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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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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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Tugboat Cannot do this again.... anxiety and depression
  • replies: 5

Hello again, I have not been on here for while, which I suppose is a good thing! I suffer with what I call health anxiety and have done for many many years on and off. Just before Christmas this year I had trouble breathing including shortness of bre... View more

Hello again, I have not been on here for while, which I suppose is a good thing! I suffer with what I call health anxiety and have done for many many years on and off. Just before Christmas this year I had trouble breathing including shortness of breath. I went to my GP which he did ECG and blood tests for my heart function and all was good, however I still struggled with the problem and started to over think things.... as I do! I quite over weight and think that’s why I am struggling to breathe however I always think it’s something more, like I’m going to die........ this takes over my mind and therefore I find it difficult to think straight and positive. I find my self not wanting to socialise with family or friends and I block my self off from them as I don’t want to annoy them. I no longer enjoy the little pleasures in life and find it difficult to eat. I am currently on medication for depression and have medication for anxiety if needed, which at the moment I take medication twice a day or as needed. I also feel nauseous in the morning and it settles down through out the day, sometimes! Really struggling getting out of my safe haven ( bed) in the morning as I don’t want to face another day anxiety. Hate feeling this way and I try to be positive

calmseeker Talking about mental illness
  • replies: 16

Hi All, My anxiety has been quite severe for quite some time now, to the point I have been unable to work for a while. I have noticed that "What do you do?" is a common question when you meet someone. Specifically I am talking about 2 situations I ha... View more

Hi All, My anxiety has been quite severe for quite some time now, to the point I have been unable to work for a while. I have noticed that "What do you do?" is a common question when you meet someone. Specifically I am talking about 2 situations I have been in lately where people have asked me that: whilst having a haircut and meeting a neighbour for the first time. On both occasions I was torn between fibbing and saying "I work from home" or being upfront and saying " I have debilitating mental illness and cant work at the moment". I hear a lot that the stigma surrounding mental illness is lessening and I agree that awareness has risen but in a real life situation I believe its still hard to address the topic, like at the hairdressers the other day. I am still convinced that if I were to have told her I had a physical illness I wouldn't get the raised eyebrow. I have read the stats on the BB website informing that a high percentage of the public don't see anxiety as a weakness but I think it depends on who you're dealing with. I know some of you are going to say that in the hairdresser/neighbour situation I should just be truthful and that if more of us did that it lessens the stigma over time, and maybe some of you wont say that. In the end I told both those people in both of those situations that I had some health issues and couldn't work, thankfully they didn't probe any further. I am wondering what others who cant work due to their MI condition do and say ? Likewise, I have often wondered on 'R U OK' day what the reaction is when people say "no I am not." R U OK is great in theory but I wonder if the everyday person is equipped to deal with a no I am not ok answer. These forums are great as we are surrounded here by others who totally understand MI and all that comes with it. I am just not so convinced that there is that level of understanding and acceptance out in the everyday world yet. It is definitely improving though. I am hoping for times where you can say " I have depression" like someone can say " I have diabetes" and you can say "I have GAD" like someone can say "I have eczema" or " I have arthritis". CS

mmm1234 Anxiety is new to me, what can i do? Any tips for sleeping?
  • replies: 2

Hi All, about one week ago i started feeling anxiety and its been up and down since. Mostly down. I have taken on a number of steps right away to help me through this, and found of it helpful: - I am self-employed and take a lot on, so i have delegat... View more

Hi All, about one week ago i started feeling anxiety and its been up and down since. Mostly down. I have taken on a number of steps right away to help me through this, and found of it helpful: - I am self-employed and take a lot on, so i have delegated some of my workload to my staff - set parameters regarding use of work phone, emails after hours. This is my-time/ family-time. Work can wait till tomorrow. - exercise: more walks in the evening. I am also looking to join an outdoor fitness group. - yoga: i will start going today for my first time - breathing: although i find this doesn't help me too much. I am persisting as i believe it may take time - talking about it with family and experts. I am seeing a psychologist about it and had my first session yesterday which did help. This is all a new feeling for me, I have never come across this before. I am normally so strong, happy and positive. And its been a big shock to me to be feeling like this. I am still trying to work out what has caused or lead to this. My main issue is sleeping. I could not calm myself to go to sleep tonight. This occured a few days ago too. I lay in bed thinking, with a fear. Not really sure of what. I am tingly and nervous with shortness of breath. Sometimes i am thinking about nothing and i try to calm down, do breathing, and focus on the 'now' and whats happening but i still can't cope and calm down to eventually sleep. I also try and focus on the things i am putting into place in my life to change what i feel may have contributed to this feeling. ie my life action plan. Unfortunately this didn't really help last night. For anyone that is similar to me, what advice do you have to help go to sleep?

