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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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NotsobraveVesperia Tired, miserable, feeling trapped and anxious about the future
  • replies: 5

Hello all. Been looking at the site and forums a little for the last few days but finally braved it up enough to make an account and make my first post here. Figured I'd post an introductory of sorts and explain my situation as anxious as posting her... View more

Hello all. Been looking at the site and forums a little for the last few days but finally braved it up enough to make an account and make my first post here. Figured I'd post an introductory of sorts and explain my situation as anxious as posting here is making me.. I'm in my late 20s still living at home with parents, stuck working the same part-time retail job for just over 10 years now and thought I was coping just well enough to survive. The past month has been a complete nightmare, and then a few days ago a switch inside me flipped and now I cannot shut it off. Can only cope working part-time as my patience for both people and work pressure/drama has worn thin and been an overwhelming source to fuel my stress and anxiety. I have nightmares about work and highschool several times a week most weeks, and I'm lucky to get up to 3 hours sleep every night. My parents don't support me and I'm too scared to open up to them about my mental health (trauma from highschool years still affects me to this day and because of that still trust my parents to handle another situation concerning my mental health). Been staying up late drinking almost every work night in order to 'cope' with all the stress and lose myself playing video games, watching streaming videos on Youtube etc. and communicating with online friends if they're around. On my days off I'm always tired and have no motivation and little energy, lately work has been calling me in for extra shifts but now I'm at the point of just ignoring my phone because every day in that place makes me feel worse than the last. Feel like I need to quit my job, I don't have anything lined up but I just need a break from everything before things get any worse. Used to spend a lot of time composing music and coming up with lots of song ideas, and that has been happening less and less as the years go by, people tell me I'm good at it and I get sad thinking the last time I made anything was almost a year ago. Also find enjoyment in game development which I tried getting into for a while but then my job sapped away my motivation for that too. That being said I hope to be able to talk with others who may be in a similar situation or anyone out there who could give me some guidance, I have no place to go but home. I'm also particularly active online so hoping I can also be helpful to others too. Sorry this post is a bit of a scattered mess, kind of how I'm feeling at the moment aha. Guess I'll leave it here for now :).

fallenone Extreme guilt from past mistakes, what can I do?
  • replies: 4

Hello, This is my first time posting and I’ll try to keep it brief! I happen to be autistic and also have long line of family mental health issues. I struggle lots with social interactions and have tried my entire life to fit in with others around me... View more

Hello, This is my first time posting and I’ll try to keep it brief! I happen to be autistic and also have long line of family mental health issues. I struggle lots with social interactions and have tried my entire life to fit in with others around me. I have been struggling with anxiety since the age of 8 and about 2 months ago it sparked up again and I had to go to hospital. This time it seemed to latch itself onto memories of when I was younger, specifically stupid things I said or did when I was a kid. I feel guilt over things which aren’t even my fault, so remembering things which WERE just completely broke me. This led to panic attacks and uncontrollable guilt over things which I was told weren’t even that bad by others, and even people I said them to. Everyone tells me it’s becase I’m autistic but I feel like saying that is just an excuse, and now everytime I try to reassure myself I feel like I’m just making up excuses too. What I feel guilt over were never meant to be offensive and at the time I was simply young and socially clueless - yet the guilt won’t go away. It’s like I constantly need reassurance and forgiveness from mistakes that were childish jokes, statements and ignorance. Upsetting people has always been my worse fear, so when I look back at these things I cringe so much and just wish I could change them. I tried so hard to impress others and get people to like me that it ended in me hating myself. I would also like to clarify I don’t think I actually offended anyone by anything I said. Most of the things were ironic dark humour which others thought were hilarious, so I joined in because I wanted to be liked and make people laugh. I feel horrible by it, especially because I’m pretty sure some of it was actually bullying as they would say things behind people’s back and I would join in as everyone else did. Some of the things I also worry over happened when I was 15, and although that was over a year ago now I keep beating myself up over it as I should’ve known better... I feel like an idiot and a horrible person. I was so desperate for people to like me because I was lonely and scared of being bullied and disliked as I’ve had horrible experiences of being bullied before that I sometimes said things I loathed others for saying because I realised they were LIKED for it. I feel like a hypocrite. In short, how do you overcome guilt? How do I learn to move on, especially when my anxiety keeps telling me I don’t deserve to be forgiven?

