits, blood tests & colonoscopy / gastroscopy (everything came back clear) I then ended up having really bad back and stomach pain so I got a CT scan & x-ray (everything came back clear) And for the past 2 weeks I’ve been getting severe body twitches & spasms that have had no mercy (especially in both my calf muscles) these twitches are basically from morning to night which also gives me really tight calf muscles and of course, now I’m really worried about that. I’ve spoken to my Dr and he told me it’s anxiety. For the past week I’ve been taking magnesium, trying to sleeping better and trying to minimise stress and it’s not getting better so my question is - Has anyone else experienced muscle twitching & spasms consistently ? I’m really anxious and would love to know if anybody has also experienced persistent body twitching. And can anxiety really cause these symptoms ?

Jispy Other methods besides alcohol
  • replies: 2

Ok, so I’m here to get advice on what to look for or what to do to help me out. where to start? Ok so pretty much this post is to seek out anyone who could help me with my late struggles. I have social anxiety and I might have slight depression based... View more

Ok, so I’m here to get advice on what to look for or what to do to help me out. where to start? Ok so pretty much this post is to seek out anyone who could help me with my late struggles. I have social anxiety and I might have slight depression based off of symptoms. These have been going on for years. pretty much with my anxiety I can’t talk to people without having a small panic attack. I used to get them at random especially when travelling but it’s gotten better over the years and only happens in convo and I also can’t drive at all without a complete panic attack Now the possible depressive side is the fact that I’m numb a lot of the time, have 0 motivation or when I do it’s short lasting. I struggle to get out of bed. I ALWAYS feel at the minimum a bit tired and always feel like I’m in a dream state. Every couple months or weeks I go through severe suicidal tendencies. Keep in mind I can feel happy and have emotion but it’s very watered down to the point of barely feeling anything. now recently I’ve been getting relief through alcohol. When I drink all of that does a 180. It’s made me realise I crave being and extrovert without any anxiety. It makes me so enthusiastic, motivated, happy, extroverted, I feel like I could do anything a normal person can do and feel euphoric for the first time in my life. When I drink I want to go to go out and enjoy life. Whilst sober I barely have the energy to move. now even though I feel so good, I have good control. I , at a maximum, drink once every 2 week. But I don’t want to rely on drinking to enjoy life and have worth. I’ve tried therapy and a couple different types of ssri’s, which yes does help a bit with anxiety, but makes me even more numb and ruins creativity which is a bad thing seeing how I’m a musician by trade< which is another thing anxiety ruins. I just need help with a direction I can go?

ggrrrpphephe This is how my anxiety comorbid with OCD and depression
  • replies: 2

Please share how my experience may be similar to people in this support group. I made a bad decision - have to deal with its consequences - like a grown-up adult. Perhaps I am not grown up yet. All I can see myself doing is ruminating my regret. Bein... View more

Please share how my experience may be similar to people in this support group. I made a bad decision - have to deal with its consequences - like a grown-up adult. Perhaps I am not grown up yet. All I can see myself doing is ruminating my regret. Being hijacked by the awful experience that comes with the bad decision (sorry i know it's vague...i bought an asset!) Worse I got my partner to deal with the consequences as well....which further makes me lose my self-esteem. Stand up and deal with it, right... How to break a lifelong pattern? And start to live freely???

Vivi82 Anxious about cervical precancer
  • replies: 3

Hello everyone, new to this forum and in seek of some reassurance I guess. I was having some menstrual issues an sling story short, I was overdue for my cervical screening. I was supposed to have it 3 years ago. No excuses here, I did have a bit of a... View more

Hello everyone, new to this forum and in seek of some reassurance I guess. I was having some menstrual issues an sling story short, I was overdue for my cervical screening. I was supposed to have it 3 years ago. No excuses here, I did have a bit of a rough 4 years separating from my husband, young kids etc. things truly slipped off my mind. Never had an abnormal result before. Different story this time around - came back as cervical adenocarcinoma in situ. I researched this and sounds like it’s precancer. The doctor proceeded to tell me they only scrape superficial cells and only after a more thorough exam at the gyno they will be able to confirm this. Gp also told me I will be ok, which is reassuring and I am not going to die anytime soon. I have sever health anxiety and I am scared to death about my gyno visit and a worse outcome. I have spoken with my psychologist which of course, has helped, but has anyone here had a similar diagnosis and then it turned out to be ok, cancer was contained and they survived just fine? I am not worried about hysterectomy or anything else, just want to be ok. I have two young kids and I’m worried to death. Thank you

bluetime00 Throat symptoms of anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am a long term sufferer of healthy anxiety and reactive depression. Recently, my latest symptom of anxiety has been the feeling of something stuck in my throat. It feel as though I have swallowed a piece of food that has then gotten stuck in my... View more

Hi, I am a long term sufferer of healthy anxiety and reactive depression. Recently, my latest symptom of anxiety has been the feeling of something stuck in my throat. It feel as though I have swallowed a piece of food that has then gotten stuck in my throat. Has anybody experienced anything similar to this? It is extremely uncomfortable and I cannot stop thinking about it.

