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

All discussions

Hppyf33t Separation Anxiety?
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone, This is my first post and I’m very new to all this so bear with me. I have been suffering with anxiety for the past 6 months and I’m at my wits end. I have never ever felt like this before. I have seen my GP about this. I know what has t... View more

Hi everyone, This is my first post and I’m very new to all this so bear with me. I have been suffering with anxiety for the past 6 months and I’m at my wits end. I have never ever felt like this before. I have seen my GP about this. I know what has triggered it and I’m not coping very well at all. After living in the one town for over 10 years (we have moved a lot with my husbands work around the state) with my husband and two children. We have now gone through some BIG changes in our family and living situation. Both the kids have moved out of home to different towns and my husband and I have also moved to a new town as empty nesters. One child now lives 8 hours away and the other 4.5 hours. The reason for our move was my husband resigned from a job that he was in for a very long time as he wasn’t happy there anymore and was very stressed. He was offered a new job with another company in another town that he loves. I left a job that I had been in for 10 years and enjoyed. We are now living in our own home for the first time in our 28 years of marriage which I was so looking forward to. We weighed up all the pros and cons about this move and felt it was the right thing for us and our future. But things haven’t gone as well as I had hoped with all the changes. (For me anyway) My husband is doing fine and he knows that I am struggling and has been very supportive. I’ve got friends here and I got another job but I’m not enjoying it and want to leave but it’s really hard to find work in the town so I feel I’m stuck there for the time being. We try and see the kids as much as possible as I miss them desperately. We see friends often and keep ourselves busy getting our house to how we want it. I’ve also just had a major operation which I needed weeks off work. All this tied together has put me in the place I’m in now. I have the same thoughts going around in my head over and over, what if?? What if we didn’t make these changes?? My heart feels heavy and broken, I’m not sleeping well so I’m tired, I’ve lost a lot of weight as I’ve lost my appetite, I cry a lot, I zone out and just have this numb feeling through my body. I feel lonely and lost. It takes effort to get up and go for the day. I don’t have much energy to do anything but I make myself push through the day. Is this separation anxiety? Will it pass eventually? Has anyone else experienced these feelings after such changers? TIA.

Guest5643 There is no such thing as a little bit of ocd
  • replies: 8

I regularly here from people that they have "a little bit of ocd" or "im ocd in the house"ect. THERE IS NO SUCH THING! Its got to the point i say i have real ocd not fake ocd. I know these people have no idea about the illness so they don't know any ... View more

I regularly here from people that they have "a little bit of ocd" or "im ocd in the house"ect. THERE IS NO SUCH THING! Its got to the point i say i have real ocd not fake ocd. I know these people have no idea about the illness so they don't know any better but its very disrespectful to what is a very debilitating illness. A had a psychologist once argue with me telling me ocd symptoms are only excess handwashing, cleaning and fear off germs! Those symptoms are a very mild fraction of what real ocd is like.

Lily_28_ Feeling out of my depth and anxious in a foreign country
  • replies: 8

Hi all/anyone who is reading this thread. It has been a while since I have been on here, maybe that is because I was doing better? Maybe I was busy and distracted? Who knows. Anyway, I am now 27 and still suffer from anxiety and depression and have b... View more

Hi all/anyone who is reading this thread. It has been a while since I have been on here, maybe that is because I was doing better? Maybe I was busy and distracted? Who knows. Anyway, I am now 27 and still suffer from anxiety and depression and have been on medications since I was 19. Over the years I have gone through the motions of losing my best friend through suddenly dying, losing a relationship, losing friends etc etc. Have gone through and tried to deal with that the best I can. In the past year, my partner went for a job on the other side of the world, I have finished university (yay, only took numerous more years!)and my god daughter was born. I felt great for a while there. I am now situated on the other side of the world, as you got it, my partner got the job and here we are for 18months. I am so happy for him for this new step in his career and everything, but I am not feeling too happy about being here. Sure, it's beautiful etc in europe, but its not what I want or need. I have had to give up my job, friends, family, pets etc and move to a place where it's going to be hard to get a job as im not very bilingual, and I dont know anyone etc. I feel so out of my depth and scared I guess you could say. I have panic attacks in the supermarket just trying to see what certain foods are as I do not know the language, and I also have food allergies. Some would say im so lucky and so fortunate to have an amazing partner who is supportng me, but i do not want to just live off of him, and being able to support myself , and feel my own achievements. I used to be great at my job, I want to feel that again. Otherwise, I'm just the 'unemployed/depressed/anxious' girlfriend. Has anyone ever done this move or something similar and can offer me any support?

Stuart_He_ Life on hold
  • replies: 4

Im tired of feeling like this,its holding my life up , i cant see an end to it. Im going to see my doctor in 2 days. I havent spoken to my wife as yet, not sure why. There are times when im fine and having a good time then this overwhelming feeling o... View more

Im tired of feeling like this,its holding my life up , i cant see an end to it. Im going to see my doctor in 2 days. I havent spoken to my wife as yet, not sure why. There are times when im fine and having a good time then this overwhelming feeling of fear just smothers me,im not sleeping long enough. This the first time I've ever done this sort of thing , is it going to help me?

black_rose Post Social Event Anxiety
  • replies: 13

Out of everything I've ever had to deal with Social Anxiety has to be the absolute worst of all, Bipolar seems a walk in the park to this, mostly because at least with Bipolar I know how it can and will affect me. Social Anxiety though is so unpredic... View more

