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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Fairylights7 How anxiety interferes with my life
  • replies: 3

Hi, I’m new here and my anxiety has spiralled. I’m writing this at 3am cause I can’t sleep. Right now I’m in exam season and I have an awful headspace - I’m from Vic so I’ve been in iso for a really long time - and now I can’t bring myself to care en... View more

Hi, I’m new here and my anxiety has spiralled. I’m writing this at 3am cause I can’t sleep. Right now I’m in exam season and I have an awful headspace - I’m from Vic so I’ve been in iso for a really long time - and now I can’t bring myself to care enough for my studies. I struggled in online learning, I’m failing maths and have 3 days to cram for my exams. But not usually is my anxiety related to school, it’s nearly everything but. Personally I’ve dealt with anxiety since I was probs 7 - when I saw my first psychologist. Back then it was pretty bad, it was like I was constantly fighting with my brain. At that time my anxiety was so bad. It was so hard to get thru each day. My mind was flooded with irrational and absurd thoughts. I remember a lot from back then because it impacted me quite a bit. Just so you get the gist, one time after watching a scary news segment on batteries, my mind engraved the idea that batteries were in the middle of my penne pasta. Crazy I know, absolutely ridiculous! but that didn’t matter, my mind flooded with those thoughts. Around 9 was when I had a lot of panic attacks and irrational thoughts. I’m 18 but for the past 2 years I’ve had the worst social anxiety. I worry about everything. I’m not independent but I want to be. I can’t go out by myself, I try my best to minimise it at least. I guess I think everyone is looking at me, judging me. I overthink every situation and after conversations with people I repeat what I said to myself and become so critical. I hate crowds, they cause me to have a panic attack. It’s so hard to deal with. I can’t order, I will not go someplace that I want because of ordering (more so if I’ve never been there b4) I feel so nervous and panic or if the place looks ‘intimidating’ (like super busy or has a lot of employees) then nah I’m not going. My anxiety causes me to think of every possible thing someone I approach could say or ask. and my anxiety stops me from wearing what I want because I think people will judge me. it’s exhausting and I guess I’m putting this on here to express how I feel Anxiety stops me from a lot of things I want to do. My goal is to get a job. But I don’t think I can, the whole process of an interview and being awkward on your first day and not doing a good job and meeting new people scares me, that’s probably ‘normal’ but in my head I can only think of every possible thing I could do wrong. So how does Anxiety interfere with your life? And how do you overcome it?

peacock Job stress
  • replies: 4

Hi, I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years and am on medication. I left my job two months ago and was enjoying my time at home and had no plans to return to the workforce. My neighbour told me there was a part time job available a... View more

Hi, I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years and am on medication. I left my job two months ago and was enjoying my time at home and had no plans to return to the workforce. My neighbour told me there was a part time job available at her organisation and suggested I apply for it. I did so and got an interview. They messed me around by offering me place on their casual pool but I could not get a direct answer about the actual job I applied for. Since this started I have been feeling anxious and unhappy and not sleeping well. I have rung my psychiatrist and have an appointment to see her next week. I think I’m not ready to return to work and think I should just withdraw my application. I would be so grateful for any advice out there if you’ve been in a similar situation. Thank you

Green grass Anxiety causes me to stare to the person I'm conversing with.
  • replies: 2

Hi there all. Does anyone else have trouble with listening to the person you're talking with and then the anxiety thoughts take hold? And as a result, with the thoughts and trying to listen and understand what they are saying you start to stare into ... View more

Hi there all. Does anyone else have trouble with listening to the person you're talking with and then the anxiety thoughts take hold? And as a result, with the thoughts and trying to listen and understand what they are saying you start to stare into their eyes to intently. It is causing me stress and them an uncomfortable feeling as they start to back away. Any advice is welcome especially if this is what happens to you. Thanks

Kelsey_A Anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hi I’m Kelsey I’m from Adelaide im interested and getting involved because I understand. and feelings. the situations what happens to people . Myself I struggle with anxiety and depression and I want to help others. People don’t need go through it al... View more

Hi I’m Kelsey I’m from Adelaide im interested and getting involved because I understand. and feelings. the situations what happens to people . Myself I struggle with anxiety and depression and I want to help others. People don’t need go through it alone.

