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

lifewonder constant panic attacks for the last couple months
  • replies: 1

Hello everyone, I have come across this forum, and I thought I would share what I have been going through. I will give a brief history about myself so it makes a little more sense. In my late teens, I lost one of my parents and that had a devastating... View more

Hello everyone, I have come across this forum, and I thought I would share what I have been going through. I will give a brief history about myself so it makes a little more sense. In my late teens, I lost one of my parents and that had a devastating effect on me. I was depressed for many years and it took a long time to find myself. My counselor diagnosed me with generalized anxiety disorder, likely because I kept having very intrusive thoughts about a particular thing and was always worried. For years I thought they would never go away, so I just learned to cope with the thoughts and eventually they subsided. In the last year, I saw an actual psychiatrist who confirmed I have GAD, and recommended placing me on medications. There was a point in time I took medications, but I eventually stopped them because I was feeling much better, and I realized that the coping mechanisms I was taught by my counselors was more then enough for me... however, also because in my line of work, any anti anxiety or depression medication is an absolute big NO... even when I was on the meds, I had to keep it a secret for fear of not being able to pursue my line of work, which would then only throw me into a bigger depression and anxiety In the last few months, I wasn't feeling great, as I was upset that nothing had been panning out in terms of a job, and I was literally broke. I was about to give up on my dream job, until I caught an absolutely amazing break and everything went into a complete 180. I had finally gotten the job I always wanted, it pays well, I have paid off my debts and everything else in my life if fairly good. Yet, I have had the absolute worst panic attacks of my life. I have gone to the hospital several times, thinking I was either having a heart attack, or my lungs were collapsing or something of the likes, yet all my results show I have cleanest bill of health... so what gives? This makes absolutely no sense to me.everyday I wake up I feel agitated, and then throughout the day I have at least one panic attack, characterized by shortness of breath, brain fog, dizziness and sometimes hand numbness... I can't even hang out in crowded or loud places because the panic seems to onset and get really bad, and I can't even focus on conversations with my friends. This is absolutely tearing me apart, and for the life of me I can't understand why it's happening. I have no intrusive thoughts, and I am relatively stress free, other then normal life stress

Samyol Anxiety, Depression and Future prospects.
  • replies: 6

Hi, I've dealt with anxiety for the whole of my life. Ever since being young I've always suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder and have had frequent panic attacks. Most of my panic attacks are a result of anxiety making me feel sick, which in tu... View more

Hi, I've dealt with anxiety for the whole of my life. Ever since being young I've always suffered from Generalised Anxiety Disorder and have had frequent panic attacks. Most of my panic attacks are a result of anxiety making me feel sick, which in turn makes me freak out that I'm going to be sick and then results in making me feel even more sick and I begin panicking and then it's just an endless cycle. I'm 18 years old and have not consulted a psychologist yet however I had seen a psychologist a few years ago as I had trouble attending school as a result of anxiety. I worked at a job for about a year before eventually having to leave as a result of illness/injury, when I returned after my injury I could no longer handle the workload as a result of anxiety and would call in sick to every shift eventually resulting in being let go. I no longer feel capable of working a job as even leaving the house tends to be extremely stressful as I get very sick from anxiety, this includes being glued to a toilet and cold sweats, shakes and such. I'm also currently dealing with un-diagnosed, on-going GI problems that I've posted previously before to get some insight and reassurance. My main question is, would it be possible at all for me to seek disability benefits? Generally I feel as though I'm incapable of working, but at the same time I doubt that my mental illness is serious enough to receive any benefits. I seriously dread the thought of working purely because of my anxiety as it severely impacts my quality of life. I have serious doubts in my capabilities to perform at a job and this in turn makes me even more anxious and I feel as though I will only ever let down my employers. I'm just looking for advice in general, I appreciate any and all replies. Thank you very much

ed_b Situation induced or inner anxiety?
  • replies: 3

I believe I have (and have always had) an anxiety disorder which makes rational thinking impossible. Fear grips me most of every day. My fear is that my business will go bust, which it looks like it will soon. I've thought it would go bust for over 3... View more

I believe I have (and have always had) an anxiety disorder which makes rational thinking impossible. Fear grips me most of every day. My fear is that my business will go bust, which it looks like it will soon. I've thought it would go bust for over 30 years and it hasn't happened yet. This time is different. I'm in trouble. My worst fear is likely coming true and I'm paralysed with terror. After 30 years of tiresome work, at 56 I could be ruined. Could be. If a sale goes through I could be ok. It's the could I can't live with. Every minute of every day is spent assessing the evidence for and against my fear. The evidence for throws me into a panic attack. I think I have an anxiety disorder, but who wouldn't? Not sure why I'm writing this. I just feel afraid.

