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
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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

aly158 Health anxiety
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Hi ppl I’m new to this. Having suffered anxiety for years it was always controllable until last November when physical symptoms put me in hospital as I was so paranoid it was something more sinister. Since then I’ve had regular psychologist appointme... View more

Hi ppl I’m new to this. Having suffered anxiety for years it was always controllable until last November when physical symptoms put me in hospital as I was so paranoid it was something more sinister. Since then I’ve had regular psychologist appointments and really try to have downtime. It is a daily struggle. I am trying my best not to be medicated at this point as I fear being addicted. I have health anxiety which I think stems from losing my mum as a child to cancer. Since then (and especially as a parent), I worry all the time about illness and my kids being motherless. Also, as we age we see more ppl get sick and friends or family pass ... it is life yes ; and my logical mind knows this but it still is so hard to fight the sensations this bloody anxiety gives . Mine isn’t racing heart rate like others have. It is more a detached feeling in the head and a sense of pressure but no pain. I had an MRI because I was so scared it was more but it was fine. My anxiety of course still questions that . #dailystruggle

Clear82 Anxiety after a break up
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Heya My bf recently broke up with me and now I’m waking up every morning around 5am in a panic attack and have anxiety throughout the day. I’m not coping with the anxiety and wish I could just be sad without having to deal with anxiety as well. I fee... View more

Heya My bf recently broke up with me and now I’m waking up every morning around 5am in a panic attack and have anxiety throughout the day. I’m not coping with the anxiety and wish I could just be sad without having to deal with anxiety as well. I feel like it won’t ever go away too.

PamelaR Health anxiety - What is it?
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I've noticed a lot of posts concerned with health anxiety. It left me wondering - what is it exactly. The following is from the website of the Centre of Clinical Interventions at the Western Australian Uni. Pls don't use it to diagnose yourself. Go t... View more

I've noticed a lot of posts concerned with health anxiety. It left me wondering - what is it exactly. The following is from the website of the Centre of Clinical Interventions at the Western Australian Uni. Pls don't use it to diagnose yourself. Go to the drs for a proper diagnosis, treatment or the provision of advice. Sometimes one may notice sensations or changes in their bodies and wonders if it's is a serious medical problem. One may take steps to relieve their worries & concerns. This concerns is normal. However, when health worry is continual or the answers to symptoms is impacting you negatively then it may be problematic. Anxiety happens when we think something bad might or will happen. It's a normal survival instinct and helpful in real-life threatening events. However, sometimes an anxiety response maybe due to a perceived threat. E.g. one may experience anxiety walking down a poorly lit road because one thinks there is potential danger. The reality may be there is no danger, but one’s anxiety is triggered because one believes there is danger. Health anxiety is the experience of believing one’s health is threatened, which consequently triggers an anxiety response. Studies show some common health related fears include having or developing cancer, Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, a mental illness, or that you may have a heart attack. Not everyone thinks about specific problems though, your fears could be more general, in that you simply think that something is “not quite right”. In other situations, health anxiety may be the fear for others. E.g. a parent may notice their child is frequently tired and becomes worried their child has leukaemia, or a person who notices their partner is coughing a lot may begin to worry they have lung cancer. Mild forms of health anxiety can affect us all from time to time. Who hasn’t been concerned when waiting for some test results to come back, or had some worrisome thoughts about a new lump or bump that we have noticed? Mild health anxiety become a problem when they become: excessive out of proportion to the likelihood of an actual and serious medical problem persistent despite negative test results and/or reassurance from your health practitioner lead to excessive checking, reassurance seeking (e.g., from doctors, family or friends), or avoidance (e.g., of check-ups, doctors, health-related information) cause significant distress, or impair your ability to go about your life.

2_Double_O Could I have anxiety?
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Hi, I recently made an account because I really want to know what's going on and what I can do about it. I don't know if I have anxiety or if I'm just overreacting. I've always been an anxious person but recently I've noticed that it's started seriou... View more

Hi, I recently made an account because I really want to know what's going on and what I can do about it. I don't know if I have anxiety or if I'm just overreacting. I've always been an anxious person but recently I've noticed that it's started seriously affecting me. I get really worried about the most ridiculous things and work myself up to the point where I can feel my heart pumping and my chest feels tight, I haven't experienced a panic attack though. My worrying is also impacting my sleep as I find I rethink my day and all the awkward, embarrassing or bad moments in it at night. However, I find it incredibly hard to talk about this to anyone, whether it be my parents, friends or even my schools counsellor who I've recently started talking to. I've always struggled with voicing my feelings and I'm not quite sure if I can bring myself to straight up tell someone face to face. But I do want help. I want to be able to sort my feelings out because it's all really confusing and I'm honestly not sure what to do anymore. I'm afraid to tell my parents because I'm scared they'll think I'm overreacting or seeking attention and I also don't think I want to be that vulnerable around anyone close to me. I know that my school counsellor knows that something is up because of the way she looks at me and the questions she asks but I can't bring myself to straight up tell her. Deep down I think I know that my parents care for me and will understand and try and get me the help I need but my worries keep getting the better of me and stop me from telling them. I have sat with my mum and gone to tell her multiple times but I always change my mind before I do it and make up an excuse. I'm sick of not knowing what to do but even I'm not sure what's really happening to me so I don't know how to explain it to someone else.

