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

Sam42 Stuck in Anxiety
  • replies: 4

I have had some problems with overwhelming and crippling feelings of anxiety and not coping with stress for several years now. A lot of the time I just live with the slightly-sick anxious feeling, with it flaring up at different times. It leaves me t... View more

I have had some problems with overwhelming and crippling feelings of anxiety and not coping with stress for several years now. A lot of the time I just live with the slightly-sick anxious feeling, with it flaring up at different times. It leaves me tired, with headaches, unfocused and scattered. At 20 years old I feel as though my anxiety is getting worse, being unfocused and unmotivated and then feeling guilty about it makes it a huge struggle for to get anything done or be self-disciplined. University is one of my biggest struggles right now, I can barely manage my work, but I feel I have no alternative and feel incredibly stuck. I have no job, I have never had a proper job, and the thought of having one qives me anxiety attacks. I do not know where the anxiety comes from, I feel anxious about a lot of things, but it's not always the same, some days I might feel really anxious and sick and afraid just driving to the local shops, and the next day not have nearly as much as a problem with it, but I'm always anxious at the thought of driving. I'd rather never drive again. Generally I am always anxiety, I just feel anxious and tired without reason, and at times very fearful and anxious for reason that I cannot explain/don't understand. Often my anxiety is like a psychical barrier that stops me from doing things. Because I never really felt like I could talk to either of my parents about it growing up and now, I mostly suffered and beared it in silence. On and off for ages I wondered if there was actually something wrong with me or not. I don't believe my parents think there is anything wrong with me and nor do they want to hear about it. Now, the thought of talking to them almost and sometimes does give me a anxiety attack. The best way I could actually cope with things, especially towards the end of high school, was to just repress it. To shove it as far down as possible and just deal with break downs every so often. But this isn't working any more as I must move forward in my life, but I feel as if I have and can do nothing. I have never sought out any kind of professional help for this before, excluding a brief session with a uni counsellor when it went through a rough patch at the start of University. I have only ever relied on my aunt and friend, and often I was and am trying to support her through her struggle with depression.

Annabel I'm having scary thoughts
  • replies: 4

Hi, I had a stressful incident at work that has now triggered severe Anxiety. I had a scary OCD thought last night which I sometimes think about from time to time and able to put it out of my mind but now that I have Anxiety, it's made the Anxiety so... View more

Hi, I had a stressful incident at work that has now triggered severe Anxiety. I had a scary OCD thought last night which I sometimes think about from time to time and able to put it out of my mind but now that I have Anxiety, it's made the Anxiety so much worse that a my heart is racing and I can't sleep at all! Last night I had a panic attack and I'm feeling extremely drained today. I've started on medication and been taking them for 4 days, I'm wondering if I need to increase this dose? I'm worried about my racing heart as I'm 46 years old so thinking that it can't be good for me at my age. I distract myself as much I can and going out and keeping myself busy but when I get home, the Anxiety is still quite overwhelming. If there any advice as to what I should do next and if I should increase my Anti-depressant? Thankyou. xo Annabel.

upwardcoast Anxious from work. Possibly in unsuitable job role?
  • replies: 3

Been feeling anxious for a couple of months now. Started to affect my work performance and losing focus at work as well. Everytime I leave the office, the work follows me. Either via a phone call, or just me generally be thinking about what will go w... View more

Been feeling anxious for a couple of months now. Started to affect my work performance and losing focus at work as well. Everytime I leave the office, the work follows me. Either via a phone call, or just me generally be thinking about what will go wrong at work. I am in the construction industry, so naturally it is a very high stressful working environment. In my first year working in this industry, it was actually quite fun and not all stressful or anxious about it. Since my promotion to it, the feeling of anxiousness and stress amplifies. Again, which i expected. However now it is taken to the extreme, i am not sure what caused it, but i am unable to relax or wind down after work at home no longer. Eating or playing my video games does not seem to distract me anymore. My GP do prescribed me a tricyclis antidepressant to help me to go to sleep which i have problem with too. I have yet to take any of it as I am afraid that it will makes me sleep past my alarm at 6am. What are your suggestions to reduce my anxiousness from work and able to enjoy my free time after work.

