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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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Charlotte95 What does it feel like to you when medication is working? OCD, anxiety, depression
  • replies: 3

Hi guys, i started SSRI's in late April this year. Went up in dosage two times since then. I still get bad OCD thoughts (mostly pure-O type) and my depression has gotten worse and worse. The thoughts have somewhat slowed down but I definitely still g... View more

Hi guys, i started SSRI's in late April this year. Went up in dosage two times since then. I still get bad OCD thoughts (mostly pure-O type) and my depression has gotten worse and worse. The thoughts have somewhat slowed down but I definitely still get them enough to disturb my life substantially. I don't really have any anxiety anymore and have been able to do things I haven't been able to before, such as housesitting alone. What does it feel like for you when your medication is working? Have you ever experienced a medication somewhat working and then switched and found one that totally worked?

CaffinatedCat Andult Learner Driver and Anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi. I'm 35 and learning to drive. I also suffer from pannic attacks, have GAD, clinical depression and intrusive thoughts. I'm terrified when I get behind the wheel. My anxiety is at 4000 percent, especially when my partner is helping me learn. I kno... View more

Hi. I'm 35 and learning to drive. I also suffer from pannic attacks, have GAD, clinical depression and intrusive thoughts. I'm terrified when I get behind the wheel. My anxiety is at 4000 percent, especially when my partner is helping me learn. I know it's worse when he's with me because I don't want him to be disappointed with me. I've been trying to work out what's feeding this severe anxiety and I've had a million ideas. Lol but doesn't help. My stomach gets so twisted up in anxiety I often can't eat and get diarrhoea.. I've had it drilled into me all my life that driving is like a right of passage for adults. My theory is that I'm so frightened of failure it's causing my nerves. My depression and anxiety make me over overly critical of myself. Last night I drove to the in laws and back. Didn't do too badly either but got home n cries for an hour or so because all I could hear in my head was what I didn't wrong, how I'm a failure and how iill never drive. If anyone has any tips please share. I've had GAD all my life and should ha e learnt as a teen to drive. Learning as an adult is so much harder.

bornto_ I need motivation to get help.
  • replies: 4

I stopped going to school in June last year and then dropped out on the day I turned 17. I had very bad anxiety at the start of year 11 last year. Some of the classes i was in gave me a rush of anxiety when I entered the room. My heart would race, I ... View more

I stopped going to school in June last year and then dropped out on the day I turned 17. I had very bad anxiety at the start of year 11 last year. Some of the classes i was in gave me a rush of anxiety when I entered the room. My heart would race, I would get sweaty and dizzy, I felt like I was going to throw up and tried to hold it in. Because of how bad my anxiety was, I couldn’t concentrate and complete all my work. I took days off every week, and I was getting told off by teachers. Then I got sick and took a week off, and the next week off, and then I didn’t want to go back to school. The teachers ended up organising a distance education program in August. I ended up not doing any of the work. I stayed in bed and slept a lot (usually 12-17 hours). On some better days I thought about doing some work but each time I approached it in my head I immediately got stressed and anxious so I never did it. When I turned 17 I dropped out. After I dropped out I wanted to go see a new psychologist again to try to get over my anxiety and depression, but I couldn’t build the courage to leave the house. And nothing has changed since. I haven’t left the house in 1 year and 2 months. In October 2017 i went to a GP to get help for social anxiety that i had put up with for 4 years (since the beginning of high school). The GP was amazing, better response then i had expected. The GP diagnosed me with mixed anxiety and depression, and referred me to a psychologist. My mum told the GP that she wants to avoid medication, as she is generally against medicine. But since then she is now ok with me taking medication. Maybe she's ok with it now because she has seen how bad my anxiety and depression has become, and because my sister is taking an antidepressant and its been successful. The psychologist i was referred to was not helpful, and i don't really think he understood my issue. Maybe it was because i talked about too many issues and situations and confused him. I only saw him twice. At the end of the second appointment he said he was going to book another appointment and i was supposed to receive a confirmation, but never did, so i didn't go back. Is it possible for a GP to prescribe medication? If a GP prescribes medication, do i also need to see a psychologist for talk therapies?

