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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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Britt_B_Bear Phobia of my child getting hurt. New to anxiety attacks.
  • replies: 3

I have two kids, aged 8 and 4, so I dont really fit into the "new stressed out mum" catagory. The eldest, a girl, is a dream child. Compliant, sweet and well adjusted. The 4 year old, a boy, is a trainwreck. He is the most hazardous, accident prone c... View more

I have two kids, aged 8 and 4, so I dont really fit into the "new stressed out mum" catagory. The eldest, a girl, is a dream child. Compliant, sweet and well adjusted. The 4 year old, a boy, is a trainwreck. He is the most hazardous, accident prone child I have ever known. When he was born, everything was fine, except when we went for the first feed, he couldnt work out how to feed and breathe at the same time. He went blue. Once we stopped feeding, he was fine. It was weird. But after a day, he workeed it out. Just to give you an indication of how calm and in control was... the second time he did it in the ICU, I presse d the nurse alert button to ask for help, and all the doctors came flying because they assumed it was the "medical emerency" button. Anyway. Hes never really improved his coordination and has had multiple falls, bumps and grazes. Every kid gets it, I logically know that. However, when he gets hurt, I can't breath. I shake. I want to throw up. I cry. I actually feel like Im dying. And his dad, and the rest of the family look to me like "mother knows best". I feel the weight of the worlds eyes watching me on my next move, do I waste more taxpayers dollars and make my husband stay up all night for one silly head bump? Do I get it wrong and have child protection on my door asking why I didnt get my child medical care? Will my child secretly die in the middle of the night? Am I a bad parent? I only experience these syptoms when he gets hurt. Its like I have a phobia of him getting hurt. Its miserable and the online advice for these feelings "take a moment to stretch". What do you think, internet?

unigirl1994 Fear of death - the "unknown"
  • replies: 4

Hi all. I've been a member on here for a while, have been feeling really well lately with my treatment methods. However tonight I had a massive panic attack in bed after thinking about dying... not the method of dying but about what happens when. I k... View more

Hi all. I've been a member on here for a while, have been feeling really well lately with my treatment methods. However tonight I had a massive panic attack in bed after thinking about dying... not the method of dying but about what happens when. I know this might sound stupid as logically I know it's inevitable and we cease conscious thought after it happens, but I can't wrap my head around it. We're here, living, and then nothing? It makes me scared, and upset because I hate that I can't stop it. I get upset knowing I was brought into this world just to die eventually. I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with voicing these concerns, as I'm wondering if counselling may help? I should also mention that in a few weeks I'm going on holidays to a country I visited two years ago, however 3 days in to my trip, my grandmother passed away. So I'm thinking it has made me feel on edge due to the bad memories even though I love the location and can't wait to be on holiday.

iron_man Major Health Anxiety (I think).
  • replies: 2

Hello to whoever is reading this, First of all hey, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the title and thought that you can relate to it. If that’s you then I’m sorry to hear and I wish you all the best. Anyway, this is the first time I’v... View more

Hello to whoever is reading this, First of all hey, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the title and thought that you can relate to it. If that’s you then I’m sorry to hear and I wish you all the best. Anyway, this is the first time I’ve written something like this so bare with me. I just gonna share some of my experiences with you and I hope it makes you feel less alone. I’ve been having what I would think is health related anxiety for probably almost a year now. Pretty much everyday, the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep is my health. More specifically, I think about things that could be wrong with me and then what would happen to me and the people around me if these things were wrong with me. I create full scenarios in my head about what would happen if I was diagnosed with some fatal disease. Every time I feel something I think is wrong I’m straight away on Google trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I always end up finding something cancer related or life-threatening then I build up the worst case scenario thing in my head. I spend everyday constantly worrying about my health. I sometimes have panic attacks when I Google up symptoms that I think I’m experiencing and I end up a mess. This non-stop worrying frequently interferes with things such as school and my personal life. Aside from this, I feel like a different person than I was a year ago due to my anxiety. I used to be a care-free person who loved life and didn’t stress about anything at all. Now my life is just stress and worry, although it may not seem like it because I’m pretty good at hiding it from people. I’ve also been to doctors various times and even an ER once because of symptoms I thought I was having. The doctors just said it was stress and things like poor posture and lack of exercise and stuff like that. I didn’t take this for an answer and I’m still here worrying about the same things. Anyway, that’s about it so thanks for reading if you made it down to here (it was pretty long). If you’re in the same boat as me then please leave a comment I would really appreciate it.

