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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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JJ1981 REFLECTING UPON MY LIFE...
  • replies: 2

Hi guys and girls. I want to get my message out loud because, although I am feeling a lot better with treatment for anxiety/depression (medication and CBT), I still feel I had to get some things out of my head. I realised that I am never going to mak... View more

Hi guys and girls. I want to get my message out loud because, although I am feeling a lot better with treatment for anxiety/depression (medication and CBT), I still feel I had to get some things out of my head. I realised that I am never going to make my family completely happy, mainly because I am not financially productive or socially respectable enough at age 40. That is, no investment property, no steady six figure salary, no partner, no family of my own...but a lot of criticism from my father's panic attacks just because HE CAN'T LASH OUT ON ANYONE ELSE!!! I realised that I am never going to be the perfect Italian Australian. In fact, right now, I hate a lot of the Italian Australian community for looking at me and my family with contempt. I am so angry with the stories of apparent success they have had in Australia, that I have to question on whether they succeeded in Australia because of a "fair go". I have to call at least most of their success stories bluff! There are lots of questions to ask when considering how anyone (Italian or not) would go in life, even in Australia. Did a migrant come into Australia poor or already rich? Did a migrant have professional qualifications/skills easily recognised in Australia? Did a migrant have family connections in Australia? Did a migrant commit anything illegal to make money in Australia? Did a migrant pretend to be somebody (s)he is not just to get by or get ahead? All of those questions make me think that in response to one Italian telling me to "prepare to be disappointed when being in Italy", I have to express my severe disappointment about how my life is going in Australia. One Italian Australian user on this forum became hostile by me expressing a similar post a long time ago, telling me to "stop being hung up" on being Italian. I would humbly invite her to go and live in an Australian slum, day and night. I lived in that style of neighbourhood for 35 years...and I DO NOT want to live in a neighbourhood like that again ever...even if it gets justified by Italy having a nuclear holocaust. There will be people getting angry with me and lashing out at me over this. But, you know what, part of my anxiety and depression stems from being so scared of what other people (especially what most Italian Australians) think of me or my family! I have a right to express my anger and disappointment and to call lies being told by people as just that...lies.

lady_frazzle pre employment checks and benzos
  • replies: 4

Hi all I am in the final round of applying for a management role which involves a pre-employment medical. On this form it states it checks for certain medications, I take a sleeping medication primarily at night when needed to stop my mind racing and... View more

Hi all I am in the final round of applying for a management role which involves a pre-employment medical. On this form it states it checks for certain medications, I take a sleeping medication primarily at night when needed to stop my mind racing and waking at 5 am. I am worried about this now being disclosed to my employer and me being unfairly prejudiced. I don't want to make any issue out of it prior to the test but I don't know if this will mean they may not offer the role, or potentially held on file against me? Its an office role so I don't see how it is relevant? Has anyone been through similar? I will need to disclose this on the form and show proof it is prescribed however I am a bit lost of how to handle this

PsychedelicFur Wanting to speak to a guy that flirted with me when I was sixteen
  • replies: 4

Hey there, how are you all going? I hope you’ve all had a wonderfully productive but yet somewhat relaxing day, if possible. Tonight, I want to speak about missing an individual that flirted with me over text and messages when I was sixteen years of ... View more

Hey there, how are you all going? I hope you’ve all had a wonderfully productive but yet somewhat relaxing day, if possible. Tonight, I want to speak about missing an individual that flirted with me over text and messages when I was sixteen years of age. He was twenty four at the time. And although nothing sexual happened between us I miss that emotional connection and bond we seemed to share. I knew him personally from my volunteer work. Lately, due to the breakup between my partner and I, I have felt incredibly at ease but also very lonely. Just yearning to speak to someone who understands me etc. This individual and I use to speak ALL of the time. Flirt a lot too. He was in a relationship at the time so maybe that was actually very wrong and toxic of him. I should not of spoken to him and flirted in that way if he was in a romantic relationship but he use to say ‘I’m leaving her soon’ and ‘things were not working out between us.’ So I assumed, as a young love struck sixteen year old that he was literally going to leave his girlfriend because they were so ‘miserable’ It’S not even the fact that I want him back in my life. My ex boyfriend and him were incredibly similar. Both don’t know each other and are actually completely different in several ways. And because I cannot speak to my toxic ex I am craving the conversation and company of someone similar. This guy who use to speak to me and I had a falling out because everyone around us claimed he was ‘grooming’ me. Nothing physical ever happened but I suspected it was some form of ‘grooming’ I just miss the company of people who seemed genuinely quite similar to me. I don’t want either of them back in my life. And when I was speaking to this individual when I was sixteen I was struggling, really badly with my anxiety. Worse than now. I was in a very bad headspace back then. I recognise that these two individuals are toxic and if I contacted that guy whom I flirted with at sixteen again just to talk to, it would be like taking a hundred steps back. He has a lot of baggage and I am gaining more self respect now after recognising the toxicity of my precious relationship than to settle for half - ass company, mind my French haha. Just wanted to vent and let go. Feeling a little stuck and lonely, PF