Leemilera Anxiety in relationships-help!
  • replies: 1

I have heard so many stories of people who's anxiety causes them to question their love for someone but I was wondering if anxiety and depression can prevent you from feeling the love you should have already felt for someone? Like being anxious and d... View more

I have heard so many stories of people who's anxiety causes them to question their love for someone but I was wondering if anxiety and depression can prevent you from feeling the love you should have already felt for someone? Like being anxious and depressed can cause you to doubt whether you will ever love someone? I would really love honest answers because I have already broken up with my boyfriend after a year (my best friend) because every time I felt love it was shot down by my brain so I can never say with confidence that I love him. I didn't want to put him through that mess that is dealing with someone else's anxiety and/or the uncertainty of whether or not I actually love him.

Cake74 Trying to re-enter the work place
  • replies: 2

Hello, I’m Cas and for a fair while now I had anxiety & depression. I worked on it a lot but when it comes to work it becomes so much harder. Last year I had a pretty good job as a waitress but I couldn’t cope with the high expectations and I overtho... View more

Hello, I’m Cas and for a fair while now I had anxiety & depression. I worked on it a lot but when it comes to work it becomes so much harder. Last year I had a pretty good job as a waitress but I couldn’t cope with the high expectations and I overthought everything. They were big on giving feedback so I knew I was t doing so well. I ended up leaving because I had a shift time wrong I was supposed to start 11 but I thought it was 1. I freaked out so badly that I didn’t answer their calls and never went back. At the time I was smoking plants I shouldn’t be to ‘cope’ but really it wasn’t helping at all. I gave it up just coming up to a year now but I’ve not been in work. I don’t drive because I don’t really have anyone to help, I’m 27 and driving lessons are so expensive right! I want to give working ago again but I’m feeling concerned about how long it’s been and if I’ll even get hired anywhere - especially when I don’t have a licence. It’s a vicious cycle, I need the licence and car to get a job but I need the job to get a licence and car haha. Especially because of my age I’m not feeling the most optimistic about being able to get myself back to work and the gaps on my resume too. Being on Centrelink isn’t working for me though, I have so many bills and I want to get a bit ahead in life you know? I went and did a process manufacturing course in July and I’ll get my forklift licence soon. There’s so many jobs available for that so I was hoping it would be something easy to do and I would find something. I’m mostly worried about managing the anxiety while at work, managing the overthinking, managing telling myself I’m s*** and doing things wrong and concerned about making mistakes to the point I get fired. Has anyone been through something similar and managed ok? Has anyone been able to be completely transparent in their workplace about what they’re going through? This is the type of workplace I’m hoping to find. Thanks, Cas

Distant Centrelink
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, I’m not sure if this is a question or me just venting but here we go. I have applied for the Disability Support Pension a handful of times and have not been successful. I first applied 2-3 years ago. I now feel like I know the criteria that ... View more

Hi guys, I’m not sure if this is a question or me just venting but here we go. I have applied for the Disability Support Pension a handful of times and have not been successful. I first applied 2-3 years ago. I now feel like I know the criteria that needs to be met like the back of my hand but I keep getting rejected. The criteria in a nutshell is diagnosed, treated and stabilised aswell as scoring more than 20points on the mental health chart. Centrelink doesn’t have a problem with diagnosed but this is where it gets frustrating. My psychiatrist has stated in writing that I am being treated with reasonable treatment which includes medication and psychological therapy and any other forms of medication or therapy would be similar in nature. So, basically I am recieving the proper treatment and anything else would pretty much be the same. Secondly he has also stated he believes my condition is now stabilized because of said treatment however I would be unable to work within the next 2 years. Which is pretty much, word for word the definition Centrelink requires. Finally, I asked my GP, psychologist and psychiatrist to fill out the mental health chart. Each of them scoring me 20 points or above. This means out of the 6 symptoms 4 or more were marked as being sever in nature. But I keep getting rejected for different reasons. Most recently because they don’t have proof of my treatment. Except for the letters from both my psychologist and psychiatrist stating the medication I am on and how often I get therapy. Aswell as my psychiatrist deeming the treatment to be the most reasonable and anything else being similar. Basically I feel like there isn’t any more proof I can give them if they’re not going to take the word of psychiatrist and psychologist. If anyone has any suggestions on something I may have missed that would help me a great deal. I’ve been on Newstart for nearly 3 years and it’s beginning to take its tole on me.

