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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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.

All discussions

Fizz_wizz Anxiety about full time work
  • replies: 4

Hi I currently have a part time job and the thought of working full time sends me into a massive anxiety attack I'm so scared of working full time because my home is my safe place, I was just wondering if this is normal for anxiety suffers and if any... View more

Hi I currently have a part time job and the thought of working full time sends me into a massive anxiety attack I'm so scared of working full time because my home is my safe place, I was just wondering if this is normal for anxiety suffers and if anyone else feels this way. Thank you

ave anxiety weakness
  • replies: 2

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced muscle pain and weakness due to anxiety. It affects me mostly at night but my body becomes weak, my arm begins to hurt and my face muscles begin to feel really tired almost like they’re not func... View more

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced muscle pain and weakness due to anxiety. It affects me mostly at night but my body becomes weak, my arm begins to hurt and my face muscles begin to feel really tired almost like they’re not functioning right. I’ve googled it and it says it can be due to anxiety but not being 100% sure stresses me out more. It’s al a bit confusing because there are so many symptoms to anxiety. When my body begins to feel tired, especially my face, I begin to work myself up which makes it worse - just wanna know if anyone else has experienced this or something similar. Thanks.

Barnzey87 Glandulor Fever Affecting IBS?
  • replies: 5

Hi Guys, So going through some trouble. 5 weeks ago I got diagnosed with Glandulor fever, i didn't feel well for the first week. But did alright during the 2nd. I then went back to work for a week, but the following day i had a fight with my partner ... View more

Hi Guys, So going through some trouble. 5 weeks ago I got diagnosed with Glandulor fever, i didn't feel well for the first week. But did alright during the 2nd. I then went back to work for a week, but the following day i had a fight with my partner (recently moved in with her 3 months ago). Got really sad and depressed but we talked it over and we made up. However 2 days later i started to get stomach pains. Felt a lot like IBS. (Got diagnosed 12 years ago with it). Over the following few days it got quite bad so organized a doctors appointment. During this time i had many moments where i was struggling with anxiety, always going over the bad elements in my head. After speaking to the doctor he reckons its my glandulor fever attacking my IBS then Anxiety. 2 days later, i got my mother to take me to hospital as i was on the floor in pain. Once again they believe its glandulor attacking my system. I'm currently just "resting" at home, waiting for this to pass. Every now and then i don't feel like i can cope with this, and the worst part is my parents just went on a holiday and my partner leaves in 4 days for 2 weeks. So i'll be alone, while trying to recover. Im stressing over work, as i was nearly fired 2 years ago while going through massive anxiety diagnoses. I hate just waiting hoping to get better from this. So just want peoples opinion, ever heard of glandulor attacking these symptoms?

Social_Dredd Looking for help :)
  • replies: 7

Hey all. I'm a 30 year old male who's suffering from social anxiety (self diagnosed). I'm looking for help. I've recently tried to become a healthier person (gym, eating healthy, less alcohol, no drugs) but I've used alcohol as a social lubricant sin... View more

Hey all. I'm a 30 year old male who's suffering from social anxiety (self diagnosed). I'm looking for help. I've recently tried to become a healthier person (gym, eating healthy, less alcohol, no drugs) but I've used alcohol as a social lubricant since I was a teenager and am now finding it next to impossible to work up the courage to go out in public and interact with people let alone socialize. I get anxious at the thought of a haircut, at the thought of sitting down for a meal at a restaurant, at the thought of interacting with people. I want to thrive in these situations, not run from them. What should I do?

LilKiwi Health Anxiety has ruined me.
  • replies: 11

Not even two weeks ago, I woke up and had a pain in my right breast. The following week there was a small lump in my armpit but that had since passed. I had convinced myself I had breast cancer and went to see a GP, giving the all clear, I hoped all ... View more

Not even two weeks ago, I woke up and had a pain in my right breast. The following week there was a small lump in my armpit but that had since passed. I had convinced myself I had breast cancer and went to see a GP, giving the all clear, I hoped all my troubles would be gone and things would surely clear up. Apparently I was wrong. Not even a day or two later, I started feeling pains around my neck and collarbone. The right side of my face started to feel swollen and tingly. So what did I do? Good ole’ doctor Google. Breast Cancer. Meningitis. Brain Cancer. Dying. Cancer, cancer. I was destroying myself. My partner watched me changed before his very eyes. For someone who has mild to no anxiety most of my life, I don’t even know who I am anymore. I went to a new GP with my symptoms and he diagnosed me with Conjunctivitis and a bacterial infection in the right side of my face. Hoping that would help, I’ve noticed now that it seems my antibiotics aren’t doing anything and I have this horrible sleep pattern. Anytime I try to lay down, I feel tightness all around my neck and be back of my head. Sometimes it’s so bad, I can’t sleep. I’ll get two to three hours. Now I’ve just made myself so anxious and thinking something is wrong, I just can’t even think about sleep with out tensing up. I keep researching and researching, thinking I have a brain tumor. I’m not suffering from anything vision, movement or vomiting related. I’m literally tearing myself apart. This sickness is ruining my relationship and mental health. I can’t believe how I’ve become in a matter of two weeks. I honestly don’t know what to do. I’ll be returning to the GP again on Saturday.