Out of everything I've ever had to deal with Social Anxiety has to be the absolute worst of all, Bipolar seems a walk in the park to this, mostly because at least with Bipolar I know how it can and will affect me. Social Anxiety though is so unpredictable and can rear it's ugly head at any point in social situations. Before, during or after. It's pot luck at which stage it emerges. Over the weekend I had my oldest and closest friend's 40th birthday, we also dated back when I was 16 for like 6 months, but have remained friends throughout the years, even despite him leaving the country for a decade. We were better suited as friends. Honestly I planned for and anticipated the anxiety to occur either before or during the event, and had planned for such contingencies, I made sure I had an anxiety pill beforehand and even had an extra one on hand in case of emergency and I needed it. But nope, the night was awesome, I had a blast and the crowd didn't seem to bother me much. However I wasn't prepared for the anxiety to hit me after the event. Yesterday and Today I've had the worst anxiety, today it has caused me to burst into tears, all because my brain is an a hole and refuses to shut up. Just some of the crippling thoughts echoing through my head: remember that stupid thing you said, yeah that one, you idiot, I'm sure everyone heard it and thought you were the biggest idiot there. remember doing that, yeah how dumb, no doubt everyone saw that, you moron Hahaha, I bet everyone thought you were fat, like an elephant You know he'll probably never want to speak to you again, I bet his entire family family and all his friends thought you were the biggest idiot there and have probably told him as much you are too much, next time you should just stay home, it easier! It's the pits I despise it with everything I have in me. I try telling myself that no one noticed the small stupid things and that they weren't really that stupid and only I noticed them, sadly I cant seem to convince my brain. Social Anxiety really is the pits...

Rosy1 Working Hours?
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Hi everyone, I am brand new to this forum! Following appointments with my Psychologist and Naturopath yesterday I am staring to realise I may need to reduce my work hours/days again (even if just for a while), as I am just not coping in all areas of ... View more

Hi everyone, I am brand new to this forum! Following appointments with my Psychologist and Naturopath yesterday I am staring to realise I may need to reduce my work hours/days again (even if just for a while), as I am just not coping in all areas of my life (including work) at the moment for a variety of reasons. My workplace is very supportive, however, it tends to fall on me to come up with options - I generally believe that they think that is best for me etc. However, sometimes I lack inspo! I have been working for four days a week for years now (before I even started in this role) and have switched between having Monday's or Friday's off and working less hours over five days before in this role. I was/still am hard on myself over not working full time, I am a recovering perfectionist and overachiever. So, I guess my question is, if you work part-time what days and hours do you do and what do you like or not like so much about what you doing? Or even suggestions from your past etc. Thank you in advance for any thoughts at all that you are able to share, they will be hugely appreciated.

stella1988 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Exposure - Anyone tried?
  • replies: 5

Hello everybody! this is Stella, I have been suffering from anxiety for several years. Some were better some were bad. I am curious to know if any of you have ever tried CBT and exposure as techniques to fight anxiety. And if yes how did it work out ... View more

Hello everybody! this is Stella, I have been suffering from anxiety for several years. Some were better some were bad. I am curious to know if any of you have ever tried CBT and exposure as techniques to fight anxiety. And if yes how did it work out for you? I personally meditate, exercise and do the "nature contact" (in which I just sit and observe nature as a way to relax and connect with the present). Thank you

S_michelle Health Anxiety Struggles
  • replies: 1

Hi. I'm new to this forum. I have been struggling with GAD for as long as I can remember. Just recently I had a scare as my heartrate was super low and I've been feeling tired, like I don't have enough energy to breathe. My GP has done numerous tests... View more

Hi. I'm new to this forum. I have been struggling with GAD for as long as I can remember. Just recently I had a scare as my heartrate was super low and I've been feeling tired, like I don't have enough energy to breathe. My GP has done numerous tests and can't find anything wrong but it's starting to concern me. I spent 24hrs in hospital for monitoring and they refered me to mental health who were unable to offer any help as I was not in a crisis situation. I'm feeling really lost and scared. What if there is something wrong, what if it is anxiety and I have this feeling and exhaustion forever. I don't know what to do. Or where to go to for help. I'm seeing a psychologist but that's 1hr every 2 weeks....I experience this feeling for hours everyday and I can't bare to keep worrying about it. Is there anyone with a similar experience? It really doesn't feel like the anxiety I'm used to, this is so foreign to me.

Chris54 I don’t feel okay
  • replies: 2

I haven’t felt like myself in a while, even while things have been okay. I don’t know if it’s anxiety or depression. recently almost everything in my life has fallen apart, which I’m not able to cope with. i’ve always felt that there is something wro... View more

I haven’t felt like myself in a while, even while things have been okay. I don’t know if it’s anxiety or depression. recently almost everything in my life has fallen apart, which I’m not able to cope with. i’ve always felt that there is something wrong with me, but I don’t know if I can be fixed. I don’t know how to get out of this situation. I feel very lost and alone. It just seems like a hopeless situation that I can’t get out of.

greatoutdoors123 extreme guilt and overthinking
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Hi all, Anyone have any tips for dealing with extreme guilt? I have recently been thinking a lot about some mistakes I made at my old job. at the time I was very stressed that I would lose my job and covered up some mistakes I made. at the time I did... View more

Hi all, Anyone have any tips for dealing with extreme guilt? I have recently been thinking a lot about some mistakes I made at my old job. at the time I was very stressed that I would lose my job and covered up some mistakes I made. at the time I didn't think it would be a big deal but now 2 years later I remember and think "gosh that was not a good thing I did" and i can't help but keep beating myself up about them and overthinking them.