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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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Clarissa26 Family
  • replies: 4

Hi I am going through my some big moves in my life. And I sometimes feel that my family doesn’t support me. I know they are trying but I’m really struggling with it all.

Hi I am going through my some big moves in my life. And I sometimes feel that my family doesn’t support me. I know they are trying but I’m really struggling with it all.

Tori_nawec I really need advice. It’s all too much.
  • replies: 44

It’s a long read.. but I’d appreciate anyone’s help. Two months ago, while at work, all of a sudden I felt so short of breath, my chest/shoulders were tight and my head was spinning. no history of mental illness or really no clue what an anxiety symp... View more

It’s a long read.. but I’d appreciate anyone’s help. Two months ago, while at work, all of a sudden I felt so short of breath, my chest/shoulders were tight and my head was spinning. no history of mental illness or really no clue what an anxiety symptoms were, i thought i was dying. I left work immediately to try and sleep it off. It didn’t get any better, so off I went to the doctor with extremely high heart rate, and I couldn’t breathe. Emergency Room it was for me. I had two ecg’s, blood tests, chest X-ray, and left with discharge papers saying “Anxiety reaction” .. the first month was HORRIBLE. I laid in bed 24 hrs a day. I hardly ate. (Lost 10kgs) I was too fragile/scared to even walk down my stairs. It’s the worst thing I’ve been through being in constant fear if something will happen to you. i saw a psychologist. currently 3 sessions in. She is helping me to come to terms with it all. But my symptoms are very on and off and it’s so hard to deal with. My main symptom that started all of this, was my shortness of breath and something I really can’t get over, in two months, my breathing is the same, and tbh it’s becoming normal to me to not be able to breathe I genuinely feel like my shortness of breath gives me anxiety, and I almost get anxious about getting anxiety symptoms. Sounds a little dumb. I went back to work today for three hours. It was a STRUGGLE. And has taken me all day to feel semi ok. My coping mechanism is literally to lay in bed. Im trying to eat and sleep better, exercise more, but I just feel so OVERWHELMED when I’m around people. Like everything is going so fast around me but I’m just, there. The shops, work, around a lot of family at a time, I just wanna go home. (I live alone) I just want to know if anyone has a similar story with their feelings and symptoms : - shortness of breath/ tight chest when trying to inhale deep. It’s resulted in me having pain under my left collarbone/shoulder when I take a deep breath anytime now cos I feel like I’m trying to do it all the time but I can’t help it. I just have the urge.. my breathing is the main issue for my anxious feelings!! I feel like I want to break my collarbones just to get a deep breath sometimes. (calm breathing just doesn’t do it for me?) - dizziness, blurry eyes, dry eyes, headaches, unmotivated, tired all the time, denial, feeling like something is medically wrong still. Can’t concentrate. I’ve also been thinking about medicine.. Maybe it’ll help me get through the day.

Mrs_Jackson Living with health anxiety
  • replies: 4

It's hard work living with health anxiety and knowing that sometimes you're going to get sick and my health isn't always going to be good. Does anyone have any advice. I'm on medication for anxiety which helps day to day moods but then I'll get a hea... View more

It's hard work living with health anxiety and knowing that sometimes you're going to get sick and my health isn't always going to be good. Does anyone have any advice. I'm on medication for anxiety which helps day to day moods but then I'll get a headache or gut pains or something and that's enough to send me into full blown anxiety! That feeling of fear. It's so hard to live with!! can anyone relate?

Claydo Are these feelings normal for anxiety?
  • replies: 4

I seem to cycle through my feelings/emotions every 2 weeks or so. I’ll start feeling really agitated with a cringy dirty feeling which makes me squirm for 2/3 days and then I get depressed for 2/3 days then I come out of it and start feeling really g... View more

I seem to cycle through my feelings/emotions every 2 weeks or so. I’ll start feeling really agitated with a cringy dirty feeling which makes me squirm for 2/3 days and then I get depressed for 2/3 days then I come out of it and start feeling really good and positive for around 2 weeks. I start thinking I’m on the mend and this time I’m going to get better then boom I start feeling anxious/agitated and ruminate over things I did 15 years ago which I haven’t thought about for years. I really struggle with the dirty agitated feeling and I feel like I have this buzzing sensation from my head down my left leg to my foot. The psych tells me it’s just anxiety but it feels like it’s something different more like BIpolar but I don’t get the upside/manic periods.Sometimes I feel like it my meds which make me feel this way but I know they’ve helped a lot with my anxiety. i feel like I’ll never get better and this is what my life is now. I guess I could have something worse like terminal cancer but I feel like im a shell of a person to who I use to be before this all happened 2.5 years ago. Do others have similar experience?

CourtneyJ Travel is a stressful and terrifying experience for me
  • replies: 1

Hi 32 year old GAD sufferer here. So I'm really writing this for 3 reasons: 1. To get some encouraging words 2. To get my anxious thoughts out of my head, get some perspective and hopefully self-assurance 3. To vent my frustrations My GAD is normally... View more

