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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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Clickety Help with thoughts
  • replies: 8

Hi again even after that long post I just did I still struggle it's now 3:18 am and my thoughts spireling out of control just wondering what others do here as coping mechanisms for it

Hi again even after that long post I just did I still struggle it's now 3:18 am and my thoughts spireling out of control just wondering what others do here as coping mechanisms for it

AnxietyHopeful Asbestos OCD and Anxiety
  • replies: 18

Hey all, looking for some guidance and reassurance about an anxiety trigger I had. TL;DR at the bottom I work for a retailer, and brought out a pallet of stock onto the store floor. I cut the cling wrap around the stock, and when I went to take it of... View more

Hey all, looking for some guidance and reassurance about an anxiety trigger I had. TL;DR at the bottom I work for a retailer, and brought out a pallet of stock onto the store floor. I cut the cling wrap around the stock, and when I went to take it off, a lot of dust came flying off, which isn’t unusual I saw what looked like white fluff/dust bunnies scattered on top, and threw the top layer of stock onto the floor, because I thought it was weird dust, and proceeded to fill the stock But what set my anxiety off was seeing the white fluff/dust bunnies that had fallen in the middle of the pallet. And in that instance, I got the thought, “What if this was asbestos?” I tried to put that thought in the back of my head, not knowing what asbestos even looked like at this point, only knowing it as some kind of dust. For reassurance, I showed the manager, who said they didn’t know what it was, whilst another employee even kicked it around a bit And for a week after that, I was feeling ok. But that nagging thought of “What if? What if? What if?” just would not stop, until it all just came out and I started crying from the insatiable negative thoughts I’ve since gotten advice from a different manager, who assured me chances are slim it was asbestos, but the obsessing over what it could have been just doesn’t want to stop I’ve been to the Dr now, due to restlessness and dry gagging when the negative thoughts become too much, and I have a psych appointment soon. I do have OCD and have a family history of anxiety And I thought I would share here for thoughts and opinions on my situation. Thank you for anyone taking the time to read TL;DR saw white fluff, and thought, “Is this asbestos?”, and have been obsessing over what it could have been. Would like thoughts/opinions

1brokenheart Lost and hurt.
  • replies: 7

I have recently discovered that my husband regularly watches porn. We have been married 27 years and together for 30 and this has been an ongoing source of contention between us over the years and from very early on. I have from the beginning made it... View more

I have recently discovered that my husband regularly watches porn. We have been married 27 years and together for 30 and this has been an ongoing source of contention between us over the years and from very early on. I have from the beginning made it very clear how I feel about it, how to me it feels like he is cheating and what it does to my self esteem and self worth and value as his wife. I have numerous times found porn sites in his history along with screen shots of images of woman in his photographs, including a woman he worked with. He has told me when he sees good looking woman he imagines having sex with them whether it be woman he sees on the street or on tv, even while I’m right there with him those thoughts cross his mind. He has admitted he has a problem ,that it’s him not me, he is sorry, he won’t do it again and so on. The last time he was caught out promised “ never again” I thought our relationship had elevated on all levels and to a place that I believed him but was always in the back of my mind. So to discover recently he had continued despite knowing at what cost has been devastating, I suffer with anxiety in general but I feel this has heightened that and added a degree of depression which I’ve never felt before and am really struggling and don’t know what to do. I am getting barely any sleep even with sleeping pills can not eat, struggling to function at home or work and feel nothing inside but sadness and hurt and anger, have become consumed by his betrayal and have withdrawn from interacting with anyone unless I have to for work. I really don’t want to resort to medications as I have in the past for anxiety and did not like it at all but I don’t know what else to do. please I would appreciate any comments or advice.