tpman derealisation
  • replies: 3

hello, just wandering if anyone can relate to this as its kinda spinning me out... i've been on and off medication (mainly on) for anxiety/depression for 10 years. I find one of the great things about being OFF meds is how the world feels to me. It's... View more

hello, just wandering if anyone can relate to this as its kinda spinning me out... i've been on and off medication (mainly on) for anxiety/depression for 10 years. I find one of the great things about being OFF meds is how the world feels to me. It's like the volume gets turned up, the environment seems richer, people seem clearer. There's just an overall sense of clarity... Anyway - I've recently been through a traumatic few months triggered by coming off my meds... Although my anxiety/dep returned, it was good in the sense I experienced what I mentioned above (clarity returning) In-fact I felt more alive/myself than ever. I ended up having to leave my job due to the anxiety/depression becoming intolerable... I then went back on meds and in the first week or so started experiencing INTENSE panic attacks (for the first time). I was experiencing extreme emotional states to the point I was dry reaching/vomiting. Anyway meds eventually kicked in and started to feel a bit better, but I decided that I wanted to stop the meds again and use my time off work to work on my issues without the meds. However, this time around I noticed the clarity did not return. As time went on I slipped into what was diagnosed as melancholic depression. I was not sleeping at all, had extreme agitation and panic attacks and was hospitalised a cpl times. I think a lot of my panic was caused by why I wasn't feeling that clarity I usually do when off meds. I was also feeling emotionally numb. My psychologist told me that this can happen when you experience severe negative emotional states. Your mind kinda zones out to protect itself. I believe this is referred to as dissociation/derealisation. Anyway, its still kinda freaking me out. I'm back on meds now (different type to my old meds) which don't seem to be helping much, and I guess I've become somewhat obsessed with this feeling of derealisation. Wondering will I ever be able to experience this connection/clarity again. Even when I'm on meds, although things are a bit numbed out, I don't really experience derealisation/dissociation... I'm kinda scared I will be stuck in this state of dissociation for ever... My doctors tell me not to worry, its just due to high levels of anxiety.. Can anyone relate to this ? Thanks

Denzel Anxiety attacks at work
  • replies: 7

Hello, I have suffered from a lot of anxiety in my life but I have never received professional help. Usually I self manage it or talk it through with my family and I get on with things. About a year ago I started a new job. I was so happy to have fin... View more

Hello, I have suffered from a lot of anxiety in my life but I have never received professional help. Usually I self manage it or talk it through with my family and I get on with things. About a year ago I started a new job. I was so happy to have finally got a job as I had been looking for a while and thought I had made it through the tough times but unfortunately they had only just begun. I felt unwanted and unaccepted as soon as I started at work. At the beginning I felt strong and confident so I did the best I could, working hard, trying to make connections and earning trust. But slowly over time my anxiety started to take over. I worried about every decision and how it would be interpreted. I worried people were talking behind my back. Recently an incident happened where even though I thought I was being helpful and collegial I received a nasty email that implied I had acted with malicious intent. For 3 days after this incident I fell into a deep depression, cried spontaneously all the time, thought of wanting to die, lashed out at my family and couldn’t think about anything but what had happened. I went over things constantly in my head and couldn’t sleep. The matter has not been resolved and when ever I think about it I have a panic attack. I feel like I am very fragile and any trigger will make me crumble. I am afraid because even though I want to stand up for myself as soon as I have any confrontation I start shaking, my heart starts pounding and the right words just disappear. Can anyone relate to this and offer any advice? I have organised to see a counsellor and I have spoken to my superior but I am exhausted and can’t believe I have gone from a confident strong person to this mess.

KFPDW Feel the need to escape from hard life/Imagination/HELP! :(
  • replies: 10

Hi, I need to talk about this and get it out in the open. I'm 22 years old and I have an active imagination. But I do know when when it's the right time to use it and whatnot. No trouble distinguishing reality from real life with me. But that's not w... View more

Hi, I need to talk about this and get it out in the open. I'm 22 years old and I have an active imagination. But I do know when when it's the right time to use it and whatnot. No trouble distinguishing reality from real life with me. But that's not why I'm here. I'm going through a tough time right now with life in general with split parents, social circles at uni and I feel alone facing it. I've done alright on my own to start of with but after so long, it's starting to get harder. I feel like I can't be myself around my friends or family, the real me. I feel squashed in a tight box and frustrated feeling I'm not good enough. I feel like lashing out at the world (Metaphorically I mean, not actually physical lashing) just so I can let the world know who I am. I do go to counselling for help which has made a good difference but there's still this part of me that needs to say this in this way on the forum. I never said this before now so here goes! I miss having a best friend, someone I can turn to and hang out on a regular basis. So I use my imagination to escape when things get hard and at one point long ago I had a friend where we played in a fantasy world like Bridge to Terabithia sort of way. But he moved away so it felt like I lost a part of myself. I'm not ashamed of my imagination at all but I miss being able to have that friend where you can turn to and vice a versa, and have that Terabithia imagination world to escape to. I wanna do that again I feel embarrassed that I can't turn to anyone to have that place to escape to with them. Because I know there's people like that who are creatively amazing. I just never can seem to find them. I can never turn to my friends about this because I would calm up completely because I feel like no one would understand me. I know people do larp stuff so I don't see what's the difference. I feel the pressure so much that I have panic attacks that I can't help. Some people that I used to get along with OK react badly and don't take want anything to do with me once they see it. It makes my feel like their closed off reaction is a reminder of my actions no matter how hard I try to get along with people. Overall, I feel so alone and I feel stupid saying that I want to have a imaginary escape world with a close friend I can trust. More than anything really, I want to have that again. I don't know what to do

