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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.

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Desertrose28 Sick of Anxiety
  • replies: 10

Hi, I am so sick of my life being ruled by anxiety, I have so much going on in my life and just feel so overwhelmed. Today was really hard, I had to go to work but just freaked out and had a complete meltdown and resigned on the spot. I get so scared... View more

Hi, I am so sick of my life being ruled by anxiety, I have so much going on in my life and just feel so overwhelmed. Today was really hard, I had to go to work but just freaked out and had a complete meltdown and resigned on the spot. I get so scared and terrified of the panic attack. I know that's what it is but I feel I am at a point where I just can't beat it and just want to run and hide and hope it will go away, but it won't. I overthink everything and can be such a negative person. I am actually so embarrassed to admit I have it. I can't eat certain foods because I get sick, so now a restricted diet too. Just a bit over it all. I just feel so hurt, and embarrassed, everybody says just get on with things and not to worry about what other people think. Supposedly I take everything the wrong way to and overthink everything. Sometimes I just wish I could have some peace from everything going on in my head, it just never stops and I am so angry at myself for being so stupid, knowing its anxiety but am letting it rule my life. I just wish I could wake up in the morning and it was gone, gone forever. I find it really hard to even leave home sometimes just that fear of being sick which has happened in the past just terrifies me. I have friends but am so embarrassed by it that I never talk about it.

Bren_ Not knowing
  • replies: 2

Hey guys december last year my ex and I broke up, I felt like a needed space. Until now we have been hanging out here and there when we broke up she said will we ever be together I said anything is possible. I had no clarity in the relationship being... View more

Hey guys december last year my ex and I broke up, I felt like a needed space. Until now we have been hanging out here and there when we broke up she said will we ever be together I said anything is possible. I had no clarity in the relationship being a young idiot I didn’t realise what I had till I had nothing. we had dinner a while back and mid meal I realised I’d been searching for the girl sitting in front of me I’ve never been good with emotions but I felt this time it was real love again. I opened up to her giving her everything I felt for her. She said she likes being alone and doesn’t have the love for me like she used too. This tore me to shreds. We were good friends after the breakup and I thought there might of been something still there to try. she still replies too my texts and keeps saying she isn’t ready for love again. But every time I ask or open up she pushes me away further i asked the question if she thinks there is a chance for us in the future the only thing she says is I don’t know and she doesn’t know. I’ve spoken to her friends and they have said she still loves me on multiple occasions. Im just wondering why she keeps pushing me away when I want to be there for her, I’m crazy about this girl and have fallen head over heels for her again. But she doesn’t feel the same way. The anxiety of the maybe is killing me and light of which to what maybe. cheers guys

Wifey2012 Mental Health at work
  • replies: 2

Hi there, This post is in regards to my husband. He works very hard, minimum 12 hours a day, he’s up at 3.30 every week day and most nights getting 5-6 hours sleep. We have 2 young children who are 4 and 1. He only really takes time off for Big holid... View more

Hi there, This post is in regards to my husband. He works very hard, minimum 12 hours a day, he’s up at 3.30 every week day and most nights getting 5-6 hours sleep. We have 2 young children who are 4 and 1. He only really takes time off for Big holidays or when our children have been born, it is rare he’ll take a sick day. He has 14 weeks of sick leave not taken, 6-8 weeks annual leave and 12 weeks long service. He’s always been an anxious person but it has gone up a level the past couple of years. He’s forgetting a lot, every day things and important things, he’s starting to have panic attacks, has quite servere ocd, he needs to set 2 alarms for the morning and this takes him half an hour to do. He has recently seen our gp and has been referred to see a counsellor. My question is, can he take time off for mental health? I’m suggesting a few weeks to just get away from the work situation and perhaps work out if a new job would provide a lot of benefits to our/his situation and to get on track with the counsellor, basically just stop and look at what is making the problem worse. Has anyone taken a fair amount of time off for a situation like this or similar? Many advice would be appreciated Thank you x

bimmadude101 New relationship anxiety/ocd
  • replies: 2

Hi bimmerdude101 here I recently got into a new relationship with this fantastic girl. Its been 2 weeks since we started dating but we have known each other for around 5 months. Anyway i am plagued with unwanted intrusive thoughts such as doubt. I ha... View more