Hi 32 year old GAD sufferer here. So I'm really writing this for 3 reasons: 1. To get some encouraging words 2. To get my anxious thoughts out of my head, get some perspective and hopefully self-assurance 3. To vent my frustrations My GAD is normally very well managed with medication, meditation, aromatherapy and CBT. But it doesn't seem to matter how well I'm managing my symptoms my anxiety always overwhelms me when I travel somewhere I've never been before. Whether it's a 2hr flight to another state or going overseas, it makes no difference. Taking planes is STRESSFUL. I'm not afraid of flying I just feel horribly claustrophobic in an enclosed space with dozens of strangers. When I'm talking stressful I'm talking shaking, loss of appetite, manic thoughts, excessive sweating etc And then I get to my destination and the first night in the hotel is TERRIFYING. A foreign space, different noises the feeling of isolation. I actually have to numb myself with alcohol just to calm down (don't even dream of actually sleeping). Now this isn't a surprise to me really but I get VERY frustrated that it still happens. I expected that the more I travelled the easier it would get. After 10 years and at least half a dozen trips (including overseas) it's still as hard as the very first time. I get angry at my illness (and a little at myself which I know is not fair or healthy) for causing me so much distress. And for taking away the positive emotions that come with travelling. So tonight I'm in a hotel room, in bed, all tense and terrified. I know that I'll be ok tomorrow when I see my friends... But that's 16 hours from now. I will call my mum tonight (chatting with her always relaxes me) but inevitably it will have to drink myself into numbness to cope tonight.

annabay Intense chest discomfort/feeling of 'heart' fluttering/struggling to breathe
  • replies: 3

Hi, this is my first post on here so I hope it's okay! I've had anxiety ever since I can remember and have been in therapy since I was 13 - I'm now 23. I've had panic attacks in the past so am aware of how they feel in my body and have learnt techniq... View more

Hi, this is my first post on here so I hope it's okay! I've had anxiety ever since I can remember and have been in therapy since I was 13 - I'm now 23. I've had panic attacks in the past so am aware of how they feel in my body and have learnt techniques to calm myself down and subside them. However, over the past couple of months I have experienced chest discomfort on such an intense level I've taken myself to the emergency room in fear I'm having a heart attack. The feeling changes all the time, but it has lasted for weeks on end now and I'm just learning to live with it - it's horrible and I am exhausted. It feels like a fluttering in my chest, or like there's air bubbles in there, or like someone is squeezing my heart, or tugging on it. Sometimes it burns, sometimes its sharp. It changes and moves all the time - sometimes its in the centre, or to the left, or goes over to the right etc. It went away for one week and I was finally able to sleep, now it has returned. It usually flares up the worst when I'm settling down to sleep, but now its creeping into my days and can come on from nowhere. I've had ECG's and chest x ray's and blood tests and the doctor's keep telling me it's not my heart and that it's anxiety or oesophagus spasms. I however find this hard to believe when it feels so intense in the moment and thus my anxiety then carries me away with it - I end up getting to a place of panic that is so severe I can't calm down until I go to the hospital and get reassurance. Has anyone had anything similar to this happen to them? How did you fix your symptoms? I'm just looking to feel less alone as it's a very exhausting. Hope everyone is doing well

I_am_awkward_ How do i manage anxiety.
  • replies: 6

Hi, I am new to beyondblue. I feel like i cant talk to anyone about how im feeling. I have no idea why i am feeling the way im feeling. I will be starting to see a councillor thursday but never seen one before and no idea what im ment to say. I am si... View more

Hi, I am new to beyondblue. I feel like i cant talk to anyone about how im feeling. I have no idea why i am feeling the way im feeling. I will be starting to see a councillor thursday but never seen one before and no idea what im ment to say. I am sitting on my couch having a panic attack for no reason at all. I just need ways to help me manage my anxiety. I cant sleep because of it. Im exhausted but i dont know how to turn my brain off or get rid of this feeling in my stomach. I have a 5 year old son and a single mother and this is making it hard for me to do things with him. Its making it hard for me to be the best mum for him and i feel so guilty. Ive tried so many things ive found online to help anxiety but nothing seems to work. Please if anyone has any idea that has helped them out i would love to hear about them.

Ant12 Anxiety over something that may never happen.
  • replies: 10

Hi, this is my first post and I need some advice please. Due to a long drawn out family fallout I find I am overthinking a scenario that hasn't happened and probably never will but I am convincing myself that it will and what the consequences will be... View more

Hi, this is my first post and I need some advice please. Due to a long drawn out family fallout I find I am overthinking a scenario that hasn't happened and probably never will but I am convincing myself that it will and what the consequences will be when it does. I know I am being totally irrational but I can't let it go. I think through it logically and realise that it would take an untruth for it to occur but I can't put it past them doing it. It's occupying every thought and making life very unpleasant. How can I put it into some sort of perspective and get it out of my head. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Kaelyn_____ Honestly have no idea
  • replies: 2

Why do I feel like this I hate the fact everyone always around me are growing up and I am not, I wish to be a rebellious teen/young adult for as long as I can Also I felt like I lost my youth to mental illness and I just wish to take it back dont get... View more

Why do I feel like this I hate the fact everyone always around me are growing up and I am not, I wish to be a rebellious teen/young adult for as long as I can Also I felt like I lost my youth to mental illness and I just wish to take it back dont get me wrong I am proud of my friends but I wish it didn’t happen so quick

Cuddlybear Where is there appropriate help
  • replies: 3

I haven't had a good day, I joined a anxiety wellness program and unfortunately it was the worst thing I could've done. It has made me inadequate, not listened to and the feeling of being controlled. I have 6 more weeks of this and I've had enough, I... View more

I haven't had a good day, I joined a anxiety wellness program and unfortunately it was the worst thing I could've done. It has made me inadequate, not listened to and the feeling of being controlled. I have 6 more weeks of this and I've had enough, I am not getting the support or guidance that I need. Apart from that I looked to my mum for guidance, to just only be ignored and then lied to, I just feel like leaving this place and to escape from all that I know. I'm angry and annoyed with the lack of support and knowing that really you only person you can rely on is yourself. I thought that things would be better by better educating myself and gaining employment, but I have been mucked about by all parties. I know my limits and I feel that I am being pushed way past that.

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