Dan_1000 Worried i'm going to break down in a meeting!
  • replies: 8

Hello there, As a bit of background I've had generalized anxiety for some time but other than a few stomach issues it really hasn't impacted my life too much. However from about a couple of years ago I've been experiencing sudden, short peaks in my a... View more

Hello there, As a bit of background I've had generalized anxiety for some time but other than a few stomach issues it really hasn't impacted my life too much. However from about a couple of years ago I've been experiencing sudden, short peaks in my anxiety (at least i think it is anxiety?) typically in engagements with work colleagues. These have become more recurrent and now I can sometimes trigger the peak just by thinking about the engagements. These engagements could include performance reviews, notifying my boss that i'm resigning, laying off an employee, or more recently even when i think of telling other colleagues of my resignation, or an innocuous conflict in a meeting. My logical brain says there's nothing to fear but suddenly it feels like my stomach is falling, and I lose control of my face and start feeling my chin wobble and that i could suddenly cry. My thoughts become cloudy and i am intensely concerned that my response is noticeable. I find it really hard to get words out. I am now constantly ruminating about this happening which i'm sure is making things worse - even scarier, my new job starting in a couple of months is going to make these situations very, very frequent. Any musings or thoughts or shared experiences would be really valued. I haven't seen many comments in forums or the like about these sudden feelings/phyiscal responses (but maybe I am labelling it incorrectly!!)

RedWolfe Can’t help but feel like such a disappointment to everyone
  • replies: 4

It is honestly how I feel, I’m writing this after a panic attack and a horrible day of having them. But I can’t help feeling what I’m feeling. I mainly feel like this after having a panic attack, but... I don’t know how to make these feelings go away... View more

It is honestly how I feel, I’m writing this after a panic attack and a horrible day of having them. But I can’t help feeling what I’m feeling. I mainly feel like this after having a panic attack, but... I don’t know how to make these feelings go away. I feel like such a huge disappointment to my family and I feel like a burden because of how bad my anxiety and depression can be. I just feel like I’ve let everyone down.

ConfusedNanxious Clarification on Generalised Anxiety Disorder - Is this what I am feeling?
  • replies: 18

Hi there, I recently separated from my partner, and having had anxiety in the past, big life changes seem to ignite my anxiety. My last episode was as a result of my uni degree finishing and possibly not having any direction in life, and I am now suf... View more

Hi there, I recently separated from my partner, and having had anxiety in the past, big life changes seem to ignite my anxiety. My last episode was as a result of my uni degree finishing and possibly not having any direction in life, and I am now suffering from anxiety as well. So from first instance, it would seem that my anxiety is situational. But then, it just keeps on going... I start to suffer physical symptoms that my mind just can't get under control. There's the heart palpitations and general muscle shakes, and then the lack of appetite as well. And these symptoms last weeks, with no firm resolution ever just occurring. My mind starts racing, and not only are my thoughts about the 'triggering event' but morph into 'worry about worry' and concern my self esteem and confidence - thoughts like: whether I am good enough, whether my anxiety will go away, whether I can ever be a truly functioning human being and whether I can truly live a full life? I have seen (and am seeing) a psychologist and she asserts that what I am dealing with is GAD (with depression), because I certainly have my crying moments as well, and general down moments where 'I can't break through the ceiling of happiness'. My emotions have become muted. Is what I am feeling normal for GAD? Am I normal? Is this normal? Feeling so exhausted from my thoughts and my body being in such a tense state. Any other stories of dealing with GAD would be greatly appreciated. Sending love and support to all those in similar situations. - ConfusedNAnxious

Emily_K Struggling to cope with my anxiety
  • replies: 7

I have had anxiety as long as I can remember, sometimes I can manage it and sometimes it hits me really hard and I can't function and become depressed. I am working as a nanny at the moment and it's a reasonably new job. I am constantly so petrified ... View more

I have had anxiety as long as I can remember, sometimes I can manage it and sometimes it hits me really hard and I can't function and become depressed. I am working as a nanny at the moment and it's a reasonably new job. I am constantly so petrified that I am not doing well enough, no matter how hard I work, and I fear so badly that the parents of the kids don't like me. I feel like every time I interact with them I say something ridiculous or silly and I just see them judging me and 'planning out how to fire me' in their heads. I am totally aware that these thoughts are irrational but I can't stop having them. It's at the point now that every day when I leave work I cry to my partner on the phone about it. I dread going now, even though I love the kids and the work, I am purely just so anxious about being judged by the parents? I even lied to them one day when I was really tired and wasnt as interactive with the kids that day, I made something up about what we did so they wouldnt 'fire' me and realise how "hopeless" and "terrible" I am. It's just so debilitating. I would love to know if anyone else has felt this way and how I can cope with this.