Hi bimmerdude101 here I recently got into a new relationship with this fantastic girl. Its been 2 weeks since we started dating but we have known each other for around 5 months. Anyway i am plagued with unwanted intrusive thoughts such as doubt. I have had terrible ocd for over a year now suffering from Harm ocd which i have recently been able to get better at dealing with. I feel as though my ocd is effecting my relationship. It convinces me that i dont actually like her and i should break up with her despite the fact that she makes me happy. I have heaps of ambivalence towards the relationship. Some days i will be sure i like her and sure i want her but then other days my mind plagues me with thoughts of doubt for example i should break up with her i dont like her, all im going to do is hurt her and things wont work out. These thoughts a really distressing and cause me to feel very anxious all the time. I am always so confused to whether these are ocd thoughts or if this is actaully how i feel. my previous relationships i felt like i was falling or fell in love with them really quickly (keep in mind my first relationships where before i had ocd and i was also 16 and 18) now that im 20 and have struggled with a year of ocd i feel as though i have changed allot. For this girl i struggle to feel emotions all i can feel is anxiety i dont know how to open up my feelings and really tell how i feel about her. We have been taking things slow but i just dont feel as though there is that lust stage or the dopamine you get when you are falling in love. Although i do feel so comfortable around her and can be myself. All these things really cause me to doubt why i am dating this girl... on the other hand i love spending time with her and she makes me really happy. sometimes i do get glimpses of that i love her but not often. she has such a nice family and is such a fantastic girl. she is probably the most stable and amazing girl i have shared time with actually. We get along super well. I have been googling every day for like 2 hours about how to feel in a relationship and i feel as though that is a compulsion that i need to stop. Anyway i am so scared to lose this girl but im so sick of the doubts in my head. Can anyone with rocd or had similar experiences help please. Regards bimmerdude101

Chicken_Wings Why does anxiety cause loss of appetite & how to get it back?
  • replies: 25

Every time I get bad anxiety I completely lose my appetite. Just the smell or thought of food makes me feel sick. But after a while, my body starts to tell me it wants food, even though I can't bring myself to eat it. The hunger pangs begin to feel a... View more

Every time I get bad anxiety I completely lose my appetite. Just the smell or thought of food makes me feel sick. But after a while, my body starts to tell me it wants food, even though I can't bring myself to eat it. The hunger pangs begin to feel a lot like the anxiety itself, so I find it makes me worse. Does this happen to everyone? And if so why and what can you do to get food inside you?!

Up_Over Vomiting phobia
  • replies: 5

I can't even believe I am writing this right now. This is something that I NEVER tell anyone and even writing the words makes me cringe so much. But anyway, here I go......I have had this phobia on and off probably since childhood (I'm now 43). It be... View more

I can't even believe I am writing this right now. This is something that I NEVER tell anyone and even writing the words makes me cringe so much. But anyway, here I go......I have had this phobia on and off probably since childhood (I'm now 43). It became a severe problem when I had kids. Since having my first child in 2003, my anxiety levels where constantly raised. I then had my second child in 2006 and that's when I was diagnosed with anxiety/depression. After my second child, I lost a great deal of weight and was in a very bad way trying to look after 2 young children. I was on medication for 7 years which did help my mood and a little of my anxiety. I'm now off them and feeling well except when my kids are sick. As soon as they get a temp or feel unwell, that feeling of dread comes over me. I can no longer eat, my heart races, my mouth goes dry, I can't think straight and all the 'what if' thoughts bombard my mind. The fear that they may have gastro or just nausea sends me into almost uncontrolled anxiety. They are both quite healthy children and not the type to vomit a lot, but knowing that still doesn't ease my mind. My husband is great with them and will always look after them when he can but I am the one mostly home. If we are out anywhere, it is even worse. I have to get them home and it can sometimes look bad leaving a bbq etc early because my child has the sniffles. I need to know if anyone else suffers from this....feeling alone and weird!

nipz1 Student = Anxiety, stupid shakes and general mind/body malfunctions...tips to manage?
  • replies: 3

I understand anxiety, well at least I thought I did. Recently it has been coming in short, paralysing burst along with some unwanted symptoms. Most of it centres around studying, but not always. And I'm not entirely sure what's going on. We all exper... View more

I understand anxiety, well at least I thought I did. Recently it has been coming in short, paralysing burst along with some unwanted symptoms. Most of it centres around studying, but not always. And I'm not entirely sure what's going on. We all experience anxiety, but I've never felt it like this. For example, I am in a shop buying jeans and go to the check-out to pay and when I go to say something nothing comes out, trust me I tried - it was like I had something stuck in my throat, there was barely an audible rasp. Then I am all spaced out, literally seeing stars, feeling like I am going to die, sitting down 5m outside the shop. I had no idea what happened. Still don't. 10 min later, however, I was fine...just confused as to what happened. This situation is concerning because there was no stress involved prior, it just happened. But my main concern is what is happening at Uni because I'm concerned I will pay dearly for it in the exams. Both coming up and future. Each time this has happened everything feels so unreal. I can barely make sense of what's going on. I had a deferred mid-semester exam a couple of weeks ago and I was fine up until I opened it up at which point my mind just fell apart. Everything felt weird, wrong, I couldn't think straight, I made dumb mistakes, I couldn't make sense of what I was reading, my hands were shaking, just like Parkinson's disease (serious) and generally I felt claustrophobic. And then six days ago I was demoing a group assignment, sitting down with three other students. The tutor was marking our programme and said he'll have to take a mark off us for a certain section. It just happened to be my section of the programme. I knew I read the assignment doc correctly. I'm trying to reason with the tutor because I was right. And then I just start talking rapidly (to the point I think he just gave us the mark to shut me up), I felt sick, I couldn't swallow, and again shaky, so shaky. My groupmate said, 'what's happened to your face, are you okay? You're a beetroot'. Then I realised I felt all tingly and weird. Hot, prickly, cold all at the same time. Clearly, my heart was working in overdrive. And a definite disconnect with reality - though I think that's just confusion. It only lasted a short time. If you got this far, sorry, I'm just not sure what to do and any experience will help. Concerned...

