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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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colleen3 relationship vs school. anxiety
  • replies: 1

I was diagnosed with anxiety about 6 years ago (when I was 11 maybe?) and stopped seeing someone after I could sleep easily. I think I still have it and mild depression but I wouldnt want to see anyone because I never talk to my parents about persona... View more

I was diagnosed with anxiety about 6 years ago (when I was 11 maybe?) and stopped seeing someone after I could sleep easily. I think I still have it and mild depression but I wouldnt want to see anyone because I never talk to my parents about personal stuff. Ive been dating someone for 8 months now and he lives close, has same interests as me, same personality type as me and super caring and kind etc. Ive had a few flings/relationships in the past (just high school ones I guess) and I was always the one that got dumped and that lead to really bad depression and thoughts like Im not good enough etc. Whenever I ask my now bf for reassurance he was always like "you have to trust me, Im not going anywhere" but recently he said we need to talk (Our communication is always good) but then said actually I dont want to because I know youll (me) get sad. I insisted he told me whats up and he said he never has really felt 100% with our relationship and that the relationship isnt as important and meaningful to him as me. I have final high school exams in about two weeks and I know from the past if someone really bad emotionally happens to me, I just go numb and can't do anything (which he knows about). I then freaked out and said can we wait until after my exams to talk about this in case we talk and things go bad and he said of course but he then said he never ever wants to break up and he loves me etc just his emotions are hard to figure out (he has pretty bad undiagnosed depression and was told by a professional his mind tells him he isnt worthy of happiness which is what I think caused him to think he doesnt feel 100% about the relationship). Also, Im the type of person to rely heavily on those close to me where as he is someone who keeps everything to themselves so I come off as extremely clingy which I think he has compared his emotions to (eg she misses me 24/7 and i dont). I want to talk about how hes feeling now because its caused my anxiety to get really bad and now Im more stressed about him than my finals but I also dont want to talk until after my exams in case the outcome is bad and I go numb? I asked him again today if he still likes me, wants to be with me etc and he said "yes" kind of bluntly. I told him my anxiety is getting really bad because my brains saying he doesnt but he just said "you have to trust me" like he usually does. I dont know what to do or how to cope with the stress of this and my exams.

Helenmaree46 One year in on the anxiety journey
  • replies: 2

Hi all,,hope you are all doing ok. It's been a year since my anxiety and panic attacks started. This last few weeks the panic is subsiding , but I am left with extreme exhaustion and a weird feeling in my eyes, like they are stary and not awake. For ... View more

Hi all,,hope you are all doing ok. It's been a year since my anxiety and panic attacks started. This last few weeks the panic is subsiding , but I am left with extreme exhaustion and a weird feeling in my eyes, like they are stary and not awake. For the last year I have had daily anxiety and I'm wondering if because the anxiety is easing am I noticing fatigue more. I have never felt so tired. Any thoughts or similarities ? Thankyou

Katt_s Not sure what’s happening
  • replies: 3

Hi im not sure what I’m feeling but it’s really starting to freak me out. Recently I have experienced the feeling of just freaking out . I would lay in bed ready to go to sleep as I slowly fall asleep I feel like my breathing is going slower and my h... View more

Hi im not sure what I’m feeling but it’s really starting to freak me out. Recently I have experienced the feeling of just freaking out . I would lay in bed ready to go to sleep as I slowly fall asleep I feel like my breathing is going slower and my head feels like it’s racing. I then just suddenly wake up and get myself up and I freak out . I don’t even know what I’m freaking out about. I literally haven’t even closed my eyes for about 1 min and I feel it. I would reach for my phone as I need to see light . I stay up and I’m fine I then go back down and it happens again. As in sitting up both ears are hurting and my head a little. I have never had anxiety or panic attacks before so I’m really not understanding what’s going on. mum just worried as I can barely get any sleep cause I get scared of what can happen . I feel nothing but fine throughout the day it’s only as I lay down to sleep . Has anyone experienced this ?

