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Anxiety

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Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

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Panicked87 When Panic Attacks... Attack
  • replies: 6

Hi all, I am 31 years old, happily married to my husband of 10 years, mother to a beautiful boy who’s 8, work full time in a busy successful job in management, have a dog, rescue blind kitten and 2 chickens. I have so many great things in my life tha... View more

Hi all, I am 31 years old, happily married to my husband of 10 years, mother to a beautiful boy who’s 8, work full time in a busy successful job in management, have a dog, rescue blind kitten and 2 chickens. I have so many great things in my life that I am very fortunate to have and love dearly. But I’m sitting here quietly on the couch watching tv feeling like I am having a heart attack and that this is it. This is the time I am actually having a heart attack. But I know I’m not ‘actually’ having a heart attack and that all of this is in my head. Unfortunately, the physical sensations that occur during these panic attacks feed my ‘panic’ even more - it’s a vicious cycle. The more I feel the sensations, the more I believe that the symptoms are real. The craziest part - sometimes my known trigger sets it off (I have a fear of choking and so a chunk of food can set me) but lately, there has not even been a trigger. Like right now - I’m sitting on the couch, cuddled with my son, and I just felt the blood drain from my face and now I feel overwhelmed and fearful, with my heart racing, legs shaking and irrational thoughts playing chasey in my head. But they are none the wiser. My husband and recently my Mum are aware that I suffer panic attacks almost daily and have done so for quite some time. But I try not to make a big deal of it as I don’t want to let them down. So I don’t tell them much - just enough so they know what’s going on if I get up and walk outside randomly, or feel my breath on the back of my hand to check that I can still breathe. How do I tell someone that I feel like I’m actually dying at random times of the day? That my thoughts manifest into physical symptoms which in turn, further feeds my irrational thoughts, all whilst I’m sitting at my desk typing an email. How would someone understand when they’ve never experienced what it’s life to feel that ‘dread’. I’m feeling pretty alone in my own head at the moment and not sure where to turn from here. I don’t want to go down the medication route and too scared to talk to someone professsionally. I use The Smiling Mind app, meditate, do yoga, deep breaths etc. but lately they don’t appear to work. For those who have panic attacks, how do you cope when the cycle become too much? I appreciate any advice. Thank you.

dannoh89 I feel so alone!!!!
  • replies: 1

Hi guys, I am new to this and I am anxious even about posting this but I feel I have to, posting this to somewhere where I won’t feel judged or different is a great feeling. I am going through some things at the moment where I have been with my husba... View more

Hi guys, I am new to this and I am anxious even about posting this but I feel I have to, posting this to somewhere where I won’t feel judged or different is a great feeling. I am going through some things at the moment where I have been with my husband for now 12 years and married for 6 and have 2 amazing kids which is what keeps me going, but my husband and I aren’t in a great place at the moment and my anxiety is taking over I have only just been diagnosed with Anxiety Depression and Post Natal Depression which is hard but I am getting through it Day by day, last night my husband and I didn’t even speak and I don’t want to keep pushing and pushing as I think that will push him away but we have said if things don’t change or we keep fighting that the best thing to do for the kids is to not be together anymore, this is where my anxiety kicks in and I start thinking and thinking and thinking and it is so hard to stop and I don’t know what to do, I am scared that I think this is the end but I honestly don’t want it to be, he said to me this morning to let him deal with it and get over it in his own way I feel like I need to respect that and give him the space until he is ready but my anxiety just wants to take over and keep talking, what do I do? thanks guys this means alot

Parisivashkov Sudden and Random Anxiety
  • replies: 3

I’ve always been incredibly happy and calm and have just taken things as they come, but a couple of months ago anxiety hit me hard and out of the blue. I have absolutely no reason to feel anxious and I wasn’t aware that anxiety could affect someone s... View more

