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. Remeber, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anixiety 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 you 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 worthile 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

kiwiboy0897 New Job Worries
  • replies: 4

Hello! I am a secondary high school teacher who has worked for Public Education for 3 years now. I am a permanent teacher. I decided to apply for a new job towards the end of the holidays after a lot of reflecting on my role… My boss is emotionally a... View more

Hello! I am a secondary high school teacher who has worked for Public Education for 3 years now. I am a permanent teacher. I decided to apply for a new job towards the end of the holidays after a lot of reflecting on my role… My boss is emotionally abusive (gaslighting, micromanaging, sexual harassment, manipulation, stonewalling) and would give me and my team unrealistic work projects and expected us to work late nights after work (usually 12 hour days) amongst many other things. When we would not meet her demands, she would get intensely angry and would use her power relationship as a form of workplace bullying and abuse. So, I decided to quit my job and give up my permanent job. I’m now going to work at a private school under a permanent contract with a friend who has worked there for years and absolutely loves it. She has always been shocked with my treatment at my old job and was always assuring me about the supportive environment at her school. It is a Catholic school; I am Catholic but I am also a gay man. This is giving me some anxiety as I have read some fear mongering stories online. I have reached out to many teacher friends in the Catholic system and they have all assured me I will not face any kind of discrimination from my employer. I’m also feeling more confident with the upcoming (hopefully) reforms to the Religious Discrimination Act. I’m just generally feeling sad, anxious, annoyed, scared and overall very bittersweet. I’ll miss my colleagues and my kids, but also worried about the choice I made. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

cno1234 Getting P's over 30
  • replies: 5

I never got round to getting my P's in my 30's. The thought of doing it now is causing me anxiety and distress. I am wondering if there is anyone out there who is in a similar situation? Thanks

I never got round to getting my P's in my 30's. The thought of doing it now is causing me anxiety and distress. I am wondering if there is anyone out there who is in a similar situation? Thanks

Lu8Lu8 Financial Stability is Unachievable
  • replies: 7

Hi,I’m here because I have been finding it hard to navigate life because of financial concerns. I’m 25. I live rent-free with my boyfriend and we’re doing fine. But a lot of things have happened in the past few years which have made me feel anxious, ... View more

Hi,I’m here because I have been finding it hard to navigate life because of financial concerns. I’m 25. I live rent-free with my boyfriend and we’re doing fine. But a lot of things have happened in the past few years which have made me feel anxious, worried and stressed. To start, I failed a PhD so I decided to go find a job. When I finally got one, I was fired a month in for not being a good fit. So I decided to start studying a masters in a different field which I am enjoying. But I still needed money and I continued my struggle for a job. I got one with good pay but my mental health suffered due to my coworkers attitudes. I finally quit about a year and a month of working there as I had enough but now we are here. Unemployed. Studying. No income. Centrelink keeps making me fill out paperwork and I am using my life savings due to costs of living rising rapidly. To top it off, we had to move further away due to our house getting written off in a storm. So travelling is costing more. I only have my boyfriend near me for support. I’m not close with his family and my family live over 8 hours away and I don’t have any friends in the area. I’m alone most of the time. My boyfriend gets bombarded with all the things I stress about and it’s not healthy for me to place it all on him and I feel he doesn’t know how to deal with it sometimes. I haven’t got any formal diagnoses but I feel like I have chronic stress. I worry about being good enough to get and maintain a job. I worry about being good at the job. I worry that being financially stable in this global environment of rising costs is not achievable. I worry about not being able to achieve all the goals that I want to accomplish. I worry about everything from career, my body, my life. It makes me feel depressed and I tend to compensate my stress with food which is not healthy either. I just don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Anybody got any advice on how to manage my stress and worry levels?

AliciaDickson06 Single Parent
  • replies: 2

Hi, I am a single parent of a 3 year old and have been diagnosed with chronic anxiety disorder and depression I am finding it extremely difficult to function my everyday life aswell as being a mum this anxiety takes over my body completely and it’s a... View more

Hi, I am a single parent of a 3 year old and have been diagnosed with chronic anxiety disorder and depression I am finding it extremely difficult to function my everyday life aswell as being a mum this anxiety takes over my body completely and it’s actually really scary to the point I don’t eat sleep or take care of myself because I am so uncomfortable within myself I can’t do anything

_Gigi_ Stuck in my head
  • replies: 8

Hi, wondering if anyone else has this problem as well? I've noticed that I've been more and more stuck in my head as my anxiety grows worse. I've always been a daydreamer, but it didn't used to be like this. I now constantly daydream about anything a... View more

