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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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Hannah4444 Health Anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hello, I was wanting to hear some stories about people suffering from Health Anxiety/hypochondria.

Hello, I was wanting to hear some stories about people suffering from Health Anxiety/hypochondria.

Meagannn Tips for Overcoming Emetophobia (fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit)
  • replies: 1

When I was 6 I had a traumatic experience when I was sick for a couple weeks straight. From then on I was terrified of germs that make people vomit! It changed my life... it controls me... I am now 21 and and fighting the battle of emetophobia alongs... View more

When I was 6 I had a traumatic experience when I was sick for a couple weeks straight. From then on I was terrified of germs that make people vomit! It changed my life... it controls me... I am now 21 and and fighting the battle of emetophobia alongside my OCD, anxiety and depression. I cant eat anything other people have touched and not even food with my own hands (I have to use a knife and fork or eat out of a packet). If there are situations where finger food is the only option, I starve myself because I cannot stand the anxiety of what germs I could be consuming. My diet is very limited because of it; when I have long 10/12 hour days at work I often don't eat or drink as I am scared of what I might consume (not the best on my body as I am naturally petite built and weigh around 45kg). I wash my hands to the point of them bleeding and cracked as I do not want to risk the spread of germs. I feel alone... no one around me understands. They always say "no one likes getting sick" and "if you do, you get better afterwards" but they don't understand my anxiety around it. Even if my stomach feels unsettled the slightest I work myself up so much that I feel so nauseous and don't eat anything. It brings my self esteem down so much to see all these "normal" people around me that does let it worry them. It is even ruining my relationships with people closest to me as it is a lot for them to understand and they do not know where to start to help. I hate feeling like such a burden on everyone! It controls everything I do and no matter how hard I fight my thoughts/worries I seem to always get defeated, it seems to always win...

shanna_d Anxiety
  • replies: 7

Anyone else have intrusive thoughts about hurting your pets or others? I feel so bad when I have them and like I’m a bad person. I’m now on better meds for my illness so I’m hoping they’ll work. Takes about 2 to 3 weeks.

Anyone else have intrusive thoughts about hurting your pets or others? I feel so bad when I have them and like I’m a bad person. I’m now on better meds for my illness so I’m hoping they’ll work. Takes about 2 to 3 weeks.

C__lanatus My job turns me into a pale shadow of myself.
  • replies: 4

Good day, I've come to this forum to vent but also hopefully find some answers or direction for my life. I have a problem with anxiety is usually quiet in my homelife but is unbearable when I go to work. I will now explain the background to this prob... View more

Good day, I've come to this forum to vent but also hopefully find some answers or direction for my life. I have a problem with anxiety is usually quiet in my homelife but is unbearable when I go to work. I will now explain the background to this problem. My homelife is normally okay. Unfortunately that's probably because all of the activities I get up to don't revolve around interaction with other people. I garden and get into nature and spend too much time on the internet. I also volunteer and that does involve interaction with other people. I enjoy volunteering very much. I am now 26 years old and have experienced anxiety for as long as I remember. Apparently the first day I was bought into kindergarten I just laid on the floor avoiding the other kids until somebody gave me a piece of paper to draw on. Since then I have had persistent issues with talking to people and always saw myself as the outlier. School was difficult until I reached highschool whereupon I had flowering of academic ability. That academic excellence got me through to the end of university (realistically it was my ability to remember a lot of information that did it) Afterwards I think I burned out. The year after uni I worked as a casual technician and had a trip around Australia. In 2017 I saw a psychologist for the first time and completed honours. Then the year after I worked in a lab (it was great) before getting a real job and moving away from home. This is where the problems really began. I was unable to adapt to the type of work expected of me and moving complicated things. I was in a team of 1 in an environment requiring good people skills, resilience and much more experience than I had. I wanted to leave but felt paralysed due to a belief I couldn't get a new job and because of family pressure to stay (permanent job). Eventually I saw a psychologist again which helped and my employer tried a little harder as well. It's been two years since then and not much has improved. I go to work in the morning and die inside. Somehow I get through the day whilst doing nothing at all and then I go home so exhausted I can't muster the strength to get myself out of this situation. I'm tired of this job that requires personal skills and confidence I don't have. I am terrified of the stakeholders I am meant to be working with and have panic attacks just thinking of them. I would love to leave but I am paralysed over the question of if it is the right thing to do. What do you think?

