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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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Nyiknyik Anxiety and "compulsive" talking to self
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I’ve been dealing with anxiety for a while, but over the last 12 months, I’ve developed a habit of talking loudly to myself to chase away negative intrusive thoughts. And when I say loudly, I mean really loudly (to drown out the noise of... View more

Hi everyone, I’ve been dealing with anxiety for a while, but over the last 12 months, I’ve developed a habit of talking loudly to myself to chase away negative intrusive thoughts. And when I say loudly, I mean really loudly (to drown out the noise of the thoughts, I think).... it's embarrassing. I get negative intrusive thoughts every day, and when the thoughts come, I get an overwhelming and almost uncontrollable urge to say something out loud or make noises to try and chase away or dull the thought in my head. This happens at anytime, like when I at home alone and sometimes mid-conversation with someone. I am usually aware of it happening, but sometimes I am not, and I don’t realise I’m making noises or speaking loudly to myself; my partner and mum have pointed it out to me when they’ve witnessed it. Because of these times of random unawareness that happens (pointed out to me by mum and partner), I’ve become even more worried about having outbursts in public, like on public transport or, God forbid, at work. I don’t want to embarrass myself by randomly shouting at my intrusive thoughts, so the pressure to “keep quiet” (and anxiety) consumes me most days at work, and is affecting my performance really badly. This outburst habit and the associated anxiety has been getting increasingly worse, and I’m finding it harder and harder to cope with being anxious all the time. I work an extremely physical job as well, the physical exhaustion coupled with mental exhaustion is hellish and taking me into a dark place. Has anyone experienced anything like this before? If so, did it go away? How did you get on top of it? Does anyone have any tips? I’d appreciate any help at this stage. Thank you, and I hope my post makes sense.

FuturePersonality Asbestos Anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hello all, This is my first time I have ever discussed mental health online, so please bear with me. For the last couple of years, I have had some asthmatic-like symptoms when exercising, which I had never had previously and aren’t in the family. I h... View more

Hello all, This is my first time I have ever discussed mental health online, so please bear with me. For the last couple of years, I have had some asthmatic-like symptoms when exercising, which I had never had previously and aren’t in the family. I have previously disregarded this, but am going for a medical checkup this week (for an unrelated matter, but may also bring it up). My big concern regards our bathroom. In 2017, part of the floor collapsed due to rotten wood underneath the floorboards (as a result of bad plumbing) and a makeshift repair was made. However, this involved removing some tiles and cutting through the layer of material underneath, which remains exposed today. Parts of this have no tiles on top and have begun to break apart due to being walked on. Due to our house being older, and the fact that asbestos was commonly used in bathrooms, I fear that perhaps this is asbestos and that, unknowingly, we have been exposed to it for the last few years. I have voiced my concerns to my mum, but she doesn’t seem at all fazed, instead worried about the costs of having it tested and then removed, if it is asbestos. I can’t afford to have it done myself, since I am in late high school, but am seriously considering picking up more work to be able to do so. My brother also doesn’t seem to care at all; are my fears really that misplaced? How can everyone be so apathetic otherwise? Please help me figure out what to do, if anything. I cannot simply accept the risk of harming my health, and that of my family, due to something preventable, but perhaps there is a better course of action. Thank you.

littlepenguin Changing jobs but completely paralysed by anxiety
  • replies: 10

Hi there I have GAD and usually can manage it pretty well apart from racing heart insomnia and co aren't worrying thoughts but day to day I'm ok. I'm a vet nurse and at my clinic all my team have quit over the last couple of weeks it has been quite a... View more

Hi there I have GAD and usually can manage it pretty well apart from racing heart insomnia and co aren't worrying thoughts but day to day I'm ok. I'm a vet nurse and at my clinic all my team have quit over the last couple of weeks it has been quite a shock, I have applied for a new nursing role and I got it it's at a specialist clinic so the role is a much bigger one than I have done before and I will be on the surgery tram. I have huge imposter syndrome going on and I am in complete panic mode part of me feels like I should just stay in my sage job where I know the role and can walk to work although we will be getting a whole new team as most staff have left so who knows what that will be like. I am filled with so much anxiety of starting at this new clinic I have even told them I have anxiety and they have said give it a month and see how you go. I am worried I will start there a d regret leaving my safe comfortable job.... but maybe I should push myself..... I just know where my limits are ..... Maybe safety is best for me. I'm scared of making the wrong decision ....... I can't even think about what's it going to be like on day one of the new job .... it just feels me with dread not excitement....