AnxietyMumLonelyMum Struggling Mum
  • replies: 11

Hi everyone… I am very new to this! I have social anxiety and GAD. Some days are good and I can leave the house and have no problem, but those are rare. Since my second child it has gotten worse. I found myself breaking down to my husband last night,... View more

Hi everyone… I am very new to this! I have social anxiety and GAD. Some days are good and I can leave the house and have no problem, but those are rare. Since my second child it has gotten worse. I found myself breaking down to my husband last night, who really truly wants to understand. But he doesn't. I find myself not being able to talk to my best friend about it. She is in a different stage in her life and when she doesn’t understand something, she never knows what to say so I won’t get replies. I had connected with someone else I've known for a while. But I think she is going through her own things and has shut off recently. I don't want to bother her. I feel like I am letting my kids down. I want to be that mum that goes out most days takes them somewhere fun without stressing. With having toddler and a baby it is so exhausting even just going to the supermarket. I didn’t feel safe in the last town I was in, so when we moved I had more good days than bad (leaving the house, even going to playgroup), but in the last few months that changed. My husband picks up things that we need, but I worry that him helping is letting my anxiety get the better of me. I feel like I should just be forcing myself to go, even though he doesn’t mind. Sometimes I cant even go to the mailbox. The strange thing is, if its something urgent or if it something my kids need – I can push through (doctor appointments for them/hospital/pharmacy). I have tried medication before but it made me have horrible thoughts and I didnt feel right. So I just stopped taking them (I know that's not great). I am a stay at home mum and work from home, which makes for late nights and struggling during the day trying to keep both kids happy so I can focus on my work. I love my job, it makes me feel good but being mum and working from home is really trying. I feel it helps me keep some identity, not being just ‘mum’ 24/7. We can’t afford child care just yet. I have connected with one person who has anxiety (she still gets out though) I haven't confided in her fully. I have a problem with opening up because it makes me feel weak and embarrassed. Majority of people have no idea what’s really happening with me. My husband says how good I am at hiding it. I want to go out on my own for me time but something is holding me back. I can’t continue like this. I worry about every little thing, about how people perceive me, do they even like me? Even though I know my worry is for no reason. It’s exhausting.

harmoni13 Death anxiety
  • replies: 1

I’ve had an itemise fear of dying/death since I was younger and it has come and gone over time, over the past few months it has been especially bad and I am unable to cope with it atm. Does anyone have any tips/ways that they deal with this

I’ve had an itemise fear of dying/death since I was younger and it has come and gone over time, over the past few months it has been especially bad and I am unable to cope with it atm. Does anyone have any tips/ways that they deal with this

Gingy_75 Worrying myself Sick
  • replies: 17

Hi all, I’m new to these forums, so any advice will be most welcomed. I have suffered on & off for most of my life with GAD, HA & OCD which has been hell for my overall physical and mental health. Over the years I have had many health concerns which ... View more

Hi all, I’m new to these forums, so any advice will be most welcomed. I have suffered on & off for most of my life with GAD, HA & OCD which has been hell for my overall physical and mental health. Over the years I have had many health concerns which have turned out to be nothing... But at the moment I have some grave concerns about MND/MS. My mental health had subsided for quite sometime, until there was an unexpected death in the family late last year... since then my anxiety has reignited. Various physical symptoms arose triggering negative thoughts about my health & fear of death. I am so obsessed with my physical symptoms at the moment i.e pain/weakness in limbs, twitching, focusing on how I walk, testing strength & balance...I am also obsessed with Dr Google which only exacerbates my symptoms. I am so afraid of going to the docs as I fear they will only confirm my fears, but at the same time I also want the reassurance of finding out that there is nothing wrong. I cry most days about it as I have a husband and son whom I don’t want to be a burden on if I have this disease and fear how they will cope without me. At the moment I am consumed by this and can’t focus on anything else... I think my OCD won’t allow me to! I know the answers are obvious, but I think I’ve gotten to the point where depression is setting in & I just can’t see a way out! Ranga#75

