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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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jemma09 Health related anxiety.
  • replies: 14

I've always been an anxious person and a hypochondriac. I become very anxious about my health whenever I feel unwell. In the last couple of months I had frequent headaches for about a month. My doctor thought it was tension headaches, as I have very ... View more

I've always been an anxious person and a hypochondriac. I become very anxious about my health whenever I feel unwell. In the last couple of months I had frequent headaches for about a month. My doctor thought it was tension headaches, as I have very tight muscles in my back too. A month goes by and I feel good. This last couple weeks I started getting them again, on and off. They are not severe, but are annoying in daily life. Sometimes I also feel light headed. I went to my doctor and they think it's anxiety. But they are sending me for an MRI just to make sure everything's going okay. My MRI is next week and I'm really worried that they might find a brain tumour or something. I keep looking up brain tumour symptoms on google and some of them say frequent headaches or balance issues. Obviously brain tumours are rare, but I don't want them to find anything. I'm not ready to die yet and there's so much more I want to do. The wait for the procedure and trying to get results is really hard. I just want to know what's happening to me, but I don't want it to be something bad. I have become so obsessed with researching symptoms and statistics, I keep annoying everyone in my life by talking about it consistently. It's extremely hard to stop thinking about it. Right now, I feel good. No headache, barely any light headedness. My doctor gave me muscle relaxants to try to relax my tense muscles, I feel like they made me worse because one of the side effects are dizziness. This morning I feel super dizzy, after resting I then felt better. Some days I feel okay. But every morning my first thought is that I hope I don't have a headache or feel lightheaded today. I'm only in my 20s, there's no history of brain tumours in my family. It's just very hard right now and I hate being so worried and obsessive about it. Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this.

Missy72 Relapse
  • replies: 1

Hi About 4 months ago I was involved in a traumatic incident that created a lot of stress.... I’d been anxiety free for 8 years, living normally..& now I’m scared that this relapse is going to be permanent. I’m seeing a psychiatrist and a psychologis... View more

Hi About 4 months ago I was involved in a traumatic incident that created a lot of stress.... I’d been anxiety free for 8 years, living normally..& now I’m scared that this relapse is going to be permanent. I’m seeing a psychiatrist and a psychologist... I’m scared of medications and the side effects... I am taking them however & after an increase in dosage 2 days ago my brain feels weird and I’m extremely sad with suicidal thoughts. Is this normal

Red_flowers What daily activities does your anxiety affect
  • replies: 12

Mine is starting to affect my driving. I know it’s all in my head and sometimes I can overcome it but it’s hard. My anxiety also gets in the way of other daily activities as well.

Mine is starting to affect my driving. I know it’s all in my head and sometimes I can overcome it but it’s hard. My anxiety also gets in the way of other daily activities as well.

TheBigBlue Freaking out - fear of male doctors & I have an appointment tomorrow
  • replies: 9

Without going into detail, an incident with a male doctor when I was a child has resulted in a fear of male doctors well into my adulthood. I am female. My GP has now referred me to a psychiatrist as she feels a psychiatrist will be able to assess me... View more

Without going into detail, an incident with a male doctor when I was a child has resulted in a fear of male doctors well into my adulthood. I am female. My GP has now referred me to a psychiatrist as she feels a psychiatrist will be able to assess medication & doses better than she. Tonight I am really freaking out about alone in the room with a male doctor. I’ve googled him, & probably due to my anxiety have already decided I don’t like the look of him. We all know the joys of anxiety right???? I discussed my fear with the (female) psychologist in the appointment I had on Tuesday & she has given me some tips on how to prepare & what information I should consider discussing & what outcomes I am looking for. I have even resorted to asking my mother to come with me I am that terrified about it. She won’t come in the room but I feel better knowing she will be out in the waiting room. i know it’s a very last minute post, but if anyone has any advice please let me know. Thanks friends

Jitters_Jumps___Lurking_P Being lonely but too anxious and fearful to speak and hang out with others
  • replies: 4

Hello there, I don't usually like to talk about my feelings but I'm so tired of being tied down by my depression and anxiety and I would like to try something different. I have a lot going on in my head but this current thread is about loneliness. Fo... View more

Hello there, I don't usually like to talk about my feelings but I'm so tired of being tied down by my depression and anxiety and I would like to try something different. I have a lot going on in my head but this current thread is about loneliness. For such a long time I've struggled trying talk to new people and make new friends and it makes me incredibly sad and makes me loath myself even more. University has just started. I've been a student for five years and have not made any friends no matter how hard I try. I've tried joining groups and I have attended multiple events but I always feel left out... do you ever feel like you could be surrounded by people be still feel alone? There are often days where there's a party / meet -up / game night and I won't go because I feel like I'm intruding or that they only have me around out of pity - I'm worried about what they think of me but I always wonder if anyone would notice if I never turned up again. My head swirls with paranoia, negative thoughts and horrific situations that could happen. There are also days were I wish so much that I could have the courage to approach people but no matter how hard I try my anxiety always gets the best of me. I fall into a horrible cycle that I can't get myself out of. It makes me feel horrible and I feel like I'll be alone for the rest of my uni life. I don't fit in with everyone else - I feel like people avoid me and want nothing to do with me even though I haven't even done anything. Is it my looks?? I know this way of thinking isn't healthy but I can't stop it. I'm stuck and feel like I'm drowning on my on unsaid words and missed time. Could anyone help me - I don't want to feel alone anymore.

