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.

All discussions

Monicas Does anyone else have bad breathing during anxiety?
  • replies: 4

Hi. Iv had anxiety for a few years. However last july it became alot worse. Suddenly i got bad breathing and i feel like i can't get enough air mainly when I am anxious. When i good no problems at all. When im well i feel theres nothing wrong with my... View more

Hi. Iv had anxiety for a few years. However last july it became alot worse. Suddenly i got bad breathing and i feel like i can't get enough air mainly when I am anxious. When i good no problems at all. When im well i feel theres nothing wrong with my lungs but when i am anxious I feel like my lungs are not working properly. Doctor keeps telling me it's anxiety as he has done a lung function test and scan and both were clear. Does anyone else know what I am talking about.

OneLifeOneChance1980 Hernia operation and Anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi my name is Stephen, I am trying to go for my 4th or 5th Attempt for Surgery on a Double Groin Hernia that I have had for approximately 61/2 years. I am not scared of anything going wrong however I have always been proud of not having broken bones ... View more

Hi my name is Stephen, I am trying to go for my 4th or 5th Attempt for Surgery on a Double Groin Hernia that I have had for approximately 61/2 years. I am not scared of anything going wrong however I have always been proud of not having broken bones and not having surgery, I don't want scar's On my body at all I am struggling with the idea of the surgeon wants me to stay in over night and that's not going to happen as I will walk out with out telling them. I don't want any after surgery pain as I am not nice to be around when I am not coping. I need this surgery however I also feel I would rather live with it than fix it. but it look revolting every time I get changed I am now 39 and hate this part of my life so much and wish I didn't have to go through it or exist. I have ADHD and major Anxiety

Guest_9043 Anxiety and high sensitivity.
  • replies: 6

I'm just wondering if anyone else feels these things? I have an official diagnosis of anxiety, however I am also a highly sensitive person. It is actually my being or part of my being. Elaine Aron wrote an entire book about us. I am also an INFJ pers... View more

I'm just wondering if anyone else feels these things? I have an official diagnosis of anxiety, however I am also a highly sensitive person. It is actually my being or part of my being. Elaine Aron wrote an entire book about us. I am also an INFJ personality type. Being these two things makes it challenging to figure out which part of me is my diagnosis of anxiety? Is my anxiety cause by my personality type and being a highly sensitive person? These are questions on my mind. As I'm getting older my sensitivity is even more heightened. Unfortunately not a lot of people have much understanding around this very rare personality type nor being a highly sensitive person. It's been a very challenging life for me. I'm trying to find what makes me happy instead of being told for years what I'm meant to be doing. You need to get out more, you need to socialise, what do you love to do? It is like the majority of people find it hard to believe that sitting at home very quietly is what I like to do or that I like to have interesting conversations in the comfort of my own home. I don't like lathe crowds or noisy places. I get overwhelmed because I feel too much. It can be draining. Quietness and alone gives me time to recharge. Lately my tolerance of silly people has become basically zero. I can actually have severe physiological responses. I wish I could socialise more, it's just hard. Does anyone else go through this?

cc199918 Severe Anxiety and Caffeine..
  • replies: 9

lately i have been having pretty bad anxiety, i haven’t been able to leave the house and see people or go places, i have anxiety all the time but lately it’s just been worse. i have also noticed when consuming caffeine, my anxiety symptoms worsen a l... View more

lately i have been having pretty bad anxiety, i haven’t been able to leave the house and see people or go places, i have anxiety all the time but lately it’s just been worse. i have also noticed when consuming caffeine, my anxiety symptoms worsen a lot! i feel very shaky and jittery throughout my whole body, i get random pains throughout my body also.. i had a V Energy Drink which is what led me to feel this way.. i usually drink coffee once a day but it doesn’t usually give me any symptoms like the energy drink did? anyone know why this might be or what i should do..? thanks.

Jmk22 Looking for some advice please...
  • replies: 3

Hello, I was just wanting to get some advice from anyone. I have generalised anxiety and have had this for many years. I currently have an overseas trip booked with my husband and some friends for May this year. We are going to LA and Vegas. With all... View more

Hello, I was just wanting to get some advice from anyone. I have generalised anxiety and have had this for many years. I currently have an overseas trip booked with my husband and some friends for May this year. We are going to LA and Vegas. With all this recent coronavirus stuff happening it has peaked my anxiety something shocking. I already get anxious enough about leaving the country in general now adding this on top has made things so much worse. I was just wanting to know opinions on if we should replan our trip for the end of the year or if we should just go in May like planned? I have spoken to our travel agent and she has said right now we should be still ok to go but that could change. I have spoken with my friend about it and she is really pushing that we still go. She doesn't seem to get how this is all making me feel because she doesn't personally deal with anxiety in the way I do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

PsychedelicFur Still Pursuing Something That Is Giving Me Stress
  • replies: 2

Hello there, at the moment I’m pursuing a hobby that for many years has brought me many moments of happiness and continuous satisfaction. However, just recently this hobby has been the one thing that has overwhelmingly caused me so many dilemmas and ... View more

Hello there, at the moment I’m pursuing a hobby that for many years has brought me many moments of happiness and continuous satisfaction. However, just recently this hobby has been the one thing that has overwhelmingly caused me so many dilemmas and furthermore problematic situations. Started this hobby from a really young age so it has been an enormous part of my youth. recently this place has been such a hateful and negative environment. People at this particular place want control, desire manipulation and have a large admiration for POWER. I love what I do. Because I am fully involved and passionate about it. however why is the one thing that I have done for so many years now the one thing that has affected me so greatly with stress and more anxiety? signed, Psychedelicfur

