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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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M_e_k_s Please help
  • replies: 2

Hi guys, im currently experiencing a lot of anxiety and depression throughout these summer holidays. Most of it I believe stems from my OCD for things to be clean, and kthers disagreeing leading to arguments with my siblings and my mum and dad genera... View more

Hi guys, im currently experiencing a lot of anxiety and depression throughout these summer holidays. Most of it I believe stems from my OCD for things to be clean, and kthers disagreeing leading to arguments with my siblings and my mum and dad generally supporting them isolating me and making me feel like everything is against me. But a majority of if is really due to the fact that I have expressed many times to my mum how I am not doing to well mentally, which I thought I was really strong for doing and actually quite proud. The problem is that my mum really doesn’t acknowledge my mental issues. She doesn’t believe that I have depression or mild to severe anxiety, despite it running heavily in her family and affecting her greatly through depression and bipolar disorder. My mental state is causing me to withdrawal partially and become quite ‘rude’ or demanding (to clean and organise) which my mum tends to bring up when I’m upset and tell her about my issues. I feel like she doesn’t want to believe me and doesn’t care or love me. For example, when saying goodnight to be 2 brothers, she says ‘goodnight darling’ without saying anything to me and she always responds to me in a flat tone. As someone with anxiety this really gets to me and I notice it more than I should. I should mention she is not a bad mother, but only fails to acknowledge my deteriorating mental state and get me help. Do you know why? Is it because she herself is suffering ? I personally always try to cheer her up when she is sad, ensure she has her medication, just so she may potentially do the same for me, but I’m just left dissapointed. Thanks for reading.

anewhope Making Sense of OCD - Extreme Cleanliness and fear of Cigerette smoke / being around it
  • replies: 2

Good evening all, I was hoping to take the first steps in trying to battle self diagnosed OCD. I say this because I haven't spoken to anyone and every habit I have points to it. You could say my habits can be broken down into 4-5 fundamental fears/ha... View more

Good evening all, I was hoping to take the first steps in trying to battle self diagnosed OCD. I say this because I haven't spoken to anyone and every habit I have points to it. You could say my habits can be broken down into 4-5 fundamental fears/habits Fears (top to bottom): Cigerette Smoke Being Dirty (and unable to clean) stepping in something and bringing it into the house Bringing anything into the house I'm extremely process driven and with OCD I tend to not forget anything too easily, so if I think I have contaminated something by bringing it into the house its impossible for me to forget about it. An example of my fears and how it effects me day to day: I built a computer piece by piece so that I can play games on it. Someone came to buy something off us and had a lit cigerette while I was meeting him outside our house. I left the door open by mistake and the fear of smoke contaminating the house actually made me sell the pc (that was ajacent to the front door). I couldn't even touch it consciously or let it touch anything else. I treated it like someone would treat something that was radioactive. I used cloth toweling as I removed all the components to list and didn't let them touch the carpet or any other boxes (I was sure of it). I then started the project again to build another computer system, which mean't 5-6 second hand items to build (and 1 new one which was the computer case). The second I went to put something in my car after picking it up, someone had a lit cigerette and walked past my car while the door was open (and I was loading things onto the rear seat that I had just bought). I was really angry and frustrated, I had drove 40 minutes to try and fix an 'issue' by replacing the computer for it to just be in the same situation. This was in a suburban street too. I've never smoked before and I honestly have big fears that the items are embedded with something I will never remove (nicotine) I am also a perfectionist and take extremely good care of my items, in particular my computer. I wash my hands thoroughly throughout the day, I sit next to someone at my work place who smokes and occasionally he likes to shake my hand when I leave for the day (which makes it even more frustrating and stressful).

