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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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Pops06 Driving and test taking anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi there, just wondering if anyone else suffers from driving anxiety and also test taking anxiety? I really struggle with driving however I have gotten a lot more confident over the past few years. I feel ready to finally take my driving test, howeve... View more

Hi there, just wondering if anyone else suffers from driving anxiety and also test taking anxiety? I really struggle with driving however I have gotten a lot more confident over the past few years. I feel ready to finally take my driving test, however have uncontrollable anxiety about failing the test. Even thinking about it sends me into a panicked state. For context, I’m 30 years old and have failed the practical driving test twice because I physic myself out. I also have dyslexia which I think has impacted my ability to drive and given me ‘fear of failures’ when it comes to test taking. Can anyone else relate or provide any suggestions on how to conquer this fear?

Jolly_Chaplin anxiety episode, had to leave and didn’t say goodbye
  • replies: 1

So I’ve been in Tasmania for about a month now, travelling alone, and have become more close with a girl here who I’ve been seeing for about 3 weeks. Just tonight I saw her before she went to the movies, By which time we’d finished hanging out, every... View more

So I’ve been in Tasmania for about a month now, travelling alone, and have become more close with a girl here who I’ve been seeing for about 3 weeks. Just tonight I saw her before she went to the movies, By which time we’d finished hanging out, everything was fine and I was back at camp, cooking and settling down for the night. She later said her friends were going to a bar. I felt lonely and it had been a while since I’d done anything like that so I decided to see how it would go. I approached the pub and situation with a strong attitude for all to go smoothly. but after about 40 minutes or more, all the noise, people and loud music got just too much for me and sent me into a bad pattern and everything told me I couldn’t stay there any longer. I feel like i don’t even know where both of us are going and if we are even in a relationship. Her mate at the bar said something when I arrived to greet them like oh here’s your friend, which I also temporarily questioned inside my head. At on point my friend/gf took her friends hand to join the dance floor and I felt excluded, overwhelmed, and just left.. whilst driving home I get a message saying, ‘where are you?’ I then had to try to explain about how anxiety stopped me and how i was sorry and I didn’t even know it was going to happen. i drove back to my camp thinking, well, now it’s over, she’s gunna have trouble understanding me and I’ll be a difficult match for her and we are over. I know it probably isn’t true but these situations I just can’t seem to avoid and it’s really hard sometimes to have people understand me when I do these things. I just wished sometimes I didn’t get so consumed by panic. I gave it my best shot but still ended up making matters worse. I’ve dealt with things like this for YEARS and am no stranger to how and why it happens. I just wish it was easier sometimes, and easier on other people having to deal with it when it happens.

ThomasJakeLim Closeted Introverts...you are not alone
  • replies: 3

Hi there I just like to share my experience. I am an introvert, like people in small doses and small talk is hard work. The world screams for extroverts, big personalities and overlooks hidden gems. It is easy to feel anxious cos you feel there is no... View more

Hi there I just like to share my experience. I am an introvert, like people in small doses and small talk is hard work. The world screams for extroverts, big personalities and overlooks hidden gems. It is easy to feel anxious cos you feel there is no place for you. For many years fake it till you make it is me and it comes at a price, my mental health. Which probably explains why so many people are suffering from anxiety. It does not discriminate. I use the term closeted introvert to describe myself. If you are a closeted introvert, you are not alone....the outspoken salesman of the year sitting beside you may be one too. So how do I cope...know your break point and take a break...take a day off or even 2. Sleep in. On a long run, it's worth it. I remind myself constantly work is not my life..it's only part of. Easier said than done I know...I have my bad days and I mourn how I feel to the point I can grief no more and feel better...it's like coming out of a sauna...weird but true....I like end my post with ...be kind and love your introvert self.

lady_frazzle Devastated and feeling stigmatised
  • replies: 5

I had to do a pre employment drug test today for which I declared I take one of the drugs mentioned (prescribed). The result came back showing this drug as expected and I have been told they are now sending this back for further analysis to see if I ... View more

I had to do a pre employment drug test today for which I declared I take one of the drugs mentioned (prescribed). The result came back showing this drug as expected and I have been told they are now sending this back for further analysis to see if I misuse this drug and if I am telling the truth. I wrote I use as needed (which is correct) and tried to say as little as possible as I feel my anxiety and management is my business. I now feel I am going to be compared to whatever standard they have as “normal” when this medication is subjective based on the person. This has absolutely thrown my anxiety through hoops. I had taken more of this medication than I normally would this week as my young child had to do medical tests which could reveal something serious. I do so much to manage my mental health myself and it doesn’t impact my work (there are many good things from anxiety which make me a better worker), however right now I feel so vulnerable and stigmatised

Budgiebird Anxiety and chronic illness
  • replies: 2

Hi I’m new to beyond blue. Glad to have found it. I suffer with severe anxiety caused I believe by my several chronic illnesses and chronic pain. It’s tough. I feel like I miss out on living a ‘normal ‘ life as I’m generally housebound except for doc... View more

Hi I’m new to beyond blue. Glad to have found it. I suffer with severe anxiety caused I believe by my several chronic illnesses and chronic pain. It’s tough. I feel like I miss out on living a ‘normal ‘ life as I’m generally housebound except for doctors appointments. Anyone else have experience with chronic illness and anxiety ? I see great doctors and a psychologist but don’t have anyone I can really talk to who actually understands.

