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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

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Hayls13 Overwhelmed with life
  • replies: 4

Hi there, I’ve been building up the courage to create an account and to post, so here I go.. Last year (2018) my sister’s mental health deteriorated which resulted in a suicide attempt. She was in and out of hospital for a few weeks. I was very upset... View more

Hi there, I’ve been building up the courage to create an account and to post, so here I go.. Last year (2018) my sister’s mental health deteriorated which resulted in a suicide attempt. She was in and out of hospital for a few weeks. I was very upset and stressed after that, but I tried my best to enter 2019 with a clear and positive mindset, however, within the first week of 2019 my mum told me she has breast cancer. I cried everyday for weeks and even typing this now I still feel emotional. Two months later, I was involved in a car accident with my brother. At this point it felt like everything in my life was falling apart. Fortunately, my brother, the other driver and I had no major injuries. My car was a write off. The thought of driving again is making me feel anxious and sick to the stomach. I constantly cry about it because I think of what could’ve happened to my brother if it had been worse. I’ve been having nightmares about it. The guilt is eating me alive. I want to go to counselling, but I feel like an inconvenience to tell my mum (who is currently going through treatment for cancer) and dad, especially since I saw first hand what an impact my sister’s depression had on them. I don’t know who to speak to or how to get help. I’m sorry if this is a long post. I hope to receive some advice on what to do. Thank you.

Mjm94 Separation Anxiety and Pregnancy
  • replies: 1

Hi. Im wanting to know whether anyone has experienced something similar. Im currently 11 weeks pregnant with my second child. I suffered HG (severe morning sickness) with my first and now again with my second. My husband works away 7/7. When he has b... View more

Hi. Im wanting to know whether anyone has experienced something similar. Im currently 11 weeks pregnant with my second child. I suffered HG (severe morning sickness) with my first and now again with my second. My husband works away 7/7. When he has been home I am typically okay, still feel very ill etc but I can manage when he is around. He went to work at the start of the week for the first time since me being sick. He was only away one day/night and my son was at daycare most of that day. I was so sick. I then hit a brick wall and became instantly emotional, sobbing and crying for him. I would call him and beg him to come home, I would call my mum who suggested other people to come over and look after me but I just kept begging for my husband to come home. To the point that he finally made the hr trip home for me. Pretty much as soon as he got home, I was fine. I wasn’t emotionally crying and sobbing, I felt better, not as sick. I honestly feel like I had severe anxiety because he was away from me. I am chasing ways to cope with this feeling. As I can’t keep dragging my husband home. We’re losing out on income every time he has to miss a day at work. Thanks.

ephemerides advice?
  • replies: 1

i need advice because i don't what to do. so i have work this weekend and my parents are hella pissed at me like all they’ve been doing is screaming at me lately. my mum told me that she wants to get run over a train because i’m so hard to deal with.... View more

i need advice because i don't what to do. so i have work this weekend and my parents are hella pissed at me like all they’ve been doing is screaming at me lately. my mum told me that she wants to get run over a train because i’m so hard to deal with. they told me not to get work this weekend and i forgot that i had it this weekend and now i’m having a freak out because i don't know if they’ll take me and i’m even scared to tell them i have shifts. my parents pull this a lot so i have to call in sick and shit and my manager was like you’ve done it a lot recently and now i can’t do it and i’m having a panic attack and it’s eating at my soul and i don’t know what to do and i don't want to talk to my manager about it

Mattimuss Is this anxiety?
  • replies: 10

How’s it going everyone? Can anxiety try make you doubt yourself over something that happened, making it like something else did? To hopegully explain more I’ll give a quick story. Ladt Friday the 23rd November 2018, it was a windy and had been raini... View more

How’s it going everyone? Can anxiety try make you doubt yourself over something that happened, making it like something else did? To hopegully explain more I’ll give a quick story. Ladt Friday the 23rd November 2018, it was a windy and had been raining during the day. After watching a movie and about to head to bed as I was feeling sleepy. I noticed that the fireplace wasn’t going to make it through the night so went out back to get a log. After I got the log which was just over a metre or so from the back sliding door. When almost back inside I heard a weird vibrating noise that was quite loud and with an occasional thump. It gave me a freight, looked around and didn’t see anything so quickly went back inside and closed the door. I then later thought in bed just as I was about to fall asleep my mind came to the conclusion I was bit by a bat. I didn’t see or feel anything land or even bite me but somehow my mind came to the conclusion I missed it even though I’m confident I didn’t. The next morning I was telling my parents about the noise and my dad said it’s from the wind pushing some styrofoam against a pole along the pavers next to the fence as he occasionally hears it too when windy feeding our dog. I did also make the mistake of using ole google and that made it worse reading about the diseases bats have such as rabies or Ablv in Australia even though it’s rare I freaked out and couldn’t help myself. We do have quite big bats around the area, however for some reason my mind thinks I missed seeing it and feeling it land on me and subsequently biting me. I know it’s illogical however the thought of what if is there a lot of the time, coming and going throughout the day. So can anxiety play tricks on you and create doubt over something you know didn’t happen? Thanks for reading and helping out

Flapmon Am I being paranoid?
  • replies: 1

I’ve had 6 days of intense panic attacks, worry and everything else thrown at me .. Look I know this is possibly the worst thing to do but ... what if it’s not just anxiety? What if other problems I have are actually from other things? For instance, ... View more

I’ve had 6 days of intense panic attacks, worry and everything else thrown at me .. Look I know this is possibly the worst thing to do but ... what if it’s not just anxiety? What if other problems I have are actually from other things? For instance, I feel fine aside from breathing problems, slight coughing, headspins and pressure in the front of my head. Then again I can just as easily talk myself into a panic attack and they did check my blood pressure, pulse, oxygen and temp and they’re all normal. I’m just over thinking things aren’t I?

