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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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JK113 Scared that my intrusive thoughts will ruin my life
  • replies: 3

Recently (late May) my Harm OCD has returned but this time it’s been a lot worse because it’s been in conjunction with me feeling depressed after my best friend of 2 1/2 years cut contact with me and so I began feeling apathetic which only added to m... View more

Recently (late May) my Harm OCD has returned but this time it’s been a lot worse because it’s been in conjunction with me feeling depressed after my best friend of 2 1/2 years cut contact with me and so I began feeling apathetic which only added to my worry because I thought I was becoming emotionless and didn’t care about those around me anymore. And I get scared because I’ll have these thoughts than cheer up a few minutes later and worry that I’m a psycho whose just tricked themselves and family members into thinking they have ocd and because I’ve been snappy lately I’ve worried that means I’ll act on these thoughts. I’ve been googling profiles of a psychopath/assessments and than I worry cause than I convince myself that it’s a possibility even though everyone around has said I’d never do anything. And my psychologist I’ve been wanting to see isn’t available till September. I’m only 19 and I have so much I want to do a lot with my life but I feel like these intrusive thoughts are just going to drag me down and that I’ll just become a panicky nutcase with very little quality of life.

Neopopulas Its just been a tough week. (Maybe a vent)
  • replies: 3

This is my first post here but i have been lurking around for awhile and after this last week, sitting here reading through things, i felt like i just wanted to say something, anything.. Even if it comes off a bit like venting too much which i don't ... View more

This is my first post here but i have been lurking around for awhile and after this last week, sitting here reading through things, i felt like i just wanted to say something, anything.. Even if it comes off a bit like venting too much which i don't like doing. I guess a little bit of background, i'm 35, male and have been dealing with or suffering from some from of mental health issue for as long as i can remember. Starting when i was about 13 but not fully diagnosed until i was in my twenties. Prior to being diagnosed most of the time it was the normal, typical reactions that i'm sure most kids got at that age. I was eventually diagnosed with, well just a slew of things, mixed anxiety disorder with depressive episodes and panic attacks, and add in a personality disorder or two (OCPD) and you can no doubt guess things can get a bit tricky for me. Since i have had probably two jobs in my entire life, both of which were basically given to me by family members and neither of which lasted more than 8 months, combined with no real highschool education job hunting is a struggle, to say the least. I have dealt with centrelink on and off for years, but its been getting progressively harder and thats where i am left now. After a very tough week or two. I understand why centrelink operates the way it does and i don't blame the workers, they have been almost universally polite and considerate but this last couple of weeks has me at wits end. I have been with job service provider and on newstart for awhile now and my attempts at getting a medical exemption have been trying. My psychiatrist wrong a letter explaining the situation, i submitted it, but of course when you have to call, two and a half hours on hold and i'm told i need the centrelink form, i guess my Psych was wrong there, so I wait a fortnight and try again, get the certificate from my Psych, try again - three hours this time - and i'm declined again, because you can't get a temporary exemption for a marked 'permanent condition. But we're not at the stage where i can be looking at a disability pension, we still have a ways to go before then.. Its just frustrating when you're honest and do everything right and it still doesn't work out. I'm not sure if i should.. maybe not lie, but at least tweak the forms to get what i need.. its like, in trying to not exploit the system i have made life harder for myself. Maybe i should just go for DSP, it seems like their goal sometimes. Thanks for listening..

liamf22 My brain is broken . I'm 17 and my memory feels broken, I am full of anxiety and have lost the ability to communicate or do basic things I used to.
  • replies: 5

I am a 17 year old guy who has had issues with social anxiety and controlling negative thoughts in the past. I have been having epsiodes that last a week and then go away for a week. I am experiencing one of these episodes right now and it feels like... View more

I am a 17 year old guy who has had issues with social anxiety and controlling negative thoughts in the past. I have been having epsiodes that last a week and then go away for a week. I am experiencing one of these episodes right now and it feels like I am completely disconnected from my identity and my personality. I have lost the ability to form basic sentences in discussion and have become a completly useless and extremely awkward person. It feels like I have lost my basic human comprohension. There are many long term memories that feel completely blurred. It feels like all my basic human skills are impaired such as spelling, writing, vocabulary, the ability to speak in full sentences. I feel trapped in my mind and am having trouble writing this right now. My whole life feels like a floaty, dreadful, anxiety dream. I am so scared that these episodes will not stop happening. I have completely lost my social connections and am now known for being very wierd and stupid at my school as of lately. I'm trapped in my head and can't even comprehend my own thoughts. I'm unable to communicate what I am truly feeling because of this and can't communicate what I want to with my therapist. When these episodes end I think to myself - how stupid was it that I let my brain get this way, I'm fine! it won't happen again surely. I just want to die so this nighmare cycle can be over. I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense, I am just trying to find anyone who can relate to this.