Eoeon Extreme nausea from my crush! Help!
  • replies: 3

Hi, I’m 16 years old and in the 12th grade. Earlier this year I became friends with a boy from my local boys school (I go to an all girls school). I quickly developed a crush on him which has grown quite a bit throughout the year, I think he likes me... View more

Hi, I’m 16 years old and in the 12th grade. Earlier this year I became friends with a boy from my local boys school (I go to an all girls school). I quickly developed a crush on him which has grown quite a bit throughout the year, I think he likes me back, but I don’t want to risk that as he’s quite busy with his studies. today we went out on what I would LIKE to call a date and I was alright for a while, but when we went to eat I started to gag and choke on my food, I physically could not swallow anymore. I had to go to the bathroom just to relax myself. I felt sick for a while but it got better as we walked it off, but as we sat down and talked while waiting for my bus home, I felt sick again, he held my hands to try and make me feel better, which just made it worse. I played it off as being my seafood intolerance as we had ate sushi, but I know that prawns do not trigger it and this was much stronger. It felt like my stomach was cramping and every time he looked away I gagged, he looked very concerned. I’m lucky he’s a very caring guy. can anyone explain why my crush endured nausea is so strong? And any ways you think I could cope with it till at least year 12 graduation next year, which is when I would completely open up to him.

_Peta Maybe on the wrong medication for me?
  • replies: 2

Two years ago after having had therapy consistantly for a period of 4 years I felt I was getting more anxious. I woke up one night at about 3am with intense pain in my chest. It was so painful I couldn't breath normally. I dragged myself to my Brothe... View more

Two years ago after having had therapy consistantly for a period of 4 years I felt I was getting more anxious. I woke up one night at about 3am with intense pain in my chest. It was so painful I couldn't breath normally. I dragged myself to my Brothers room (we were housemates at the time) where I managed to wake him up and say the word "help". He called an ambulance, the entire time waiting for the ambulance I was convinced this was my first big panic attack. I was further convinced of this when the fantastic ambo's arrived and 4 minutes later the pain dissapeared. What other condition makes you feel so close to carking it and then you are suddenly fine? After many visits to the doctor and multiple tests, it turned out I had a gallbladder full of gallstones. I had it removed 3 weeks later. Before my pain was diognosed my doctor started me on some anti-depressants. I was just about ready for some extra help anyway. They helped a lot through this stressful period of time. I felt my panic symptoms dissapate and overall felt I was able to go day to day more pleasantly. Fastforward to COVID and having immediatly started to work from home at the start of March, I began to feel... everything. Anxious, dissjointed, overwhelmed but especially tired. My doctor increased my medication to compensate for all of the extra life stressors. I think the increased dose helped a bit? I am not actually sure. The main difference I have felt is absolute fatigue. I can barely make it through a day if work or even a day of nothing. I am dragging myself around like a slug. It has just gotten worse the longer I have been on this increased dose. Or is it just this year? I told my partner and my parents I don't know how I am going to get through my last 2 weeks of work before Christmas. It really makes me cry. I am so done. My mum is worried as she said she has never seen me look so tired and even though I have been through some really tough periods in my life, I have still always been able to look after my self a little bit, and at the moment, I JUST CAN'T. I think I would just like to know, is it the wrong medication? I have never tried another one. Or is this a symptom of 2020? I would like to feel good enough to leave the house and do some basic human activity but it's all too hard.

jessm1 Dealing with Anxiety
  • replies: 2

I should be so happy I have happy and healthy children that I love and they love me, I have a husband that I love and he loves me and looks after me. I have a a family that loves me, our new family home and animals that love me... why do I still feel... View more

I should be so happy I have happy and healthy children that I love and they love me, I have a husband that I love and he loves me and looks after me. I have a a family that loves me, our new family home and animals that love me... why do I still feel so empty and like I'm failing at life? We moved from Sydney to Queensland 1.5 years ago leaving our family and friends behind. It was so hard to start off with but got through it. Now The past year had been hard with the covid and packing and moving all by myself and my disease Lupus and Fibo doing it all alone i have been running on adrenalin and now my head and body just can't take it any more and I feel like an emotional mess. I know it was our decision to move up here to make a better life for the kids and a slower paced life for us with the bigger house and no debt other then our home loan. And that we have done with pride and the kids love it up here. But the empty spot in my heart is my parents not being near. I know it was our decision to move our your life is in Sydney, but I wish so much they could make part of there life up here with us aswell! I feel there missing out on so much of ours and the kids life's. All there school stuff milestones etc and life is just passing so fast. I want to look after tyem both when your old and dribbly, with appointments etc. I want to be able to get in the car and drive over whenever I feel like it. My only ever regret is leaving you them and not being able to get in the car and see them whenever. When I see other families my heart breaks so much which I try and hide and brush off for the sake of my kids, but I know when they see grandparents etc at school events there hearts break aswell. I am a mess with it all at the moment and I am really not coping with it at the moment, constantly crying and a feeling of emptiness. Any ideas on how to deal with this? Thank you.