Winterz Ill
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I'm really anxious because I have been having some serious health issues. I have these attacks where I gag and I feel like I can't breathe and I can't speak when I'm having the attacks. It's really scary. When I went to the Doctor's and I was... View more

Hi all, I'm really anxious because I have been having some serious health issues. I have these attacks where I gag and I feel like I can't breathe and I can't speak when I'm having the attacks. It's really scary. When I went to the Doctor's and I was having an attack, she got really annoyed and said 'oh Jesus Christ. Get your partner's and then she snapped at me to stop making noises. Noises I couldn't help making. I ended up leaving her office mid attack because she made me feel so uncomfortable and yeah she just let me go, even though I was having an attack. Apart from that I get the shakes really bad and it's so intense and painful. Now I've just found out I have an abnormal pap pap smear, so basically a cancer scare, just in time for Christmas.

Looking_within Intrusive thoughts about Trump
  • replies: 1

My family got together for the first time in months and somehow the discussion led to the US Elections. I was horrified to hear that both my parents and brother and sister in law like Trump. It might not seem like a big deal but I really don’t like T... View more

My family got together for the first time in months and somehow the discussion led to the US Elections. I was horrified to hear that both my parents and brother and sister in law like Trump. It might not seem like a big deal but I really don’t like Trump. He is a trigger for me as it brings up a past cult like traumatic event that led to my breakdown. I have spent countless hours discussing this with my psych and how there are a lot of common personality & behavioural characteristics between Trump and the cult leader - the narcissism, bullying, labelling anyone who disagrees with him as crazy or fake, etc. The thing that has me up at midnight is that I didn’t realise that people so close to me, who I thought I knew well, could buy into Trump’s lies. I don’t have a problem with the Republican Party. It is the people who are blindly supporting Trump that bother me so much. To hear my brother talking about how it is terrible about all of the “illegal votes” that got counted and how mail in ballots are illegal and that Biden is completely incompetent because of his age stuns me. Well, that didn’t stun me so much as when I asked what evidence there was to any of these things and the reply I got was that there is no way the most popular president could lose to Biden and lots of other statements made by Trump and his supporters all without any credible evidence. I feel like whatever happened to critical thinking?? It scares me that so many people (like my family) take Trump’s word over evidence and logic, claiming that he is the most powerful man in the world so he wouldn’t lie about these things. Maybe I am just being too sensitive? The hard part is that my family see it as me who has been fooled by the media into developing a skewed opinion of Trump. I just don’t understand I wonder whatever happened to the days when it used to be a case of ‘agree to disagree’ about politics? How has it become that one group of people believe that anyone who doesn’t agree with them are crazy left wing radicals? Watching the post election news and hearing reporters talk to people who voted for Trump actually made me feel a bit optimistic when several of the people made comments that they don’t like Trump but align with the Republican Party and I remember one lady said she thinks that Trump is “morally reprehensible” yet feels his party’s policies are best for the country. That I can understand and I don’t have a problem with. I am just getting so stuck on the idea that a person in such a position of power has a cult like following. Why don’t people do their own research and come to their conclusions? Why do they take this narcissist’s word as gospel? I just keep imagining all crazy scenarios in my head and replaying what happened to me years ago wondering if somehow I was wrong and the cult behaviour was right. I am so glad I don’t live in the US. The division among people scares me. I feel as though so many people have been brainwashed into a cult type of following and what is to stop something like that happening to me again.

AntoniaM Asbestos anxiety
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone. I'm new to these forums. After an asbestos scare that turned out to be OK a while ago, I think I have developed quite bad asbestos anxiety. I've always been a bit of a worrier in general but nothing like now and I have have never suffere... View more

Hi everyone. I'm new to these forums. After an asbestos scare that turned out to be OK a while ago, I think I have developed quite bad asbestos anxiety. I've always been a bit of a worrier in general but nothing like now and I have have never suffered from it before, unlike now. My current worry is this: last weekend my family and I went to a birthday party in a community hall. Many of the children who were there were playing on the floor and many adults including myself joined them, sitting on the floor. As we were leaving I noticed a pile of white powdery stuff under one of the doors right next to where we were sitting on the floor. The door was old and looked like it could be a fire door and I know that these often contain asbestos cores and if damaged asbestos fibres can be released. I tried not to think about it and tried to suppress any asbestos fears, but now, a few days later I'm just overtaken with worry. Plus I feel silly and ridiculous for worrying as clearly no one else at the party noticed or worried about it, so it's like I'm first of all worrying about the potential asbestos but also worry about feeling so silly. I worry that, if this was asbestos, as we sat on the floor right next to that pile, we would have got asbestos fibres on our clothes. Then we sat in the car, so it might now be on our car seats, our clothes and so on. I'm trying to think rationally but my I'm just getting overcome with fear and worry. It feels paralysing. My husband thinks I'm silly and paranoid and that there's nothing to worry about. He's the type of person who very rarely or never worries about anything. I so wish I was more like that at this moment. I've even emailed the community hall to ask if the door contains asbestos and if there's a risk it could be damaged but I haven't heard back from them. I just feel so silly and worried at the same time. I've got an appointment with my GP so will bring this anxiety up with him. Thanks to anyone who has read my long and probably silly post. Has anyone else had asbestos anxiety and would you have any tips on how to deal with this all? Thank you.