Ziggy78 New to Anxiety and to Beta-Blockers
  • replies: 4

Hi all: I suffered my first panic attack in public three months ago. A nasty situation at work I believe was the 'trigger' but so was ongoing and work related stress. My bouts of anxiety have been coming and going in intense waves since then - unfort... View more

Hi all: I suffered my first panic attack in public three months ago. A nasty situation at work I believe was the 'trigger' but so was ongoing and work related stress. My bouts of anxiety have been coming and going in intense waves since then - unfortunately, the worst of them happen when I'm giving public presentations and not doing these is not an option for me. So: I have to face my most fearful space time and again and deal with the physical effects. My Doctor recently prescribed Beta-Blockers for me (the lowest dosage ) - I took one but I honestly did not feel its effects when I talked. The Dr said that should 'play around' with the dosage but I'm frightened to do that... Does anyone have any advice? I am practicing my deep breathing, seeing a psychologist also - I'm trying to resist going on prolonged medication and trialling everything else first.

Malaalsieh Health Anxiety and physical symptoms
  • replies: 5

Hi I’m new here I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression 7 months ago. I spent the first 5 months crying 6-10 times a day because I thought I had every cancer under the sun!!! I literally thought I was dying and because I’m a mum of 3 I c... View more

Hi I’m new here I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and depression 7 months ago. I spent the first 5 months crying 6-10 times a day because I thought I had every cancer under the sun!!! I literally thought I was dying and because I’m a mum of 3 I couldn’t bare the thought of them living without me. I was under so much stress and my body has totally run itself down. I stopped work 2 months ago and slowly getting back on my feet. My main symptoms were my glands and lymph nodes were so inflamed! I have a sore neck all the time but docs said it was my anxiety causing all this pain. It wasn’t until I saw my naturopath who told me my immune system is so low my glandular fever has come back. However my muscles in my thighs and shins are so sore. My back is sore. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck and I’m over feeling like this. I would like to assume it’s just my body now recovering from all the stress it’s been under? You can’t even touch my muscles without it being sore! I’m scared. Even though I know my body is going through some tough times I get scared it’s the worst case scenario. Does anyone else feel like this or has been through it?

TallBoy Work anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi, I’m a 19 year old currently working a casual job that is absolutely wreaking havoc on my anxiety. Members of staff routinely talk behind my back in front of me, get that. They make it look like they’re trying to hide what they say but then say it... View more

Hi, I’m a 19 year old currently working a casual job that is absolutely wreaking havoc on my anxiety. Members of staff routinely talk behind my back in front of me, get that. They make it look like they’re trying to hide what they say but then say it loud enough for me to hear. They regularly discuss my pay, my eligibility for the job and because of this, I really dislike going to work there. I even think about it most days when I’m not working. I don’t desperately need the job because I live with my parents but I also don’t want to go back to the impossible task of trying to find another job. I am studying at uni but don’t really want to wait until then to get a job. What to do???!

Ads1984 Constant Anxiety & Daily Panic Attacks
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I’ve recently discovered Beyond Blue and would like to share my experience. Really pleasing to see a good forum for people to assist one another. I’d love to hear your story too. Firstly, my mental health has always been resilient and st... View more

Hi everyone, I’ve recently discovered Beyond Blue and would like to share my experience. Really pleasing to see a good forum for people to assist one another. I’d love to hear your story too. Firstly, my mental health has always been resilient and stable. Generally a very relaxed, composed and bright / bubbly person. I never imagined my life taking this dark turn, plus I had no idea (until recently) how many people are actually going through serious mental health battles. It started for me two months ago when I sent myself to hospital after experiencing bad chest pain and dizziness. I had my very first panic attack while connected to the heart rate monitors there; saw my heart rate rise quickly to 180 and then drop to 30. At this point I was close to black out. I thought I was dying in that moment of a heart attack. Doctors told me heart and bloods were fine and to go home. My doctor immediately wanted to put me on anti-depressants, which I wasn’t overly impressed about, considering most physical problems weren’t ruled out. Since then I have done multiple physical tests which have all come back ok; Several ECG’s, echocardiogram, myocardial perfusion. I have been in a constant state of worry / fear and my life has been a constant challenge. From when I wake in the morning, to when I finally fall asleep at night, I am living on edge and feeling I could collapse at any moment. Both my nana and grandad (passed) had heart problems, plus I’ve been a smoker and binge drinker for ten years (completely stopped both after my initial panic attack). I am 34 and this is something I had never experienced before. I have been to emergency 4-5 times now, struggling to sleep at night (even my dreams are anxiety filled), can’t concentrate, easily exhausted, heavily fatigued and am convinced life is slowly coming to an end. I’ve been staying with family because I’m worried about being on my own. Have tried (and continue to do) deep breathing exercises, meditation, clean eating, acupuncture, therapy sessions, naturopath (taking a lot of supplements), and have a psychiatrist appointment next week. Was walking 6-7km daily, however most recently feel dizzy after 500m-1km in. I tried an antidepressant for three days and it sent my symptoms into overdrive, my doctor told me to stop until I see the psychiatrist. Am totally committed to doing anything safe and reasonable to allow myself a chance to get better. Myself and my daughter need me back to my healthy self.

