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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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Busylife Newbie needs advice please
  • replies: 3

Hi all. I'm unsure if this is the correct forum to place this? I was not able to find a forum specifically suited to my situation. Basically I have had a pretty rough 2 years within my government job which is a highly stressful role! Approx mid 2018 ... View more

Hi all. I'm unsure if this is the correct forum to place this? I was not able to find a forum specifically suited to my situation. Basically I have had a pretty rough 2 years within my government job which is a highly stressful role! Approx mid 2018 it all came to a head and I had three months off work on compensation diagnosed with an adjustment disorder. Anyhow moving forward I returned to work feeling A ok with clearance from my GP. Iv been back in my role since October 2018 and for the past couple of weeks iv felt myself declining back to how I felt when I went on work compo; emotional, sleep deprived, anxious, depressed etc etc. Now I'm thinking and feeling I no longer can perform my work duties as I once did and that this area of work is no longer for me. This hurts as Iv dedicated 10 years to my "dream job" and now I feel totally broken. My primary concern is how do I best manage this? I feel I cant go back to my GP or my manager after returning to work "fixed" and say oh I'm losing my shit again and need to leave etc. I feel I may have returned to early but it was because I thought I felt ok and was in a better place. Advice?

Hayley_M Anorexia bulimia struggles
  • replies: 3

Hi my name is Hayley and I'm 14yrs old I'm currently struggling with anorexia/bulimia, depression, osteopenia, social anxiety and PTSD. I'm new to the beyond blue forum just looking for someone to talk to who does not work with CAMHS. I recently got ... View more

Hi my name is Hayley and I'm 14yrs old I'm currently struggling with anorexia/bulimia, depression, osteopenia, social anxiety and PTSD. I'm new to the beyond blue forum just looking for someone to talk to who does not work with CAMHS. I recently got out of hospital and I have a medical review on Tuesday which I most likely will be re-admitted because of my weight but I'm trying to stay positive if you guys have any advice I'm all ears.

Ovenmitt Please help, anxiety out of control
  • replies: 2

Hi, for the last month I’ve been really sick and no doctor can tell me what it is and I’ve been shaking uncontrollably as well. It just never stops, even when I’m resting or trying to sleep and it bothers me so much. Does anyone else have this shakin... View more

Hi, for the last month I’ve been really sick and no doctor can tell me what it is and I’ve been shaking uncontrollably as well. It just never stops, even when I’m resting or trying to sleep and it bothers me so much. Does anyone else have this shaking? I just don’t know what to do about it to make it stop. If you have any advice please let me know.

sera Anxiety has ruined my life
  • replies: 4

Hello, I was diagnosed primarily with social anxiety and secondarily, with depression, in my early twenties; and they've had an negative impact in every part of my life - friends, family, work, relationships, etc. I take medication for these conditio... View more

Hello, I was diagnosed primarily with social anxiety and secondarily, with depression, in my early twenties; and they've had an negative impact in every part of my life - friends, family, work, relationships, etc. I take medication for these conditions daily; and visit a psychiatrist every 3-4 weeks, and will starting seeing a psychologist as well. I work infrequently - less than 5 hours a week and not even that at times - do not socialise with anyone, apart from my parents and one person who I met through a mental health organisation. I have a lot of spare time, most days, unless I have a work shift or an appointment I need to go to; and tend to sleep late and wake up early afternoon, go on computer, eat junk food, and not a lot else. A lot of years have passed since mental illness entered the picture and I don't see that things, or more specifically, that I will change. I've become used to a sedentary and isolated routine and can't see that a girl would want to be with me, especially someone who is unemployed, no friends, and doesn't do anything. The idea of someone liking me is a bit overwhelming. Actually, I tend to avoid social or intimate situations and deny the possibility that someone could be interested in me, as a friend or partner. Anxiety amplifies the possibility of making friends and getting a girlfriend, in fact, I think I'd rather have a tooth pulled without anaesthetic than ask someone out. I sometimes literally flee to avoid such a situation. In social situations - this includes work as quite social - I get anxious before the event (in the past I just wouldn't turn up to work and find myself being terminated) and also, after the fact, I berate myself internally about what I've said and how I think I was perceived. I have joined clubs/volunteer positions in the past, but often drop out, shortly after starting, finding excuses. It is not easy trying to find people who you can relate to in a capital city - Melbourne - when you don't socialise and have groups of friends, e.g. work, university, etc. I have started babbling, so I will stop now and thank you for reading this post. thanks, n. btw, my moniker sounds female, but i'm a guy.

