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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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99isthebest Anxiety about performing sexually
  • replies: 3

Hi all, this is is my 2nd post relating to anxiety /ocd as I’m currently really struggling with a lot of worries and intrusive thoughts. I just had my first session with a therapist so that’s great. But I also take comfort by reaching out and hearing... View more

Hi all, this is is my 2nd post relating to anxiety /ocd as I’m currently really struggling with a lot of worries and intrusive thoughts. I just had my first session with a therapist so that’s great. But I also take comfort by reaching out and hearing if people have encountered similar issues and find out how they overcame them. My most recent issue is being able to perform in bed. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been intimate with anyone and finally during what has been a tough time for me with my anxiety/ocd issues I met someone. Which you’d think would be great, unfortunately I began worrying about making the first time awesome and it was all downhill from there. I was unable to get aroused and I just kept thinking about how embarrassing it was and also that I let her down. To her credit she was really understanding about it and helped me get through it and we even managed to make love for a bit until of course I got back into my head. So I guess my question is this, has anyone else experienced this particularly as a male? Is there any advice you’d give me. I’ve been doing a bit of research and a lot of them talk about being honest with your partner and trying to make sex not so stressful. But what upsets me the most is I’ve just met this girl and I feel like a burden asking her to deal with this but it seems like the only way I may overcome it.

worrier82 Rumination and Worry
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, i am just writing on here to seek advise, suggestions, clarification I’m not a bad person and just support in general for a situation I am currently in. To give you an idea my husband has no relationship at all with his parents, this is ... View more

Hi everyone, i am just writing on here to seek advise, suggestions, clarification I’m not a bad person and just support in general for a situation I am currently in. To give you an idea my husband has no relationship at all with his parents, this is for multiple reasons and something that I haven’t had a saynin, I just support him and stick by him. However, in saying this, I know why he doesn’t talk to him and I get it totally!, so last week I hear they may be considering moving back to the state we reside and possibly the same town. I reacted straight away messaged and asked them not to, and then responded when I was told it was none of my business. Anyway, me personally I know that I could just ignore them and walk straight past them, however my husband not so much. As a result of things we have found out he blames his mother for some pretty serious things that happened to him as a child ~ he believes it is karma for things she has also done. Anyway I sat on this a few days and then sent them a message telling them how he feels and that I am scared of what he may do or say if he were to see her. I didn’t want to send this but I knew I had to so that they could understand why I don’t want them living here. Once I knew they had seen it I blocked them so they couldn’t reply, I knew that depending on what the response was I would read more into it and then worry more and it is a stress I don’t need right now. Personally, I don’t think they will come here, I think they will go elsewhere. Anyway I can’t stop worrying it’s been almost a week, I cannot eat and I keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I know I cannot change it and what happens will happens, so I need to stop worrying until I know what is going to happen and where they are moving to. My husband doesn’t seem overly fazed by it right now but I’m sure that will change depending on where they go to. What can I do to just push it away and let it go until I know what’s happening, because right now I’m worrying about things that may never eventuate. Thank you

Hasno_Frenz Between a rock and a hard place.
  • replies: 4

I have worked for my current employer for 11 years. I am autistic. I am 50 years old. On Thursday night, the night before this looooong weekend; a manager I don't know, decided he didn't like the way I spoke to him. Never mind I am a mimic and I mere... View more

I have worked for my current employer for 11 years. I am autistic. I am 50 years old. On Thursday night, the night before this looooong weekend; a manager I don't know, decided he didn't like the way I spoke to him. Never mind I am a mimic and I merely responded to him as he was speaking to me, and so he told me to sign off and go home. And decided to formalize a complaint against me. So now I've been marinating in anxiety for a day and a half and it is driving me insane. I can't see my doctor because it's the long weekend. I can't see my psychiatrist becos..... it's the long weekend. I've sent a letter to my union but they can't support me becos... it's the long weekend. So what do I do? I can't really talk to my wife about it because she will get sad and I have to be careful what I say and do as I have an autistic daughter and I don't want her to start feeling anxious and depressed. I can't sleep because my mind just won't let up. So I dwell in fear getting steadily more depressed and withdrawn. There are still two and a half days to go. It's killing me.