Tori11 My heart hurts
  • replies: 1

I feel so lost and panicky and sad all the time. I recently moved out of my family home and suddenly have been overcome with so much sadness and anxiety and depression. I miss my mum a lot but mostly I’m struggling with life because I am lost and my ... View more

I feel so lost and panicky and sad all the time. I recently moved out of my family home and suddenly have been overcome with so much sadness and anxiety and depression. I miss my mum a lot but mostly I’m struggling with life because I am lost and my heart is always in pain. I know that I have always been sad but on the outside I don’t act like it. It’s been harder and harder everyday to keep up the happiness from the outside I feel like I’m crippled I can’t breathe and everything is going so fast and I’m barely catching up. My leg constantly shakes and I do t know who to turn to anymore. I don’t trust myself and I don’t think I trust other people

JoJo70 help with day to day coping skills
  • replies: 3

Hi, I'm new here and hoping to receive some good workable advise. I'm a 50 year old woman who has up until recently managed to play cool and hide in front of my anxiety and depression, until a few months ago i dropped my 'bundle' at a GP visit . I ha... View more

Hi, I'm new here and hoping to receive some good workable advise. I'm a 50 year old woman who has up until recently managed to play cool and hide in front of my anxiety and depression, until a few months ago i dropped my 'bundle' at a GP visit . I have been receiving help but.....I'm missing something See life has to go on. I cant seem to be able to manage myself in public / work very well. I tend to be overcome by a wave of panic/ fear (something new to me) when I cant cope with something or a situation. Afterword when i reflect it seems easy to say walk away, but I kind of freeze. Does anyone have any tips for me to learn to manage to cope better? Thanks in advance

Bulus Shabbaz Guilt complex, always thinking everything is my fault.
  • replies: 4

One of the things that causes me much anxiety is this guilt complex I have. I have this overarching sense of guilt about everything, even implausible things. A small example of this is if say, my housemate comes along and says they can not find their... View more

One of the things that causes me much anxiety is this guilt complex I have. I have this overarching sense of guilt about everything, even implausible things. A small example of this is if say, my housemate comes along and says they can not find their keys, my first reaction is to check my pockets and then go into my bedroom, I will feel like I must have taken them, even though I know I haven't. Another example of this is if someone is sick I will feel like it is my fault they are sick, even when I know that is irrational. When the news came out that the POTUS and his wife have COVID-19, I felt like me saying I hope he gets COVID might have caused them to contract the virus. Then I realised that is silly. I sometimes have anxiety attacks where I come up with thoughts that I have done something really horrible in the past and I will ring random people to ask them questions about some kind of event that I think has happened, and get frustrated when the person says that as far as they are aware that thing never happened.

maccaz Health anxiety - any tips
  • replies: 6

So I have had severe health anxiety my whole life, but really ramped up since I had my daughter 16 months ago. I have spent the majority of this year in a bad panic about various diseases (really far fetched) and just had a specialist appointment whi... View more

So I have had severe health anxiety my whole life, but really ramped up since I had my daughter 16 months ago. I have spent the majority of this year in a bad panic about various diseases (really far fetched) and just had a specialist appointment which confirmed I definitely do not have any of those diseases. My wife is getting fed up, and I was so hopeful that having the specialist confirmation would ease my mind, but I literally don't feel any better, just the thoughts are "what if they're wrong". I've been through soo many GPs and specialists etc all to be told im perfectly fine and it is somatic/mental health issues causing my repeat hypochondria. Does anyone have any advice? Anyone been in the same boat and had any luck managing it? Really at my wits end here..