Jo_maree Feeling stuck
  • replies: 1

Hi there I have been on an SSRI for 14 years, my gp has recently changed me to a SRNI I have terrible anxiety panic disorder with depression. My depression is a little better but now my panic and anxiety is at an all time high again. I can’t drive on... View more

Hi there I have been on an SSRI for 14 years, my gp has recently changed me to a SRNI I have terrible anxiety panic disorder with depression. My depression is a little better but now my panic and anxiety is at an all time high again. I can’t drive on freeways or fly in a plane and I hibernate in my room. I’m wasting my life and I’m so scared and not sure what to do? I don’t think I’ll get over this or even learn to manage it. I’m not sure how? I would love to be able to do things but am too terrified and it’s very costing me happiness and peace. My family need me and I want to feel joy.

Solique Feeling Overwhelmed
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone, Before I begin this thread I’ll quickly give a brief background of who I am: I am a 20-something year old female. I obtained my Bachelor in Counselling in 2016 and have a loving partner and family. I suffer with social anxiety, deperson... View more

Hey everyone, Before I begin this thread I’ll quickly give a brief background of who I am: I am a 20-something year old female. I obtained my Bachelor in Counselling in 2016 and have a loving partner and family. I suffer with social anxiety, depersonalisation, depression and BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). I have also been diagnosed as infertile. Since leaving my previous casual job, I have been searching for something in the stream of my bachelor certificate (counselling, social work, case managing etc.) but I have failed to find any work because of my anxiety (and the lack of experience apparently). My anxiety is worsening and right now, I don’t even know if I can commit to a job. A career seems far-fetched for me at the moment (thanks anxiety). To be fair, I have never really been career-focused. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mum (partly blaming my anxiety but it is also something I’ve always wanted) but as I mentioned previously, I have been diagnosed as infertile and the possibility of children anytime soon is unlikely (waiting for an appointment with my OBGYN to discuss IVF). I am feeling extremely overwhelmed by every thing. In a nutshell, life is always about either a career or having a family, right? But I can’t achieve either of these. So, what am I really worth? I feel like I don’t have a place here on Earth and that I am a pathetic excuse for a human being. I’ve tried to get into volunteering but unfortunately I can’t find anything of interest just yet. I’ve tried to keep up with my interests outside of work (writing, photography) but I lose interest very fast. I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. I don’t really know what to do.

anxiousdragon Anxiety, OCD intrusive thoughts chaos
  • replies: 2

Hi, hopefully someone can help shed some light. I’ve recently entered the hell of chronic anxiety and OCD intrusive thoughts after 2.5 years of bliss. My OCD intrusive thoughts are centred around my family, which I moved back in with after coming bac... View more

Hi, hopefully someone can help shed some light. I’ve recently entered the hell of chronic anxiety and OCD intrusive thoughts after 2.5 years of bliss. My OCD intrusive thoughts are centred around my family, which I moved back in with after coming back from overseas. Naturally, my anxiety has been working overtime since then. I’ve had none stop anxiety and panic for about three weeks now with no signs of slowing down. My sleep is terrible, I either sleep all day and night or wake up every hour. I wake up feeling unreal, like I’m confused where I am and if what’s around me is real. When I think of things to try and make me happy like my past two years or events my mind spins thinking did that happen? Is that even real? Do those people exist? And I start to panic again. My stomach is constantly upset.. always running to the bathroom. My dreams almost dart around my head and wake me up and I’m confused if they are real or fake. I’m so tired, tingling in my hands and feet and head all the time. I am just so lost right now, I’m at that point where I’m scared I’ll never escape this and live a normal life even though I have previously. Does anyone else experience this? Or has experienced this and overcame it. Its always a battle - beating the anxiety or the OCD thoughts first. Because they feed eachother I feel.

Pureison I'm always scared of talking to people and confronting them.
  • replies: 9

Hi there, I'm new here and I just thought I'd give this a go because I'm hoping that someone can give me advice. I guess I want to talk about is, I'm never been the one to be very confident, I'm always shy and nervous and not really showing my true s... View more

Hi there, I'm new here and I just thought I'd give this a go because I'm hoping that someone can give me advice. I guess I want to talk about is, I'm never been the one to be very confident, I'm always shy and nervous and not really showing my true self until I have known the person long enough to do that. It makes me really sad because there is so much I want to do like get a job in retail, but it makes me so scared and nervous because I have to work with customers and new people. I see so many friends who can do it so easily, and they just make it seem so natural for them. But for me, it takes me a long time because all I want to do is just hide from them and hope that I don't have to speak to them because I am worried they might judge me or make a rude remark. I am also not very good at confronting people or talking over the phone and speaking clearly, which makes working in retail difficult as that's part of the job. I just wish I was more confident and gain good customer skills without being scared. Another thing too is that getting a job requires to work independently, while I can do that some of the time, most times I just feel like I need someone to tell me what to do or how I should do it because I get scared and stressed if I don't know what I'm doing and no one is there to help... I'm in my 20s and I haven't had a job or been able to do the things I want to because I'm so nervous or scared when it comes to people or talking to people. Has anyone else been through this? What things have you guys tried to help you through it?

Moses C. Saying cognitive statments in a safe place?
  • replies: 3

Does this work? I thought it's best to say rational statements when you are in a provoking situation in order to diffuse it. I LITERALLY don't understand how will saying them off-situation help...PLEASE someone explain, really curious to know... View more

Does this work? I thought it's best to say rational statements when you are in a provoking situation in order to diffuse it. I LITERALLY don't understand how will saying them off-situation help...PLEASE someone explain, really curious to know...