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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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help643i Anxiety making a return
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I have had anxiety for a long time. It has been unpredictable for about 5 years now...I am 15. My anxiety was born out of a fear of fainting. I always had to leave the house eating a well balanced meal. This was manageable until life happened... View more

Hi all, I have had anxiety for a long time. It has been unpredictable for about 5 years now...I am 15. My anxiety was born out of a fear of fainting. I always had to leave the house eating a well balanced meal. This was manageable until life happened. I moved schools and felt alone which led to my thoughts wreaking havoc over me. I now have friends at my new school even though it took a year but I am now accompanied by a scarier version of what used to be my anxiety. I had a huge panic attack at work and went home feeling stupid for leaving etc. Self doubt spiralled into more environmental factors. My mum says I’m low in iron so now I’m scared I will pass out at any moment but I am too scared to take a blood test because I’m my head losing blood = fainting. My parents say they understand but yell at me for using the “sympathy card” when I’m just saying how I feel. I think they think I am self involved and ungrateful. I’ve shut them out, I want to move out and be free from work and school. I am so lucky to have everything I have got but I can’t enjoy it with this thing. I am doing a brief summary but basically my life has been planned in order to cater towards my anxiety. When friends ask to go out I always say let’s go to my place or your place because a home is the only place where I feel really safe. I’m kind of scared that my heart is just going to stop working from all of the stress I put on myself unnessecarily. I hope this is only a short part of my life because I’m really finding it hard to pretend it’s not there. Any tips on how to overcome this? I’m not sure if it’s physical or mental but it always ends up being mental so I’m going to believe it’s mental and not that I have some terminal disease that is making my heart beat weirdly and me feeling weak all the time. I kind of needed to rant and hear a kind voice in the midst of all this yelling.

Isla_Rose Anxiety tension in jaw
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, First time posting, new to the community. Ive been living with anxiety following a severe panic attack (first time either has happened to me) for the last 6 months. Course my fear is the fear of another panic attack. To provide backgroun... View more

Hi everyone, First time posting, new to the community. Ive been living with anxiety following a severe panic attack (first time either has happened to me) for the last 6 months. Course my fear is the fear of another panic attack. To provide background my panic attack happened during the night. I fainted, and struggled to breathe after the attack, like i couldn't get the air i needed. 2 hospital visits and an ambulance ride within the next 24 hours later, and i was diagnosed with a deviated septum (blocked airway in nose). Have since had the surgery to have this fixed. The time from being diagnosed to the surgery was a week. Though it was the hardest and darkest of my life. I couldnt eat or sleep. Recovery from this surgery is a slow one meaning it was weeks before i could breathe through my nose again. This messed with my brain. I had been seeing a psychologist, though havent seen him in awhile as ive been doing really good. im still finding i have tension in my jaw and wondered if anyone else might have some tips on how i can relax this?

teachersfirstau Workplace Bullying and It's Effects
  • replies: 2

Workplace Bullying is rife in State Government Departments and often those responsible get away with their actions. There is a failure of internal complaint management systems because management investigate complaints against managers of the same Dep... View more

Workplace Bullying is rife in State Government Departments and often those responsible get away with their actions. There is a failure of internal complaint management systems because management investigate complaints against managers of the same Department. Often the result of any investigation is "it's just a clash of personalities" or they deliberately delay an investigation in the hope that the victim resigns or just seeks a transfer or is transferred, rather than actually address the bullying first hand. Even if you go onto Workers Compensation, you are often returned to work without a psychological treatment plan. Even if a teacher actually attempts suicide, this is not reported to Safework NSW and there is no investigation. Any internal investigation does not include medical evidence and does not even include assessment of multiple complaints made against the one bully. What can be done about these systemic faults? Paul

Nkme Health Axiety "HELP"
  • replies: 6

I suffer terrible health anxiety. For about 3 years now I have suffered with the fear of getting breast cancer. I constantly check myself and it seems to be everywhere I look. I have been on medication now for 21 years. Just recently the doctors have... View more

