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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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lil_lila_x Getting a job/making friends
  • replies: 2

I am struggling with overcoming my anxiety and getting a job and making friends. I always feel like I'm awkward and weird and I can't be a part of society or do "normal people things" I'm 18 and live alone, only have a couple of not very close friend... View more

I am struggling with overcoming my anxiety and getting a job and making friends. I always feel like I'm awkward and weird and I can't be a part of society or do "normal people things" I'm 18 and live alone, only have a couple of not very close friends, I've worked before but it was too overwhelming and I'm scared of putting myself in a situation like that again but I'm struggling really bad financially.. I was recently introduced to a group of people that seem really cool but I sat there awkward the whole time I didn't know what to do or say, where to look, how to behave.. I can't stop overthinking everything I do and say.. If you have been through or are going through similar struggles please just say hey or if you could offer me any advice or ways you have overcome it/are overcoming it please let me know

Yenny Anxiety, panic attacks and obsessive thinking! Help please :(
  • replies: 1

Hello everyone! I am 23 years old, I am from South America and 1 year ago I began to feel anxiety and it all started because my partner used to cheated on me through social media and I found too many disturbing things that left me in shock, with imme... View more

Hello everyone! I am 23 years old, I am from South America and 1 year ago I began to feel anxiety and it all started because my partner used to cheated on me through social media and I found too many disturbing things that left me in shock, with immense sadness and anxiety x1000. I started to cry every day without stopping, to think too much, to feel alone and worthless. My partner is helping me get my residence in this country, so we are in that process, which has also been very stressful. My whole family lives in South America and although I have told them my situation, they do not support me very much because they care more about the Visa situation and they always put on me so much pressure every time I call them, and that’s why Im scared to call them sometimes because I know I’m gonna feel worst and they always talk to me about my country situation. I live with my partner since 1 year ago and although we have many material things, Good jobs and some money to live decently, our relationship has been a disaster. I love him but I also know that if I want to be happy, I must get away from him but is not easy and that is the problem. So after everything he did to me, he has tried to change but not quite. My partner has serious addictions that I don't feel comfortable with either. Anxiety has gotten worse, it gives me panic attacks that I can't breathe and I feel like I'm going to die, my hands shake, I wake up in the night scared, I have nightmares, during the day I suffer from dizziness and obsessive thoughts, Crying for not reason and at anytime, Especially when I am alone. I work in childcare and my work has been very therapeutic for me, it makes me happy and it has become my refuge but when I'm not working, anxiety takes over my body and my mind again. It is difficult to leave my partner, since we have some bills to pay, the lease of the house, commitments, a visa in process that cost 8000 dollars. All this makes me anxious, extremely sad and has even put me in discussions with my family. My parents have always advised me and have been for me all the time and I have had a good relationship with them but all this has weakened that relationship. My partner does not like to see me cry because he always feels bad and guilty and becomes a bad temper. I’ve seen 3 psychologists already, and I’ve been in the church also but I haven’t get better. I’ve told him to go to the psychologist but he is not keen. Im gonna get crazy. Any advice please?

Soberlicious96 Entomophobia - Extreme fear of bugs and insects
  • replies: 2

Hey everyone. I'm a fairly regular poster on here, so I'm certainly not new to how this works. But tonight, I just wanted to share something to get it off my chest, and maybe see if there are others out there who have the same, or similar condition a... View more

Hey everyone. I'm a fairly regular poster on here, so I'm certainly not new to how this works. But tonight, I just wanted to share something to get it off my chest, and maybe see if there are others out there who have the same, or similar condition as me; I am as scared as all mighty get-out of bugs and insects. I know that they are about a millionth of the size of me, and most of them probably don't even bite or sting ........ but I just FREAK OUT a LOT as soon as there is the first sign of bugs in the warmer weather. I recently had a holiday to somewhere where, even though the weather was warm, there didn't seem to be any bugs at all! It was great! And now that I'm back home .... there they are. With all their wings and all the legs and their friggin creepy flying crawling ways. I just hate them. Thismorning I walked out my front door into a single strand of a spiders web and became all ninja-like; waving my arms around frantically and almost screaming ..... because of one little web strand. I know it's irrational, and I know that most of the time there is no really great threat to me ....... so why am I SO SCARED of them. Every time I see a bug .... and some days even just a house fly can get to my nerves ...... I just panic. My heart rate just about doubles, I become shaky, my palms are sweaty, my chest tightens and my mouth dries out ........ it's just horrible. And I've been like this all my life. Sometimes, not as often as I'd like, I'm sort of okay ......... but I don't really know why it's only sometimes and not all the time? Anyway, anyone have the same issue? And if yes, what do you to do manage or overcome it? Advice welcome. Thankyou in advance.

bf90 new job nerves
  • replies: 1

Hi, A few weeks ago i had a job interview for a position i applied for, a few days after the interview i got a call to let me know i got the job. Whilst i should be feeling happy and excited i not only got an interview but got the job, i don't feel e... View more