QWERTY27 Just need a safe place to talk
  • replies: 5

Hi there, I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for years. I go through cycles of deep depression every few years but I haven’t had one this bad since I was a teenager. I’m now in my 30s in a long term relationship and we share a child together. ... View more

Hi there, I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for years. I go through cycles of deep depression every few years but I haven’t had one this bad since I was a teenager. I’m now in my 30s in a long term relationship and we share a child together. Last week I had a car accident. It wasn’t my fault, my car was written off but I’m fine. I just keep wishing though that the accident killed me. I’m not suicidal though, I don’t want to take my life. I couldn’t think about doing that to my child or family. but I wish the accident just did me the favour. I know I should see it as a reason it didn’t, but every corner I take it’s just another blow. Life’s already down and it just keeps kicking me while I’m on the ground. I’m generally a positive person, I always try and think positively and I still try to find the positive in things but this deep cycle is making it tough to find the positive. my parents know about my depression, they suffer from it too. I’m adopted so it’s not genetic, but I know I can chat with them whenever. They have just taken off on a holiday for 2 months but keep telling me they will fly home for me if I need them. They deserve this holiday so much, so I don’t want to worry them. many partner is great, but he doesn’t understand what I go through. I haven’t had a bad cycle in the 7 years we’ve been together. I find it hard to bring it up and talk with him about it because he feels like he needs to try and fix it, but He can’t quite understand that it’s not a quick instant fix. How do you guys talk about it with your significant others? I want to tell him what I just said about the accident but I don’t want him to freak out and think he’s got to be on suicide watch. He gets so protective and worried. I know I’ll get through this cycle. I always do. But it’s just managing this cycle with a family is tough.

TeamPoppy Pregnant with severe blood test and needle phobia - need urgent options/suggestions for help
  • replies: 9

Hi, my 29 yo daughter has just been advised she is pregnant, but she has major blood test anxiety and needle phobia. She was told she needed tests and her blood pressure went through the roof. She wants to be able to do it, but she can’t stop crying ... View more

Hi, my 29 yo daughter has just been advised she is pregnant, but she has major blood test anxiety and needle phobia. She was told she needed tests and her blood pressure went through the roof. She wants to be able to do it, but she can’t stop crying and her anxiety levels are through the roof. She has never had a blood test and has avoided doctors because of this. She has been told since she was small that she was just being stupid. She has been able to make herself get an injection and said she will talk herself into the whooping cough vaccine, but just can’t get past a blood test. She had her wisdom teeth out a few years ago and we had to find a dentist that would do gas for the IV. Does anyone know of any options that may be able to assist, or provide her with alternative solutions? Her current GP has just told her she is a mother now and she has to just do it - then was very worried when her blood pressure was really high and said she needed to calm down. My daughter normally has very low blood pressure. need recommendations Thank you - concerned mother (future Gran)

Pink01 So Scared to Have a 3rd Baby
  • replies: 15

Hi, I am having so much anxiety around having a 3rd baby. This has gone on for years but previously I have been able to tell myself we’ll just leave it for a bit and look at it again in say 6 months or so. Now it has really come to the point where I ... View more

Hi, I am having so much anxiety around having a 3rd baby. This has gone on for years but previously I have been able to tell myself we’ll just leave it for a bit and look at it again in say 6 months or so. Now it has really come to the point where I feel its now or never. By the end of this year my children will be 7 and 5. I am so worried about the age gap being too big now. The thought of being pregnant again and the whole life change makes me feel so sick and scared. The anxiety is at its worst at the time of the month when my period arrives as I know I have to make a decision. The other time of the month I feel good and think yes I can have another baby it will be great, I will love it. Then when it comes down to crunch time I cannot commit. I completely freak out. I fall asleep then wake up an hour or so later in a panic. I wake up in the morning and feel this instant dread. This has been going on for so long now and I don’t want to keep feeling this way. I feel I do want another baby, i’m just so scared of going through it all again. I’m scared how it will change our lives and how my children will take it all. I feel I would love to experience another baby again, I just don’t know if i’m past thag stage. I honestly feel its impossible and it all just makes me so sad and I am sick of feeling this way. A big part of it is not having any support, besides my Husband.