ShazzaM80 Palpitations ruling my life.
  • replies: 3

I have been an anxious person from as far back as I can remember. Started when I was 3 when I witnessed my grandmother pass away from lung cancer, then the sudden death of my father when I was 5 years old. Fast forward, I had a baby at 15 whom had he... View more

I have been an anxious person from as far back as I can remember. Started when I was 3 when I witnessed my grandmother pass away from lung cancer, then the sudden death of my father when I was 5 years old. Fast forward, I had a baby at 15 whom had heart defects and she had 2 surgeries by the time she was 18 months old. I then had 3 other children who were heart healthy and then my 5th child had a hole in his heart. My 6th Child had a serious heart defect that required surgery soon after birth and again at 6 months of age. 7th child heart healthy. When I was 20 and pregnant with my 2nd child I began having palpitations which I was told was normal in pregnancy, however they continued after the birth of my son. Over the last 18 years O have had about 5 holster monitors and echos and echos and the cardiologist assures me I have benign palpitations or Pvcs. This year they have increased to be everyday and it's frightening me. My step father has had 2 heart attacks this year and my partner is in prison. I feel so alone and scared all the time so the doctor put me on medication. Since starting this I felt like I had my life back until 4 weeks into it the palpitations came back with a vengeance. Doc assures me it's not the medication but I'm stressed that it is the medication causing the increase. I guess I'm just after some advice or reassurance from people in similar circumstances.

Hamada Trying to accept my Anxiety but can't find others like me or an explanation.
  • replies: 2

Hey all, so recently iv'e been diagnosed with a panic disorder, but I don't think many people truly understand how bad it is, lately iv'e been switching on and off my meds because of withdrawal and starting a new batch, I developed a phobia of Seroto... View more

Hey all, so recently iv'e been diagnosed with a panic disorder, but I don't think many people truly understand how bad it is, lately iv'e been switching on and off my meds because of withdrawal and starting a new batch, I developed a phobia of Serotonin Syndrome and withdrawal and feel constantly trapped by it, before this started (A month ago) i was as lazy as a rug on valium, never really doing much, always in control of my emotions to a sociopathic degree and spent my days playing video games and going to the gym, after an overdose on preworkout it took about a week for the symptoms to kick in and the past 3 weeks have been a hellstorm of anxiety and nervousness. I just can't tell what is happening to me, during an emergency(My mother had to be taken to hospital) I sprung into action like I normally do and was relatively calm through the whole ordeal, then laid down and went back to my panic attacks, the void of my thoughts seems to be all-consuming like I can't escape from under it and my "coping" strategies last for a day or two at most and they're "harmful" strategies at that, I seem to spend nearly every moment in abject terror even when i'm focused on something or someone. I never left the house before apart from the gym, so I feel like im still in the same place doing the same thing as I usually would if i wasn't having these attacks, but I can never find any information on if this is wrong or good or bad etc etc, I can't seem to find any human stories about people who have had the same level of anxiety and constant panic attacks as me and what they did to even reduce it by 10%, does anyone have any advice or links to places I can go to read what I should be doing to get back to some semblance of my life? thanks alot.

timidpea Scared to get into the work force for the first time.
  • replies: 3

Okie Dokie, i desperately need to get a job soon but i have numerous problems in regards to getting and maintaining a job which gives me severe anxiety and i deliberately avoid searching and applying for a job. First, i have no mental support. I have... View more

Okie Dokie, i desperately need to get a job soon but i have numerous problems in regards to getting and maintaining a job which gives me severe anxiety and i deliberately avoid searching and applying for a job. First, i have no mental support. I have little to none close people in my life that are available or caring enough to reassure me and support me, so i'm on my own. Worst case scenario, i have to go to a job interview my myself. Second, my transport options are inadequate. I only have my learners and don't get much opportunities to practice so i can only take the bus and walk. Annoying thing about the bus is that they're only available every half and hour so depending on the time i could be late or too early (i hate being in public) and my physicality is atrocious. A mere 5 minutes of walking takes its toll... Thirdly, I'm Autistic. Fourthly, jobs don't feel secure to me? With school you're pretty much cemented a spot but with a job i feel i'd find it so hard to relax, especially considering the bitchy work place environments my mum describes! I'm scared to find myself stuck in a nasty employee environment. So far those are my concerns with getting a job, i did have some work experience and as much i didn't enjoy the work itself the people there were lovely. I hope i strike lucky and get a nice job but... yea, i'm scared.

Traveller73 Heart Palpitations
  • replies: 4

Been a while since Ive been on here. My Anxiety subsided for a few years, I got a good way to manage it (Distraction and relaxation mostly). But gee its always an undercurrent under the surface. You always need to be on top of it. Last few weeks been... View more

Been a while since Ive been on here. My Anxiety subsided for a few years, I got a good way to manage it (Distraction and relaxation mostly). But gee its always an undercurrent under the surface. You always need to be on top of it. Last few weeks been having heart palpitations. They began after getting a medical check. It all came back fine. But the result is my anxiety is back. Had a few stressful things this week. Had other anxiety symptims before, but its funny the symptoms change (never had these before). Been to Dr and he said anxiety. Also- the anxiety preceeds the palpitations. Distraction works, but when i sit around they (sometimes come back). Any others like this?