Hi, A few weeks ago i had a job interview for a position i applied for, a few days after the interview i got a call to let me know i got the job. Whilst i should be feeling happy and excited i not only got an interview but got the job, i don't feel excited. I've been out of work for the past 3 years, saw a counsellor this year about being out of work and liked being able to speak to a professional. I applied for many jobs and got used to never hearing back from jobs i applied for. The past year I've been volunteering for an op shop to gain new skills and to get used to being in a work environment, when i first started i hated it and got depressed but after 3 months i liked it and now that i'm leaving for this new job i'm finding it really hard to leave. I know in the long term it's the right decision to leave for this new job but i'm finding it tough leaving the people and the organisation behind. This week was my last week and knowing i won't be there again is really hard. It's the little things as well as the big things i'll miss - the routine, the nearby cafes and just the overall experience. It's a big decision to accept a new job and whilst i'll put in so much effort it doesn't make it easier knowing what i'm leaving behind Thanks for taking the time to have a read

Dee_14 How Does One Quiet The Mind
  • replies: 1

Fast forward 12 months and here i am, right back where i was a year ago, but worse. I think that we are wired to be anxious people (those who suffer to the extreme) and therefore we need to find something that works for us individually. It appears to... View more

Fast forward 12 months and here i am, right back where i was a year ago, but worse. I think that we are wired to be anxious people (those who suffer to the extreme) and therefore we need to find something that works for us individually. It appears to me that each of us suffer anxiety in different degrees and although we can relate to each other, we don't really know what each other is feeling - really feeling. For me, i feel dread, pure frightening skin tingling dread, anxiety. It is debilitating to a point that i can barely function. What is the answer ? I wish i knew. It ebbs and flows, i hate it. It takes me out of my daily existance, where i could, should and would be out enjoying this life i have. I have searched for the answer and or cure to my ilness, it just isn't out there. So for me, I'm going to have to learn that when im down, im down. Ride that black dog wave, do self help healing and learn to live with my disease. I'll be intrested to hear what you all think of this!

Chicken_Wings I'm so scared
  • replies: 28

The week before last the world was pretty great. I was loving my job, walking every day when I got home and planning fun things to do. Then something hit me like a massive wave. It completely knocked me off my feet and I've fallen into fear. I've nev... View more

The week before last the world was pretty great. I was loving my job, walking every day when I got home and planning fun things to do. Then something hit me like a massive wave. It completely knocked me off my feet and I've fallen into fear. I've never before felt so bad that I wanted to call a help line, but this time I did. I talk to my partner, but I just felt like I wanted to talk to anyone and just cry and I think in the back of my mind I was hoping someone would have a magic answer. But of course there is no magic answer. I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of waking up, of going to work, of talking to people, of coming home. I'm scared to eat food, I'm scared that I have some sort of terrible disease or illness. I need to go to the dentist, but I'm scared he's going to tell me all my teeth are falling out or that I have some sort of disease in my mouth. I'm scared of medication too which makes all of this even harder. I'm scared of losing people, I'm scared of dying and I'm scared that the world is becoming a horrible horrible place.​ I'm also so incredibly scared that this is it. This is my life now and I will never get rid of these thoughts. Because they aren't just fears when I'm faced with them. These are the things I think about constantly. I'm imagining the things I have to do in the future and I'm terrified to do them. I just want to be normal. I want to wake up in the morning and worry about which shoes to wear. I want to feel hungry at lunch time and really enjoy a good meal. I want to come home and go for a walk and listen to music because I enjoy it and not have in the back of my mind that I am doing this for my mental health. I want to look forward to things and most of all I want to be happy.

bookish Anxious all the time
  • replies: 1

I have anxiety which is intrusive in my everyday life, which I can’t always pin down the source of. When I get the anxiety, I feel like I can never be happy again, and expect the worst. I feel like I’m doomed to live a life which is characterised by ... View more

I have anxiety which is intrusive in my everyday life, which I can’t always pin down the source of. When I get the anxiety, I feel like I can never be happy again, and expect the worst. I feel like I’m doomed to live a life which is characterised by unhappiness. Which is ironic, because if I keep worrying, that sounds likely to be reality. I know I’m worrying too much, but I’m not sure how to control this anxiety. It usually gets triggered by the thought of food- I was recently on my way to developing an eating disorder (For a period of around two months, I was obsessed with my weight, counted calories constantly, and restricted my diet to the extreme) but recovered myself before it developed fully. but I feel as if the scars haven’t truly healed, and the thought of food makes me panic still. When I get this anxiety, I can’t concentrate, and feel I am doomed to have this anxiety forever. I can control the anxiety for brief periods of time sometimes by thinking rationally, but it always comes back. I don’t know how to manage this anxiety, and I need advice on how to. I don’t know what to do when I start expecting the worst. Do you guys have any advice? Thank you so much.

notquiteright Panick attacks: Which reality is real, am I a hypochondriac?
  • replies: 5

I'm not quite sure where to start with this one, a bit of background I suppose. 21m. I've been struggling with anxiety for a number of years now but only just started seeking treatment after everything sort of came to a head following a severe panic ... View more