Maisymoo ANTI DEPRESSANTS FOR ANXIETY (Positive stories only pls)
  • replies: 3

Hi all Newbie here. I have severe anxiety, started in December this year after being bullied at work. My doctor tried me on medication and it wasnt helping. So I've switched to a different medication (very expensive but apparently one of the best out... View more

Hi all Newbie here. I have severe anxiety, started in December this year after being bullied at work. My doctor tried me on medication and it wasnt helping. So I've switched to a different medication (very expensive but apparently one of the best out there). Anyway, i am wanting POSITIVE success stories of being treated with anti depressants. My friends have all convinced me it's a terrible idea (I know they aren't doctors nor mentsl illness experts). I hardly am able to exist in the world with my anxiety and I personally think it's a good idea (if it works). POSITIVE SUCCESS STORIES PLEASE.

kreckle Negative Thoughts and Feelings
  • replies: 4

Hi, I think I've always been one of those people who looks at the forums anonymously late at night wondering if people have the same issues that I do, but I've never actively sought to join in. I put this in anxiety because its probably the one that ... View more

Hi, I think I've always been one of those people who looks at the forums anonymously late at night wondering if people have the same issues that I do, but I've never actively sought to join in. I put this in anxiety because its probably the one that relates to me the most. I've always struggled with self-image and how others perceive me. It has its ups and downs and sometimes I fool myself into believing that I'm actually okay, but it always eventually ends up in a big low like I am experiencing at the moment. I have seen a GP about this but the response I got is 'I don't like to put labels on things' follows by medication that I am not currently taking as my mother believes that there is nothing wrong with me and that I have no reason to feel this way. I really struggle with the thoughts that I am hated by everyone. Unfortunately, I present myself as something sarcastic and cynical who doesn't care what people think of them, and all of my friends are very similar. It's at a point where basically all talk is in some deprecating manner, and while its okay sometimes, other times it gets to be too much. But I am unable to say something for fear of losing them as friends, as they are the closest people in my life. I don't want them to think of me as a loser. I am also very spiteful, and while I do not like myself at all, I tend to make fun of people who are very similar to myself. Sometimes I think its because subconsciously they remind me of myself and I hate that, as I am not very happy with who I am. And I hate that I do this to other people, but I can't seem to stop. These thoughts basically hinder my ability to do any activities, I'm currently in my last year of school and my grades are suffering. I've told myself that I don't need to try because I don't need very good grades to do the course I want, and this thought has just snowballed into everyday life. I'm by no means lonely, or unpopular, I get invited out regularly. However, I don't feel like going to these events or when I do I just end up wanting to go home or upset. I don't like feeling this way, but everything that I've tried before has never seemed to work, and I guess I just needed to vent. Thank you for your time in reading :]

Catcute1240 School worries
  • replies: 2

I just began TAFE and are studying a cert II. Recently my doctor prescribed me medication for my anxiety. I was just wondering do I or should I tell my TAFE of this. Especially since it can effect my cognitive and mental state.

I just began TAFE and are studying a cert II. Recently my doctor prescribed me medication for my anxiety. I was just wondering do I or should I tell my TAFE of this. Especially since it can effect my cognitive and mental state.

Biancalee 1 week on medication and can’t stop focusing on my swallow- am I going crazy?? HELP
  • replies: 3

So I had a baby 2 weeks ago and started to feel obsessively anxious. I had struggled with health anxiety and gad for a few years before hand and responded well to medication. When I found out I was pregnant I weaned off. Now I have started back on an... View more

So I had a baby 2 weeks ago and started to feel obsessively anxious. I had struggled with health anxiety and gad for a few years before hand and responded well to medication. When I found out I was pregnant I weaned off. Now I have started back on and feeling much better i increased my dosage the last 3 days and BAM! I started focusing on my swallowing and can’t stop! It’s a constant obsession and it’s making me so anxious that I will never stop. I keep telling myself it’s my anxiety but I’m worried I am going crazy and will never be normal again. Someone please give me some advice, it’s making me depressed!