Lou27 Vomit phobia
  • replies: 2

I have a massive phobia of vomit, whether it’s me or someone else - can’t even deal. I have just recently booked my honeymoon in Vanuatu and I’m excited to travel there but I’m terrified to get on the plane because I might get air sick.. I already ha... View more

I have a massive phobia of vomit, whether it’s me or someone else - can’t even deal. I have just recently booked my honeymoon in Vanuatu and I’m excited to travel there but I’m terrified to get on the plane because I might get air sick.. I already have anti nausea medication sorted by the way.. but we don’t go until October and I have months of panic attacks waiting to happen. I also really want to start a family but I’m terrified I’ll get morning sickness.. I feel terrible because I’m letting this phobia dictate my life somewhat. Even when my family members are ill I can’t help them, I become a mess, rocking, sweating, shaking, full blown fight or flight mode.. i have tried to see a few psychologists about this but it’s the exposure therapy that I can’t deal with. If anyone suffers with the same phobia or even coping techniques for another phobia, any suggestions and advice is welcomed!

mayab I need some support, I don't know what to do
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I'm new here but I just thought I'd give this a go. I'm not sure where to start exactly- I've had severe anxiety, depression and OCD for the past 5 or so years of my life but it has gotten really bad in the past couple of years. I've bee... View more

Hi everyone, I'm new here but I just thought I'd give this a go. I'm not sure where to start exactly- I've had severe anxiety, depression and OCD for the past 5 or so years of my life but it has gotten really bad in the past couple of years. I've been getting more intrusive thoughts and recently had a few weeks off because of suicidal issues. I don't really know what I'm hoping to get out of this post, I just can't seem to deal with everyday life. Even the smallest things like getting on a train or walking around the city by myself trigger my anxiety, and on top of that I just have a constant backlog of depressive and existential thoughts that I can never pull myself out of. I just don't really know what to do anymore; I feel so stuck in my life, like everything I have tried already hasn't worked and nothing is changing- my parents don't want me to go on medication (I'm 17) so they've given me a lot of natural things to try and I've seen a psychologist but that hasn't been effective. I don't always know how to articulate what I'm feeling but I'm just in a constant state of stress and pain, sometimes physical. When it's really bad my chest tightens and really hurts and I can't breathe. I do talk to friends about it, but the problem is that the ones I'm closest to are dealing with the same issues and we can't really help each other. Regardless of this, it's just always the same cycle- I have a panic attack or a breakdown, I talk to my parents and friends, nothing changes then everyone moves on. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of what I should do, or if anyone has experienced the same thing. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

batfinq anxiety/panic/ocd
  • replies: 3

25 years ago I had a severe panic attack, I went to the hospital and was sent home with some medication, I seemed to not be able to breathe propely, or take a deep breath or yawn, saw a g.p who said to exercise, so I did, however I got worse, I start... View more

25 years ago I had a severe panic attack, I went to the hospital and was sent home with some medication, I seemed to not be able to breathe propely, or take a deep breath or yawn, saw a g.p who said to exercise, so I did, however I got worse, I started thinking about and trying to control my breathing, 25 years later, numerous g.p's, psychologists and psychiatrists, different diagnosis from bipolar, ptsd, anxiety/panic disorder and others, I have lost count of medications and also suffer from insomnia due to obsessing about my breathing, when telling professionals about it I got the same reply....you know breathing is automatic so you dont have to think about it...yes i know!!!, I know take zolpidem for sleep which puts me to sleep, finally after 25 yrs I can sleep, however it doesnt stop me thinking about my breathing and bedtime silence makes it worse, I now have developed more problems, were my heartbeat is noticed, also feels like its beating in my head, I lost all friends and family doesnt want to know me, medication I was on has damaged some organs and apart from my kids life is lonely, I have been suicidal and depressed, exhausted and drained, I recently found something online fter years of searching about sensorimotor OCD. is there anywhere or anyone that is familiar with this ocd and could offer some help,