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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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Hazel05 Health anxiety and pelvic pain
  • replies: 4

Hi all Long story short, for the last few weeks I have been suffering from dull pains around the lower abdomen/pelvic region. It all started out as a dull pain on the left side, and over time (and countless trips to the doctor and self diagnosing mys... View more

Hi all Long story short, for the last few weeks I have been suffering from dull pains around the lower abdomen/pelvic region. It all started out as a dull pain on the left side, and over time (and countless trips to the doctor and self diagnosing myself on Dr Google)), the pain has moved so it feels like it’s around the lower abdomen/pelvic pain in general. I’ve been to the doctors countless times and done tests which have come back normal but the uncertainty is making my anxiety worse to the point that is all I am focusing on from when I wake up to when I go to bed! I went back to the doctors yesterday and asked her to do every test possible to rule out everything! My fear though is that even though everything will come back fine that will simply not be enough to calm me down...I’m already thinking of the “what if the doctor has missed something”.... just wanted to come on here to see if anyone else has even felt pelvic like pain and if it is associated with anxiety?

Miki22 Health anxiety taking over my life
  • replies: 2

Hi, Im new to forums so not too sure how this all works however I feel the need to express my feelings and see if anyone else is feeling the same. for the past few months I’ve developed general anxiety which I thought was just a common thing. However... View more

Hi, Im new to forums so not too sure how this all works however I feel the need to express my feelings and see if anyone else is feeling the same. for the past few months I’ve developed general anxiety which I thought was just a common thing. However, in the past month I seem to be constantly worrying about my health, constantly going into google and self diagnosing myself with diseases and cancer. I get anxiety when I wake up in the morning with heart palpitations, sweating, a sense of fear, and the fear of a panic attack coming on and losing control of reality. I went to the hospital last week - my ECG was fine, my blood test and blood pressure came back fine although I am still booking visits to the cardiologist to see if there is an underlying issue as well as seeing my GP to run chest x rays and other tests. I also get this sharp pain in my heart throughout the day recently- it feels as if someone is piercing my heart with a knife and I start to panic if I have blood clots or blocked blood vessels or if this is actually normal considering my heart results came back ok? Is the heart pain normal? Could I have an underlying medical problem such as blood clots? Any help please !!!!! It is taking over my life to the point where I’m scared to get into my car and go to work because I’m scared of a panic attack coming on or feeling the heart pulls.

Lharrywooll Health anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hey guys, just going through a really rough patch these last couple of months overthinking everything, especially my breathing as of late. Always thinking I’m struggling to breathe or there’s something in my throat blocking my airway. I do have asthm... View more

Hey guys, just going through a really rough patch these last couple of months overthinking everything, especially my breathing as of late. Always thinking I’m struggling to breathe or there’s something in my throat blocking my airway. I do have asthma however never really been an issue apart from when I was really young (I’m now 23) but about 6 months ago got put back on inhalers because of going to the doctors being really anxious and feeling like I couldn’t breathe. Has anyone else had issues like this? its not just breathing , it varies all the time. As soon as the breathing difficulty goes there will be another ache which I’ll think is cancer, or a tumour. Or blurred vision is another one that’s common for me, headaches, dizziness etc. Just wondering if anyone else has had similar issues? Feel like it’s good to speak to people with similar issues because it’s kind of a way of telling ourselves that we’re actually ok I guess...

Jessten What is meant by talking to your parts
  • replies: 4

I've been seeing a therapist and she has asked me what my parts are telling me? I don't understand what she means as Every time something occurs she asks me what my parts are telling me but I don't know what she means as all I ever say is I can do th... View more

I've been seeing a therapist and she has asked me what my parts are telling me? I don't understand what she means as Every time something occurs she asks me what my parts are telling me but I don't know what she means as all I ever say is I can do this to get through whatever situation it Is I'm panicking about. I get asked what I would do in a similar situation if it was someone else who was having bad dream or panic attack and while I am able to reassure others I'm there for them and comfort them I feel like its not right to talk to myself.

Anadee Social Anxiety- has anyone tried anything natural that worked for them?
  • replies: 1

I’ve always been a weirdo in social situations but I thought that was just me and shyness I’ve been this way for over 20 years so of course I just thought that it was normal until I watched a Netflix series ‘The Mind, Explained’ and I realised I actu... View more

I’ve always been a weirdo in social situations but I thought that was just me and shyness I’ve been this way for over 20 years so of course I just thought that it was normal until I watched a Netflix series ‘The Mind, Explained’ and I realised I actually have social anxiety. Mind blown! When I’m in a social situation I get really shaky, my heart races, I sweat, my stomach churns and I feel a coldness through my body all the time (I always have goose bumps). When people hug me I’m sure they feel me shaking. It’s so embarrassing! Plus I blush a lot!!🤦‍ I wear a good layer of makeup in hopes it will hide my blushing. I forget things all the time and constantly feel stupid about it and I constantly go blank in conversations. My memory is getting worse and I feel so tired all the time. I over think, over analyse everything which is so annoying and tiring and I can’t turn it off. I feel very selfish and guilty all the time because I’m always thinking of not embarrassing myself and getting away from people that I’m not there for the people that need to talk and that I could help and be a friend for. I feel I’m always letting people down! I started a new job early this year which I enjoy as a lot of the time I can work on my own but other times there is a lot of interactions and then there’s the meetings I hadn’t worked for 6 months before starting this job but as soon as I started the job I began having breathing issues and dizziness. I went to the doctor thinking I’m probably deficient in something but my blood test came back fine. He sent me for some test for my lungs but that came back fine also. I really thought I just had a little infection in my lungs but the doctors said that I didn’t. I was convinced he was wrong and that it was an infection until a friend of mine said she thinks I was having little panic attacks of some sort? I don’t know what it is but I’ve worked out if I stop and sit for abit, loosen my clothes around my chest and stomach so I can breath and get something sugary to drink I then slowly come out of it. I don’t believe I need to go on medication as I don’t think it’s severe enough for that. But I was thinking of something natural. I was wondering if anyone out there is similar to me and are on something natural that’s working for them? I’ve tried St. John’s wort but sadly that didn’t do anything. Alcohol definitely helps but yeah, I can’t be drinking all the time although I really wish I could ha Thanks in advance!