Minnie3 Anxiety - First Time Posting!
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting and discussing my anxiety. I get really sensitive to some things in everyday life. I think I have social anxiety I hate the thought of being criticized or being humiliated. I tend to have panic attacks in tw... View more

Hi everyone. This is my first time posting and discussing my anxiety. I get really sensitive to some things in everyday life. I think I have social anxiety I hate the thought of being criticized or being humiliated. I tend to have panic attacks in two main situations. The first when being out around big crowds of people. I feel like I can't breathe, that everyone is looking at me and sometimes unsafe. I tend to have panic attacks at night in bed about the thought of falling asleep. sometimes I won't sleep until 5 am in the morning. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

AJDalton Help!
  • replies: 5

Hi guys. Ive having a terrible time at the moment. Before work every day I have what feels like a panic attack. I grind my teeth in nervousness and feel like I am going to crack. I worry all the time my anxiety gets bad enough I wanna crawl into a ho... View more

Hi guys. Ive having a terrible time at the moment. Before work every day I have what feels like a panic attack. I grind my teeth in nervousness and feel like I am going to crack. I worry all the time my anxiety gets bad enough I wanna crawl into a hole and stay there. Alot happening atm and not really coping anyone out there in the same boat? Feeling unwell

tmxpffk Feeling of rushing/stress/panic without prompt (?)
  • replies: 1

I often experience a strange phenomenon in which my body feels as though it is moving extremely quickly when I am not doing anything at an abnormal pace. This is also accompanied by an accelerated heart beat (and sometimes a headache) and occurs rand... View more

I often experience a strange phenomenon in which my body feels as though it is moving extremely quickly when I am not doing anything at an abnormal pace. This is also accompanied by an accelerated heart beat (and sometimes a headache) and occurs randomly, mostly when I am getting ready for school. It feels extremely strange and is somewhat difficult to explain. Lately I have also started to realise I have many symptoms of GAD and am worried that I may have it. Is it possible that this would be resultant of that? Or something else altogether? Thank you to anyone who may have any idea as to what this may be!

TiredOfThis2 Scared to work!
  • replies: 1

Hi there i feel so alone i havent worked in so many years. My last 2 jobs i had one was cleaner/trolley collector for coles and another was for some random company as a pick packer. I have been on centrelink for a long time. Sorry this thread isnt go... View more

Hi there i feel so alone i havent worked in so many years. My last 2 jobs i had one was cleaner/trolley collector for coles and another was for some random company as a pick packer. I have been on centrelink for a long time. Sorry this thread isnt going to be too easy to understand since my thoughts are all jumbled. umm the pick packer job i lasted 30 minutes i then suffered a severe anxiety attack. And the coles job seemed to be okay up until 2 hours had passed and then i started feeling sick in my stomach like really nauseous, my boss liked me and asked if i could do another hour but i declined and chose to go home i let him know about my panic attacks and he was understanding. Though because i was too wimpy to call up and quit i had to get my mother to do it. I am now stuck with this problem i want a job but when i think about actually working i tear up and feel light headed and sick to my stomach. My job agency consultant has found me a cleaning job which is only 2 hour shifts and even that makes me feel uneasy, sick and just wishing i could continue my life at home. I am on medication for when my panic attacks get too bad. I really dont know what else to do. (I've already used up my 10 psychologist sessions for the year). thanks for reading.

