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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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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.

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ZuSu Health anxiety flare up
  • replies: 2

Hi all imhave been having treatment for health anxiety of a specific nature over the last year. Have improved greatly. Now with this Covid 19 stuff happening I am feeling increasingly anxious. I have managed to be ok about it but I can feel it gettin... View more

Hi all imhave been having treatment for health anxiety of a specific nature over the last year. Have improved greatly. Now with this Covid 19 stuff happening I am feeling increasingly anxious. I have managed to be ok about it but I can feel it getting worse. I have had a dry nose and sore throat for a few days so I am panicking. I have been checking my temperature often. That’s the OCD part, I know I need to find a balance. I probably should check my temperature but not constantly, o probably should stop checking symptoms online. I am concerned because I work with international students. A few of them arrived about 6 weeks ago, had 14 days isolation and 4 weeks of class. 2 of them were coughing a lot. I asked them to see a doctor and stay home. Now I get this sore throat. I do get allergies but how would one know? What I’m doing here. Is I’m seeking reassurance which is what you do when you have health anxiety, this isn’t really going to help me! I need to get off this cycle. But I can’t stop wondering about the symptoms. I’m not coughing, I’m not feverish so I just need to be firm with my brain. this is like a bad dream and I’m struggling. Yesterday I was fine....but today I’ve been thinking a lot more and going online.

Azmataz Ex-forces looking for advice
  • replies: 1

Hi all, just joined. I'm 32 and am looking for recommendations for a referral to get screened for ADHD. I'm ex-ADF and took advantage of psychology services when I was in, which had good results regarding my self esteem and anxiety. My psych at the t... View more

Hi all, just joined. I'm 32 and am looking for recommendations for a referral to get screened for ADHD. I'm ex-ADF and took advantage of psychology services when I was in, which had good results regarding my self esteem and anxiety. My psych at the time suggested that my distracted nature, and inability to concentrate on study could be attributed to my anxiety and we used exercises and worked at it from that angle. It was successful in helping me relax but not necessarily with my concentration skills. Now that I'm out the contributing factors have reduced significantly and I still have trouble concentrating and keeping on self-motivated tasks, whether it be for hobbies or study. I'm unsure of where to go to proceed further. Any help or advice is very much appreciated. Thank you. Aaron.

Monicas What I have found that helps
  • replies: 2

Being aware of your fears and worries and processing them. Fear sets it off and worry perpetuates it. STOP WORRYING and let it go. Try to think more positively. Have faith that things will work out. Learn to catch it quicker and rationalize it. Feel ... View more

Being aware of your fears and worries and processing them. Fear sets it off and worry perpetuates it. STOP WORRYING and let it go. Try to think more positively. Have faith that things will work out. Learn to catch it quicker and rationalize it. Feel free to ask me questions when you need support.

Anxious_Steve1 Anxiety is back after nearly a decade
  • replies: 9

Hi, I'm currently going through some really bad anxiety. I haven't had to deal with anxiety for nearly 10 years, and I have forgotten how draining physically and emotionally it is. I am a 35 year old father of two, with the most supportive partner in... View more

Hi, I'm currently going through some really bad anxiety. I haven't had to deal with anxiety for nearly 10 years, and I have forgotten how draining physically and emotionally it is. I am a 35 year old father of two, with the most supportive partner in the world. I have been having really bad anxiety for the last few weeks, and am 6 days into medication to treat the anxiety. It is waking me up a couple of times a night, so I'm not really getting much sleep, so the cycle just continues every day. I have had a lot happen over the last 10 years, and I think I have bottled it all up and now it's trying to escape. I lost both my parents between the ages of 25 and 29, and I never really sought out help for that. I don't really feel depressed, just constantly anxious and nervous. I'm really struggling to cope with it. It's at the point now where I'm taking time off work for it.