JWolf17 Moved in on-campus, my social anxiety is far worse than I thought it was
  • replies: 4

I've just moved away from home for the first time to do my Masters degree. I'm living on-campus in shared accommodation with about 7 or 8 other people living on the same floor as me. 1.5 weeks after moving in, I've found my social anxiety is severely... View more

I've just moved away from home for the first time to do my Masters degree. I'm living on-campus in shared accommodation with about 7 or 8 other people living on the same floor as me. 1.5 weeks after moving in, I've found my social anxiety is severely affecting my quality of life at my new home. I've found myself actively listening to hear if anyone is in the hallways whenever I want to leave my room, and have really struggled to leave my room for any reason if I can hear other people talking. As a result, I haven't really met anyone. I've only had one conversation with another person living on my floor. This has been really disheartening, as before the move I was really excited. I saw this as an opportunity to gain independence, to make new friends, to really live my own life for the first time. Although I've had anxiety issues in the past, I was really confident that I would be able to handle this, and that I'd really enjoy it. I thought I was better at controlling my anxiety than I am. My social anxiety has also affected my eating habits. On several occasions I've skipped out on meals because I can here people in the kitchen and the dining room from my room, and for whatever reason my brain flips out and decides that going hungry is the preferable option over cooking in the presence of other people and potentially having conversations with them. I can rationalise to myself that this isn't healthy, that the more I talk to people the easier it will get, and that talking to people will more likely end positively than negatively, but it's just not enough to push me into leaving my room. I'm worried this will send me into a downward spiral mood wise if it continues as is (I've already felt my mood fluctuating quite a lot), and that my physical health will start to decline if I continue to skip out on meals. I'm just not sure how to handle it.

M1ssjess89 Is this anxiety??
  • replies: 1

I am freaking out badly. I suddenly developed nerve issues this week. I get pins and needles in my fingers and toes on and off. I get itchy all over my body in random spots. From my head to my feet. But it's a nerve itch/tingle. I get abit of burning... View more

I am freaking out badly. I suddenly developed nerve issues this week. I get pins and needles in my fingers and toes on and off. I get itchy all over my body in random spots. From my head to my feet. But it's a nerve itch/tingle. I get abit of burning on and off in my feet. I went to a physio and i still have strength etc so she thinks its all just from anxiety. My anxiety has been the absolute roof and this made it worse. I am in constant dread this is the start of something worse. I cannot calm down. I'm seeing My regular doctor tomorrow. I have bipolar and also anxiety issues. But ive never had physical symptoms to this extent. Could this just all be from anxiety?

blank_paper Feeling confused after bushfire impacted property
  • replies: 1

Hi..My property and all of my neighbours were heavily impacted by bushfire..I still have my house...large percentage of neighbours have lost theirs. It has been 8 weeks nearly. I have been strangely calm and accepting of everything..waiting for the a... View more

Hi..My property and all of my neighbours were heavily impacted by bushfire..I still have my house...large percentage of neighbours have lost theirs. It has been 8 weeks nearly. I have been strangely calm and accepting of everything..waiting for the anxiety wave that I usually get after things happen in my life (nothing has ever happened like this) The best way I can describe it is that I feel like a blank piece of white paper. I am nervous about bringing this to life..I think because it might spiral my nerves and anxitey out of control. I am sleeping fine..until about 5am then I keep thinking about all the things I have to worry about....their is so much to deal with..and everything seems to be at a standstill..after the initial event..I was constantly busy organizing things...insurance.. getting power back on..feeding cattle etc...should I talk about it..or should I just keep a lid on my anxiety ...and wait for it to bite me in the bum further down the track LOL...I am usually very quiet person..that has always felt in control of my life - family etc. Thanks. I am actually getting a anxious feeling as I am typing this.

bananaboat05 experiencing anxiety in regards to the unknown
  • replies: 2

hi everyone, im 19 years old and ive recently been accepted into my dream uni course. im very excited for this new chapter but as im lying in bed, (the night before orientation) i begin to feel so overwhelmed by it. my heart is racing, i develop asth... View more

hi everyone, im 19 years old and ive recently been accepted into my dream uni course. im very excited for this new chapter but as im lying in bed, (the night before orientation) i begin to feel so overwhelmed by it. my heart is racing, i develop asthma attacks, i get a weird sensation in my stomach and then i just burst out crying. ive always struggled with new situations such as starting high school, starting uni, starting at a new job etc. i also struggle a lot with staying away over night from my mum however i think this stems from being hospitalised for 6 months when i was 5years old. am i the only one who struggles big time with new situations and gets worked up about the unknown?? i meditate, exercise regularly and eat well but it only helps me a bit. they work for a small period but the anxiousness creeps back in...

happy_one worry wart
  • replies: 3

Hi, im completely new to this but I would love some advice on how to cope with social anxiety. My partner cops it the most and I’m sick of doing that it’s putting a huge strain on our relationship. It happens when he goes away and then I go out with ... View more

Hi, im completely new to this but I would love some advice on how to cope with social anxiety. My partner cops it the most and I’m sick of doing that it’s putting a huge strain on our relationship. It happens when he goes away and then I go out with some of his friends girlfriends and I try to get along with them but it feels like they aren’t interested in me or I’m putting more effort in and not getting much in return and I get really anxious about this as I feel it’s getting worse and it makes me not want to go out. I want to stop burdening this on my partner and find some coping mechanisms when he isn’t around to help me get through it. I also get very anxious when he’s away or out I don’t know why, i worry all the time about things. It’s not healthy. I want to be a mum one day and i don’t want this to be part of my life. It sounds very petty but it’s real and a real feeling.

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