Spl spl I am panicking about Climate Change
  • replies: 10

Hey all, Just a heads up, if you are wondering why I am panicking because climate change happens 'in other countries', 'not happening for hundreds of years', or just 'not possible', then I highly encourage you to research it (the IPCC 2019 report). O... View more

Hey all, Just a heads up, if you are wondering why I am panicking because climate change happens 'in other countries', 'not happening for hundreds of years', or just 'not possible', then I highly encourage you to research it (the IPCC 2019 report). Obviously don't if you're going to panic like I'm about to talk about, just that in Australia particularly there has been abysmal public education on climate change and there are a lot of myths and lies out there, of which are spread by the fossil fuel industry. Anyway, Australia's the only country in the world right now without a plan to tackle climate change-- at all. If you've noticed the government hasn't helped the victims of the fires at all. Also weird political things are happening, like attempts to quickly pass laws that are against fundamental human rights like outlawing unions & climate protests. Also more evidence has been coming out recently that scientists predictions for climate change are accurate. Which means those fires raging over east are now normal weather events, and will continue to get worse year after year. I am not kidding. I am freaking out about this. Constant anxiety attacks, panicking, I feel like vomiting. It feels like people are just letting this slide and no ones standing up to how corrupt this is It would be fine if we switched to renewable energy and stopped coal/oil/gas production which would greatly decrease carbon level in the atmosphere (causing climate change). So at least the level of danger would stay the same and not get worse. But no, that not happening. It's not. I'm terrified. I have severe asthma. I'm so scared. I'm 19, this is my life. I'm trying to take action but theres nothing going on in my city this week >:| and just, I need tips to just manage this panic. I'm not sleeping, eating much, relationships have suffered. Not looking after myself after finding this out. My whole life feels fake now. Because in a few years its all going up in smoke. That's not a possibility, it's a scientifically proven inevitability. I understand ignoring climate change for your mental health. Seriously, I get it. That used to be me. But right now I can hardly rip my attention from the horror unfolding in front of me. I don't know if Australia will be 1st world country for much longer. "Democratic" for much longer. "Safe" for much longer. I feel so unsafe. I just want to feel safe. I just want to sleep. Any advice...? Thanks spl

Learntoswim 2019: The hardest year of my life
  • replies: 11

Hi, I am new to this and this is my first post. This year has pushed me to almost breaking point . The start of the year I was in a job that was making me miserable, the environment was very toxic so I decided to leave as my anxiety was reaching new ... View more

Hi, I am new to this and this is my first post. This year has pushed me to almost breaking point . The start of the year I was in a job that was making me miserable, the environment was very toxic so I decided to leave as my anxiety was reaching new heights. I was waking up every night with panic attacks. I was lucky to find a job back in the industry I was very familiar with and although it was quite a bit less pay, it was a comfortable position and my anxiety pretty much vanished. It wasn’t until September when things really took a turn and I found myself back in an all too familiar place. my wife was diagnosed with MS on Friday the 13th! This completely turned our world upside down and although she is also a type 1 diabetic, we were doing well at managing that. She was off work for 2 months , no income , couldn’t drive and relied on family members to be constantly here to help take care of our 4 year old. She has started to go back to work, on a part time basis which I am very proud of.my mother was involved in a major car accident 3 weeks ago and suffered some minor injuries. My best mate and wife just had a baby which needed open heart surgery at 1 week old . I have tried to be there for everyone in these situations , offer support and try and manage finances through my wife’s illness. I am starting a new job tomorrow which I started looking for to try and earn some more money and to take the burden off my wife . Today I feel like all these issues have built up to a point where I just don’t know how much more I can take . Another panic attack this morning at 3am and the anxiety of starting a new job is consuming me . I have been the go-to person all year for everyone and I have not done a thing for myself . The black dog is at its peak right now and there’s often times I feel like it’s all too much. The only things keeping me going is my wife and son. I feel trapped with no way out. I have forgotten what it means to enjoy life and to have a normal day to day...

BBUser59 I am scared... I'm becoming paranoid
  • replies: 2

I have phobias or panic attacks sometimes. Commonly at home when I have nothing to do. It's about the future. Lately my brother has been watching netflix and I just can't help to watch when he puts on some horror movies. Ever since I had sometimes sh... View more

I have phobias or panic attacks sometimes. Commonly at home when I have nothing to do. It's about the future. Lately my brother has been watching netflix and I just can't help to watch when he puts on some horror movies. Ever since I had sometimes shortness of breath, chest pain and I sweat alot. I just can't stand it anymore. I need someone to help me. My brain just keeps on making things like zombie apocalypse etc. more realistic by finding out possibilities. I become paranoid all the time. Except for school because my friends help me relax my emotions. I always have these at home and it's stopping me from doing certain things like I have a taboos. I am too worried about my Mom getting hurt or if she disappears because I've had these terrible nightmares. I woke up with a pannic attack and I can't remember I saw some illusions and my chest hurt so much I started crying but not loudly, since me and my Mom sleep in the same room due to some problems with my brother. My brain keeps on making ways the world can end or be destroyed so I can just feel worse. Please send help, my mind hurts. Benny