CoraC Taking time away from working due to anxiety
  • replies: 4

I'm at the point where I feel I will need to quit my job to get my mental health into a better place. Has anyone been through this? How did you explain work gaps on your cv and just leaving a job with nothing to go to? im scared to leave but I'm mire... View more

I'm at the point where I feel I will need to quit my job to get my mental health into a better place. Has anyone been through this? How did you explain work gaps on your cv and just leaving a job with nothing to go to? im scared to leave but I'm mire scared to stay. I've tried various options to make it work where I am but it's become impossible. I work about 70 hours per week, I'm exhausted.

notquiteright Anxiety about existence, feeling trapped
  • replies: 4

I posted here a while back, and although things have gotten better in some respects I'm still really struggling. Sometimes I think I'm going absolutely insane, and I don't have anyone to talk to about it. I'm sorry to just unload, it's probably going... View more

I posted here a while back, and although things have gotten better in some respects I'm still really struggling. Sometimes I think I'm going absolutely insane, and I don't have anyone to talk to about it. I'm sorry to just unload, it's probably going to be a bit of a rambling mess, but I don't have anywhere else to express this. I'm in a job where I don't know what I'm doing. It's mostly people in their 40s working here (I'm 22) so I find it a bit difficult to relate to the other guys. The thing is, they're hardly ever there. Most of them work from home, and the ones that don't work upstairs. It's just me sitting in a cubicle alone, often for days on end. There's a manager that's supposed to be 'managing' me and telling me what to do, but it's radio silence from him. I'm being paid to sit here and entertain myself. I feel like I'm living in some sort of Trueman-show universe, with the 'powers that be' seeing how long they can keep up the charade. I have worked on maybe two projects while here, taking up like 5% of my time if that. I feel like a fraud, and a failure. And a child. After work I go to gym, I've been going 5 days a week for over two months now. I do it mainly to get my mind off my anxieties, and try improve my mental health, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to get fitter as well. A few days ago I was happy with how I was progressing, then for no reason at all I felt like I was a failure in this too and wasn't going to the gym 'properly'. I feel like I'm in a world surrounded by normal people who have normal activities, work normal jobs, and just generally are able to function in society. I feel like everyone is keeping a 'big secret' from me, everyone's in on it but me (that's more metaphorical btw, I don't literally believe this). Sometimes I'm able to convince myself everything is ok, I am normal, and this is what life is like. But then this delusion will fade the next day. Whichever state I'm in, I see the one that I'm not in now as the delusion, and I honestly don't know which interpretation of my life is real. I don't get panic attacks at work anymore, so that's something. I used to sit there, get numb fingers, tingling sensations, and feel my chest getting tighter. Sometimes I worry this isn't an improvement and maybe I'm just getting numb to the monotony of my existence. The one solace I have is spending time with my friends on the weekends. That's fun, but for the rest of the week I feel so alone,and in my head

ShadowWolf25 anxious about the future
  • replies: 1

hey, i dont know where to start, but im completely lost, feeling like i dont have any choice for my well-being, health, studies and life. Im turning 26 later this year, and wanting/planning to go back and finish my studies, but one of big main proble... View more

hey, i dont know where to start, but im completely lost, feeling like i dont have any choice for my well-being, health, studies and life. Im turning 26 later this year, and wanting/planning to go back and finish my studies, but one of big main problems is that no one, and i mean no one in my family ever listens to me. For a bit of background, i have failed cert 3 screen and media (digital) since 2016, due to overloading on stress, depression showing up, and some bad childhood memories (and there are a lot of bad memories). Last year, i had to quit the course, yet again, as i had a stomach issue (physical health issue), and my mum, dad and sister told me that i shouldnt have applied for tafe last year, due to being in hospital and having this stomach issue for 6 months (i had surgery in december to fix it; the issue is still there), and planned for this issue to happen... i have no idea where that comes from, i mean, how does anyone plan for their car to have flat tyres? both my dad and sister told me that i shouldve continued going into tafe, while severely unwell (i was throwing up almost everyday, due to the stomach issue), and that its not their fault that i ended up having to go into hospital (not sure where they get that from, I never said it was; i had to force my mum to take me into hospital, for this to be fixed (she said she could fix it; mums not a doctor). It's 3 months since having surgery, and i feel well enough to be on my own and study again. One of the big problems is that i moved to my mums, who lives in a small town in W.A.. Mum doesnt want me to live on my own, or go and study (her reasoning is that im too "stupid (i had an I.Q test in high school and being told my I.Q is 75...)", and since i always ask for help, failed the same tafe course multiple times im unable to "think for myself/use my inititive"... we all need help, now and then, some need it more than others (i have aspergers syndrome/high functioning autism, so i need a fair bit of help, and i tend to ask my friends for help more often than not, which annoys her as i go to others for help, not her). It doesnt help matters that the nearest mental health services, that can help with my mental issues, are back in the city, my depression has shown up in force, and lingering (im doing the best i can to ignore it), and suicidal thoughts have shown up i dont know what to do