I suffer terrible health anxiety. For about 3 years now I have suffered with the fear of getting breast cancer. I constantly check myself and it seems to be everywhere I look. I have been on medication now for 21 years. Just recently the doctors have given me a higher dose and something to help me sleep. I just cant stop thinking that i have breast cancer and that maybe the doctors missed something. I have seen 5 doctors and had ultrasounds in the last 12months and everything health wise is great. There is just that horrible thought and feeling of Anxiety that just creeps up on me. I start shaking and i cant breath properly. I was hoping that someone else out there suffered the same feeling about there health that could give me some advice or even just to talk. Its ruining my life and interfering with my social life also. I have lost all my friends due to them not understanding me.

jaspreet regarding anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi I have some issue regarding my anxiety etc my hand shakes when i am anxious and also i feel giddy ,I would need some advice what can i do reduce my anxiety, Thank You

Hi I have some issue regarding my anxiety etc my hand shakes when i am anxious and also i feel giddy ,I would need some advice what can i do reduce my anxiety, Thank You

Hlkin Tips for hanging in there
  • replies: 7

Hey everyone I have been struggling with episodic generalised anxiety and panic attacks for about 15 years. I had been going really well for about 2 years, and then I had a panic attack on the phone to my boss about 2 weeks ago. Since then I spiralle... View more

Hey everyone I have been struggling with episodic generalised anxiety and panic attacks for about 15 years. I had been going really well for about 2 years, and then I had a panic attack on the phone to my boss about 2 weeks ago. Since then I spiralled into my usual pattern of being unable to eat, non-stop vomiting and unable to stay asleep. I was able to recover within about a week, and I tried to return to work. I made it through 2 days before I melted down again, and with my GP's support I have the next two weeks off work. I have been seeing a psychologist through my work's EAP, and I have now got a mental health care plan in place which will allow me to continue with the same psychologist once the work-supported sessions run out. I feel like I am doing all the things I should be doing, I am trying to practice the mindful techniques to calm the panic symptoms, and trying to keep hyrdrated by sipping herbal tea, and when I can, eating a few bites of fruit. I am also trying to exercise, and spend some time outside. I am making lists of things I can do each day to try and achieve small things. I am also watching a little too much netflix. I am seeing the psychologist once a week at the moment, and while its helpful, I am finding the days inbetween tough. I feel very guilty about dropping out of work. I was hoping to draw on your collective wisdom for what are the day to day things you do to help your recovery. But inbetween these sessions, I am looking for

Alice2261 First time posting about my anxiety and I’m scared
  • replies: 4

Hi there Ive been a long time sufferer of anxiety and have been on medication for approx 6 years which was working well for me up until recently. My dr has now weaned me off a medication and I have started on another medication a week ago. These past... View more

Hi there Ive been a long time sufferer of anxiety and have been on medication for approx 6 years which was working well for me up until recently. My dr has now weaned me off a medication and I have started on another medication a week ago. These past couple of days though I have been very down and in tears on the verge of a panic attack. I feel so flat and not functioning very well. I’m scared i will never get better. Has anyone else had this when starting new medication? Is it something that gets worse before it gets better ? Any advice would be very much appreciated Thank you

Its_an_emma_thing Relationship anxiety... reality or imaginary???
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I literally felt like I needed to leave work this morning until I found this website. I would really appreciate any help / advice from anyone who can relate.. I feel I can now say I am a queen of over analyzing and overthinking. Reverse back ... View more