Guest5643 Apology
  • replies: 10

Hi i just wanted to apologise if i've ever offended anyone with a post or reply. Lynne

Hi i just wanted to apologise if i've ever offended anyone with a post or reply. Lynne

Lockarni_Philips Unwanted intrusive thoughts :(
  • replies: 10

Hi all, I’ve been struggling with unwanted intrusive thoughts for the past 3 months and I feel hopeless. I am a straight male, always have been. I’ve been struggling with homosexual thoughts which seem to have come out of nowhere and are disturbing a... View more

Hi all, I’ve been struggling with unwanted intrusive thoughts for the past 3 months and I feel hopeless. I am a straight male, always have been. I’ve been struggling with homosexual thoughts which seem to have come out of nowhere and are disturbing and very stressing. Every time I get these thoughts (quite constant) I start getting anxious and it leads me to start stressing that what I’m thinking may be true, it may be what I want or it may be what I am. My thoughts and feelings feel so real and it stresses me because my thoughts are NOT what I am. Since these thoughts started developing I have felt lost, unhappy, depressed and stressed. I have been dating my girlfriend for 10 months now and it feels like I’m losing all my love, affection and attraction to her which stresses me all the more my mind is always constantly having these disturbing thoughts and I don’t understand why I’m not having as many thoughts about her anymore. It’s stressing me so much. I have also been finding it hard to be turned on sexually by her which I always used to go crazy about. I miss having normal lovely thoughts about her. It stresses me because the thoughts are constant and I don’t know when they are going to end. It confuses me because I am straight, and I’ve never had any thoughts about guys. I am not attracted to males. I am seeing a councillor on Friday and I hope he’ll be able to give me advice. I have cried and cried and I’m just so stressed :(, I’d appreciate any help or advice anyone has to have.

WritersBlock Never-ending cycle
  • replies: 4

I have started a new job. My anxiety has skyrocketed. Not least because I have been here before. The last 3 years have been hell for me and my family. Started a number of jobs and for whatever reason I have given the job up. External factors have pla... View more

I have started a new job. My anxiety has skyrocketed. Not least because I have been here before. The last 3 years have been hell for me and my family. Started a number of jobs and for whatever reason I have given the job up. External factors have played a part, bullying for example. Anxiety has always lingered. I am now on medication. I am seeing a psychologist. This cycle seems to never end. It's draining my wife who is supportive. I am trying my best but feels the waves are pushing me deeper and deeper

dextersmom Applying for new jobs - how do you overcome burned bridges from anxiety?
  • replies: 1

I’ve come to a point where I realize I cannot go back to the job I’m in. It is incredibly emotionally demanding, requires me to be ‘on’ all the time, and leaves little space for my anxiety-induced forgetfulness and introvertedness. I’ve been taking e... View more

I’ve come to a point where I realize I cannot go back to the job I’m in. It is incredibly emotionally demanding, requires me to be ‘on’ all the time, and leaves little space for my anxiety-induced forgetfulness and introvertedness. I’ve been taking endless amounts of time off work because of my anxiety, so I feel like it will be really hard to get a reference for any jobs I apply for in future. On top of that, my last job was really similar - I had an incredibly unsympathetic boss and was essentially pushed out of the company because I asked for extra help to combat my ptsd and anxiety. How have other people gone about applying and getting jobs when their past goes against them? How do I tell my boss that I can’t handle working there anymore? How have other people cope financially in between jobs - I know centerlink is a thousand hoops and long waiting times and I really don’t want to be unemployed.