Andre_P Really over it
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone. Really doing it hard ay. Was on medication to sleep and it made my ocd worse in the day. Tried to get off and my insomnia is worse than ever. arrg honestly I’m tired but I can’t sleep. I put on a good front but I’m seriously over fighti... View more

Hey everyone. Really doing it hard ay. Was on medication to sleep and it made my ocd worse in the day. Tried to get off and my insomnia is worse than ever. arrg honestly I’m tired but I can’t sleep. I put on a good front but I’m seriously over fighting all the time. I’m strong but I’m getting tired to be honest. this all started from been woken up by bloody dogs in QLD. Now I have a reasonably quiet place but I am now unable to sleep. Typical lack of sleep led to mental illness and a phobia and this is leading to further lack of sleep. honestly ay

Billie_m Dizziness-so sick of it
  • replies: 1

Hi, Thanks in advance for reading. Im so annoyed this has come back. I’ll start from the start.. about 5 years ago I was suffering from dizziness whenever I was out shopping, standing in a queue etc. I would have to leave straight away. This went on ... View more

Hi, Thanks in advance for reading. Im so annoyed this has come back. I’ll start from the start.. about 5 years ago I was suffering from dizziness whenever I was out shopping, standing in a queue etc. I would have to leave straight away. This went on for about a year. I saw a doctor and he said because it was only happening when I was out and not at home it sounded like anxiety related which I agreed and I guess I was quite stressed at the time as I wasn’t working and I felt my life was going no where. I was prescribed antidepressants/anxiety medication but it didn’t help and I stopped taking them. Then I met my partner, I moved away from my home town to his and we had a child and the dizziness literally disappeared. I could go grocery shopping, I could sit in a cafe, stand in queues without that dreaded dizzy feeling. Well about 3 weeks ago I was standing in a queue, it was hot and I felt like I couldn’t breathe properly and also I couldn’t take my mask off(covid rules) and suddenly felt like I was going to faint. IT was back. I left the shop and went and told my partner and he said not to worry, it’s hot and we’d had a long day. So the next day I went to the grocery shop for a ‘test’. Sounds silly but the grocery shop was the worst place for it and it happened again and has happened every-time since. I actually can’t believe I’m in this situation again. This hasn’t happened in 3 years!! I’m not stressed about anything, I have been happy etc so why on earth is this back... has this ever happened to anyone? I feel so sad, my life is completely different to before and because I have a child I can’t just stay home everyday and not go out like I used too.

gregz Carers, Helpers do not hide their anxiety from me.
  • replies: 2

Only in hospital do my helpers hide their anxiety about me. Everyone else including some ambulance people, are not so good about hiding their true emotions. When any of many medical conditions hassle my very disabled body, so many others near me star... View more

Only in hospital do my helpers hide their anxiety about me. Everyone else including some ambulance people, are not so good about hiding their true emotions. When any of many medical conditions hassle my very disabled body, so many others near me start panic buttons. Usually I have locked in syndrome. Brain fog means that full consciousness remains. But my body is locked in muscle spasms. Or it might appear that I am unconscious. If full unconsciousness happens, it lasts for less than one minute. Meantime do much panic is happening around me. My favourite carer knows to wait until she can get non verbal signals from me. These bouts of brain fog happen a few times daily now. Do you also have similar medical events, with panic from the bystanders?

53217 Intrusive thoughts and brain fuzz!
  • replies: 8

I've really struggled to get through today. Now I usually deal with negative intrusive thoughts daily. Simple stuff like you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, something bad will happen if you go for that walk, so on and so on but today I c... View more

I've really struggled to get through today. Now I usually deal with negative intrusive thoughts daily. Simple stuff like you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, something bad will happen if you go for that walk, so on and so on but today I couldn't shake the thoughts. They just kept piling on and my more hectic dangerous intrusive thoughts jumped on board too (swerve infrojt of that car or truck) causing what I can only label as a mental break down 🤷‍ my brain felt funny, I couldn't focus, I was scared and had a full blown panic attack. how do people cope with intrusive thoughts? Is there a way to put a stop to it or do you have to wait the whole thing out? Afterwards I am so physically and mentally exhausted. How can I stop the every day ojes too because they are stopping me from doing even the most basic of tasks like getting a job or doing study. Im really feeling lost atm. Im a mother to 3 kids and a wife.