Immediate support
Immediate support

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a discussion

Dwwmills Finding happiness uncomfortable.
  • replies: 7

Hello. I’m just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this. I’ve found in the last year of my recovery I have times where I feel quite happy but I have times when I find it difficulty accepting or trusting this feeling. I don’t want to sound ... View more

Hello. I’m just wondering whether anyone else has experienced this. I’ve found in the last year of my recovery I have times where I feel quite happy but I have times when I find it difficulty accepting or trusting this feeling. I don’t want to sound like I’ve had a horrible life and I’ve never been happy before because this is just untrue. It’s as if it’s easier to deal with negative emotions than positive ones. I’m not anxious about it or obsessing over it. It’s just something that I had not expected.

Ryankelly221 Anxiety, Stress, Overthinking, World Issues, What should I do?
  • replies: 2

Hi all. Right now as I'm typing this I'm feeling okay with myself, but for the past two weeks now I've been having severe on-and-off again Anxiety Attacks. I haven't had a panic attack yet, but my stress is starting to affect my physical health now. ... View more

Hi all. Right now as I'm typing this I'm feeling okay with myself, but for the past two weeks now I've been having severe on-and-off again Anxiety Attacks. I haven't had a panic attack yet, but my stress is starting to affect my physical health now. I'm losing my appetite and I'm beginning to feel Nihilistic at times, losing interest in things I used to be passionate about. I'm taking more naps, I skip breakfast, I can't do things I enjoy to de-stress, as that stressed feeling is still there... What I'm stressed about is the concept of Climate change. There isn't any specific thing I'm worried about... It's the broad, general concept behind it that worries me. I can look at any opinion or any bad news about it and I begin to stress out. So far I've donated $135 to the Rainforest alliance but my anxiety tells me that I need to give away all of my money if I want to see it stopped. (More constructively, I've been planning on selling some of the clutter in my room and I'm going to use that money for charity.) It doesn't help that the internet is full of... Differing Opinions on the topic. And I don't know what's the truth or not. Sure, more is being done and we're more aware of it nowadays... But I have a habit of overthinking the subject to the point where I make up stories in my head, I have flashes of situations that could happen simply because it feels believable and that there's evidence out there that it could happen. I really don't want to see good people being hurt. I've actively pulled myself away from Twitter and Facebook, simply because I just can't handle any shred of bad news. At this point I'm thinking about getting medication so I can get my own life back on track. With such severe anxiety like this, what should I do?

Tinas Anxiety and hopelessness
  • replies: 4

Hi. First time on this site for me. I have been living with anxiety most of my life. I’m 47 now. I have problems going out without my companion coming with me. It’s been like this for the last 7 years. I have an ok life but lately I have been feeling... View more

Hi. First time on this site for me. I have been living with anxiety most of my life. I’m 47 now. I have problems going out without my companion coming with me. It’s been like this for the last 7 years. I have an ok life but lately I have been feeling very anxious and lonely especially at night. My mind doesn’t want to relax and it just goes around. It seems this time is all about my past and what I have had and lost and it all makes me feel so sad. I can feel this wave of sadness actually run through my body when I think about certain things. Like the dogs I have had or my mum who has passed. I know they are gone and there is nothing that can be done about that but my silly mind plays tricks and it’s like I’m loosing them all over again the pain is that bad. I want to go to a psychologist but I can’t seem to get there I always cancel the appointment because I’m just so tired and make excuses not to go out and drive myself there. I have seen many in my life before but it’s like everything I want to do, when the time comes to go I make an excuse not to go not to drive and don’t want to go alone. I have stopped doing so much now it seems nothing will make me happy I have lost interest in everything that use to make me happy and I give into myself and just curl up on the couch and sleep. I should have such a happy life. I have what I need to make a happy life but I’m just so anxious about everything all the time I don’t feel the happiness. Im hoping by writing this out I might feel a little better