Rod_NR93 Physical sensations
  • replies: 4

Hi all. Can any of you (please) explain these physical sensations I sometimes get when I feel anxious or down. As background, I have trauma, anxiety and depression. It is an unpleasant physical sensation that runs through my body at times when my moo... View more

Hi all. Can any of you (please) explain these physical sensations I sometimes get when I feel anxious or down. As background, I have trauma, anxiety and depression. It is an unpleasant physical sensation that runs through my body at times when my mood is low. It's not pain. It's not nausea. It's something I can only describe as feeling like a toxic chemical running through me. I feel it from head to toe and, when experiencing it, I just want to lay down, close my eyes, and do nothing. It feels awful. I had it this morning and, after a forced workout at the gym, it cleared. I thought it might be adrenaline but that primes you into action, the opposite of what I feel. Many thanks

Tim100 Upcoming surgery anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi all, I have an elective surgery coming up next week that will benefit my lifestyle in the long term. I’m generally an anxious person but adding this on top is just taking up all my thoughts and impacting sleep and mood. I have mild panic attacks c... View more

Hi all, I have an elective surgery coming up next week that will benefit my lifestyle in the long term. I’m generally an anxious person but adding this on top is just taking up all my thoughts and impacting sleep and mood. I have mild panic attacks causing my heart racing and nausea, which I’m just struggling to keep on top of. I’ve never had surgery before so the thought of ‘going under’ just seems so foreign to me. Especially because it’s elective, I don’t need to do it and I just want to keep reminding myself of the long term benefits. I’ve spoken with my family who have had surgery for various reasons which helped and I understand it’s incredibly safe but I just can’t shake it and fear how I will be the night before/morning of the surgery.

Esme_love87 Anxiety & intrusive thoughts
  • replies: 5

Hey guys - first time poster here I’m a mum to a beautiful 3 year old girl, who I absolutely love to bits. I’m unfortunately struggling with an unbearable bout of anxiety/ depression and also getting “stuck” on disturbing intrusive thoughts which is ... View more

Hey guys - first time poster here I’m a mum to a beautiful 3 year old girl, who I absolutely love to bits. I’m unfortunately struggling with an unbearable bout of anxiety/ depression and also getting “stuck” on disturbing intrusive thoughts which is fuelling my anxiety even further. I just can’t shake it off and its making me question my sanity?! I’ve definitely obsessed over her well being in the past, constantlyyy checking if she was breathing when asleep as a baby, googling symptoms excessively etc. We co sleep and my current crazy thought is me panicking if I’ll accidentally smother or hurt her in my sleep somehow while I’m not concious? Like do something in a dream?! It sounds crazy but I’m literately too scared to fall asleep most nights as the thought seems so real in my mind. It’s petrifying and I just want to stop dwelling on these horrible thoughts. I’ve had a past issue with driving and being scared of “losing control” but I have mostly overcome that. Other than having a virus and a course of antibiotics lately I’ve been well - although I have definitely always had mild underlying anxiety which worsens in times of stress. It doesn’t help that I’m unhappy in my marriage - my husband has a horrible temper at times so he’s often a further cause of stress in my life. I usually feel like I cope with everything okay however I’m finding I’m crying everyday with the utter disgust and stress of now experiencing intrusive thoughts to this extent. I’m at a point where I’m wanting to seek help - however I’m also scared of medication as I remember experiencing intensified anxiety when taking them. Also worried that I’ll be seen as an unfit mother or even worse if I truly am an unfit mother? The thought spiral is never ending. Just feel trapped in my own head and I can’t see a way out of feeling this way - sorry for the long rant!! X