Zinu Anxiety while travelling
  • replies: 1

Hello everyone, I know this is a strange problem to share but I hope that people can share their opinion on how you guys were able to cope with this issue. I am an Asian male in my mid-20s and currently planning my trip to Europe with the family. Aft... View more

Hello everyone, I know this is a strange problem to share but I hope that people can share their opinion on how you guys were able to cope with this issue. I am an Asian male in my mid-20s and currently planning my trip to Europe with the family. After reading advice on the internet about people getting mugged, scammed and pick pocketed at these places, I have become so stressed out and anxious about my upcoming trip that I am feeling like I will not be able to enjoy this trip as I may feel too paranoid and guarded. Being an Asian, I also feel like we will be more vulnerable to these types of crimes. I am travelling with my parents who are inexperienced travelers and they will have to rely on me to guide them through the trip. I had past travelling experience to a lot of places but I have never encountered these type of risks before. I do have anxiety and have the tendency to exaggerate things and this issue is currently taking a toll on me. I hope that everyone can share their opinion in regards to this matters. Thank you

Huwa Unexplained illness, fatigue and headaches...but the tests say everything is normal
  • replies: 3

Hi, I am sorry if someone has already posted this same question. Over the past 6-8 months, I can feel something is wrong with me, but frustrating thing is I can't figure out what. I get stressed and anxious about small things, that are simple situati... View more

Hi, I am sorry if someone has already posted this same question. Over the past 6-8 months, I can feel something is wrong with me, but frustrating thing is I can't figure out what. I get stressed and anxious about small things, that are simple situations. I have been falling sick very very frequently (average of once per 2 weeks) and in the last 4 months have been on antibiotics thrice. I have had my blood tests to check for low immunity or some deficiency, but blood reports show everything is normal. I feel tired most of the times when at work, even though I have got good 7-8 hours of sleep, but was usually fine over weekends. But over the last 3 days, I am feeling tired even in the mornings and on weekend. I am still sleeping well in terms of time, 7-8 hours, but I wake up groggy and tired. Last 3 days I am having several headache too. I don't think I am depressed, because I there are a lot of times and moments I am happy. Less of those when I am unwell or feeling super tired. I also have NO suicidal thoughts. It is getting very frustrating and that is now becoming a vicious cycle. Frustration leads feeling more tired and headache which leads to more frustration. Has anyone gone through the same? Can anyone help me with what is wrong with me? Any direction is appreciated. Thanks

Sammy_J_ Help please: everyday anxiety losing my mind
  • replies: 2

I feel like I have gone crazy from my anxiety. Every morning I wake up with the most horrible sick feeling of anxiety and dread for the future. I’ve just finished my first term of year 12 and I’m in holidays. Unfortunately I’ve spent my holidays real... View more

I feel like I have gone crazy from my anxiety. Every morning I wake up with the most horrible sick feeling of anxiety and dread for the future. I’ve just finished my first term of year 12 and I’m in holidays. Unfortunately I’ve spent my holidays really stressed and sad. Basically I moved to the school I go to in term 3 of year 9 and stayed until the end of year. I moved because my school was too expensive for my family. I didn’t like the new school because it was really laid back and no one else tried very hard at school. So I moved to a different public school which is really academic and even though it suited that for me, I spent the whole time wanting to leave and go somewhere else. In hindsight it was the fact that I left my original school fuelling this and I still hadn’t gotten over it, but this school was much better for me. I moved back to the first public school in term 4 of year 10 and have been there ever since. In the meantime I started making friends with girls from the academic school as well as my best friend who goes there who is pretty much the only person I hang out with. I’m going to schoolies with girls from there too and overall I just realised that I should have stayed. My atar would have been better and I know I would have had a much better final year. At my school now I have two close friends and no one else really. I’m topping all my classes and feel very uneasy about it because I often feel I’m the only one trying, and wonder if my work is even good or just marked that way because there is a low standard. Last term I was so overwhelmed that I’d cry every day/to my teachers. I feel terrible for my mum because she tried so hard to get me into the other school and I really only got in because of my grades. I’m away right now with my best friend and another girl from that school and it’s making me miserable even though I’m trying to hide it. I wake up every morning so anxious just thinking ‘what if’ and thinking about how I’m going to let my mum down so much with my atar and how it all could have been so much better. I also often think of my sister who had a great final year and got a great mark/had lots of friends at school etc and it makes me so sad. I know this seems like a really superficial problem but it’s really affecting me each day, it’s the only thing running through my head. Like I’ve had dreams where I go back to my old school. I really don’t know what to do....