Hi all, I literally felt like I needed to leave work this morning until I found this website. I would really appreciate any help / advice from anyone who can relate.. I feel I can now say I am a queen of over analyzing and overthinking. Reverse back 2 years ago, I moved to Sydney and moved into an apartment with a friend of friends (male) and we initially hit it off..during the first 6 months of living together we grew to be best friends, socializing and doing lots together. Feelings did develop after about 8 months of friendship and we did start a "secret fling". This was exciting and I was so happy. We pretty much still acted as we had always done as friends except we were in the beginning stages of a relationship. After about 5 months (a confusing time for us both) we finally made our relationship official and have been together since (6 months officially). Lately we have been arguing a lot, primarily caused by my own insecurity and trust issues. My boyfriend is my best friend, I love him to bits and the more I fear loosing him the more I seem to push him away!? There is no reasoning to this behaviour, and I cant shake off the incredibly negative thoughts that seem to consume me. I constantly think he is going to cheat /fall out of love for me /etc..(even though he always reassures me and is very good to me, even in my most needy & vulnerable stages) I literally wake at night now just to hear that horrible voice in my head play out another negative and fearful scenario.. I have started to experience horrible nightmares about my relationship fears also. I'm so panicked that I keep thinking of leaving him but the thought of us not being together makes me sick with upset. I find myself crying at any stage throughout any day and at this stage I'm finding it hard to differentiate between reality and what my mind is fabricating.. He is semi aware of my anxiety but I find it so difficult to fully communicate properly to him when I barely understand what is happening to me myself.. Only last month he expressed a few snippets of where he would like to see 'our' future together going and this nearly made me burst with joy & happiness, as I felt "YES, we are on the same page" and since then I feel like I am destroying us.why?? even now I'm fearing it's too late and he's probably trying to think of a way to get out of our relationship...Should I make an appointment with a GP ? I feel so confused and so alone but I so badly want & need to feel like 'me' again!!

Wander Cannabis withdrawal, bipolar and anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi all, I have a dx of bipolar spectrum (still not sure where I lie on it though), and generalised anxiety. I have been smoking cannabis daily for 5 years now and it's been 3 days since I last used. I'm feeling restless and agitated, but exhausted an... View more

Hi all, I have a dx of bipolar spectrum (still not sure where I lie on it though), and generalised anxiety. I have been smoking cannabis daily for 5 years now and it's been 3 days since I last used. I'm feeling restless and agitated, but exhausted and despondent all at the same time. My mind races and it won't stop. I'm becoming increasingly overwhelmed and I can't relax. I've tried hot and cold showers and running. I've tried loud and gentle music but I've heard unintelligible voices in the music. I've tried meditation but it almost made things worse as I start to focus on how my body feels and that's not very pleasant right now. I have a headache, I'm nauseated, have no appetite, I feel weak and can't sleep. The physical stuff I know is likely just withdrawal and will pass but my thoughts are scaring me. I've tried to quit before but used alcohol and medication to calm me down and eventually started using again. To be honest I never believed cannabis could result in a withdrawal syndrome until I experienced it myself. I'm looking for other tips to calm my mind and body? Have any others had a similar experience when trying to quit smoking cannabis?

Zoe29280 I thought I'd beaten my anxiety (trigger warning, mention of suicide) 
  • replies: 2

I feel like my whole world is crashing down around me. I'd been doing so well for about 12months for the first time in forever I felt normal pfft.... well had normal reactions to situations instead of freaking out. I was happy with who i was inside a... View more

I feel like my whole world is crashing down around me. I'd been doing so well for about 12months for the first time in forever I felt normal pfft.... well had normal reactions to situations instead of freaking out. I was happy with who i was inside and out i was shining i could feel it. I'm a single mum abd I was loving life. and then I met someone, came completely out of left field we fell head over heels for each other and so quickly in a matter of weeks we could see our lives together. Then my sons dad committed suicide and it has thrown me, my new partner has been very understanding about my moods and has been a good influence on my son but I never imagined being a full time single mum. I've got no extra financial help, my mum and dad will take my son for a night here and there but only if I ask and my son isnt coping at school. My new partner is in the army and we're moving to NT in January but I'm scared and I feel like I'm bobbing in the ocean just keeping my head above water. My partner is away for a week with work and already I'm not coping with him being away, I'm so down nothing is cheering me up or getting me out of the mood I'm in he says hes there for me but I know how overwhelming my emotions can be for me what if he runs I haven't let anyone in in over 10 years, my ex wasn't very nice to me, and now I'm babbling.... Anyway I dont know what to do I'm so down when he calls me and bite his head off when he doesn't...... what do I do.