Morehope Do I have social anxiety or general anxiety
  • replies: 9

I've always had lots of close friends and never felt anxious in social settings. I always love being under the spotlight. However, 4 years ago since I have moved to another country on my own for studies, I have grown more and more introverted. I feel... View more

I've always had lots of close friends and never felt anxious in social settings. I always love being under the spotlight. However, 4 years ago since I have moved to another country on my own for studies, I have grown more and more introverted. I feel as if whenever I do small talk with someone I try too hard and end up saying the wrong things and just embarrass myself. It pains me to talk to someone new and regret it and try to get out of it. I think it makes it worse since I've found my partner in life in these 4 years and don't feel the need to talk to anyone else because I can talk to and hang out with my partner. I don't go out with the few friends I have in this new country and always make an excuse to not go out. For this reason I have absolutely no social life with my friends. I do not reply to any of my messages on my phone for at least a day just because I don't know what to say to someone I'm not in contact with on a daily basis. I am almost completely out of touch with my best friends back in my home country. I also worry about random things through out the day. What will happen when I have a baby. Will I be able to be financially stableto have a baby. I will think of this all day and will be unable to fall asleep at night. I am also worried when I'm in a car all the time that a car will hit us and I will die. My anxiety in cars has made me not get my drivers license as I'm sure I'll die once I get my licence because I will get anxious of other drivers and not be able to make the right turns because I blank out. On the days I don't have work I would rather not go out and worry about all that I need to get done but not actually do it and hence waste my free day stressing about something I haven't gotten done for months. I'm not sure if the anxiety is triggered or worsened by anything but I have had a few very traumatic events happen to me in the last 3-4 years that I still have nightmares and flash backs and sadness about. I also feel very below average. Seeing a movie or film with people working in an office upsets me as I feel ill never be able to achieve that. I feel like I am worthless to the society, do not have any creative talents to make up for my lack of critical thinking and intellect. I feel sad when I see my friends start a business and it looks good because I feel like I would never be able to recreate anything merely as nice. It's not jealousy, it's just sadness and feelings of uselessness. Do I need professional help?

Anxious247 Anxiety 24/7
  • replies: 4

Hello everyone reading. I have anxiety pretty much 24/7. I feel constantly anxious, struggle breathing, ears ringing, overwhelmed, substance abuse, constant mind heart health problems, heart racing, heart fluttering, thinking about breathing, agitate... View more

Hello everyone reading. I have anxiety pretty much 24/7. I feel constantly anxious, struggle breathing, ears ringing, overwhelmed, substance abuse, constant mind heart health problems, heart racing, heart fluttering, thinking about breathing, agitated, heart palpitations, hot, sweaty, hands and feet get red and hot. this is my life!! I have had all health tests done and nothing has come back bad. My Mum had/has bad anxiety/depression and is medicated. I don’t want to be medicated, I have previously and It made me feel disconnected and still had heart palpitations. I have young children and need to be a good parent to them, I can’t be disconnected from them. I drink way too much and know I need to stop but when I don’t drink, I’m 100% more anxious. I feel like I need alcohol to cope. please share anxiety experiences so I don’t feel alone. much love to you all xxx

bill12345 Anxiety about electricity
  • replies: 2

Hi i have anxiety and mild OCD and today i am really worried because i have my laptop charging through an ax tension cord across my floor and when i was walking on my carpet i felt like my foot was vibrating and i’m really scared now i’ve been electr... View more

Hi i have anxiety and mild OCD and today i am really worried because i have my laptop charging through an ax tension cord across my floor and when i was walking on my carpet i felt like my foot was vibrating and i’m really scared now i’ve been electrocuted, is that possible, i don’t know if my mind is making it up

Alwaysbehappy! New here! Just want to know if Anxiety is common?
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone I am dealing with my Anxiety and I am going for psychologist appointment, just wanting some advise how should I talk to an psychologist so he/she can help me better? I have panic attack and anxiety quite frequently and do not have a good ... View more

Hi everyone I am dealing with my Anxiety and I am going for psychologist appointment, just wanting some advise how should I talk to an psychologist so he/she can help me better? I have panic attack and anxiety quite frequently and do not have a good support from family.