Immediate support
Immediate 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 discussion

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
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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.

All discussions

Start a discussion

golden82 Depressed because always alone
  • replies: 3

My family of origin have abused, isolated and excluded me etc - even to the point of Christmases alone for the last 5 years. But yet they all get along with each other and have joy at events that I never get told about. I am always alone. I have trie... View more

My family of origin have abused, isolated and excluded me etc - even to the point of Christmases alone for the last 5 years. But yet they all get along with each other and have joy at events that I never get told about. I am always alone. I have tried to make/keep friends but it is not the same. They all have their families and commitments to those healthy relationships. I guess it falls apart for me because my family members are toxic and not healthy relationships - so it leaves me alone - all the time. It didn't bother me as much early on but the longer it goes on the worse I feel and my families treatment of me seems justified as obviously I am unwanted as I am always alone and never included. COVID certainly didn't help matters for me either - with the occasional coffee catch up with friends gone. I do like my own company (well, not really - but have been crushed by my family that I have such low self-esteem that my own company is safer than facing the world). However, the occasional inclusion would make a world of difference to me. I don't know what I am posting for - maybe it might help to know if others experience the same - alone/isolation. Do people feel okay with it? Like I used to. Or does it affect mood, depression? I never had depression before all of this - I was quite charismatic and a bit of a social butterfly - always shy, but I interacted well with others. Now I am just a depressed, anxious empty crushed shell due to the people I loved most and who should have loved me most. Also, I am sick of people making false promises - eg we will call you next week or whatever and never happens and emails that go unanswered. It only adds to the feelings of alone and unwanted/forgotten/not important. And this feeds into the depression. I am just not going to bother anymore. Does this happen to others?? Thanks for reading.

Mez79 What's happening?
  • replies: 10

Hi first time on here and feeling anxious. I don't know what's happened it's not like I've had PTSD but lately I seem to stress or overthink the minute I feel some sort of ailment. When this happens my brain goes into a spin and sit there thinking wh... View more

Hi first time on here and feeling anxious. I don't know what's happened it's not like I've had PTSD but lately I seem to stress or overthink the minute I feel some sort of ailment. When this happens my brain goes into a spin and sit there thinking what the hell it could be. Currently sitting here worried that something is not right with me, because I feel like I have a sore leg, my tongue feels strange and I think my tear duct is dry. I say I think I feel these because I'm not sure if it's a symptom of panic or phantom because I'm thinking them up. Never used to be like this. I used to have the patience of waiting to see if things would pass or otherwise take action. At the same time I'm scared of going to the GP sounding stupid or that there could actually be something. Anyone else ever feel like this?

Mumofnah Any tips?
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, so I experienced another attack this evening after dinner for no reason that I can pin point. Had the usual tight chest, short breath, pounding heart, sort of strange feeling as though the blood was rushing from my limbs (hard to explain... View more

Hi everyone, so I experienced another attack this evening after dinner for no reason that I can pin point. Had the usual tight chest, short breath, pounding heart, sort of strange feeling as though the blood was rushing from my limbs (hard to explain), trembling, hot & cold and also find it heard to focus or think straight. i find myself pacing the house trying to find something to keep my mind off what is going on in my body but struggled. Then managed to get myself to stop and lay on the bed and get out the log book that my physiologist told me to record every time I have a attack with: what happened, the rating how intense out of 100%, what I was doing at the time and also I I know what triggered it. After writing my log I noticed I calmed down after about half hour and felt a bit more human. anyway I would really like to know if anyone has any tips of how to settle myself at the start instead of thinking “oh here we go” and snowballing the feeling by getting anxious that it’s happening!

Taz14 Anxiety - Bizzare Physical Symtpoms
  • replies: 6

Hello everyone, I have suffered from anxiety for many years, over 20 years. I have General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety and OCD. Yes...what a real mixture! I have read many anxiety self help and awareness books, counsellors, medication, yo... View more

Hello everyone, I have suffered from anxiety for many years, over 20 years. I have General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Health Anxiety and OCD. Yes...what a real mixture! I have read many anxiety self help and awareness books, counsellors, medication, you name it i have tried it. Some things work, others don't. I always find myself relapsing into a spiral of anxieties. The one thing that has started to ease my journey is being able yo talk to other sufferes, it doesn't fix it but it takes the edge off, something about feeling not so alone, weird , outcast or unusual. I had some recent events that really set off some physical symptoms, twitching....yes twitching. As crazy as it is, no matter how much our health anxiety makes us feel we have underlying sinister diseases( and yes sometimes in life it can be a bad disease or symptom) , anxiety i have come to learn is a forceful symptom that activates out stress response. If anyone has ever read about the stress response, chronic anxiety really does a number on our bodies. Anxiety is not just a bad thought or a panic here and there...it can be debiitating. It puts so much strain on the human mind or body, i think we at times need to not be so harsh on our selves. We are warriors together, nagivating our journey through anxiety. You are not alone in this, i too know how anxiety can wreak havoc on our lives.

yellowkiwi Health anxiety?
  • replies: 2

Hi all! I was just wondering if anyone else experiences this. Recently I have been feeling sick for no reason at random times, like random pains, throat stuff and a bit of nausea. I seem to be physically fine aside from this and was wondering if anyo... View more

Hi all! I was just wondering if anyone else experiences this. Recently I have been feeling sick for no reason at random times, like random pains, throat stuff and a bit of nausea. I seem to be physically fine aside from this and was wondering if anyone who suffers from anxiety experiences this too. It will normally come out of nowhere. Like I'll feel sick after taking a sip of water and then worry that there's something in it. Does anyone know if this is just paranoia? Does anybody have any advice on how to deal with stuff like this? Thanks!