Marchaaika Anxiety, OCD, and pets
  • replies: 9

Hi everyone, I have pretty severe anxiety issues, OCD and depression, and am currently in the middle of a bad symptom flare-up. As part of this flare-up I have been experiencing feelings of extreme loneliness and grieving for my old dog and companion... View more

Hi everyone, I have pretty severe anxiety issues, OCD and depression, and am currently in the middle of a bad symptom flare-up. As part of this flare-up I have been experiencing feelings of extreme loneliness and grieving for my old dog and companion of 15 years, who passed a year ago. I couldn't face the thought of another dog, but thought that maybe adopting a couple of kittens might help. This was not an impulsive decision, but one that I've been considering for a while and thought now might be the right time, as did the others around me. My symptoms had eased off to a level that I could function again, so I went ahead and adopted two sweet and beautiful kittens. The minute I brought them home my anxiety skyrocketed again, and I felt I had made a horrible mistake. I worried about their health and the future, what would happen when my physical health issues played up again, had guilt about replacing my old pet, and my OCD went crazy at these two little balls of fur disrupting my routine and environment. Although my doc tried to reassure me the next day that I'd made a good choice, I could not calm down and couldn't sleep, eat or stop bawling most of the time for two days. A fairly minor allergic reaction provided me with an excuse, and I gave them to a family member who I know will give them a wonderful, loving home. And now I'm sitting here having a massive breakdown because I feel like a failure, and like I let those poor kittens down, and because maybe, if I'd just given it a better shot, it would've all worked out. There's not really a point to this story I suppose, I just needed to let it all out in a way I can't manage verbally. Thanks for listening/reading.

Bec_b How to stop thinking about negative conversations
  • replies: 4

How do I stop thinking about conversations that have happened over the past few days that no longer matter (logically) but they bothered me and I keep going over them again and again. Awake at 2am onwards with this. thanks!

How do I stop thinking about conversations that have happened over the past few days that no longer matter (logically) but they bothered me and I keep going over them again and again. Awake at 2am onwards with this. thanks!

Penguin_fan08 Extreme sensitivity to everyday life. Please help me.
  • replies: 4

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who have given me a warm welcome. I'm new here, and only getting used to how forums work, but I'll try my best in making this as easy to read as possible. I have extreme sensitivity to everyday life. What I mean by... View more

Hello everyone, and thanks to those who have given me a warm welcome. I'm new here, and only getting used to how forums work, but I'll try my best in making this as easy to read as possible. I have extreme sensitivity to everyday life. What I mean by this is that I cannot handle loud noise (usually can handle with my sound-cancelling headphones but not without them; I cannot leave home without them). I cannot handle being touched because of my phobia with germs, I have trouble maintaining eye contact and speaking to others (and when I do, they say I am rude or mean to them). I have a lot of trouble with all of this, and I was hoping someone could help me. Any advice would be well received. Anything helps, thanks. Penguin

Gertjaars Driving anxiety.
  • replies: 6

I’m 23 years old, got my learners the day I turned 16 and still only have about 30 hours completed, so that’s 7 years and I’ve only done about 8 hours in the last 5 of them. at first I was doing well but overtime with other things my depression, and ... View more

I’m 23 years old, got my learners the day I turned 16 and still only have about 30 hours completed, so that’s 7 years and I’ve only done about 8 hours in the last 5 of them. at first I was doing well but overtime with other things my depression, and my anxiety started to interfere with my life more and more. ive seen a therapist about these things but they really didn’t help and after a couple months I stopped due to it only adding worries not fixing. im okay with not driving I suppose, there’s ways to get around otherwise, but it’s my wife who is getting heavily effected by it. nearly every time we go anywhere she wants me to drive, I don’t but it ends up with her being annoyed and kind of throws the whole day off. i just don’t think I’ll be able to drive, the second I’m in the car drivIng I’m paying too much attention and overthinking and worrying, looking at every person, worrying about every car behind, infront and coming towards, worried that if someone moves I can’t control the car, worries that if someone walks out I can’t stop in time, worried that ill be looking at a car and accidentally speed or run a light, just a million things and I just break down internally and just feel exhausted and numb. Ive told me partner this and she just says I have to get over it and she can’t be expected to drive all the time, I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried, I’ve tried a lot. Being able to drive with a lisence, be able to go somewhere by myself without needing my partner to take me or walking would be a literal dream come true, but through therapy, driving lessons, many attempts at different hours of day, it still kills me to drive. I really need some outside input on this, it’s the same thing every day, I feel bad for it, I shouldn’t expect my wife to drive but I honestly don’t think I’ll ever be able to, I don’t trust myself with something that big and that fast, I’m uncomfortable being in a car in the first place for the most part. for any replies, thankyou.