Support
Support

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Start a conversation

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a conversation

Petal22 A Bit Of Inspiration
  • replies: 2

Hello to my forum friends, I have known despair, I have known fear, I have known helplessness , I have known the darkness I have been knocked down but there is one thing I know for sure I will always get back up! I will always shine my light from wit... View more

Hello to my forum friends, I have known despair, I have known fear, I have known helplessness , I have known the darkness I have been knocked down but there is one thing I know for sure I will always get back up! I will always shine my light from within and I will always be the light for others who are in the darkness so they too can find there way out! Please never quit! please believe you CAN overcome what you are going through.... brighter days are coming your way.... I’m living proof that you CAN get better! There is so much help available to us from our health professionals we just need to seek it... I’m here on these forums to help and support you please reach out to us if you need our help and support.. “Look beyond the struggle “

JJ1981 Mental health disease - not an excuse, not an industry
  • replies: 4

I have been reflecting on how much better I feel with the right interventions, that I should have had a long time ago. I'm still amazed of how much better I can function, can calm myself and not let any mistake keep me away from focusing on bettering... View more

I have been reflecting on how much better I feel with the right interventions, that I should have had a long time ago. I'm still amazed of how much better I can function, can calm myself and not let any mistake keep me away from focusing on bettering my life. There are people who have had the same epiphany after finding the right treatment. There are those who are still to find it because they have not had the right treatment. And, there are those who do NOT want to seek that epiphany! Mental health issues (like anxiety, uni/bipolar depression, schizophrenia etc) have been abused by some who do have them, some who don't actually have them and some who PROFIT from them. The first two groups treat mental health as an excuse, whilst the third one treats it as a mere industry! Amongst the people with mental illness who abuse the severity of mental illness, some use it as a "comfort thing" more effective than ice cream or hot fatty chips, for example. It prevents them from being brave enough to see what is causing their mental anguish and what can be done to improve themselves despite that anguish. It also (unfortunately) is a convenient way of avoiding taking responsibility for abusive/threatening/irresponsible behaviour towards themselves and to others. Many sufferers are not like that, but we cannot discount those who are! Amongst those who do not have mental illness, it is a great way to "pretend" that they are sick as a way to induce sympathy or concessions from different people. I have seen tenants thrashing investment properties shamelessly and deliberately deciding not to pay rent as conscientious choices, despite claiming to have mental "disabilities", which enables for disability pensions - scrutinised nowhere near as severely as JobSeeker (aka the dole). This adds to the stigma of people having legitimate mental illness and scares people off from actually helping them. Amongst those who profit, they range from some doctors to some nurses. From their unions to certain non government organisations. From pharm reps to government health bureaucrats. They all see mental health as something to make money from, any way they can. Without giving a real damn about fixing the mental health issues hurting so many people. And, tarnishing the efforts of those who actually care and treat mental illness, and help people fix themselves. To those three groups, I say this...mental health issues are real...not an excuse, not an industry! TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY!

Guest_01 Anxiety about needing to pee all the time
  • replies: 3

I had an episode nearly 10 years ago where I was stuck on a train and had drunk heaps of water that day and really had to pee, and I only just got off and got to a toilet in time... the feeling of omg i'm going to wet myself was so traumatising that ... View more

I had an episode nearly 10 years ago where I was stuck on a train and had drunk heaps of water that day and really had to pee, and I only just got off and got to a toilet in time... the feeling of omg i'm going to wet myself was so traumatising that when my friend made a joke about going back to the toilet and peeing again just in case (like one minute later) i did actually go back... since that day i've become super aware of how much liquid i drink and avoid getting into situations where i can't access a toilet. i know it's not actually a physical issue, because when i'm at home or somewhere where i know i could get to a toilet if i needed to, i have great bladder control and can go for hours without thinking of it. but the problem has got heaps worse, to the point where i often go to pee a few times before i have to go for a car ride or something, even if the time that ill be stuck without being able to get to a toilet is as little as 10 minutes and ive had nothing to drink all day. ive got to the point of being anxious that peeing myself will happen as a result of my anxiety, and its just ironic that the anxiety is about peeing in the first place. im going to finally say something to my doctor cause i know i can't handle this anymore on my own, it used to be just an annoyance but now im close to having panic attacks and feeling constantly exhausted from thinking about it. i never used to be an anxious person have started to be a more anxious person in general and other things make me anxious too like flying. is anyone else suffering from this too??? is it too late? i know i should have got help long ago. plz say that its something that i can treat, i can't imagine another 10 years or longer like this