Hi, wondering if anyone else has this problem as well? I've noticed that I've been more and more stuck in my head as my anxiety grows worse. I've always been a daydreamer, but it didn't used to be like this. I now constantly daydream about anything aside from reality and I can't really control it anymore. Instead of making friends, reaching out to family, learning new things, or pursuing any goals, I just imagine I do. The majority of my daydreaming isn't about myself though, because sometimes it makes me upset to even think about anything close to my real life. Is it normal to daydream this much? Is it related to my anxiety as I suspect, or a totally separate issue altogether? I'm feeling a bit lost and any advice would be appreciated

Av123 School Camp
  • replies: 1

Hi, My daughter suffers anxiety. She is 14 and this week was meant to go to school camp which is 5 nights.She didn't end up going with the rest of her class but is now thinking of joining them half way through the camp, having only 2 days left. Would... View more

Hi, My daughter suffers anxiety. She is 14 and this week was meant to go to school camp which is 5 nights.She didn't end up going with the rest of her class but is now thinking of joining them half way through the camp, having only 2 days left. Would that be a good idea or will that make it worse for her socially ?

searching-for-healing Got to get out of this cycle
  • replies: 2

I am lostand I don’t know the next step.I have always suffered with health anxiety and now it’s come home to roost. I am getting bad heath newsfirst a mth ago it was high blood pressure, what was worse is that it showed up while I was worried about o... View more

I am lostand I don’t know the next step.I have always suffered with health anxiety and now it’s come home to roost. I am getting bad heath newsfirst a mth ago it was high blood pressure, what was worse is that it showed up while I was worried about other symptoms and yesterday after getting an endoscopy I have found that my lower esophageal sphincter doesn’t close and I will have Gerd for the rest of my life which will be miserable the way forward looks so daunting atmdrugs to treat Gerd make blood pressure worse. Which is crazy atm with my anxiety.There is a surgery option but unsure how successful it will beand what makes it worse is I have a wife and boys and I am failing as a husband and father. I have burned the anxiety bridge with my wife (who in all other regards is amazing) and so I am battling in silence.I know the boys need a competent father and that is only making me feel worseluke

jesnor GAD and ADHD what do you do to keep anxiety under control?
  • replies: 9

Hi all,I struggle a lot with anxiety, constant fear of everything. Leaving the house, answering the phone, emails, people, food, noises, shops etc. Racing thoughts and constant worry about nothing and everything. I see a psychologist regularly and tr... View more

Hi all,I struggle a lot with anxiety, constant fear of everything. Leaving the house, answering the phone, emails, people, food, noises, shops etc. Racing thoughts and constant worry about nothing and everything. I see a psychologist regularly and try to do things to help myself - exercise, avoiding alcohol, music, journaling, cold showers, healthy diet etc.. I’m starting a new job soon and worry about all of it. I feel like an imposter and like they are going to be disappointed by me. I had to resign my previous job due to burnout and I don’t want to go down that road again. What do you do to ground yourself and challenge anxious thoughts? Do you have strategies that you find helpful? Are there things you incorporate in your routine to help you? Thank you all and hope you’re keeping safe

Harriolo Overwhelmed with tasks
  • replies: 6

Does anyone else spend the majority of their days off from work trying to work their way through a never ending list of tasks/ chores. I want to do fulfilling, fun, hobbies etc but I find that I get bogged down with errands and tasks. Yet at the same... View more

Does anyone else spend the majority of their days off from work trying to work their way through a never ending list of tasks/ chores. I want to do fulfilling, fun, hobbies etc but I find that I get bogged down with errands and tasks. Yet at the same time I don't feel like I ever get on top of these tasks. I often don't leave the house and then get frustrated that I haven't done anything exciting with my day. It always feels like I should be doing something which makes it hard to dedicate time to take time to do hobbies, or just read in the park or something Seen people with ADHD talk about similar experiences. I've got OCD so could be related to that in that I find it hard not to obsess over things that I need to do. Just wondering if anyone experiences the same thing. If they've got any tips/ advice? Thanks, Harri

Ann-alise93 The "What If?" Battle
  • replies: 2

I truly felt like life in general was improving. Triggers weren't (and still are not) as sensitive anymore.I've recently spent the last couple of months going from one issue to another until they were all happening along side each other and I've had ... View more

I truly felt like life in general was improving. Triggers weren't (and still are not) as sensitive anymore.I've recently spent the last couple of months going from one issue to another until they were all happening along side each other and I've had a mental collapse.The depression is clear, even to myself. I am withdrawing from others. I don't WANT to see anyone. I don't WANT to put the effort in to keeping up with hygiene, housework, basically normal every day things. The reason behind my feeling this way is because it truly seems pointless when you just keep copping metaphorical hits from how people around you are.I get told it will get better. My mind is stuck in the "what if it doesn't?" State. Because if it doesn't get better.. all my energy I am using now to 'keep it together' I look back on as a waste. Especially when I could have just curled up for a week and allow my emotions to ride through and then be gone. Annoyingly, I can't do that due to daily responsibilities I have no choice being responsible for. I know what I mentally need. I don't know how to get it though.