CoraC Social anxiety and work colleagues
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Does anyone else face this? I work within a team. The team is largely made up of a core group of people who knew each other before working together and are very close friends. They are all very young and outgoing. I am neighter young nir outgoing so ... View more

Does anyone else face this? I work within a team. The team is largely made up of a core group of people who knew each other before working together and are very close friends. They are all very young and outgoing. I am neighter young nir outgoing so I think they don't like me. I have tried making many efforts but they are not interested in talking with me.They make private jokes all day and take very long coffee breaks and lunches within their own friendship group. Now, I don't think teams have to live out of each others pockets but I do think there should be some consideration to include other, new team members who aren't part of the eatblshied clique. The most frustrating aspect is they're work shorter hours than I do. They tegulaly take very long lunch breaks which means I deal with customers for them during this time. This seems pretty unfair. Then they leave about an hour early. The senior supervisor is part of their group so it's basically impossible to challenge this without it coming back to bite me.

Snoopy88 Anxious at work because of a fall out with work colleague
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Hi everyone. i wanted to know if anyone else has been in the same suituation and what did you do to try and overcome it. the story goes like this. I had a fall out with my work colleague. We were really good friends. Now she doesn’t want to talk to m... View more

Hi everyone. i wanted to know if anyone else has been in the same suituation and what did you do to try and overcome it. the story goes like this. I had a fall out with my work colleague. We were really good friends. Now she doesn’t want to talk to me. She blocked me on Facebook and on her phone. She doesn’t even look at me anymore. I dunno why she has done that as I tired to speak with her she said she doesn’t have an issue with me. But if I keeping asking her she said she doesn’t want to be my friend. I told her I’m scared to come to work. She said it’s not her problem that’s my problem and I shouldn’t try to get her in trouble as she works hard. I asked her can we atleast be normal at work. She said yes that’s what I am doing right now. Since that conversation occurred we haven’t spoken at all. And I had a really bad anxiety attack which started at 12:30PM I kept thinking about her couldn’t get her out of mind. Her name kept popping in my head and I would visual her face. It’s really distressing me. Even when I’m not at work I think about her. Wishing we could just be civil at work. It’s like I have an obsession about her and can’t seem to get her out of my mind. My partner picked me up from work because I was so anxious. I told him what I’m going through. He said try to think of a white wall and tell your mind shut up. When I tired doing that it got more intense. Her name would constantly repeat in my mind and I would see an image of her. I dunno what to do. Has anyone else been in the same suituation before and how did you deal with it. I’m really frightened of that girl. I wish it wouldn’t effect me soo much.

ProDude Keep thinking in fear about Death
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I'm 23 years old and for some reason it suddenly hit me that one day I am going to die. I've obviously always known the fact of life that everyone dies. My parents will die, my sister will die, my extended relatives will die, my friends will die, my ... View more

I'm 23 years old and for some reason it suddenly hit me that one day I am going to die. I've obviously always known the fact of life that everyone dies. My parents will die, my sister will die, my extended relatives will die, my friends will die, my cats will die. Despite knowing this, the terror I feel about dying doesn't go away. I've always accepted it as some abstract concept but I guess I never really thought about what that actually means to be dead. I dont fear the dying process itself, I fear being dead. I think about religion and beliefs of an afterlife and being a separate spiritual entity from my body, but I am skeptical. As far as I can tell, once you die you cease to exist. Your brain function ends, your heart stop and you return to the oblivion that existed from the beginning of time until birth. I keep telling myself im being crazy and that it's a good 60-70 years away and yet I still can't stop thinking about it. Anyone have any tips that might help me come to terms with death and return me to my state of merely acknowledging death as a thing that will inevitably happen one day?

Simba13 How can I stop overthinking all the time?
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I need some advice on how to just live in the moment and no over analyse and over think everything. I've been dating a guy for 6 months and things are great, he tells me he really likes me but says sometimes he's conflicted about me. Since he has sai... View more

I need some advice on how to just live in the moment and no over analyse and over think everything. I've been dating a guy for 6 months and things are great, he tells me he really likes me but says sometimes he's conflicted about me. Since he has said that I over think everything that he says and get really sad when he doesn't have time for me. He says he likes me best when I am just happy and carefree but lately I just worry so much that he's going to leave. I would just like to live in the moment and not over think everything because I know he likes and cares for me but I just worry. Any help would be appreciated.

Drifter_3 Constant overthinking and worrying
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Just a constant daily battle overthinking and worrying about things mainly at work . Drive for a living and I’m constantly worrying whether I’ve missed a speed sign or driven to close to someone with a dash cam and any other thing I can manufacture i... View more

Just a constant daily battle overthinking and worrying about things mainly at work . Drive for a living and I’m constantly worrying whether I’ve missed a speed sign or driven to close to someone with a dash cam and any other thing I can manufacture in my mind . The more I think about a situation I manage in my mind to twist it so it becomes more and more serious.Even the slightest little thing, I can manage to turn into impending disaster . So frustrating !!!

Jon_o New anxiety
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Hi I’ve just been found out I have moderate anxiety for the first time at my partners work gathering I froze chest was tight and had to leave I felt terrible and wasn’t sure what was happening I’m still confused to why it’s recentley started happenin... View more

Hi I’ve just been found out I have moderate anxiety for the first time at my partners work gathering I froze chest was tight and had to leave I felt terrible and wasn’t sure what was happening I’m still confused to why it’s recentley started happening ? Just seeing if anyone has any advice on tips on how to handle it thank you