TheatreGal Feeling low starting new medication- normal?
  • replies: 2

I am on day 3 of taking a new SSRI to manage anxiety, more than depression. I know they take quite some time to work, but is it relatively normal to feel quite low the first few days/weeks? Also experiencing a lack of appetite and insomnia, which are... View more

I am on day 3 of taking a new SSRI to manage anxiety, more than depression. I know they take quite some time to work, but is it relatively normal to feel quite low the first few days/weeks? Also experiencing a lack of appetite and insomnia, which are probably contributing, but I just wonder at what point should I be more concerned about the low mood?

justmatt ex believes anxiety is an excuse or justification for my past behaviours
  • replies: 4

Hi All - my wife left our relationship about a year ago, just after she got me to finally get a professional assesment on my mental health (Ill admit, my behaviour over the years significantly contributed to the breakdown of our marriage) So It turns... View more

Hi All - my wife left our relationship about a year ago, just after she got me to finally get a professional assesment on my mental health (Ill admit, my behaviour over the years significantly contributed to the breakdown of our marriage) So It turns out I have suffered worsening severe depression and anxiety for goodness knows how long (maybe 20 years) - Having embraced that, working with clinical psyc. and a good GP and medication plan, I feel I'm in a much better place than I have been in years. Which is a great feeling. The hardest thing for me is to try to get her to understand that those behaviours came from a place I didn't realise I was acting from - rather than her point of veiw, which is that she believes i'm just using the explanation of anxiety and depression as an excuse for the way I acted in the past, and that old patterns will just re emerge over time, which is very much standing in the way of us becoming friends again and working towards reconciling. I'm sure I cant be alone with this scenario, I'd just really welcome some suggestions about how to tackle this. P.S. - I have asked her to have a look at some of the stories on here, but there is a lot to take in if it's not specific. Thanks in advance M

Lumlo Panic attacks
  • replies: 27

Hi. I have been struggling with anxiety for a while now. There are lots of stressful things going on and the stress seems to have become constant anxiety. I started having panic attacks recently but didnt know what it was till I saw my Dr. I feel lik... View more

Hi. I have been struggling with anxiety for a while now. There are lots of stressful things going on and the stress seems to have become constant anxiety. I started having panic attacks recently but didnt know what it was till I saw my Dr. I feel like life is so bad and just out of control I dont want to see any friends or do anything anymore. Its hard to get motivated or function. Does anyone have advise on how to manage or ideas to help.?

Thunderdog Pushing my limits with social anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi All, I'm 25 and was diagnosed with social anxiety almost 1 year ago. I'm about to really push my limits this coming week and I'm extremely nervous I've got myself in to something I can't handle. I'm hoping someone could share some advice on how to... View more

Hi All, I'm 25 and was diagnosed with social anxiety almost 1 year ago. I'm about to really push my limits this coming week and I'm extremely nervous I've got myself in to something I can't handle. I'm hoping someone could share some advice on how to cope and make the week a success! So my typical story... In high pressure group social situations like parties or meetings I tend to get very anxious and go really quiet, not talking and struggling to answer basic questions as well as the more normal sweating, elevated heart rate etc. I then start getting the more worrying symptoms like dizziness, lightheaded and nausea. These will usually get to a point where I will either faint or vomit, especially if it's something that goes over more than a day, like a university residential school or business conference or trip. So I applied for a leadership program in the industry I work in thinking it would help boost my confidence and communication skills and got selected to attend. It starts on Monday and I'm already getting really nervous thinking about that most people there are going to be rather outgoing and confident and I'm likely going to be fainting or something, especially since it's likely we're going to be encouraged to be more outgoing... I also tend to not be able to eat food around strangers which is also a worry since it goes for a week... I'm not sure what to do... I still want to go but I just don't want to get sick or faint. I do have a friend going as well but they are also very outgoing and social so I can't trust or expect them to hang around me the whole time. They also know I struggle with anxiety but seem to think being thrown in the deep end is the answer, thinking that I'll do it, be fine and realise there's no reason to worry. But I've tried similar things in the past and ended up in hospital from fainting and endless vomiting. Do I try to explain to my friend what's happened in the past? I'm not sure what they could do to help me anyway? Any other advice to keep cool in a really stressful situation? Sorry it's a bit long and thanks in advance.

izzysmith19 Anxiety from family
  • replies: 3

I find that family arguments, insults, disputes etc. triggers my anxiety to increase then plateau. After arguments or put downs, i feel anxious, on edge, sometimes angry and emotionally drained. Does anyone else feel this way too? Do family members c... View more

I find that family arguments, insults, disputes etc. triggers my anxiety to increase then plateau. After arguments or put downs, i feel anxious, on edge, sometimes angry and emotionally drained. Does anyone else feel this way too? Do family members cause anyone else an increase in anxiety? Thankyou.

sometimesanxious Can’t get on top of the physical symptoms
  • replies: 3

For the past 6wks I have had really bad physical symptoms that I just can’t get rid of which has been brought on by a health issue that hasn’t given me any answers... i have tried meditation, distraction, really strict healthy eating and nothing is w... View more

For the past 6wks I have had really bad physical symptoms that I just can’t get rid of which has been brought on by a health issue that hasn’t given me any answers... i have tried meditation, distraction, really strict healthy eating and nothing is working. Usually with a bit of effort I can manage my symptoms. should I see my GP and ask for some short term medication to help get on top of the symptoms before they spiral even further out of control? im starting to get quite panicky and it’s consuming my thoughts 24/7.