Harddd Using music to help cope?
  • replies: 2

Personally, music is one of the only things that helps me deal with my anxieties and depression, mainly by ignoring, which is probably less optimal then dealing with it but it helps me i guess. Does this help anyone else? I usually listen to rather p... View more

Personally, music is one of the only things that helps me deal with my anxieties and depression, mainly by ignoring, which is probably less optimal then dealing with it but it helps me i guess. Does this help anyone else? I usually listen to rather pessimistic or "emo" music. I typically stan the likes of $uicideBoy$, lil peep, guccihighwaters, fats'e, guardin, xxxtentacion, lund, 4ever falling and more people that are less well known. Please tell me i'm not the only one this works for

Rose66 Anxiety at work and mental block
  • replies: 5

I started getting anxiety while at University about seven years ago, and ever since it has never gone away. I was able to manage it for a few years, but lately it has been getting worse. It feels like in a matter of seconds my heart rate can go from ... View more

I started getting anxiety while at University about seven years ago, and ever since it has never gone away. I was able to manage it for a few years, but lately it has been getting worse. It feels like in a matter of seconds my heart rate can go from 0 to 10 over little stresses that wouldn't bother the average person. At work when I need to speak infront of my team I find that I often get mental blocks, where I am tongue tied and unable to gather my thoughts. As a result, I sound convoluted and often stumble over my words, which can be embarrassing. I am only now looking to get professional help. I was thinking about telling my manager, but I don't want special treatment or have the nature of my work changed so I have avoided this. Any tips on how anyone has overcome this issue would be appreciated.

sam0259 Almost 30 with social anxiety
  • replies: 4

Hi, I'm a 29 year old male, and this is the first real thing I've ever done regarding my anxiety. Ever since I can remember I've suffered crippling social anxiety in most public environments. I avoid group situations and social interactions with peop... View more

Hi, I'm a 29 year old male, and this is the first real thing I've ever done regarding my anxiety. Ever since I can remember I've suffered crippling social anxiety in most public environments. I avoid group situations and social interactions with people I don't know well, especially authority at work, females and confident looking people etc. I use my phone to avoid eye contact, I avoid the management office, I avoid phone calls, I've avoided invitations to the point of losing contact with potential or old friends. And when I'm feeling really worked up, I literally can't even get the words I'm trying to say out of my mouth, feeding the anxiety even further! But I'm not a total hermit. I do things like cycling with one or two mates at a time, solo travel, and I've done a lot of raving and partying, but over time I've realised that other than genuinely loving the music, this is kind of a coping mechanism as the alcohol, substances and loud music kind of mask the awkwardness and provide an escape for a few hours while getting my social fix. Albeit a shallow one. When I was younger I thought that it'd just go away over time as I became an adult. And it looked like it was going that way as once I moved out of home at 18, as I gained friends, experiences and attention I never thought I was worthy of during high school. But those were the easy-go-lucky days before true "adulting," and now I feel like I'm back at square one - 30 soon and still dealing with this debilitating problem that holds me back in most areas of my life. I can deal with daily tasks like work, shopping and exercise far better than when I was in my teens, but still usually with some level of anxiety most of the time. So, my questions are, are there any people with similar experiences who can share what has worked for you? and what are the best steps to take regarding help? I've never gone to a counsellor and I have no idea what kind of money I should expect to spend or even where to go. So any tips would be greatly appreciated, because I am so so sick of this!!

Jo999 Anxiety and work situation
  • replies: 8

I have bad anxiety due to a work situation and how the workplace has treated me being bullied and then excluded from work. I was on workers compensation but they are trying to get me off it. I hate the thought of not working as I want to be productiv... View more

I have bad anxiety due to a work situation and how the workplace has treated me being bullied and then excluded from work. I was on workers compensation but they are trying to get me off it. I hate the thought of not working as I want to be productive. I don't want to apply for disability, but my anxiety is overwhelming. I've never had anxiety before this and I find it hard to sleep as the same ongoing thoughts go over and over in my head about how badly my employer has treated me. I get anxious leaving the house. Does anyone have any ideas to stop the repetitive negative thoughts? I try to distract myself and find something else to think about, but it doesn't work. Thanks.

KidJones Alright, here I go...
  • replies: 8

Hi everybody. I'm a 31yo male who has been trying to cope with on and off anxiety for around 4 years now. Not exactly loving this experience to say the least. To get down to what I want to say I'll just out right and say it. I recently was sick with ... View more

Hi everybody. I'm a 31yo male who has been trying to cope with on and off anxiety for around 4 years now. Not exactly loving this experience to say the least. To get down to what I want to say I'll just out right and say it. I recently was sick with what the doctors told me was bronchitis, taken antibiotics 3 times now and every time things got better it came back, so that kind of set my anxiety off about to the point I keep thinking it might be something else. I have on occasions get intrusive thoughts that freak me out every now and again, throwing that in there because it will become relevant in the minute. I was feeling content and recovered last night while playing PS4 when suddenly my intrusive thoughts decided to say hello! I was doing something in the game when my thoughts just went "quickly do this or mum will die" which threw me off and made me paranoid and anxious as all hell. I got tight in the chest, heart beating faster, confused, and began coughing. Was hard to sleep aswell as I was tossing and turning all night with very little sleep accomplished. Woke up and my ribs are in a little bit of pain, coughing keeps creeping in, feel like I might throw up sometimes, and feeling guilty as anything where I want to cry but can't. What is wrong with me? I'm trying to stay calm and relaxed but feel deeply regretful over that stupid intrusive thought. Wish I was normal like when I was a kid. Any feedback is appreciated, and thank you for taking time out to read my post. Very grateful.