PsychedelicFur Feeling a bit lonely and isolated at the moment
  • replies: 2

Hey there, it’s PsychedelicFur here again! How are you? I’m feeling a little bit lonely at the moment. I don’t really connect to anyone in my university course as they have already made their cliques and seem to already have established connections. ... View more

Hey there, it’s PsychedelicFur here again! How are you? I’m feeling a little bit lonely at the moment. I don’t really connect to anyone in my university course as they have already made their cliques and seem to already have established connections. And worse than that I am doing a course as a pathway that is orientated specifically around something that I am not really interested in but I am only doing this as a pathway so eventually I can get the credentials to get into the desired course I want to study. It’s sports media and journalism. And I am the least sporty person ever but I really enjoy the course because it’s a great introduction into the media industry. Although it is teaching the students how to be commentators and sports journalists... I just enjoy learning about how to use professional sound recording equipment and I also really like learning how to write scripts and reports. So everyone sort of bonds over sport whilst I am in the corner and I have no intentions of studying further information about sport. I just feel like they all are the same type of people.. and it’s hard for me to find any form of connection. Some of them are quite immature and don’t really like doing much work either. I am flying through the work though and gaining so much knowledge about filming, photography, radio production and design, which I love enormously. And if it were not for that I would have left earlier on. Just feeling out of place. I’m nowhere near a sporting person and I just feel like I cannot simply connect to anyone at the moment. And when I left my boyfriend it made me feel like I was hopeless, but I haven’t spoken to him for a whole month and I am honestly so very proud of myself and my progress. Just feeling a bit isolated and lonely at the moment. Loving my work.. love creating art and cinematography but I just feel like such a misfit and an outsider. Sick of feeling this way. It’s always been this way with people too. Even all the way through primary and secondary school. And I have tried with some people in my course but it’s awkward and I feel no connection at all. And they always sort of try to either brush me off or wait until their friends come over to be with them. I feel so misplaced. My parents are settling their divorce. I may have to move house. I want to find inner peace and joy. I try to observe little things throughout the day that can make me happy. PSYCHEDELICFUR.

JumpyJump Face tingling due to anxiety??
  • replies: 3

Hi all, I’ve been reading posts for the past few months here, just hoping to find someone who’s been through/going through the same as me. I suffer from health anxiety and have, like so many others, had these health issues heightened by the past 12+m... View more

Hi all, I’ve been reading posts for the past few months here, just hoping to find someone who’s been through/going through the same as me. I suffer from health anxiety and have, like so many others, had these health issues heightened by the past 12+months with covid etc. I thought I was doing ok up until a few months ago when the left side of my face started to tingle one night. Since then I’ve been so paranoid that I have done sort of terrible illness like MS. My dr dismissed me and said “I don’t feel like you’re someone who would have MS” )very reassuring...) the tingling comes and goes throughout the days and weeks and doesn’t seem to be there when I’m busy. Am I just creating it?? It happens at times when I’m definitely not anxious and comes and goes for weeks on end. I’ve read that anxiety can cause face tingling, but can it really be this bad? And when I’m not stressed or anxious?? Does anyone else experience this? I have an appointment with a counsellor next week in hopes that they can help me too. But I just wanted to throw it out there to see if anyone else had experienced the same thing?

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.

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map