AmIBlue Imagining future tragedy about people I love and care for, it feels real
  • replies: 4

Hi, forum, My first post and maybe like others I have left this too long, perhaps looking to avoid what next... I have these thoughts which keep me from being happy and cause much pain in my life. You know the saying ' is this is good as it gets' so ... View more

Hi, forum, My first post and maybe like others I have left this too long, perhaps looking to avoid what next... I have these thoughts which keep me from being happy and cause much pain in my life. You know the saying ' is this is good as it gets' so I wanted to reach out to get feedback and perspective. sometimes, I think of random thoughts as we all do - about people I love and care for, they are micro thoughts and start off ok but end up in some sort of tragedy (quite bad) along with this comes all the emotions associated with experiencing this if they were real, guilt of not stopping it, sense of loss and failure, remorse and other feelings after the fact knowing this is all in my mind.....its draining and affects me and my moods. Whilst it is not all the time it does occur more often than I care for - I am I alone here - any colour on this would help me ground at least

Tris_ I have just been the worst lately and I just feel so alone
  • replies: 25

I'm constantly living in a state of being that is in between wanting to curl up and fall asleep and never wake up and wanting to fly to some crazy far away place and try become successful. I'm somehow in between extremely motivated and extremely demo... View more

I'm constantly living in a state of being that is in between wanting to curl up and fall asleep and never wake up and wanting to fly to some crazy far away place and try become successful. I'm somehow in between extremely motivated and extremely demotivated. Wanting to do so much and having so many ideas. But then literally not doing anything. And probably everybody will be like "yeah that's called depression" IF IT IS THEN WHEN WILL IT GO AWAY I know this is the Anxiety thread and it sounds like mainly depression I'm talking about. But what's really running my life is anxiety. My self-esteem is literally lower than the deepest ocean. When I'm really down/in a panic attack I have to take down my mirror in the bathroom and brush my teeth/apply lotion without being able to see my reflection because I'm so utterly hideous. I don't have a full body mirror anymore because I broke it ages back. I have so much anxiety about myself, about my future, about how people see me. Sometimes I feel like I'm self-destructive. Like I'll be having a panic attack and I KNOW the way to help with breathing techniques but I don't do them. Maybe I just like to feel that raw emotion of crying and letting it out cuz I bottle it up for a long time. But then I also feel selfish because I want attention really badly sometimes. I don't end up doing stuff to get attention too often but I looooveee fantasizing about it. My biggest fantasy is being unable to be hurt or be in pain, then getting into a big accident so I can go to the hospital and have people huddle around me, attach things to me and people turn up. It's why as stupid as it sounds (which is very stupid) I really wish that I had broken a bone in my life already. Somehow I've managed to be careful enough for it to never happen. But I want that attention. (This is probably from a lack of attention from my family while growing up). It's been three years since I finished Year 12 and all I've done is do a little work during the first year which I blew all the money on shit I didn't need and don't like anymore. So basically I've done nothing for 3 years. I sucked ASS in School and I don't know what to do next. I am so unbelievably terrified of dying alone and not being successful. this is the lamest ramble ever and I would completely understand if nobody gives a shit/responds if somebody does, just help please tris~ ps i could ramble for hours, you're lucky this website has a word limit :<

EmeraldEmphasis Eating anxiety
  • replies: 2

For a year now, I have been avoiding eating dinner when I am at my boyfriends house. He still lives with his parents and his mum cooks. I get severe anxiety from simply her yelling out 'dinner time'. I used to eat dinner at the same time, then became... View more