Ocean88 Constant over thinking about the worst in every thing
  • replies: 7

Im soo exhausted of my anxiety i keep thinking of asteroids hitting the earth and dying fear of death i fear public places i fear what people think of me how i look i always have these thoughts of losing my kids i cant deal with myself anymore i real... View more

Im soo exhausted of my anxiety i keep thinking of asteroids hitting the earth and dying fear of death i fear public places i fear what people think of me how i look i always have these thoughts of losing my kids i cant deal with myself anymore i really nees help but i dont think nothing will work to stop my thoughts

Autumn77 Acceptance of your disorder
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I have a SchizoAffective disorder and have recently accepted this fate. A few things woke me up. The first one was going off my medication and believing I was ok and could manage without it. I was so wrong. I was ok because of the medication.... View more

Hi all, I have a SchizoAffective disorder and have recently accepted this fate. A few things woke me up. The first one was going off my medication and believing I was ok and could manage without it. I was so wrong. I was ok because of the medication. Had a semi meltdown and now off from work to recover. The second one was hearing my psychiatrist say, you cannot fix genetics. And she's right. It's genetic. My mum has schizophrenia and so does my brother. Did you go through this denial? And then acceptance? I'm I going to be stupid enough to go off my medication again? What's you story.

BexStar1993 Philophobia/Touching/Kissing Fear.
  • replies: 6

When I think about actually being intimate with someone. The feeling is intense. It feels like I'm going to die. Like if I really open-up they might turn around and kill me at any moment. My Phobia seems to revolve more so around Kissing & the intima... View more

When I think about actually being intimate with someone. The feeling is intense. It feels like I'm going to die. Like if I really open-up they might turn around and kill me at any moment. My Phobia seems to revolve more so around Kissing & the intimate/emotional state it ensues, I cannot force myself to “French Kiss” a boy even if I truly like him and want nothing more than to be close to him. At the time of my brain thinking about kissing him; Anxiety/Panic happens as it does with similar touching type things (Holding hands, touching bodies). Just a look/touch; something particularly intimate such as Kissing can make panic happen. The more attracted I am to someone and the more they reciprocate my feelings the worse it is. I resonate with "Philophobia", I used to be a very affectionate human- but in recent years have developed a fear of touching people in general & especially in an intimate manner (my logic being -if they don’t touch me they lack the power to hurt me). This was how I lived for roughly the past 4/6 years only managing to touch people (without emotional intimacy). Ive been spending time with a man who seems perfect in most ways; Ive been able to hold his hand, run my hands over his body, cuddle etc but can't physically manage to Kiss him in the way he'd like "French kiss". I really like him & think about trying to "make out" with him or touch him often but can’t override the flight/fight response that occurs in my brain at the time of the thoughts, no matter how hard I try. I don't want to hurt this man or to have the relationship fall apart as a result of my inability to be Intimate/emotionally close to him as he wishes to be with me. It is not because I don’t wish to be that close to him or that I don't want to kiss him - It’s that I feel unable to force myself to do so even if it’s what I want/wish to do. I have been trying to Overcome this issue; I don't know what else I can do except try my best to live out what I picture in my mind & what I want to be capable of doing with/to him- but am having little-no luck with improving my situation. The fear is that the pain will repeat and the risk is not worth that chance. The fear reaction is to avoid relations, thus avoiding the pain. The more one avoids the source of their fear, the more the fear increases.”

TDang Withdrawal Symptoms from Anti depressants
  • replies: 4

I'm currently going through withdrawals from an SNRI I took to sleep for about 3months. Can anyone relate to my experience? Im into my 4th week from last dose. This drug has been very tough on me. - first week I got really bad flu symptoms and though... View more

