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
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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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that guy Latest symptoms has terrified me!
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Hi everyone. i was diagnosed with anxiety over 18 months ago, and my main problem is health anxiety, it was so bad that it literally caused me to suffer other symptoms like nausea and chest pain. I went on medication, and eventually it died down and ... View more

Hi everyone. i was diagnosed with anxiety over 18 months ago, and my main problem is health anxiety, it was so bad that it literally caused me to suffer other symptoms like nausea and chest pain. I went on medication, and eventually it died down and my doctor put me off of it. all was fine until about 2 and a half months ago, I was just about to leave for Europe and I felt weird, like my arms and legs were weak, I had some lightheadeness as well, this caused me to worry for a while, however these symptoms disappeared while I was on the plane. when I returned about a month later, they came back, however they were dismissed as jet lag as it was a big and exhausting trip. They lasted for about 2 weeks, before they stopped, after that I was ready to go on with my life. However the weakness feeling came back 3 days ago, and now I’m terrified that something is wrong. They started again after I had to deal with Centerlink (the robo debt got to me) and it has been a very stressful experience, added to that, my muscles are starting to ache and itch and I’ve been nauseated for a few days now. I can’t concentrate at work, I can’t exercise because I don’t want to make it worse and nothing that I love doing is helping. I don’t have a psychologist app for another 6 weeks, and I’ve got no one to go to. What’s even worse is that I fear that it could be something like MS, and the thought of that makes it even worse. i don’t know what to do now!

Kokurie Struggling with sleep :( Night sweats?
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Hey there, I’m new here I’m in my final year of high school and with exams ramping up soon, I am really struggle to FALL asleep. Just thinking about trying to fall asleep makes me tired and stressed. This is a big issue since I have lots of bad anxie... View more

Hey there, I’m new here I’m in my final year of high school and with exams ramping up soon, I am really struggle to FALL asleep. Just thinking about trying to fall asleep makes me tired and stressed. This is a big issue since I have lots of bad anxiety and rumination in the daytime, which is exacerbated with sleepiness. It takes a good 1hr-2hrs to finally drift off, Ithought it may be night sweats, here my symptoms: Tension headache, Sweating around head, Tingling and prickling hands and feet, Feeling very hot in my extremities (feet, hands) This happens about one hr into trying to fall asleep and Keeps me from falling asleep for another half an hour. I also get random super fast ‘heartbeats’ around my body, a beat that is like 10x faster than my resting heartbeat and it’s freakish. I’m very tired at this point as it’s way past my bedtime and my head hurts from trying to sleep - I usually wake up with a headache, my head feeling like a brick. Time passes very slowly and painfully and my body and brain feels like it’s self destructing. It’s silly but I’m scared I’ll eventually die of stress in my sleep This started happening about the start of this year. I have no underlying health problems that I’m aware of, but I have started taking large amounts of zinc. Couldn’t find my symptoms on google, wondering if anyone can relate. Thanks

OllieB I want to change
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So I haven't been here in a while, my counselling stopped as I had reached the end of the support a school could give and they gave me a document on how to go to someone else... But I didn't I ignored it stopped looking at all the sites I had joined ... View more

So I haven't been here in a while, my counselling stopped as I had reached the end of the support a school could give and they gave me a document on how to go to someone else... But I didn't I ignored it stopped looking at all the sites I had joined and convinced myself if wasn't real that somehow I had made it up. Then I practically locked myself up in my house I avoid school friends at first people asked questions wondering if something was up but then that stopped too and I became good at lying to myself and worst of all to others. Now I don't know what to do I feel really alone and I don't like who I am or how I'm living my life i want to change I want friends that I can rely on I want to walk into a new place and see the amazing adventure that can be had not walk back out because my heart is racing and I'm struggling to hold back tears of overwhelming fear I don't know how I got here and I don't know how to fix it... But I want the old me back

Anxiety_overwhelmed How to talk to beyond blues call line
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I don’t like speaking to profession’s I’m not too sure about. Gp’s, counsellors, I know what there about and how they can help but beyond blue I’m not sure. I know nothing of this organisation as it’s only my second time on this site. Im nervous and ... View more

I don’t like speaking to profession’s I’m not too sure about. Gp’s, counsellors, I know what there about and how they can help but beyond blue I’m not sure. I know nothing of this organisation as it’s only my second time on this site. Im nervous and feel useless that I have to talk to somebody I don’t know in order to get advice about my sever anxiety. I think, will they be judgemental are they going to laugh afterwards do they take there job seriously and are they going to be compassionate all these thoughts cross my mind. but I know I really need to speak to someone how did anybody go with making there first initial phone call.

nootnoot I think I have ADD but too embarrassed to get help
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For the longest time I have always felt I was stupid and that everything is hard. I have always found school and university hard. I never had good grades and never did anything exceptional because everything was too hard. I have been in and out of un... View more