davidpooh Anxiety and Depression cure
  • replies: 1

Hello You can call me David an old veteran suffering from this anxiety and depression due to so many problems in my family and love ones ,but i came to realize that this CBD and THC strongly helps me and with all pleasure i'm here to share my own par... View more

Hello You can call me David an old veteran suffering from this anxiety and depression due to so many problems in my family and love ones ,but i came to realize that this CBD and THC strongly helps me and with all pleasure i'm here to share my own part of my situation ,know to some people they'll all say it's bad to use THC or cbd but i think that's out of ignorance because it definitely do help

Kyky Storm
  • replies: 1

Hi lm new to this type of forum lm 42 and have suffered depression anxiety and panic disorder for 26 yrs since my son's passing, it has taken many shapes and forms affecting different parts and stages of my and my family's lives the whole time. I've ... View more

Hi lm new to this type of forum lm 42 and have suffered depression anxiety and panic disorder for 26 yrs since my son's passing, it has taken many shapes and forms affecting different parts and stages of my and my family's lives the whole time. I've had brief moments of calm but l can feel it just sitting there biding it's time to barge into my every thought and feeling,sometimes l can push it aside like its nothing taking control back and briefly winning that fight but never the war. I am very good at keeping my happy fun mask on that l even fool myself sometimes that lm ok, sometimes this is the truth sometimes the storm as l call it is nowhere to be seen it's just blue sky's and sun. But other times l can feel it rumbling just off in the distance always coming closer always threatening to turn my light dark and ruin the day. For me it's the physical symptoms have been getting worse as the years go on feeling sick dizy sweaty shaking my hands and feet go cold as ice heart palpitations and the feeling lm going to die just to name a few. Today the storm is raging and l feel like lm drowning in feelings in tears just in life and l can't seem to find my way through it to the calm.

Guest5643 Binge eating disorder
  • replies: 6

Ive always been a comfort eater for as long as i can remember but didn't realise alot of what i do is binge eating until a few months ago. Today after reading the dsm5 diagnosis criteria thing it comfirmed i have binge eating disorder. I'm secretly a... View more

Ive always been a comfort eater for as long as i can remember but didn't realise alot of what i do is binge eating until a few months ago. Today after reading the dsm5 diagnosis criteria thing it comfirmed i have binge eating disorder. I'm secretly ashamed and embarrased to have this. I'm struggling with the term disorder with it cause it makes me feel like it's something people can never get control of. I would love to know peoples experiences with it. Lynne

Bennyboy10 Health Anxiety struggle
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone A few months ago i suffered really bad panic attacks and had a few trips to the hospital as i thought i was dying over an ilness in particular Cancer. After multiple doctors appointments i had blood work and brain scan done which all came... View more

Hi everyone A few months ago i suffered really bad panic attacks and had a few trips to the hospital as i thought i was dying over an ilness in particular Cancer. After multiple doctors appointments i had blood work and brain scan done which all came back negative. Even though the doctors have told me there is nothing physically wrong i just felt off or not myself but couldn't pinpoint why. I was then medicated and have been seeing a counseller for a few months now and have improved drastically. However i still suffer with strange symptoms even though i don't feel anxious, some of the symptoms include ringing in the ears(mainly at night) bowel issues, cold chills, random back pains, tiredness and fatigue that comes and goes. And sometimes find myself not being able to recognize my surroundings. I try to tell myself there is nothing physically wrong but i cannot stop worrying that it is something else that hasn't been picked up yet.