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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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nht anxiety attack as you fall asleep
  • replies: 5

Hi, has anyone experienced anxiety/panic attack as soon as you fall asleep. I get this quite often during the day when I take a nap. I also get it in the morning after I wake up from some short perid of sleep, then try to fall sleep again. It makes y... View more

Hi, has anyone experienced anxiety/panic attack as soon as you fall asleep. I get this quite often during the day when I take a nap. I also get it in the morning after I wake up from some short perid of sleep, then try to fall sleep again. It makes you very scared of trying to sleep then you give up trying to sleep. You lose more and more sleep because of that. If someone has been through this how do you cope or prevent it from happening

From_little_things When what you worry will happen in a social event, comes true: Sounding stupid in social gatherings!
  • replies: 4

Anti-anxiety advice states things like you are imagining everyone else thinks you're saying silly things. So, had to go to the airport to farewell school group, did my usual minimal speaking to avoid judgement. Then, school group has to do count off ... View more

Anti-anxiety advice states things like you are imagining everyone else thinks you're saying silly things. So, had to go to the airport to farewell school group, did my usual minimal speaking to avoid judgement. Then, school group has to do count off and they muck it up. I make a comment' you had one number to remember' in humour. I did repeat it 3 times as others joined my area. Seemed innane enough. But, NO, woman in front of me swung around and glared at me for saying it. So- there you go - I believe that what I say will be ridiculed and here's the proof! Please don't say ' what others think of you is not your business' because it really is, isn't it? How others see you is so influential on your own life. I just can't see how to do this social thing without agony.

Chooky1209 Managing anxiety with insomnia
  • replies: 1

Hi guys I’m new to posting on here! i just wanted to get some advice I currently am suffering really bad insomnia it has just triggered and I can’t break the cycle I have mediation before bed but I can’t keep the thoughts of what’s going on in my hea... View more

Hi guys I’m new to posting on here! i just wanted to get some advice I currently am suffering really bad insomnia it has just triggered and I can’t break the cycle I have mediation before bed but I can’t keep the thoughts of what’s going on in my head to relax me. Has anyone even experience this and have any advice on what I can do to make it better?

dawnstudent Being alone for the first time
  • replies: 1

I have been suffering with severe social anxiety for my whole life, it makes every aspect of my life extremely difficult for me. I am in a long term relationship (10 years) and think it may be codependent in a lot of ways and as such I have not fully... View more

I have been suffering with severe social anxiety for my whole life, it makes every aspect of my life extremely difficult for me. I am in a long term relationship (10 years) and think it may be codependent in a lot of ways and as such I have not fully grown up like most people, if that makes sense. I depend on my partner for a lot of things. Next year my partner will be going on a family holiday overseas for a month. I am invited to this holiday, however I have decided to study nursing next year and can't afford to leave study for a whole month to go with them. My issue here is that I have never been alone by myself, my partner has never gone on a holiday without me, and the thought of my partner leaving me alone for a month is terrifying me. This is happening late next year and I am already developing anxiety about it. I think because it will be a combination of the new study + going to nursing clinicals, and then being alone for that month that is really getting to me. Just the thought of doing nursing is causing me extreme anxiety, so adding the fact that my emotional/support "lifeline" will not be there for me during that time is adding to it. I know it sounds ridiculous but I have never been left to deal with things by myself ever in my life. I'm not sure how to deal with it mentally, is there something I can do to prepare? or literally just push through it and get over it as it comes?

Sam2019 reality vs anxiety !
  • replies: 2

Hi all First time poster here. I wasn't really sure where else to go. I'm a long time stress head who's grown up with some form of anxiety or another . I've always managed to keep it in check and it hasn't really gotten in the way of my life too much... View more

Hi all First time poster here. I wasn't really sure where else to go. I'm a long time stress head who's grown up with some form of anxiety or another . I've always managed to keep it in check and it hasn't really gotten in the way of my life too much . My main issue has always bee health anxiety . Anyway back in August I planned a trip away with the family for the first time with my 2 little boys and the wife away from Australia to a South Pacific island. Ever since coming back from that tripmy life has not been the same . I was stressed the entire trip about the lack of medical facilities and what would happen if the kids got sick . Then I got myself all wound up about catching something auwfull while I was there . Spent half the trip indoors cause I was worried about being bitten by mosquitoes and catching dengue fever . Then my luck I got bitten on the last day ! On my return home I spent days waiting for symptoms to pop up and spent countless hours on Google. I started feeling tired all the time and sleepy and though that was signs of infections . Went to the doc who ran a blood test and found high markers of inflamation and some low iron levels . That sent me into a spiral ! Which last about 2 month maybe 10 or 12 blood test with some numbers getting better and some getting worse. I ended up at multiple gps that kept saying forget the numbers they weren't that far out of range . But I couldn't get them out of my head ! I ended up having at least 12 blood tests, a ct scan and multiple other tests which kept coming back with nothing. My life became a misery of spending countless hours on Google at home and at work to the point where my.wife is getting sick of it . Then recently I started getting ectopic heart beats. So off I go to the go again who cooked me.il to a Holter monitor. They found lots of ectopic beats which sent me into another spiral dove into Google ! Went and did a stress echo which showed up normal and the cardiologist said just forget about them . U would think that's the end of it . But no.. more google and now I'm convinced I have heart inflamation from an infection I must have cought whilst overseas ! I'm breathless, tired and just over life ! Can anxiety really do all this ? Actually cause heart issues and manifest itself physically ? The lines between reality and anxiety have been blurred for me and I can't tell the difference anymore ! Any help would be appreciated !