Nervous_Nell Situational anxiety
  • replies: 1

In 2016 I felt the creep of what was later diagnosed as Generalized anxiety disorder cover my entire body. It was BAD. Poor sleep, weight loss, dry retching, catastrophising, poor concentration, terrified I was going mad. My GP started me on medicati... View more

In 2016 I felt the creep of what was later diagnosed as Generalized anxiety disorder cover my entire body. It was BAD. Poor sleep, weight loss, dry retching, catastrophising, poor concentration, terrified I was going mad. My GP started me on medication and I attended counselling and slowly I started to feel normal again. The it happened again around the same time the following year. Not quite as violently this time but I felt I was back to square one. 2018 was a good year as it didnt happen. I had about a week of feeling pretty low and that was it. 2019 around the same time and it was back! Not as bad as 2016, but worse than 2017. I coped with counselling and an increase in medications. By now I knew the nature of the beast and that I had to do whatever I needed to do to cope until it resolved. This year I had a couple of days where I thought it was going to come back, but then I was ok. Now though, there has been a change in my youngest sons life and I realize that I have probably had Situational anxiety all along because it is back. What scares me is that a lot of the counselling focuses on whether you have control over a situation or not or trying to remove triggers from your life. I can't remove the trigger and I have no control over the situation so I find it hard to think I can beat this again. I am using all my usual coping methods but worry that these aren't working. Anyone else have similar situation?

b-rad727 Anxiety over a fear of throwing up?
  • replies: 5

Hey all, I've had this problem for maybe 3 years, although it seems to have gotten worse. It has its peaks and lows but it is extremely inconsistent. The issue is, eating (or even if I don't eat) before going into a public space in which there is no ... View more

Hey all, I've had this problem for maybe 3 years, although it seems to have gotten worse. It has its peaks and lows but it is extremely inconsistent. The issue is, eating (or even if I don't eat) before going into a public space in which there is no escape, eg going on a long bus trip, going for a haircut, going to work ect. In these situations I feel as I loose control of the digestion of food, and that my stomach starts working in the opposite direction (sending food or whatever up) causing panic which in-turn increases the severity. This is a huge issue when I have to be at a specific place at a specific time, because I hate being late for work ect, but it is only minor if I am on no particular schedule. It makes it extremely hard to eat in public (at restaurants ect) and socialise and commit to things (ie if a manager asks me to work, and as soon as I agree the anxiety and nausea show up, if I just show up it will be only minor). The worst part is that it is unpredictable, and scenarios or techniques I use which seem to help it sometimes seem to work; don't work (eg, before getting on a bus to go drinking at a friends house, before getting on said bus it is quite bad, but generally when I get on the bus I goes away, but last time this didn't happen, even with breathing techniques and listening to music). When this anxiety first started, I could eat 30 mins before doing the things listed above, but now even if I don't eat I have this fear. I believe when I learned I can feel nausea and gag as if I'm about to vomit even if I haven't eaten for a while, or anything at all created this monster. Any advice? I took some sessions with a therapist a while ago, it didn't help that much. Thanks in advance! I'll add anything if I've missed it. I've been meaning to make this post for weeks.

Whatsinaname Been a long couple of months
  • replies: 27

Hi again everyone, I'm having a pretty rough time tonight, but if I'm honest I've been struggling for close to 2 months. I quick background is ive had anxiety offically for about 10 years or so, I see a psych on and off and am on anti depressants. I ... View more

Hi again everyone, I'm having a pretty rough time tonight, but if I'm honest I've been struggling for close to 2 months. I quick background is ive had anxiety offically for about 10 years or so, I see a psych on and off and am on anti depressants. I live in regional vic, so lock down isn't helping, plus we are building a house and expecting our second child. Just to put some pressure on! A fear ive always had is ill lose my job for one reason or another and now with my wife off work and taking on a lot of debt its compounding. I know most of my triggers and I generally just avoid them and of i am triggered I can bounce back relatively quick. I had a server panic attack close to 2 months ago and am yet to bouncw back. I have small triggers that ruin my day, like today. My psychologist has suggested I talk to my GP and and psychiatrist to potentially increase my dosage during this stressful time and look into if I have OCD. Ironically enough the idea of another diagnosis and increasing meds is making me.anxious, but I'm keen to get on top of this for my son, my unborn child, my wife and also myself. Thanks for reading, I just needed a rant.