Number 86 Health Anxiety - Strength Training
  • replies: 7

Hi all, this is my first post. I have been struggling with anxiety for the past 5 years. Originally I had thought I had a heart condition as I would be doing something not stressful then bam! Feel dizzy/light headed tense chest and arms with the Terr... View more

Hi all, this is my first post. I have been struggling with anxiety for the past 5 years. Originally I had thought I had a heart condition as I would be doing something not stressful then bam! Feel dizzy/light headed tense chest and arms with the Terrified feeling of oh shit I am having a heart attack, this is it. I have had issues with my stomach and throat that convinced me I had cancer. I am starting to be aware of my patterns once I start to check my self over repeatedly after some kind of body sensation, I then go to doctor google and after a few days of that I am terrified and wanted reassurance from the emergency department. unfortunately of late i am perceiving my anxiety to be getter worse. I have been on medication for 5 years now and thinking I am building an immunity. Some times I get so bad i need to lay in bed face down and close my eyes until I relax enough to get out of bed. I have booked in to see a psychologist and feel a little nervous talking about it as I have hidden my anxiety from friends and family and never spoke about it to anyone besides my doctor. I have become a hermit as I feel better alone and when I am anxious I feel I need to run away. i have gone through every test with my doctor multiple times and I am completely healthy but I panic that I am going to have a heart attack if I elevate my heart rate with exercise. has anyone experienced this and have any pointers on how to combat this issue ?

Kingbabyw Brain tumours??
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hi so about?? 2 weeks ago I searched up brain tumours out pure anxiety since I was having pins and needles in my arms a lot (turned out to be a b12 deficiency) ever since I feel like I’ve been on the decline, heart palpitations, headaches sometimes, ... View more

hi so about?? 2 weeks ago I searched up brain tumours out pure anxiety since I was having pins and needles in my arms a lot (turned out to be a b12 deficiency) ever since I feel like I’ve been on the decline, heart palpitations, headaches sometimes, twitching/muscle spasms. I’ve seen an eye doctor to rule out the possibility that my eyes are just bad since I also know eye tests can detect tumours (I came out with great vision) I went to see a doctor multiple times and she told me it’s simply my anxiety since my blood tests came back clean with zero abnormalities. She told me not to google my symptoms and just enjoy life but I can’t seem to shake the fact that something is wrong with me, is this jsut a form of health anxiety or do I have the right to be anxious? I made her do a neurological test on me and she said I was fine.. a lot of symptoms have only come up after googling it and it makes me terrified

Zorn What helps for instant relief (while investigating long term strategies)
  • replies: 8

Hi guys. I had quite a scary incident the other night where I was woken from sleep with tight chest and difficulty breathing, sweats and weak legs. Naturally we went to the hospital where they thought it best to investigate the potential of a heart a... View more

Hi guys. I had quite a scary incident the other night where I was woken from sleep with tight chest and difficulty breathing, sweats and weak legs. Naturally we went to the hospital where they thought it best to investigate the potential of a heart attack as my blood pressure also hit 159/117, where I usually sit the 120/80 (no issues in the past). After finally getting the chance to calm down and symptoms subside, the doctors came to the conclusion this was caused from major stress (I have a highly stressful job along with personal life stresses) and has seemed to trigger Anxiety in me as it was a case of waiting for that last straw to break the Camel's back. It was a hug relief to know it wasn't a heart attack and a manageable condition. The past few days, I have been noticing more Anxious moments such as tingling extremities, shortness of breath, light headed, etc. I am just wondering if these are somewhat amplified and more noticeable (and also triggered by the Monday episode) now I am aware of what I have and if there is medication that can give near on instant relief from these symptoms, whilst I investigate a long term solution? I would love to hear back from you all as I want to get a little normality back (even fleeting) while I look for a long term fix.

PJ89 Anxiety journey
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I'm looking for some help as my anxiety journey has been long rough so far I am 30 yrs old (male) and I've had anxiety my whole life but around 4 years ago it became so prevalent that it changed my life for good. There was no direct cause of ... View more

Hi all, I'm looking for some help as my anxiety journey has been long rough so far I am 30 yrs old (male) and I've had anxiety my whole life but around 4 years ago it became so prevalent that it changed my life for good. There was no direct cause of why my anxiety had gotten so bad, it just happened out of the blue. I was working full-time - unfortunately I lost my job around this time last year - no small thanks to my anxiety problems (unfortunately companies can work their way around to weaselling you out of a job when you have MH issues). Over my adult life I've been on a variety of different anti-depressants, most of them having little effect. When I was 18 I first started having bad panic attacks and was prescribed medication for a little while until they settled down. I've been through a variety of doctors and have finally settled on one I'm okay with. Currently I'm on a combination of medications setup by my previous doctor but we're working my way off of it. In addition I also take another medication (for impulsiveness as I've had 3x suicide attempts), a medication for blood pressure (I have a high heart rate which contributes to my anxiety) and am allowed to have another medication as needed (they don't really seem to work so I save them for when I leave the house). I've seen therapists and psychologists who insist that there must be triggers to my anxiety - I don't believe there are. I wake up anxious and am anxious every second of the day and it gets worse when I have things to do. I'm lucky that I currently live with my father as he helps a lot - as stupid as it may sound, sometimes when I'm making dinner I get anxious that I'm going to mess it up. I saw a psychiatrist last year (recommended more therapy and some drugs) and quoting directly from my psychiatrist report I have "generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and dysthymia/persistent depressive disorder on the background of cluster B personality traits." I was also sent to an endocrinologist to see if my hormones were out of whack and they were but they believe this is the fault of one of my medications. I've been on six different medications. I guess my question would be where would you go from here?