For the longest time I have always felt I was stupid and that everything is hard. I have always found school and university hard. I never had good grades and never did anything exceptional because everything was too hard. I have been in and out of university over the last 10 years due to not being able to decide what I wanted to do, it was all too hard or I wasn't smart enough. Things that seem simple to understand I find it hard and need things to be explaining to me several times in different ways for me to understand. I remember in primary school not being able to do simple maths times tables and my father would make me spend hours trying to learn them every afternoon. To this day I am still terrible at maths and can not do maths in my head very fast. I have been forgetful and lost 2 pairs of sunglasses. I always feel bored and need to be doing something. When it comes to my university essays, I always leave them to the last minute because I don’t have the attention span to do them. It’s like I need that big rush of anxiety to make myself do my assignments. My assignment grades are never the best. I have had diagnosed depression and anxiety for almost 10 years. I always feel tired and have no motivation to do anything. I know these are symptoms of depression, but I have not felt depressed for a while. I usually become very depressed when I know I have an assessment due. They stress me out and I feel dumb when I write them because I can’t get what I want to say in my head onto the paper. It’s like everything is jumbled up in my head. I can’t focus on anything for too long especially if it requires strong thought which is why most of my time I spend watching tv shows or playing video games. Writing this has been difficult because I have been getting distracted and it’s also not the most well written thread so I apologise. Basically, I think I have ADD and have felt I have had it for a long time but I have always been too scared or embarrassed to tell my doctor out of fear they will judge or they will just think it is part of my depression and ignore it or say that it is normal to procrastinate etc.. I don’t know how to go about telling them that I would like to be assessed.

Clarissa26 Work worries
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Hi i am moving to a new state at the end of the year and will need to find a new job. I work in education and can’t just transfer over. Where I work now I’m valued and I worry I’m not going to find that again. I doubt myself. I love what I do and jus... View more

Hi i am moving to a new state at the end of the year and will need to find a new job. I work in education and can’t just transfer over. Where I work now I’m valued and I worry I’m not going to find that again. I doubt myself. I love what I do and just want you o keep doing it. I wake up in the night and have anxiety attacks thinking about it. I wish it was easier.

Guest_9486 Anxiety and panic triggered by kids
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Hi. I have 3 small kids and have lived with anxiety most of my life but have found that since having kids my anxiety has become much worse. I often feel panicked that I’m just not cut out for being a parent. (I’m a great mum but just feel so complete... View more

Hi. I have 3 small kids and have lived with anxiety most of my life but have found that since having kids my anxiety has become much worse. I often feel panicked that I’m just not cut out for being a parent. (I’m a great mum but just feel so completely overwhelmed sometimes that it comes out in physical symptoms nausea, vomiting, feeling dizzy etc). My husband is very supportive of me and extremely understanding but I’m very worried about my anxiety affecting our marriage as I will often want to avoid going places with the kids etc. Also I have noticed that my panic attacks are also being set off when he becomes angry with the kids so it’s kind of this horrible cycle of me getting flustered and can’t handle the kids, then he trying to sort things out and gets angry with them, then my anxiety escalates til I have to go lay down because I’m totally panicking. I saw a psychologist and got help with some advice and techniques and also have a medication to just take when I have a bad attack (not everyday). But here I am at 4am triggered into panic because my son woke up crying with a tummy ache.... like what the hell! I shouldn’t be panicking because of that! Does anyone else experience this?

mad_woman Alone & coping with anxiety.
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I find my anxiety very scary,mainly being alone,it scares me so much.I have no family or friends here where I live.I am a carer to my two sons with autism.they live with me.I am so lonely most of the time,but worse still very scared,I hate the nights... View more

I find my anxiety very scary,mainly being alone,it scares me so much.I have no family or friends here where I live.I am a carer to my two sons with autism.they live with me.I am so lonely most of the time,but worse still very scared,I hate the nights.its getting worse.I am 57.

Butterfly64 Head Pressure
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Wondering if anyone else has unrelenting head pressure? I've had it for 3 years and tried every medication, therapy and alternative treatment there is and nothing has helped. Had CT scan and MRI both normal. It is always there but sometimes unbearabl... View more

Wondering if anyone else has unrelenting head pressure? I've had it for 3 years and tried every medication, therapy and alternative treatment there is and nothing has helped. Had CT scan and MRI both normal. It is always there but sometimes unbearable. I'm going to try neurofeedback soon - after that, I'm out of options. I've read up on tension headaches and it sounds like that's what I've got, except that mine NEVER goes away

Emerald12 Suffer from very bad anxiety - please help
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Hi, for years now I suffer from terrible social anxiety and just to leave the house when I’m not working is a massive battle.. I’m nearly 30 years old and I can’t even go to the supermarket or fueling my car up without freaking out , I am getting mar... View more

Hi, for years now I suffer from terrible social anxiety and just to leave the house when I’m not working is a massive battle.. I’m nearly 30 years old and I can’t even go to the supermarket or fueling my car up without freaking out , I am getting married next year to the love of my life and I am very worried as I need to do a speech and my social anxiety is terrible .. so worried the words won’t spit out and it’s choking me .. please what will help me .. I’ve tried exercise and everything and none of that stuff helps , my anxiety is to strong it over takes me every time thanks