anxiousdragon Google Anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hello again.. im sure this post will seem very common.. I recently started seeing my psychologist regarding my anxiety and OCD and intrusive thoughts.. I am aware the road is long but I feel like I’ve made the hardest step first - seeking help. like ... View more

Hello again.. im sure this post will seem very common.. I recently started seeing my psychologist regarding my anxiety and OCD and intrusive thoughts.. I am aware the road is long but I feel like I’ve made the hardest step first - seeking help. like medication, psychotherapy is slow. Does anyone ever find themselves falling back on bad habits and googling symptoms, and discovering they have every mental illness known to man? Haha - I mean I think Ive convinced myself I’m this or that even though my GP and psychologist is 100% sure I’m not. how do you get off the band wagon of googling and then “feeling” the symptoms? I know my anxiety is the root of all evil here, and because I’ve worked myself up into such a hyper state the last three weeks I’m not convinced I’m bipolar when there’s actually no evidence to prove as such.. just a very over active mind. Looking for suggestions to ditch the googling. I hate to say it but I hate this forum because I feel it feeds my anxiety as I look for reassurance I’m going to be okay. my latest haunt was endless reading about paranoid thoughts and now what started as “what if I have them” now is like “what is my family doesn’t love me” blah blah its ridiculous because when I have a moment on sanity and calm I am fully aware that I’ve manifested that silly idea.. and it has no substance.

something_missing something missing
  • replies: 22

hi to everybody. mmm where to start. pretty sure i got social anxiety.dont like a crowds. if i go i will stay for a while but then i need to get out. i usually leave without anybody knowing.used to laugh alot [no not camalot] and joke a fair bit but ... View more

hi to everybody. mmm where to start. pretty sure i got social anxiety.dont like a crowds. if i go i will stay for a while but then i need to get out. i usually leave without anybody knowing.used to laugh alot [no not camalot] and joke a fair bit but it has gone by the way side. i have always been an outsider but still mangaged to socialise a bit. i live by myself on a station which is not helping the situation ,i have come to relise this . am medatating atm but i have neg thoughts more than i care. i catch myself doing it and stop and try to be positive. probably joined up on this site to look for help but have some communation as well. have been thinking of going back down sth to my cousins farm next yr to be around more people which is oxymoron as i dont like a lot of people around me.

JustAnotherOtaku Social Anxiety - Do I have autism?
  • replies: 2

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I might have autism. Ever since I can remember I’ve come across as being shy, but I definitely hid that throughout high school. I even came to think of myself as almos... View more

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I might have autism. Ever since I can remember I’ve come across as being shy, but I definitely hid that throughout high school. I even came to think of myself as almost being outgoing, although straight as the school day was over, I felt incredibly drained. Now that I’m in my second year of Uni (I’m a female btw), a lot of this stuff has come back to bite me. It’s meeting new people all the time, having to have group projects all the time and having to perform in class (I’m a musician). They constantly talk in classes about performance anxiety and the amount of times teachers have outright tried to diagnose me with symptoms of performance anxiety is ridiculous. I don’t really get nervous performing in front of people at all - I’ve done it since I was about 3. It’s the thinking of what comes after. Do I have to go out for a drink afterwards? How do I connect people who have come to seen me perform with each other who have come from different parts of my life. One of my biggest problems is spacing out. I can’t focus the same as other people. I don’t know where to look at people, sometimes I smile too much and I spend a whole conversation with my face hurting and trying to stop smiling but I don’t know how to make it look natural and not like I’m suddenly against what they’re saying. But yeah, the focus thing. I zone in and out constantly, and it’s almost become a joke in classes. This only used to happen in really stressful examinations in high school, but when I would make mistakes in front of a panel when performing (something like a simple scale) I would freeze. I couldn’t remember a single thing in my head, and the panel members would be talking to me, but my head would almost be like the static you get between radio stations or on the wrong TV channel. I can’t hear them and it’s a buzzing in my ears and I’m so worked up by everything. It’s started to happen a bit more even in more typical situations (albeit not to such an extent) but it’s still highly frustrating and kind of confronting. Whenever anyone talks to me I almost cry, and I don’t know how to make myself not do that. I’m not sad, but it just happens. Too many people in my life now treat me like I’m fragile (other students - not close) and I don’t really have any close friends anymore because they went to different Unis in other countries (or maybe we were never really that close???) Can I get a free diagnosis?