Balvason First Time in Ages
  • replies: 3

Hello all, First of all sorry for the possible rant that follows. Not really complaining and to be honest I don't like drawing attention to myself so sorry for that as well. Backstory At the end of 2019 I was working as a Project Manager for federal ... View more

Hello all, First of all sorry for the possible rant that follows. Not really complaining and to be honest I don't like drawing attention to myself so sorry for that as well. Backstory At the end of 2019 I was working as a Project Manager for federal government as a private installer. This was already stressful, but that also combined with my kids issues at school, the constant noise of the neighbours and then not being able to let go if I had bad days left me as my wife described "a puddle" when i got home. I wasn't interested in engaging in family or even really going to work. But everyday i got up and did what i was employed to do. Didn't stop me thinking everyone was talking about me behind my back, or the way my heart started to beat faster when my phone would ring. I was quietly going mad. At the end of 2019 we (my family and i) had had enough so we sold everything and moved north to NSW to be near family. I quit my job and left the life behind. I hadn't felt like that at all since then until today. I made a mistake at work, and then had several functions where i wasn't able to complete my task correctly. I felt like i was just asking for assistance constantly. Then started to hear (imagined or real i don't know) people talking about a task i had done today in low tones. I was almost in tears as i left and got in my car. The disappointment in my self for not letting it go was what i think was the worst. I dunno, Just feels ridiculous to write it down. Sorry again

Velvet992 Health anxiety?
  • replies: 4

Hi, In November last year randomly I started to feel a numb feeling on the left side of my face that could be alleviated only when I touched it with my hand or something external. It didn't bother me at first but after a week I went to a GP who sugge... View more

Hi, In November last year randomly I started to feel a numb feeling on the left side of my face that could be alleviated only when I touched it with my hand or something external. It didn't bother me at first but after a week I went to a GP who suggested it could be viral but then after another few weeks sent me for a MRI of my brain to be sure nothing else was going on. On Christmas eve the results came back with the all clear but they incidentally found a small aneurysm in my brain that didn't explain the symptoms. It was a bit of a shock and naturally I thought the worst, I wasn't able to see a neurologist until March so spent 3 months worrying about dying because of it and stopped all exercise and anything I thought could increase the chance of rupture because I was given no guidance by my GP other than not to worry about it. The neurologist said that it was small and in an area that would unlikely rupture and only require monitoring and that I could live a normal life without worry. Of course this was great news but my facial symptoms continued. The day after the appointment I started to feel dizzy, not in a room spinning way but in an off balanced elevator type of way. No treatment from physio or anything has helped since then so I have had this feeling for almost 5 months on top of my face and now a stomach issue (possible gastritis) that has been put down to anxiety. I have started to see a psychologist who believes I have health anxiety. Now I don't even worry about the aneurysm but having all these other symptoms constantly does lower my mood and make me worry about my health. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? Nothing I'm doing seems to help them stop. I'm not sure if anxiety symptoms can present months after the initial stress but these overall have been going on for almost a year now and before them I was a very happy and healthy person with great mental health. Just wanted to see who else suffers from these symptoms especially as long as I have. Thanks for reading Velvet

Soph_T Do I have OCD?
  • replies: 3

Hi, Thanks for clicking on this I've been seeing a psychologist for a while now and to be quite honest I've been meaning to bring this up for months now but I'm not exactly sure how to approach the topic. I'm not sure if I have OCD or not? I know man... View more

Hi, Thanks for clicking on this I've been seeing a psychologist for a while now and to be quite honest I've been meaning to bring this up for months now but I'm not exactly sure how to approach the topic. I'm not sure if I have OCD or not? I know many people who have OCD and know what it looks like but, since I don't have any 'compulsive-thoughts' (i.e. something will happen to me or my family if I don't do this, etc.) I'm worried about misreading my own situation. I've always been a germaphobe and have done things in a loosely routine way since I was young. Regardless, they didn't really start to become intense until a few years ago. To give you an example of some of the things that make me think I might have OCD, here are some things I do: I have to use hand sanitiser or wash my hands after I tie up my shoes (this is the biggest issue) I can't touch my socks I can't touch pet food (containers, the bags they come in or cups) and can't have it anywhere near the kitchen counters where there are plates, foods or drinks either I don't generally touch doorknobs I use hand sanitiser many many times a day and feel disgusting if I don't When I'm out in public, sometimes having my hands on tables at cafes and restaurants makes me nervous If I'm writing something on a piece of paper and it's not exactly how I want it then I have to flip the page and keep writing until I get it right (this is something that really makes me think I have OCD because I could accidentally go through 40 pages just rewriting a heading - often I will rewrite something 5-6 times whenever I have to write something down. It's very frustrating!) If I stop myself from doing these things, then for the germ-related things I will feel disgusting and will think about it for the rest of the day and will feel a tingly/scratchy, TV static feeling in my hands. For the writing, I genuinely don't think I've ever been able to stop it. If you can then could you please advise me about if this roughly sounds like OCD so I can go in to talk to my psychologist not so completely lost about this. Thank you, Soph