OnlyHuman Not sure what this is
  • replies: 9

Hello Friends, I have been feeling unwell for a while, but I can't tell what exactly it is and I would like to hear if others have gone through something similar or would like to share any tips about managing it. (Note: I have a background of depress... View more

Hello Friends, I have been feeling unwell for a while, but I can't tell what exactly it is and I would like to hear if others have gone through something similar or would like to share any tips about managing it. (Note: I have a background of depression, anxiety and anorexia nervosa.) What happened recently is that I was fortunate enough to get some locum work towards Christmas and was really happy about this since I always wanted to work in the clinical setting. But I messed up organisationally and practice-wise, especially since I am a new grad and was alone the whole time, couldn't ask for help because others were overseas, was mentally not there because I was exhausted from working 3 jobs at the time, and I didn't think to ask for advice from friends/colleagues in the field when I was uncertain. So when the others came back things looked pretty bad. I received feedback which was quite harsh, but there was much truth in it and I know it was constructive criticism and no hostility behind it. Needless to say though, I won't be eligible for any more locum positions at the site... But since finishing there, I keep stressing and worrying about things I could/should have done. I can reconcile with it rationally - I understand I should take it as a learning experience and apply what I've learned given another opportunity, but physically I'm struggling. Thoughts of bits and pieces related to the experience keep popping into my head. They also crop up just before sleeping and the minute I wake up, and I also wake up during the night and the thoughts immediately pop up again so it's hard to go back to sleep. My heart rate is always up, and the low-key headaches that accompany the thoughts aren't helpful. The tiredness from not enough rest is also causing me to make mistakes at work (not related to my degree). Overall, I feel super stressed and anxious all the time and am struggling to concentrate, especially to write more applications since I do want to improve as a clinician. At the same time, the only casual position I have in the field also gives me a lot of stress because of the accountability related to being a health professional and I am not enjoying being there at all despite it only being a twice/month thing. It is a somewhat convoluted situation but any words of wisdom will be welcomed!

howhann Health Anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hey guys, I’m an 18 year old girl who has previously been diagnosed with OCD. My OCD revolves around safety and my fear of dying. In the past year this has further manifested into severe health anxiety, to the point that I think about it constantly. ... View more

Hey guys, I’m an 18 year old girl who has previously been diagnosed with OCD. My OCD revolves around safety and my fear of dying. In the past year this has further manifested into severe health anxiety, to the point that I think about it constantly. I can’t convince myself that I don’t have cancer. If a bone sticks out too much, if my muscle starts hurting or if I experience any pain I automatically assume I have cancer. It’s really debilitating, and frustrates my friends and family when I ask them for reassurance. Just looking to see if anyone has been in a similar situation and can offer any advice or reassurance. It’s getting to the point where the only thing that would soothe my nerves is actually getting an X-ray, but my anxiety is preventing me from doing so.

lonelylemon moving away for uni - don't really know how to label this feeling
  • replies: 1

hi i recently got accepted to law school interstate and im coming to terms with the fact that i'm moving out of home - which in itself took me 4 days to stop crying over. it became evident that i am severely attached to my family, friends and of cour... View more

hi i recently got accepted to law school interstate and im coming to terms with the fact that i'm moving out of home - which in itself took me 4 days to stop crying over. it became evident that i am severely attached to my family, friends and of course where i'm living. i'm fresh out of year 12 and more scared and stressed now than i ever felt during my exam period believe it or not. im finding that i just constantly feel so so so low and so alone and more than anything just sad. i overthink so much about whether i will be able to find the right friends, going out (i dont really enjoy late nights and i dont drink - and i feel like this will make it difficult to make friends) and most importantly whether i am even cut out for law school - which is crazy because i worked so hard for it but now i would rather give it up than have to feel like this any longer. i find myself suddenly bursting into tears if i think about it for more than 2 minutes and it totally offsets the entire day afterwards. i don't know what to do or how to manage it. my friends and family have seen me cry and we have had discussions about it but i dont want to keep burdening them with my same issues over and over again. any help please