seekinganswers1 Anhedonia? Burn Out ? - Feeling Flat
  • replies: 1

Hi All, In recent weeks I have developed a lack of feelings towards things I used to find particularly enjoyable- Sport, Music Food etc. This follows a period of approx. 2 months of sudden Insomnia and poor sleeping, Anxiety/ racing thoughts, Dizzine... View more

Hi All, In recent weeks I have developed a lack of feelings towards things I used to find particularly enjoyable- Sport, Music Food etc. This follows a period of approx. 2 months of sudden Insomnia and poor sleeping, Anxiety/ racing thoughts, Dizziness and boredom with work, the insomnia continues to today. I have had significant periods of high stress in the past but have always found enjoyment in the above-mentioned activities until now. These periods usually pass and things improve. I have been researching and believe perhaps I may have a case of Anhedonia? I still function day to day i.e. - gym, relationship and work etc. however this recent " flat" feeling has been quite confronting. I don’t feel particularly angry or sad regarding the situation just flat which is odd as I would much prefer to be angry and than at least I would be expressing some emotion! I’m interested to see if anyone can shed any light on this perhaps from their own experience? I recently purchased some medication to help bolster Dopamine and Serotonin and I thought maybe I have burnt my self out but I am very open to any other ideas that anyone may have. I really appreciate any help on this J Kind Regards,

Purple_Polka_Dot Panic attacks, fear of panic attack again and hightened anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I recently (3 weeks or so ago) had a panic attack that lasted I think for about an hour, where I was hyperventilating and my arms and legs were going numb. I felt like I was going crazy at the time. I had a series of events on a trip I w... View more

Hi everyone, I recently (3 weeks or so ago) had a panic attack that lasted I think for about an hour, where I was hyperventilating and my arms and legs were going numb. I felt like I was going crazy at the time. I had a series of events on a trip I was on, that I had planned, go wrong that were sort of out of my control to an extent. At the time I felt like it was all my fault, I know now that it was really just bad luck. At the time I was with two friends who called 000, and an ambo helped me calm down by talking to me. This is the second panic attack I have had in the last 6 months, first one also lasted at least an hour, but was brought on by sharp sudden pain caused by a health condition that has now been resolved. Since the most recent panic attack, the first week after, almost every day I could feel my breathing getting faster, and I was terrified I was going to have another panic attack. I decided to go see a doctor 2 weeks ago, and she asked me to do the K-10 test, which I did and she said I had moderate signs of anxiety. I really just felt like I needed some medication to help calm me. I had tried meditation, and wasn't working for me, and tried to slow my breathing, which also wasn't working. I severely dislike tea and ginger, so that was a no go. The doctor gave me the referral to see a psychologist, but I don't feel like it is for me. She told me some excuse saying she wouldn't give me any meds, and I have only just realised that the medical clinic I went to, have signs up saying all doctors are not allowed to prescribe the meds that I wanted to talk to her about. I feel a bit like, she didn't want to be honest with me, that she just couldn't prescribe them. Do you think it would be okay to see a different doctor about my options? I feel like at the moment, as much as anxiety is a normal response to stressful situations, every time anything small happens my anxiety goes through the roof and it takes me ages to get over it or calm down, even if it is a silly thing to be anxious about. Sorry for the super long question.... Thanks in advance, I guess!

Oneforever Anxiety is ruining my life
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone So i have been with my partner for a year and a few months and it wss the best year of my life. He is just th ebest person in the world he is my family and my love and he helped through lots of things like when my famy abondened me and i ... View more

Hi everyone So i have been with my partner for a year and a few months and it wss the best year of my life. He is just th ebest person in the world he is my family and my love and he helped through lots of things like when my famy abondened me and i was almost a honeles person but he believe in me and i got a job and studied at uni and living the best life until recently i got a major anxiety and depression just feeling like nothing has meaning and not have no feelings for anything and started feeling that im emoyionally unacailable with him and that scared me a lot i experiences panic attack and went hospital twice because i keep thinking that i lost him or lost my life and i love him so much but my anxiety keep giving me bad thoughts. I suffered anxiety a while ago because of my family i had a bad childhood and i committed suicide when i was a kid because of my parents but i worked hard to live the life im leaving right now but my anxiety its not letting me and i told him about how i feel and hes being so supportive and understanding and he said to me we will neve lose each other. I manager now to not have a panic attack but sometimes i get anxiety when im with him and feel like i wanna run away and hide and i cant look at his eyes and i just remember myself when i was very anxious before i manager to handle it. I love him so much and i dont wanna lose him but anxiety is killing me. Im not gonna give up but please guys any advice on how to manage it? And should i go on medication? My doctor recommended me antidepressant what should i do? I dont wanna lose my life bwcaus eor anxiety and my past

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