I’ve always been incredibly happy and calm and have just taken things as they come, but a couple of months ago anxiety hit me hard and out of the blue. I have absolutely no reason to feel anxious and I wasn’t aware that anxiety could affect someone so suddenly and seemingly randomly, and since I have no idea what has caused it I don’t know what to do in order to try and relieve it. My symptoms have been very physical and I often feel nauseous, exhausted and out of breath to the point where I struggle to leave the house and live my life normally as I did previously. Constant headaches have also been impacting me since it’s onset. I’ve become so caught up with this whole situation that I make myself feel constantly worried that I will start feeling ill or have a panic attack during the day or during activities, which leaves me feeling sick and even more anxious. Due to me feeling so anxious all the time, I have started avoiding all opportunities where I could feel anxious or sick in public. I’m just so worried that this feeling won’t go away and I don’t know what to do. Has anyone else experienced a completely sudden and random onset of anxiety? If so, did it go away/ did your life go back to normal? Any help is greatly appreciated

ScarlettR Knowing what anxiety actually means
  • replies: 1

I used to have terrible anxiety about 4-5 years ago. Fortunately, since late 2016 I've handled it very well and can live life without too much worry. That said, there are some nights where I feel afraid of the future or of my current living condition... View more

I used to have terrible anxiety about 4-5 years ago. Fortunately, since late 2016 I've handled it very well and can live life without too much worry. That said, there are some nights where I feel afraid of the future or of my current living conditions or my family's wellbeing, and I go to bed early to get some therapeutic rest and reduce the trauma. I looked at Google's definition of anxiety: "a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome." I noted the word "uncertain". All this time, I thought I was worrying of bad things that will come to me, whether I'm expecting it or not (homelessness and death of a loved one are the most common feelings for worry for me). But maybe my thoughts of the future are not definite, but just uncertain, and I'm dwelling on my uncertainty to the point where I coated it with pseudo-truth? In fact, when something sad or terrible did happen in my life - and believe me, they were actually quite rare - I didn't get anxiety that I feel at night. In fact I recovered rather quickly and lived normal. I know everyone has a different life story and reason for their anxieties, so I'm trying to pinpoint an aspect of anxiety that everyone can relate to and overcome, or at least realise the feeling of uncertainty is only daydreaming.

Tiffany1 How to stop comparing self to others?
  • replies: 28

Howdy everybody! I'm not currently going through an episode, so I'm feeling pretty upbeat right now, but I just want to make sure depressed me in the future is prepared a bit better. Sometimes I get this terrible thought process happening where it se... View more

Howdy everybody! I'm not currently going through an episode, so I'm feeling pretty upbeat right now, but I just want to make sure depressed me in the future is prepared a bit better. Sometimes I get this terrible thought process happening where it seems like everyone is getting on with their lives and achieving things and being successful and becoming better people. And my mind tells me that I've achieved nothing. The negative self talk is quite bad when I go on facebook and I see everyone graduating with prestigious degrees and getting jobs, so I avoid fb now and I'm a lot happier. I went to an academically selective high school so it seems like most of the people I knew then are now highly respectable and employable people. It makes me remarkably jealous. When I graduated high school, I figured I wanted to pursue my dream to become an independent creative, and I thought since I was kinda smart and work really hard, I could make it. So I went to university and took a degree in the creative arts instead of the recommended business/law/science/accounting/engineering degree. Now classes have finished, and I do have fellow artists who've got jobs lined up or are working for studios now, but I'm not one of them. I had a tough time in university, at first I was really happy that I finally got to do creative stuff, but the head teacher was a real bully toward me and other students. He refused to speak to certain students because he didn't like their art, belittled other teachers and students behind their backs, and he'd push whom he considered talented artists so that they'd be getting no sleep. His emotional abuse made me relapse into deeply depressive episodes and I started hating creating stuff. I can't share my art online now, and sometimes I just destroy my work because the voices in my head get so loud. I haven't even started looking for creative work even though I have pieces I can show studios. I'm looking for a day job situation too, but it gets me down when I look at receptionist ads because I'm not even qualified for those and I spent so long trying to become a creative it seems like a waste to become a full time paper pusher. I feel like university was a waste and a huge mental struggle. I regret pursuing my dream. And I'm constantly comparing myself to more successful people. I know I have depression and anxiety to some degree. I just want to be happy with myself and what I've achieved? How do I focus on the good, and what good is there?