I'm not quite sure where to start with this one, a bit of background I suppose. 21m. I've been struggling with anxiety for a number of years now but only just started seeking treatment after everything sort of came to a head following a severe panic attack. I first started having these feelings when I started high-school, the anxiety was so bad that it prevented me from eating properly for a good couple of months. Then around Year 10 it came back with a vengeance, this time with an element of social anxiety thrown in (getting acne certainly didn't help there). I'd frequently have what I now know to be panic attacks where I found it difficult to breathe properly. I don't quite know how to describe the sensation other than it was like drowning. I'd feel hungry for air but my breathing would be shallow and stilted. Usually these attacks were quite brief, but on occasion they would intensify and I'd start to experience unpleasant tingling sensations across my body. Fast forward to University and these attacks got a lot worse and a lot more frequent. For the first two years I'd wake up with a feeling of dread and could barely hold down my breakfast. Once I even threw up on the bus trip into campus due to these sensations... The panic attacks got so bad I frequently felt like I was going to pass out, and on a few occasions I actually fell asleep in lectures due to exhaustion. Despite the anxiety I managed to do alright academically, and landed a programming job in the city. I'm running out of characters so I'll try keep this brief. I had a major panic attack after gym before work (was hoping getting in shape would help my anxiety). I thought I was dying. I got the instructor to call an ambulance. My hands were shaking and my body felt like lead. Three hospital visits since then, have had my heart monitored and blood tests taken, all within normal ranges. When my anxiety gets bad I start to fixate over the event and wonder if I really did have a stroke of some kind and my anxiety has been misdiagnosed, as when I'm in this headspace I can't think straight, can barely talk and can only manage a hobbled walk. Even now I'm feeling anxious and my hands cramp up as I type and I get stuck thinking about I should say. But in an hour or two I'll look back and think about how ridiculous I was being, and that there's nothing wrong and I'm not some cripple on deaths door. I don't know which reality to believe, I want the obsessions to go away. Anyone else been through this?

AlexDeLoser fear of studying; fear of the inability to learn.
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share my experience with something I've been dealing with for a while, if it is even an actual thing, furthermore- if other people have experienced it too. Basically, I've always been afraid of learning, or rather- the ... View more

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share my experience with something I've been dealing with for a while, if it is even an actual thing, furthermore- if other people have experienced it too. Basically, I've always been afraid of learning, or rather- the possible inability to learn (to not take forever to learn something). I've never gone past '80%' of my potential for the fear that the last '20%' of my abilities aren't worth it; I fear that my best efforts may never be even as productive as someone's ''I wasn't really trying'' amount of effort. I believe this insecurity of being not being intelligent enough stems from how much I value my mind. Is there even a correlation between intelligence and sentience or a measure of how much of a person a person is? I mean you can program computer to be able to- answer questions, calculate or even create, at that point- that computer is probably the most intelligent being, regardless- it's still not of value as a human being. The point is- I don't think intelligence is a measure of a person's worth as a human. My question to you- Is this valid? or is this just my preconceived bias in play? Thanks everyone. I hope I made sense.

44Max44 Health Anxiety & Bronchitis
  • replies: 23

Hi guys, A short backstory: For the past month I've been on several different sets of antibiotics for several different things, which has really been stressing me out. The main one I've been worried about is bronchitis, which all started when I cough... View more

Hi guys, A short backstory: For the past month I've been on several different sets of antibiotics for several different things, which has really been stressing me out. The main one I've been worried about is bronchitis, which all started when I coughed up some grey/black phlegm which I knew wasn't right, I've been on 2 sets of antibiotics for it already. Which brings me to this point. I'm still noticing little bits of black phlegm here and there even after all these antibiotics. I'm trying my hardest to convince myself that it's probably just remnants of the infection and that it'll probably clear up soon and the doctor even said it should clear up within a week, but I'm still stressing over it almost constantly. I'm coughing on purpose every so often just to check if there's any black phlegm, and 99% of the time there isn't but then I'll cough up a tiny bit and get thrown right back into the loop. There have been at least 4 times in the past few weeks where I've gone "I'm finally getting better!" only to see more black phlegm and get worried again. The thought that keeps popping up in my head is "what if it's lung cancer?" because I stupidly googled the symptoms, and of course one of the things that popped up about black phlegm is that it could be a sign of lung cancer. I smoked weed pretty often for around two years or so but stopped smoking it a few weeks before the black phlegm popped up and haven't touched it since, so now I'm worried sick that maybe the smoking has lead to lung cancer. I'm regretting ever smoking anything at all and am pretty confident that even if it ends up just being bronchitis I will never smoke again or at the very least very very occasionally. On my last visit to the doctors, they also took my pulse and my blood pressure, both of which they said were high, which has got me worrying about that stuff too which isn't helping. I've had Health Anxiety for over a year now, but this time it's different. Before I'd have imagined symptoms that I couldn't actually see, but this time with the black phlegm I can actually see the symptom, which stresses me out even more. If there is anyone with any knowledge of bronchitis (nurses, doctors, people who have had bronchitis before) and could shed some light on what might be happening or maybe share similar experiences they've had, that could really help me out. I think at this point I'll wait maybe 1 or 2 more days and if I still see black phlegm I'll go in for the chest x-ray. Thankyou

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