Quivz Employment and anxiety
  • replies: 9

I have suffered anxiety most of my life, but was only diagnosed some years ago when the depression i developed got so bad i couldn't cope. I used medication for a while to help with the depression, but only until that went away. I only seemed to get ... View more

I have suffered anxiety most of my life, but was only diagnosed some years ago when the depression i developed got so bad i couldn't cope. I used medication for a while to help with the depression, but only until that went away. I only seemed to get depressed because my anxiety caused me so many problems and now i've come to terms with general and social anxiety i dont get depressed much anymore. I dont really like the medications so i cope without them. I have been unemployed since i was diagnosed and its been relatively easy to cope, living with my parents and not having to deal with work stress. But i cant do this forever and want to be working so i can support myself. However i dont know what sort of work to do. Everytime i go through the job listings and try to picture myself doing any of the jobs i might apply for i get anxious enough that i cant keep looking at the listings. I wanted to try volunteering one day a week as a sort of exposure therapy, but haven't even been able to manage that. I was on new start for a long time and not only did i not find a job, but the threat of actually getting one was terrifying. I would not have coped with the centrelink requirements without medication at the time and that was only looking for work, not even a job proper.. I tried going back to uni to change fields, but i couldn't deal with the pressure anymore. I did not qualify for the DSP at the height of my anxiety and depression. i've had a look at it and i doubt i could support myself on it anyway. I'm looking for independence, not some money while i continue to live with some sort of carer. So does anyone have any recommendations as to types of work i could try? Let me point out that even with medication i was no less anxious about any job i imagined myself doing. So while i would be willing to start meds again, it alone is not the solution.

Ellie13 Anxiety and bad experiences while job seeking
  • replies: 2

Hi, This is my first time posting and I am not the best at articulating myself so sorry if this post is a mess. I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for my post as it is not directly related to anxiety. I am mostly writing this because I need to... View more

Hi, This is my first time posting and I am not the best at articulating myself so sorry if this post is a mess. I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for my post as it is not directly related to anxiety. I am mostly writing this because I need to get it off my chest. I am very sad at the moment and it’s difficult for me to talk about with people I know. I recently completed a pet grooming course and I have been searching for a job. This job search has been so disheartening. I was told before I completed my course by the institute that there is a high demand for groomers but I was not told that no one wants to train you, they all want experience. And the ones that don't want experience want an "early school-leaver" so a 16-year-old that they can exploit for cheap labour. Also, every company you apply for wants you to do unpaid trials which are not directly supervised so therefore illegal. I recently applied for a job and received a rude message back from the employer. I do not understand why they were so angry at me. They said that I was clearly not suitable because I lived in another state but I have double-checked and the business is in the same state as me. This message has left me so confused and disheartened. Adding to this is a bad pet sitting experience with a family. I am so lost. I do not want to continue job searching in such an industry and my anxiety and bad experiences is making it almost impossible for me to do so. I am not really sure what to do. Thank you for reading this.

Migz Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?
  • replies: 2

There was this one time when i saw a penis, i suddenly got aroused. I don't know why i got aroused but i'm sure that i'm not attracted to men and will never want to be with a man. I keep getting thoughts that i'm gay or bi but deep down, i know i'm s... View more

There was this one time when i saw a penis, i suddenly got aroused. I don't know why i got aroused but i'm sure that i'm not attracted to men and will never want to be with a man. I keep getting thoughts that i'm gay or bi but deep down, i know i'm straight, then i read about HOCD (Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and felt that this is what i'm suffering from. Am i really straight and is this just HOCD?

x__Kt__x Making Mistakes
  • replies: 2

I'm in need of advice/help here. I started a job in whitegoods sales about three weeks ago. Long story short I made a couple of mistakes in one day which were delivery errors. Now I'm obsessing over my mistakes which is something I do all the time. A... View more

I'm in need of advice/help here. I started a job in whitegoods sales about three weeks ago. Long story short I made a couple of mistakes in one day which were delivery errors. Now I'm obsessing over my mistakes which is something I do all the time. Any advice on how to obsess less over mistakes and errors?

mayab physical pain caused by anxiety
  • replies: 6

hey everyone, so i've had anxiety, OCD and depression for about 5 years and its been getting very bad recently. I'm so restless all the time; I can't stop moving (ie. tapping my legs, cracking knuckles continuously) and I have a really painful wrench... View more

hey everyone, so i've had anxiety, OCD and depression for about 5 years and its been getting very bad recently. I'm so restless all the time; I can't stop moving (ie. tapping my legs, cracking knuckles continuously) and I have a really painful wrenching feeling in my chest. I wake up with this feeling- being so exhausted and in physical pain as soon as I awake in the morning makes me want to just burst into tears, as pathetic as that may sound. The agitation caused by my anxiety feels like something inside me that I can't get out, it makes me so uncomfortable and like I need to scratch my skin off or scream or jump off something, just to make something happen, so I can feel something. It's so uncomfortable to sit through and just makes all the mental/emotional aspects so much more difficult to deal with. Any tips would be greatly appreciated x