IllThinkofSomething I Don't Think My Family Loves Me Anymore
  • replies: 4

Hey, I'm quite new to this, hopefully I'm posting in the right place. Recently I've felt like nobody really cares about me. I have people I hang out with at school but to be honest I don't think they know much about me. I'm also gay and I'm too scare... View more

Hey, I'm quite new to this, hopefully I'm posting in the right place. Recently I've felt like nobody really cares about me. I have people I hang out with at school but to be honest I don't think they know much about me. I'm also gay and I'm too scared to tell them or my family, so I always feel like I'm lying to them about myself and I feel horrible, even though I know I probably shouldn't. My anxiety has also gotten quite bad lately and I keep on having panic attacks but I always try to hide them from my family because I know they probably won't understand. My Mum already looks ashamed of me when she takes me to my therapist so I don't like talking about anything with her. Not that my family isn't nice, its just that we aren't that close. My brother definitely doesn't like me and I'm not sure if it's something I did. I always try to be really nice to him and I try to respect his privacy. But I've always had trouble trying to understand things like social cues and I never really know what to say to people, so I might have said something weird or offensive without realizing it. I also try to talk to him about things I know we are both interested in like physics or maths and I also give him small gifts like chocolates or something but he normally tells me to leave his room. I know this probably seems normal given our age (we are both teenagers) but everyone at school seems to have some sort of relationship with their sibling when we don't really have one. I can't help but think that I did something and that there is something deeply wrong with me. I've never even connected with a single human before because I don't know what people mean when they say things and I don't really understand how to talk to people. I guess I just feel really lonely and isolated, and I don't think my family really loves me anymore because sometimes I get extremely stressed out and I just want to be alone and I probably come across as slightly rude when they try to talk to me, so they probably think I don't like them either which isn't true at all. Hopefully this makes sense, thanks for reading

Deedee82 Anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi there, first time posting. I am suffering from really bad anxiety. I don’t know why but I have been suffering from anxiety the past few months. It’s gotton so bad that some days I don’t think I can even go to work. does anyone have a good tips on ... View more

Hi there, first time posting. I am suffering from really bad anxiety. I don’t know why but I have been suffering from anxiety the past few months. It’s gotton so bad that some days I don’t think I can even go to work. does anyone have a good tips on how to manage it ? My GP put me on an SSRI

potentbee worried my husband is going to die on me.
  • replies: 2

Every morning, i fear that my husband isn't going to wake up i start over thinking crazy thoughts like how i would live with out him situations eg: where i would live. There isn't anything wrong with my husband he is fine pretty much healthy apart fr... View more

Every morning, i fear that my husband isn't going to wake up i start over thinking crazy thoughts like how i would live with out him situations eg: where i would live. There isn't anything wrong with my husband he is fine pretty much healthy apart from Cirrhosis of liver & hep c. i lost my best friend from cancer 18 years ago, i lost my pop in 2018. I think this thought of him dying comes from that? It scares me that his just not going to wake up one morning. I could not cope with losing him. he is 52 and i am 39. I really cant explain where this worry is coming from.

Betta Feeling betta
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It's been a very hard week, food poisoning, family drama, my husband is worried about China and Taiwan where he lives right now until our visa is granted, and an OCD meltdown. Work is so supportive and caring makes me feel very cared for. Went for a ... View more

It's been a very hard week, food poisoning, family drama, my husband is worried about China and Taiwan where he lives right now until our visa is granted, and an OCD meltdown. Work is so supportive and caring makes me feel very cared for. Went for a bike ride and it blew away all bad thoughts and had dinner at a good friend's house. This is helping too so I m glad I joined this forum. Thank you.

Azura66 Physical Symptoms a year after panic attack
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Hi there, I am new to the forum. I experienced my first panic attack last year in August which left me with chronic anxiety for around 2 months. I managed to get myself back through the use of many strategies and naturopathy. However I still have som... View more

Hi there, I am new to the forum. I experienced my first panic attack last year in August which left me with chronic anxiety for around 2 months. I managed to get myself back through the use of many strategies and naturopathy. However I still have some residual anxiety which is hard ask never had it before. But I also feel some physical Symptoms like feeling super fatigued to the point where my arm muscles feel achey and tingling. I never had it before. Did anyone else get this? It's like my body went into shock and is still recovering from the attack? I hope this makes sense. It's just frustrating as I feel I'm left with the physical Symptoms.

Summer_Charm Anxiety during counselling
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I’ve started trauma counselling and EMDR but each time we try to start the process I completely shut down and my anxiety ramps up. I’m trying to work through medical emergency trauma memories but I’m having trouble with it. I have become so anxious d... View more

I’ve started trauma counselling and EMDR but each time we try to start the process I completely shut down and my anxiety ramps up. I’m trying to work through medical emergency trauma memories but I’m having trouble with it. I have become so anxious during the session that I physically cannot speak so can’t tell my psych how I’m feeling. Then it just makes me feel weak and useless!