Wally87 Eating Disorder
  • replies: 7

Last year I developed a binge eating disorder as a flow on affect from my PTSD and a significant family event (that was a huge trigger). With treatment, I’m rarely binge eating anymore but have developed huge anxiety around food and the feeling of be... View more

Last year I developed a binge eating disorder as a flow on affect from my PTSD and a significant family event (that was a huge trigger). With treatment, I’m rarely binge eating anymore but have developed huge anxiety around food and the feeling of being judged every time I eat. As a result, I now only eat 1 meal a day. I know it’s very bad for my physical and psychological health and wellbeing but not sure how to feel enough self-worth to warrant nourishing my body. I’ve completed tailored nutrition courses so know what my body needs just not sure where to start.

Guest_8375 I cant stop worrying and it's killing me
  • replies: 1

everyday before I go to school, I feel dread, because I have no friends there. every afternoon I wonder, "did they like me?was I annoying?" questions scurry around my head over and over again... I don't know what to do. it's killing me. taking over m... View more

everyday before I go to school, I feel dread, because I have no friends there. every afternoon I wonder, "did they like me?was I annoying?" questions scurry around my head over and over again... I don't know what to do. it's killing me. taking over my life. what now?

Sashy Body dysmorphia & anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hello, New to the forum. I was hoping there might be others who have experienced body dysmorphia? I've realised that I've had a form of body dysmorphia most of my life... the main focus being a facial feature. I had surgery 12 years ago, and was happ... View more

Hello, New to the forum. I was hoping there might be others who have experienced body dysmorphia? I've realised that I've had a form of body dysmorphia most of my life... the main focus being a facial feature. I had surgery 12 years ago, and was happier (but still very self conscious). Now, I stupidly had surgery again while going through major life changes, thinking it will make everything better. This has opened the floodgates of depression, anxiety and obsessively checking and then panicking and avoiding all reflections. It's getting worse and I am experiencing panick attacks as soon as I wake up. I regret the surgery so much, but cant change it. I'm trying to find a practitioner that can help, as I feel I am going insane. I feel like a monster and have lost all confidence and avoid everyone I used to socialise with and struggle at work. It would be good to know if anyone has experienced this and how can you heal from this?

Nati-R I wanna be happy again.
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I am so happy to be able to share my story with you, I am a student at the moment, met a guy oversees, and we clicked we had this online long-distance relationship. I have many things to deal with at the moment and one more added just ye... View more

Hi everyone, I am so happy to be able to share my story with you, I am a student at the moment, met a guy oversees, and we clicked we had this online long-distance relationship. I have many things to deal with at the moment and one more added just yesterday; he told me how it is so difficult for him to communicate and at the same time deal with his issues, he is working on his thesis. Next two month he said will be hard to communicate, and he needs time to concentrate on himself which may affect our relationship. And I on the other side of the world crying and can't sleep, woke up with a rapid heartbeat as if I have a coffee shot, pushed myself to get out of bed and went to uni, but all I want to do is cry....

Layla21032000 Feeling weird and anxious and having scary thoughts
  • replies: 6

I don’t know how to begin how I’m feeling, all I can say is I have been feeling super anxious and scared of everything around me, for example I recently went to a water park and I couldn’t stop having thoughts about different ways I would die, and th... View more

I don’t know how to begin how I’m feeling, all I can say is I have been feeling super anxious and scared of everything around me, for example I recently went to a water park and I couldn’t stop having thoughts about different ways I would die, and they were not just little ‘oh no this could happen’ I kept being flooded with gruesome horrible ways to die! This was when I was on holiday, when I went back to my hotel I couldn’t sleep each night because every night I couldn’t stop thinking about demons and the devil and I kept thinking I saw little devils in the corners of my room but there obviously was nothing there, and then I would stay up all night being really scared of religion and god, I am not religious!! I have never even been to church or anything but for some reason ever since I was little I have always been scared of religious things and I had to tell my boyfriend I was crying because I just missed my dogs because I didn’t want to freak him out, the next day when we were getting home there was a piece of rubbish on the ground outside my hotel and the wind was about to make it roll inside and I got so anxious because I didn’t want it to come inside incase it was possessed or something, like what?? What is going on with me? And I have these crazy vivid dreams almost every night of the most strange and bizarre things that are so scary I don’t even know how my subconscious mind is even coming up with it? These thoughts are so intrusive that even when I’m driving I always have this bad anxiety that a truck is going to squash my car and if I’m driving near one I freak out, and then the other day I was hanging out with my dogs and all of a sudden I kept imaging them getting run over and it was making me so upset because I love my dogs why was I thinking about that? I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I feel like I keep going out of touch of with reality and I’m scared of everything and have horrible nightmares that I’m actually even scared to talk about anonymously! I’m constantly scared of everything and especially if I’m by myself! When I’m with people I feel okay but when I’m by myself I have to watch a funny movie or YouTube video to distract myself from having weird and scary thoughts! There’s so much more but I just want to see if anyone has ever experienced this before