EllieC The dreaded “networking” event
  • replies: 3

Hi guys, I’m attending a conference at the moment for members of my profession. I’m absolutely loving all the presentations and learning so much so I’m glad to be here, but I’m finding it really quite hard to feel comfortable during breaks when we’re... View more

Hi guys, I’m attending a conference at the moment for members of my profession. I’m absolutely loving all the presentations and learning so much so I’m glad to be here, but I’m finding it really quite hard to feel comfortable during breaks when we’re supposed to mingle and “network” - a word that sends chills through socially anxious people like myself. I’m too shy to talk to people, then I worry that I’m being too weird because I’m not talking. There are some people here that I’ve met at previous events but every time I’ve spotted them they’re already having a conversation with someone else so I don’t want to interrupt Does anyone have tips on how to be a little more confident and forward in speaking to people... or even just to be more comfortable with standing on my own? (I’d take that over feeling like everyone thinks I’m a friendless leper!) If I can reflect, it seems to me like as my anxiety improves I start being able to do things I couldn’t have done five years ago - like going to this conference! - but that presents new challenges, and it makes me wonder if I’m actually improving or whether I’m just transferring my anxiety to new things?

ScarlettR Anxiety about moving from parents?
  • replies: 1

I'm a 30 year old female and had lived with my parents all my life. I also have a sister, who is 28, who lives with the parents too. I didn't feel much shame living with my parents in my 20s, for I knew that a lot of young, unmarried people did the s... View more

I'm a 30 year old female and had lived with my parents all my life. I also have a sister, who is 28, who lives with the parents too. I didn't feel much shame living with my parents in my 20s, for I knew that a lot of young, unmarried people did the same as they studied or were job seeking. Now that time has passed, and I'm feeling more determined than ever to get real world/ independence experience. There is one issue: I love my mum very much and I talk to her every day. If I was on holiday on my own, I get anxious and depressed very quickly and have to email her just for the communication. The main obstacle holding me back from renting is money. I'm hoping my current job wages will increase in the next few months, as my boss promised. The emotional obstacle is my family. I know I'm getting older, but I still get a timid fear of not being around my mum. Is this normal and will eventually resolve itself? Or something abnormal, like maybe I'm too attached to my mum?

Booklover17 I fee so alone
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I have posted on here before and I have always appreciated the support you give me. I have anxiety and at the moment I feel really alone, like no-one understands how I feel. I am also under a lot of stress at the moment so this doesn’t h... View more

Hi everyone, I have posted on here before and I have always appreciated the support you give me. I have anxiety and at the moment I feel really alone, like no-one understands how I feel. I am also under a lot of stress at the moment so this doesn’t help. Is anyone feeling like this right now?

ScaredBetty Crazy Thoughts
  • replies: 2

Does anyone else get strange thoughts when experiencing periods of anxiety, like the most random thoughts will pop into my head about things that happened years ago that I have never thought about before or strange creatures and scary images will pop... View more

Does anyone else get strange thoughts when experiencing periods of anxiety, like the most random thoughts will pop into my head about things that happened years ago that I have never thought about before or strange creatures and scary images will pop up...I feel like I’m going crazy

Quercus Dreading Halloween
  • replies: 2

Hi Everyone, The only Halloween I like is the song by Jon Bellion. Random strangers knocking at your door in costume...No thank you! This year we're renting while the house is built and it's the first time we don't have a locked fence and the german ... View more

Hi Everyone, The only Halloween I like is the song by Jon Bellion. Random strangers knocking at your door in costume...No thank you! This year we're renting while the house is built and it's the first time we don't have a locked fence and the german shepherd keeping everyone away from our home. I tell myself if anyone comes it will be kids and hubby will get the door but the whole thing freaks me out majorly. Above all it is the costumes. A long time ago an ex decided it would be funny to pick the lock to the bathroom door and 'surprise' me in the shower in a scary mask. I don't deal well with costumes. Am really hating that Halloween is becoming an Australian thing too. Does anyone know if there is a polite way to let trick or treaters know "stay the hell away from my house because I'm frightened"? Hubby says as long as we have lollies it will be fine noone will try any tricks or get up to mischief. If it wasn't for my little kids I would go camp on the floor of our shed and wait for Halloween to be over. Does anyone else dread Halloween too? Nat