TaySmith HEALTH ANXIETY
  • replies: 2

I have suffered with severe anxiety for roughly 7 years and in recent years it has been mainly health related. I have recently for the longest time had no symptoms and been able to live care-free... then I got off my medication. I had an issue with m... View more

I have suffered with severe anxiety for roughly 7 years and in recent years it has been mainly health related. I have recently for the longest time had no symptoms and been able to live care-free... then I got off my medication. I had an issue with my ears, they were feeling blocked up and I was diagnosed with a condition that results in a progressive loss of hearing. The anxiety started from there. Headaches lasting for days, even weeks. I started to google my symptoms... diagnosing myself with a brain tumour. I started to worry myself so much about the symptoms that I began giving myself them. My speech was fine until I read it could be affected, I was worrying so much that I began to forget words and stutter. It is affecting my relationship, my partner thinks I am overreacting but how do you determine what’s anxiety and what’s a physical condition needing medical attention? I have an MRI booked in but it is 6 days away and I am worrying myself sick. I struggle to sleep, and not wanting to get out of bed and face the day. I am so caught up in my thoughts that I will be out for dinner with friends and go minutes without talking, and not notice. Have you overcome health anxiety? What’s your advice? If my MRI comes back all clear, I am worried I will begin to think of something else I can diagnose myself with.

whose_da_man88 Cardiac conditions cause anxiety/depression physical symptoms?
  • replies: 3

Hi, Believe it or not, I was hospitalised on Tuesday after at work for something I never had. I went for near hour walk and got back into the office and there was a massive thump in the chest and my heart was trying to escape from my chest. I tried t... View more

Hi, Believe it or not, I was hospitalised on Tuesday after at work for something I never had. I went for near hour walk and got back into the office and there was a massive thump in the chest and my heart was trying to escape from my chest. I tried to relax and deep breath but it did not settle so the ambulance was called. Long story short, I was diagnosed with SVT. Supraventricular tachycardia is a heart condition where the electrical signals go into a loop causing your heart to beat crazy - like heart palpitations. Mine was clocked at 190bpm. I'm sure it went above that as I feel it settled down a little after the paramedics came. What I want to ask is this. Panic attacks and SVT have very similiar symptoms -racing heart, sweating, dizziness etc - but SVT still felt differnt to a panic attack. What are the chances that an issue with the heart is causing the anxiety/depression without me knowing because it was never picked up before? I've been having st john's wort - anyone think that could cause SVT? Could deep breathing cause changes the heart rhythms? Could Neurofeedback (which is changing brainwaves) cause issues with the heart? Am I being silly trying to figure out if my latest diagnoses has any relation to what I have been doing to treat my anxiety/depression? Thanks.

Soberlicious96 Verbal abuse - got yelled at today.
  • replies: 3

One of those days today. I got yelled at and sworn at repeatedly down the phone by a customer. Other customers actually broke stuff ..... they let kids just jump on things. Another customer is yelling at me because of a missed order, that we have cha... View more

One of those days today. I got yelled at and sworn at repeatedly down the phone by a customer. Other customers actually broke stuff ..... they let kids just jump on things. Another customer is yelling at me because of a missed order, that we have chased up from our end several times now and even WE keep getting the run around of "Oh yeah, sure' we'll look into that." and then they just palm it off to someone else and don't bother fixing the issue. I start annual leave tomorrow ..... but I'm going to spend half my day fixing the issues that our suppliers haven't bothered to fix. I'll say it again; I start my annual leave tomorrow, yet I'm spending half a day fixing issues that others are not taking responsiblity for. And I'm not even a manager or anything of any kind. I'm just a lacky. I pretty much spent the whole day jumping out of my skin almost, every time the phone rang. I feel so agitated tonight. I know that tomorrow is a new day, and I will likely feel heaps better after a good night's sleep. And I'm a good sleeper too, which helps. I just don't like these horrible days where people behave horribly. I don't get paid nearly enough to have to put up with their crap. Anyway, thanks for reading.

Priceless Anxious about being Anxious ???
  • replies: 2

Is anyone else in the crazy merry go round ?? Always checking for signs of anxiety, and then letting it feed on it’s self until it’s out of control.

Is anyone else in the crazy merry go round ?? Always checking for signs of anxiety, and then letting it feed on it’s self until it’s out of control.