For a year now, I have been avoiding eating dinner when I am at my boyfriends house. He still lives with his parents and his mum cooks. I get severe anxiety from simply her yelling out 'dinner time'. I used to eat dinner at the same time, then became vegetarian. And since then, despite still not being vegetarian I avoid eating with them. I will pretend to be feeling sick, literally anything to avoid having to go up to the dinner table. My boyfriends finally approached me asking whats wrong and that I have to eat dinner with them now and that 'it isn't a big ask'. I have tried to describe that I get anxiety around eating meals that other people have prepared etc and that sitting down at the table is a fear of mine. I sweat when I eat and then I become self conscious of my sweating with in turn makes me more anxious etc. I feel like they don't like me and when I do try and communicate like they don't want to listen. I don't feel comfortable telling my boyfriend that as he has said that they feel as though I don't like them. Which isn't the case and I don't want to put more pressure on the situation. I've created an issue out of nothing and know the guilt and anxiety will only continue to build up. I just want a perspective on how I should go about making the issue not an issue anymore. I don't want to ruin my relationship with my boyfriends family forever. Thanks guys!

lilycat Anxiety about keeping the house clean and tidy
  • replies: 8

Hi there, Just wanted to see if anyone has had experience with how I'm feeling, and what they've done to work through it. I've suffered from depression and anxiety almost my whole life, yet officially diagnosed a few years. Over the last few years, I... View more

Hi there, Just wanted to see if anyone has had experience with how I'm feeling, and what they've done to work through it. I've suffered from depression and anxiety almost my whole life, yet officially diagnosed a few years. Over the last few years, I've noticed a severe increase in needing to keep my home clean and tidy. I'm not an OCD cleaner and it's not about the germ factor, it's more just a need to have things looking and smelling nice and clean. I can't deal with clutter, and whilst I clean the house daily (not obsessively, just enough to look good), I sometimes get in to these anxiety panics with the state of my house and need to drop everything and deep clean. I've found a nice routine with this in my own home, however my husband and I have recently moved in with my sister and her partner as our house is being renovated. My sister isn't a dirty person by any means, she's just not as clean and tidy as the standards I'm used to. I do my best to clean my areas and the living areas so it stays nice, but it's never up to my level unless I were to spend 2 hours a day deep cleaning - and I just can't do that with work and regular life. I'm also pregnant with our first child and I know that when baby comes along things will have to change too - things won't stay as perfect as I like, however I feel that once I'm in my own home I will be able to cope. Any advice to get through the next few weeks sharing a house and managing this anxiety? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Worrier01 Fainting/Falling Sensation
  • replies: 4

Hi there. I am new to this site and hoping I can get some advice. I have started getting a feeling that I am about to faint but I never do. Research on the web better describes my feeling as more of a ‘I think I am about to fall’ sensation. I have a ... View more

Hi there. I am new to this site and hoping I can get some advice. I have started getting a feeling that I am about to faint but I never do. Research on the web better describes my feeling as more of a ‘I think I am about to fall’ sensation. I have a pacemaker fitted andthought it was relatedto my heart condition of left heart block, but a day in casualty yesterday ruled out any issues with my heart, pacemaker or associations. I have a further appointment with my cardiolist (invloved in yesterdays proceedings) to tryand lookinto this further. However I am now wondering if this feeling/sensation is anxiety related. The sensation occurs approximately twice a day and seems to come on more in this extreme heat. The sensation makes me grap for support or go to ground for safety as I thinkI am going to faint or fall, i guess. It is starting make me go throughthe what if this happens... secenarios to the point that I am reluctant to leave the house. If I lie down I never get the sensations, only walking and at times sitting. The sensations last from 1 to 3 seconds. So I am trying to find out if it may be anxietyrelated so I can discuss this with my cardiologist so I don’t steer him in a wrong direction. If it may be anxiety related who would you suggest is the first point of call for me to have a talk to. Thanks again for listening as it wasn’t easy making a decison to write tjis but I guess this where to start. I cant deal with these ongoing sensations so need some help from someone if it is anxietyrelated. I have recently retired from a highly stressful (positive) job and am now leading a more sedentry lifestyle but have the usual stresses I guess of that change, finances, living with spouse fulltime etc. Thank you for your time.

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