Jarred28 Cant stop panicking
  • replies: 13

As of the past few weeks i've been unable to control the constant fear and panicking. Constantly getting chest tightness and have trouble breathing. I've had multiple tests done on my heart and lungs but they all came back with nothing unusual. I've ... View more

As of the past few weeks i've been unable to control the constant fear and panicking. Constantly getting chest tightness and have trouble breathing. I've had multiple tests done on my heart and lungs but they all came back with nothing unusual. I've also been on/tried about 10 different antidepressants over a few years and they all seem to stop doing anything after a while. Going to see my shrink in a few weeks hopefully. I'm just not sure what they're gonna do and if anyone has some suggestions or ideas as ive tried everything I can think of and nothing works, i wish i was the person i was in my late teens that had no worries and could sleep great. Thanks

Rynn Posting for the first time
  • replies: 29

Hi, this is the first time I’ve ever posted on anything, to be honest I’m a little bit nervous. I found myself exploring beyond blue and it’s forums due to experiencing a lot of anxiety recently, I’ve had anxiety in the past but have been fine for a ... View more

Hi, this is the first time I’ve ever posted on anything, to be honest I’m a little bit nervous. I found myself exploring beyond blue and it’s forums due to experiencing a lot of anxiety recently, I’ve had anxiety in the past but have been fine for a long time. Things that never used to bother me make me really nervous and upset now and it takes me a really long time to let go of them. Even if everything is fine I’ll find myself thinking about the event for hours afterwards, agonising over every little detail. at the end of the day it’s been really difficult to “turn off” so I can go to bed and get some sleep. right now I’m just looking for someone to talk to

Jbitossi Anxiety and Panic disorder
  • replies: 2

Can anyone offer any advice on how to help or what I can do different. I’ve been to the hospital three times, have been medicated with so many different medications, doing CBT and nothing is helping. I constantly feel every beat of my heart, I have t... View more

Can anyone offer any advice on how to help or what I can do different. I’ve been to the hospital three times, have been medicated with so many different medications, doing CBT and nothing is helping. I constantly feel every beat of my heart, I have the think about every breath I take, just standing up makes me feel breathless and I cannot do anything that could make my heart beat even slightly faster than normal or I have a full blown panic attack. I have anxiety all day no break, of a night time when it starts to get dark it is just panic attack after panic attack with intense anxiety. I have become to scared to fall asleep because what if I stop breathing in my sleep. I to have had every test, X-rays, ecos, blood tests, traces. I am healthy apparently. After I get a new test and I am healthy my anxiety will be manageable for a day or a few hours until my brain convinced me they missed something or it’s something else. The only thing that has helped me was a benzodiazepine at the hospital, but the doctors don’t like prescribing that and I’m made feel like a bad person for asking for it, like I am just looking for drugs. I was a smoker a pouch every 2 days, drank alcohol every day and used recreational drugs maybe 2 times a year for the past 3 years. I now cannot even take Panadol, I only drink water because I’m scared of caffeine making my anxiety worse, I stopped smoking cold turkey because of the intense anxiety and panic of the thought of dying. This has taken over my entire life. I’ve started to have panic attacks at work, I am a support worker so I cannot leave work and I almost have so many times just ran out of work or thought of calling an ambulance. It’s ruining my life and I don’t know what to do. I was medicated but I start to feel worse physically and get heart palpitations and extremely depressed on anxiety/depression medication. I feel I am putting in the work and getting no where and I’m convinced I’m dying and the doctors just don’t know it because how could this just be anxiety. A simple knock on my door at home is enough to send me into a panic attack. I cannot even answer my phone anymore. I told my mental health worker I needed to go to hospital and I was told they wouldn’t take me and laughed at because apparently they just don’t have the beds. I don’t want to die, I’m scared of dying, but I just want this to stop. If I am dying can it just hurry up. I’m tired.

PhiPhi18 Feeling of being watched
  • replies: 2

over the past 5 months I had this feeling of someone watching me in my home, mainly at night time occasionally during the day, I hear noises all the time of footsteps in the roof but nobody is up there. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t sleep ev... View more

over the past 5 months I had this feeling of someone watching me in my home, mainly at night time occasionally during the day, I hear noises all the time of footsteps in the roof but nobody is up there. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t sleep even a wink on some nights. It was only happening at my home but has begun to happen when I sleep over at my boyfriends house to where I feel like someone is watching me through the window. Does anyone else have any similar experiences and know why this is happening? Thank you

jack0194 Does anyone here have a fear of driving? (Amaxophobia)
  • replies: 4

Hi, I should explain my post. So when I was in the lead up to getting my licence 8 years ago I was freaking out about it and didn't want to get it. and would come up with all these crazy ideas like I would over accelerate and crash. But since getting... View more

Hi, I should explain my post. So when I was in the lead up to getting my licence 8 years ago I was freaking out about it and didn't want to get it. and would come up with all these crazy ideas like I would over accelerate and crash. But since getting my license that hasn't happened and to be honest I love driving to an extent. The only things I still have crazy fears over are: Driving somewhere and not knowing where I'm going Heavy traffic and Highways At the moment I only ever drive to end from work and hardly anywhere else. and it's only 2 mins from home. And to be honest It's now getting really annoying. I'm probably going to be working in a job soon where I need to travel a lot further than 2 minutes. I've been thinking up of this theory that if you use positive thinking whenever you're going to drive long distances you should be able to calm a lot of anxiety? Would this work? Thanks.