Lisey_ I Can’t Cope Anymore
  • replies: 1

Hi, I’ve had anxiety ever since I was a child, and have been going to counseling off and on. It got a lot worse once I started Highschool, I ended up going on antidepressants. But the meds didn’t react well with me and ended up making my symptoms wor... View more

Hi, I’ve had anxiety ever since I was a child, and have been going to counseling off and on. It got a lot worse once I started Highschool, I ended up going on antidepressants. But the meds didn’t react well with me and ended up making my symptoms worse than they were before. I ended up missing almost all of year 9 because of it, it didn’t help that I was having friendship problems at the time. I was in a somewhat toxic friendship sigh this girl who was actually bullying me, it took me years to figure it out. I remember hiding in the toilets for almost 3 hours having a mental breakdown, they pulled my best friend out of class to try and find me. Eventually the school found me and it was one of the worst days of my life. The school made a plan for me, and my Mum ended up paying for me to go to school and eventually I was able to go back full time. Counseling was helping, and I was going good. But when it came starting year 10, it went down hill. I physically couldn’t leave the car to go in the school, I had such a bad panic attack I couldn’t see for an hour. Eventually my parents were like “enough” and that I would have to find a new way to do school. I was thinking about dropping out in year 10 as well. And that’s what I do now Distant Ed and it’s the best thing that’s happened. I have been able to do my school work to a better degree then I have before. And I was able to stay close to my friends and hang out with them regularly. It was a great year. Now I am going into year 11 and I have no stress until now. I am doing a Tafe course as well as my regular schooling, and I honestly can’t cope. I don’t think I will be able to go, and I know you need to try new things, but I haven’t been able to sleep because of it. I honestly don’t know if I can keep going through these up and downs in my life. Will this still happen as I get older? Will this affect my chances of getting jobs? Will this affect me when I start a family of my own? I don’t know how much more I can take, and I don’t know how much more my family can take, especially my mum. What should I do?

Ddaavvoo Severe panick attacks
  • replies: 2

Hello, im 25 male, had panick attacks nearly my whole life but just recently they have got slightly too much, almost every day im at the hospital or doctors thinking im having a heart attack which is absolutely terrifying, and no amount of tests prov... View more

Hello, im 25 male, had panick attacks nearly my whole life but just recently they have got slightly too much, almost every day im at the hospital or doctors thinking im having a heart attack which is absolutely terrifying, and no amount of tests proving im wrong help. I get little to no sleep every night. I cant work, i cant drive because i fear having another one. I just need help really, what makes things works is i have just been diagnosed with klinefelters syndrome so my hormones are low and my psychologist says thats making it harder to treat. Having daily breakdowns at the moment, just getting abit much tbh. Thankyou

Moonstruck Christmas - with anxiety/depression
  • replies: 26

8 November 2019 Hi all...any old buddies on here will know I can't bear this "festive season", not the day itself, by which time it's quiet, with folks already doing what they planned and no more hype or pressure. I thought I was avoiding the dreaded... View more

8 November 2019 Hi all...any old buddies on here will know I can't bear this "festive season", not the day itself, by which time it's quiet, with folks already doing what they planned and no more hype or pressure. I thought I was avoiding the dreaded "lead up" but it's started already. I am now overtaken by panic and anxiety flooding my whole being, after months of coping relatively well and healthy. my family and grand kids live in another city, and travelling there costs a lot. The parents don't get much time off at this time of year, they have a small home, so I try and find accommodation (which always goes up sky high in Peak Times). I don't get to see them often at all...and need to make contact with the kids before they get much older and I won't even know them. working out dates, times etc to travel, hopefully before the tourist rush starts....has me in a really bad way. The earlier you book plane trips in my regional town, the cheaper it is. If I leave it till just a few days before, the cost will be out of my reach. I have to watch my finances these days...and combined with Xmas presents for the kids my head is spinning and I am terrified. I can't think straight.....what stores to buy the presents from? will I just send money to contribute to the present if I can't get there in person? My son is not the best communicator and doesn't realise I need every little detail worked out (he doesn't know how bad my anxiety is) I need dates, times, which brands and size the presents have to be etc etc To finish up, (and I hope I haven't bored you to tears) I am terrified, can't make decisions, frozen until I hear the family's timetables and advice....and afraid to tell them I am scared of spending too much money. They are my grand kids....I can't disappoint them? I am scared of spending money on travel, as well as the presents, but this means I won't see them in person....I miss them, I love them so much....why does Christmas tear people with anxiety and/or depression apart like this? contrary to the happy happy movies and ghastly Carols....there is no peace, no joy, no celebration...at least for me...just stress, financial difficulties, endless choices, time wasting shopping, searching online for travel deals...it's going to destroy me this year.......and I have been doing so well...back to square one with my panic and anxiety...all due to Christmas!!