kitykate I just don't know what to do anymore anxiety rules my life.
  • replies: 1

It impacts everything I do, I started a new job after leaving a really awful situation with work place harassment at my old job. I started getting paranoid that I wasn't doing things to my bosses liking and they were annoyed with me which made me sca... View more

It impacts everything I do, I started a new job after leaving a really awful situation with work place harassment at my old job. I started getting paranoid that I wasn't doing things to my bosses liking and they were annoyed with me which made me scared to go to work I'd have panic attacks in the bathroom trying to get ready, this lead to me calling in sick a few times, then I actually became geniunly unwell and was unavailable for a week to be rostered and now they want me to come in for a chat and I'm just freaking out about it thinking how I've gone and messed up a good opportunity for me. I keep convincing myself that people close to me are fed up and annoyed with me so I constantly ask if we're ok and I'm not being annoyed which ends up, you guessed it, making them annoyed. I feel like such a burden and that I'll never be able to hold down a job properly, I have so many bills to pay that I can't sleep at night, how did I get here? I don't even want to be awake most days I just want to stay asleep in bed and avoid all my problems, I'm speaking to my GP and she wants me to see a psychologist but I've done it so many times before and still have the same outcome because I never have enough motivation to help myself, it makes me so frustrated that I can't just live a normal life and I feel suffocated daily by a feeling this is all my life will be, I can't go 10 minutes without thinking how much of a failure I am and how much I've disappointed my friends and family with my constant failures. Why can't I just stop being anxious and depressed?

Elsta What I’ve been telling myself all day
  • replies: 5

I’m someone who is allergic to pollen and has asthma, and I frequently have panic attacks worrying that I’m having asthma (it usually turns out to be panic and not actually asthma). I live in Melbourne and today was forecast to have an asthma thunder... View more

I’m someone who is allergic to pollen and has asthma, and I frequently have panic attacks worrying that I’m having asthma (it usually turns out to be panic and not actually asthma). I live in Melbourne and today was forecast to have an asthma thunderstorm epidemic. Today was one of the hardest days for me, and at one point I was lying on the floor in my house saying to myself, if this is asthma and I die today, then it’ll all be over soon and I won’t know the difference. This thought process helped ease the anxiety, but it’s really upset me. I don’t want to die, I don’t want to leave my family behind to mourn for me. I love living, and I want to keep experiencing life for as long as I can. Does anyone here have a less depressing thought they use to help manage panic?

Busy_busy_bee Panic attack
  • replies: 1

I made some really stupid decisions last night now I am riddled with anxiety. I need to stop drinking... I haven’t slept and feel awful about myself. I seem to set myself up to fail all the time. I hate myself

I made some really stupid decisions last night now I am riddled with anxiety. I need to stop drinking... I haven’t slept and feel awful about myself. I seem to set myself up to fail all the time. I hate myself

Lacie Physical symptoms
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone, For around a month now I have been experiencing different physical symptoms... started with pins and needles in my arms, and sharp pain randomly in my chest, and occasionally my breathing, the feeling like I can’t catch a full breath. I... View more

Hey everyone, For around a month now I have been experiencing different physical symptoms... started with pins and needles in my arms, and sharp pain randomly in my chest, and occasionally my breathing, the feeling like I can’t catch a full breath. I then get worried about it all and then start getting hot, feeling shaky and have to just try to relax and calm myself. I am a very anxious person, and I feel like I suffer with mild anxiety. I have been to see 2 doctors I had a blood test done when I spoke about pins and needles. And then I went back last week because my chest (more so breast) was feeling very achy and a dull pain. She listened to my chest but she didn’t seem worried. I’m know freaking out as to it being something cardio/ respiratory related, but I just feel like to doctors don’t really help with what you actually want from them. I’ve just been feeling emotional aswell and occasionally just cry! But I’m freaking about it all to be honest. But the strange thing is I don’t feel overly anxious about anything.

Haitchy New job
  • replies: 45

Hi Folks. New to this forum. I have suffered from anxiety for a few years on and off now. It came about after an abusive relationship and more recently my fathers sudden death. I left a long term job recently - it was an unhealthy environment for mys... View more

Hi Folks. New to this forum. I have suffered from anxiety for a few years on and off now. It came about after an abusive relationship and more recently my fathers sudden death. I left a long term job recently - it was an unhealthy environment for myself and many others but that being said, I was comfortable with the work and in my comfort zone. Importantly, I was really good at my job. Ive just started a new job. The environment is quite high pressure and I'm struggling a bit with learning new and very unfriendly software. I've had a little training but I'm there alone effectively and trying to do my best. Im finding that I'm getting quite frazzled when it's busy and I've made a couple of mistakes. I'm trying to tell myself that this is normal but the brain is saying I'm useless and the people around me will think I am too. ive actually started to dread going there - it starts when I wake up on the days I'm working with 'that feeling' in my chest. Any advice on how to deal with this much appreciated.