I'm currently going through withdrawals from an SNRI I took to sleep for about 3months. Can anyone relate to my experience? Im into my 4th week from last dose. This drug has been very tough on me. - first week I got really bad flu symptoms and thought I was coming down with flu. Got what felt like food poisioning stomach bug which lasted 7 days. Second week, mostly go depression and same lethargy flu like symptoms. Brain zaps quite regularly. Third week, continue with low mood feeling and loss of interest and appetite, lethargy. Forth week (this week) seems like anxiety is beginning to come in and im getting spikes of anxiety at throughout the day, which comes and goes. prior to this I had a stress situation which caused me panic attacks and some depression, and was put on two medications for sleep. my stressors are gone, and ive been well for over a month, but it seems im getting withdrawals which started around 1 week after my last dose in mid feburary

olivia3 Anxiety about school and the future
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I'm in grade 10 so I'm being faced with all these big decisions like what I'm doing when I'm older yadayada. Every night, my thoughts snowball to the point where I'm in a ball crying with the world spinning around me. "You're going to fail on... View more

Hi all, I'm in grade 10 so I'm being faced with all these big decisions like what I'm doing when I'm older yadayada. Every night, my thoughts snowball to the point where I'm in a ball crying with the world spinning around me. "You're going to fail one class and then you're going to be on the streets, homeless" "You don't work hard enough" and so on. I have anxiety and panic attacks very frequently and no one I know can seem to understand what is really happening. I'm so scared that in grade 11 and 12 I'll just be having panic attacks 24/7 due to the work load and the fact that if I don't excel I'm done for. People tell me there are different pathways to careers but that is the absolute last thing I want to do. I can't be a senior at high school if I remain like this and it scares the living day lights out of me.

The_Frogs I am a teenager living with OCD
  • replies: 1

When I was 11 years old, I started to get these horrific thoughts like killing someone I love or something, I automatically thought it was me and I was a bad person who needed to be kept away... it wasn't until a couple of years later that I got diag... View more

When I was 11 years old, I started to get these horrific thoughts like killing someone I love or something, I automatically thought it was me and I was a bad person who needed to be kept away... it wasn't until a couple of years later that I got diagnosed with OCD with the help of loving family members and headspace. My OCD has been acting up terribly lately to the point where it is making me feel sick and unwell mentally (I am still able to care for myself) in the head. I have had OCD for approximately 6 years now and still battling it. My OCD is mostly obsessional thoughts about the categories such as violence, sexual stuff and just unwanted non helpful thoughts. My compulsions result in a heap of hand washing and sometimes checking electrical appliances to see if there is water on them or not. I am also very paranoid about food eg. food poisoning or just getting sick in general, I hate having the thought that im gonna vomit and the OCD doesn't do anything besides keeping that thought reoccurring through my head. I have given up meat because of the extreme worry of food poisoning. I do see a psychologist at headspace and I do know that these are thoughts and I am the complete opposite to these intrusive thoughts. These constant intrusive thoughts affect my learning at school, I don't give as much attention as I did a month or 2 ago and they also affect the way I look and feel physically. Lately I have been a lot more gloomier, tired and not bothered to do anything and that is not my usual self at all. Basically I am looking for support from others who understand what I am talking about and we can support each other through it

Jessicarabbitinheadlights New job anxiety
  • replies: 1

I started a new job recently because as much as i enjoyed the people I worked with before, the hours weren’t right. my new job is slightly different from what I was doing before and MyMedia anxiety has been off the charts. The week leading up to it I... View more

I started a new job recently because as much as i enjoyed the people I worked with before, the hours weren’t right. my new job is slightly different from what I was doing before and MyMedia anxiety has been off the charts. The week leading up to it I was panicking and crying everyday. And now I’ve started- it’s nice. The people are lovely, the work is fine, there’s variety and im helping people in need. And YET, I still panic every night. When I’m at work I feel ok and get through it but as soon as it’s over, I’m counting down the hours until I have to go again. Overthinking like “what if I start to hate it and then I have anxiety about finding a new job?” “I can’t believe I have to get up so much earlier than my last job-what if I’m tired all the time?!” “I didn’t like that tiny aspect of the job, what do I do?!” i can’t turn my brain off and although I could write a list of 10 great positive things about the job, it takes one tiny doubt or niggle to send me into panic zone