Detox The world behind my eyes
  • replies: 3

First time posting. I've always been a nervous person, a mind that over thinks and stirs. Some of these can include: 1. Feeling in a constant fight/flight mode. My limbs feel as light as a feather and yet too heavy to move. 2. I stir on things to the... View more

First time posting. I've always been a nervous person, a mind that over thinks and stirs. Some of these can include: 1. Feeling in a constant fight/flight mode. My limbs feel as light as a feather and yet too heavy to move. 2. I stir on things to the point I get headaches 3. When people are walking towards me from the opposite side of the street I feel uneasy, as if I'm being shared at. I get more anxious about our crossing paths to the point of holding my breathe as I pass them, seemingly calm on the outside. 4. I feel physically sick at the thought of things, going to work being one of them. 5. I have to do things early, if I don't have my things done by 12, I can't do them until another day. If I have plans in the afternoon, I can't do a thing until that event. 6. I stand still but feel as if I'm shaking inside. I'm 34 and I feel the older I get the worse this becomes. I obtained a mental health plan from my GP and saw a psychologist for the first time on Friday. I'm not sure what will come of it. I don't know if I'm going for help or to unload/share my story. Anyways, I come across this forum and thought I might share...

Kaycam The drugs don’t work.
  • replies: 3

Hello, I’m a 37 year old mother of two beautiful boys. I have a beautiful husband and a beautiful home. But I’m horribly depressed. I’ve taken antidepressants for years but every once in a while I have a week or so of feeling so sad. Usually it doesn... View more

Hello, I’m a 37 year old mother of two beautiful boys. I have a beautiful husband and a beautiful home. But I’m horribly depressed. I’ve taken antidepressants for years but every once in a while I have a week or so of feeling so sad. Usually it doesn’t last long, but this time I’m almost hitting a month of waking up in tears. Having no motivation and little interest in anything. im hoping someone can empathise and give me some pointers - or should I be visiting my GP to change up my AD’s? thanks x

Boudica Brain injury and personality
  • replies: 17

Hello peeps, Has anyone out there sustained a traumatic brain injury? When I was only 18months old I sustained multiple skull fractures. I lived in the country and was sent down to hospital where I had an x-ray and stayed for observation for a bit. H... View more

Hello peeps, Has anyone out there sustained a traumatic brain injury? When I was only 18months old I sustained multiple skull fractures. I lived in the country and was sent down to hospital where I had an x-ray and stayed for observation for a bit. However, in those days they did not have the scans they have now, and I was sent home to carry on my life without any treatment or intervention. Fast forward 30 years and I found out from the optometrist that I have double vision, so that if I am not concentrating or I am tired I see you with two heads while you talk to me. This was not picked up previously as I never knew there was a different way to see things and my brain mostly manages to edit the images so that I can function to do things. The optometrist believes that it was a result of my childhood head injury. This led me to believe that it is likely that I sustained an amount of damage to my brain that I had to adapt to growing up. I was always a top student in school, so I think intellectually I was okay. However, my Grandmother always said that my personality changed after the injury, and it has left me wondering who I would have been if I hadn’t sustained the injury and questioning which parts of my personality are me and which aspects of myself are some kind of damage. I have struggled my whole life with anxiety and I am socially awkward and I forget names and sometimes faces. I have never been very good at converting thoughts into speech. Are these things me or are these a result of something broken in my head? Does anyone else have a similar experience where you don’t know if who you are now is your natural self, or a weird Frankenstein creature that was borne out of injury? Because of my messed up vision, I find I question my abilities, my personality, the way I relate to other people.