Jarred28 Health Anxiety
  • replies: 7

For a few years now i've come to have pretty bad health anxiety. Sitting here now hands trembling having chest pains and quite dizzy. I'm a hypochondriac so every little inner body feeling I have I over exaggerate it to be the worst possible outcome,... View more

For a few years now i've come to have pretty bad health anxiety. Sitting here now hands trembling having chest pains and quite dizzy. I'm a hypochondriac so every little inner body feeling I have I over exaggerate it to be the worst possible outcome, this mainly being chest pain and when I become really dizzy that also freaks me out alot. I was just wondering what the best approach to treating this would be. I'm already diagnosed with major depression and GAD and am currently on medication. Not sure whether to seek out a good psychologist. Any tips or feedback would be appreciated.

noharmstartingover Thoughts snowballing out of control
  • replies: 2

I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for a while. I take medication for both. I have always had an issue with thoughts of all kinds snowballing out of control. It has affected relationships, work, and life in general as most the time there... View more

I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for a while. I take medication for both. I have always had an issue with thoughts of all kinds snowballing out of control. It has affected relationships, work, and life in general as most the time there is no problem but in my head there is a problem and then causes an actual problem. Apart from finding something to occupy myself or keep myself busy, I struggle to do that because the thoughts become almost crippling at times. I get thoughts in my head and it feels like an altered reality where I have hopes of something happening and when it doesn't it pretty much sends me into a fast spiral. New Years day I found myself drinking heavily and cutting at my hand, all from the thoughts continuously racing through my head and no matter what I did I couldn't get them to stop. This is affecting my relationships as I am in the process of pretty much starting my life again. I have no idea what to do

Mrsnikia Someone please help me
  • replies: 5

I have pure ocd and I just can’t deal with it anymore I suffer from false memories (things that I remember but they never happened) and they are so horrible is anyone else going through this?

I have pure ocd and I just can’t deal with it anymore I suffer from false memories (things that I remember but they never happened) and they are so horrible is anyone else going through this?

Jay1234 First post, not sure what to expect - Anxiety and Depression
  • replies: 3

Hey, this is my first time actually communicating through one of these forums, not sure what to expect. This last year has been pretty rough for me. I work in a law firm that often deals with a lot of high stress/emotional matters and through Covid, ... View more

Hey, this is my first time actually communicating through one of these forums, not sure what to expect. This last year has been pretty rough for me. I work in a law firm that often deals with a lot of high stress/emotional matters and through Covid, my office was inundated with more work than we had experienced before, so we naturally worked longer hours. During the Covid lockdowns, my life was focused purely on waking up in the morning, working a 11 hour day dealing with high stress matters, then going home and sometimes working through the night and on weekends, due to the fact that the Melbourne metro area was locked down and there was very little else to actually do. My whole day was focused on work and checking the latest covid cases and awaiting the next restriction announcement for almost a year. I didnt think that being constantly overworked and the Covid environemnt had affected me as much until i felt everything come crashing down in November, when restrictions began to be lifted. Within the first couple of weeks, it felt like Melbourne had reverted back to normal, as if the past 6 months we werent in lock down, confined to only travel in our 5km radius with an 8pm curfew - it was overwhelming. And then thats when i felt like i was steam rolled by anxiety and obssessive thoughts largely surrounding my work performance, distrust in my boss's insight and leadership and loss of confidence within my own abilities. Over time this consisten anxiety and anxiety attacks overflowed into my social life, causing me to basically withdraw from socialising with my friends and family, as most social interactions were too much of an effort for me. Due to all this going on in my head, my work performance began to suffer drastically, which affected me severely as i had always taken pride in it. This then snowballed into further obssessive over thinking and depression, as i struggled to get out of bed every morning and hated every second i was at work. I managed to get in touch with a psychologist, which has assisted me in dealing with a lot of things going on in my life, but recently ive just been overwhelmed with this heavy weight in my chest, thoughts going 100kmph about work and thinking about the mistakes i made in my younger days coming back to bite me, despite how unlikely and irrational those worries actually are. I just feel like my mind is in disarray and will latch on to any little worry and amplify it, despite how irrational it actually is.

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