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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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Banjoman Have you experienced sleep paralysis?
  • replies: 6

wikipedia: Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon during which an individual is unable to move during falling asleep or awakening, but is aware of their surroundings. It is often accompanied by frightening hallucinations to which one is unable to react beca... View more

wikipedia: Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon during which an individual is unable to move during falling asleep or awakening, but is aware of their surroundings. It is often accompanied by frightening hallucinations to which one is unable to react because of paralysis and perceived physical experiences, such as a strong current running through the upper body. Hello everyone, Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis before? How did you deal with it? Does it happen often to you? I have just experienced my second frightening sleep paralysis episode with the last 3 years. I noticed I had a big headache and bout of anxiety before going to bed last night. It felt like I was strapped down and something was coming to get me, I tried calling out but had no function of my voice. After a few long seconds I was free. Now I feel knocked out as if I haven't slept all night. I am Thankful that it's Sunday and I don't have to go to work. Banjoman,

Angel_hand Returning to work after workplace discrimination and bullying causing anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi after 2.5 years of poor treatment at work, I am now diagnosed with acute anxiety. I am on stress leave at the moment and my manager have ask me to provide a letter from my doctor saying that I’m deems to return to work. My question is... how can a... View more

Hi after 2.5 years of poor treatment at work, I am now diagnosed with acute anxiety. I am on stress leave at the moment and my manager have ask me to provide a letter from my doctor saying that I’m deems to return to work. My question is... how can a doctor say that if our anxiety is cause from the circumstances and situation... my anxiety comes from the way they treat me. Can anyone advise if you have been asked for this certification to say you are deems to be fit for work, noting that I work indoor, at my desk. Thank you

Guest_937 Ruminations
  • replies: 3

How do you stop ruminations? I have a sense of impending doom so am scouring my life for all the mistakes I’ve made or might have made, to figure out which of them will send me to jail and ruin my life. It’s crazy I know. But I can’t stop. And becaus... View more

How do you stop ruminations? I have a sense of impending doom so am scouring my life for all the mistakes I’ve made or might have made, to figure out which of them will send me to jail and ruin my life. It’s crazy I know. But I can’t stop. And because I can’t remember everything clearly (I’m going back 2-3years) I’m sure I have made some kind of mistake that I’ve blocked out and I’m some kind of horrible person committing crimes that I can’t even remember. It’s like I think if I figure out what it is I can somehow fix it before it ruins my life, so my brain is on overdrive thinking of all the possibilities.

RebeccaL What's the point of life?
  • replies: 6

All you do is sleep, work and watch everything and everyone around you die. It's horrible

All you do is sleep, work and watch everything and everyone around you die. It's horrible

Lalunia82 Anxiety comes back every 4 weeks
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am just wondering if anyone experienced something similar to me. I suffer from acute anxiety from Feb 2018. Since March I started my medication on antidepressants and I regularly see my Psychiatrist and Psychologist. The first few months were t... View more

Hi, I am just wondering if anyone experienced something similar to me. I suffer from acute anxiety from Feb 2018. Since March I started my medication on antidepressants and I regularly see my Psychiatrist and Psychologist. The first few months were the worst when my organism was getting use to the medication. After 2 months I had few weeks of relief and I felt like me again. unfortunately my anxiety came back and I was living the true hell for the next few weeks. My psychiatrist incrased my medication to maximum dose and after 2 weeks I went back to normal. Since then my anxiety is like a wave. 3-4 weeks I feel great, sleep like baby, laugh, go out with my friends and then another week anxiety is backs. I can’t sleep, can’t eat, cannot get up from bed, loose interest in any activities, don’t want to see my friends. Going to work in the morning after 2h sleep is a real torture. i don’t know why this is happening to me? Why I feel so great for almost a month and then I back in hell. Would my life always be like that?

Ovenroastedpickles Really struggling at the moment
  • replies: 3

Last weekend I had a panic attack for the first time in about 4 years and i'm struggling to deal with the lingering after effects. After the panic attack occured I was in a state of high anxiety for 48 hours afterwards with it slowly reducing as time... View more

Last weekend I had a panic attack for the first time in about 4 years and i'm struggling to deal with the lingering after effects. After the panic attack occured I was in a state of high anxiety for 48 hours afterwards with it slowly reducing as time hascontinued. Its been a week now and i'm struggling with waves of anxiety, racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts, boughts of crying and disassociation. I have been to see my doctor and we're going to put me on a mental health plan and probably look at medication. I've dealt with anxiety and depression since I was a teenager and have always been able to self manage and cope. I have spent many sleepless nights learning new coping strategies and practicing putting them in place. They work pretty well most of the time for mild symptoms. This last weekend was the worst i've ever experienced and none of my usual methods were helping at all. I got desperate to the point where I ended up having medication to help calm the physical and mental symptoms. Sad to say this did nothing to aleviate any of my anxiety surprisingly. I am feeling much better today then I have recently but the thing I'm really struggling with is the disassociation and withdrawal/isolation. My partner is the most amazing person in the world. Despite him going through the death of a family member he's been there to comfort me through this whole episode but it's making me feel worse. I can even muster up the strength to even try at the moment. I love him so much but at the moment I cant find anything under the heavy blanket of fog I feel right now. We have been together for almost two years and this is the first time he's experienced me this way, though I have been honest about my struggles in the past. My defence mechanism when I feel this way is just to withdraw from life until I feel well enough to start reintergrating but I've never had to do this when I have someone who loves and cares about me. I feel like i'm bringing him down and if I dont snap out of it soon he's either going to get super sad or mad Not really sure what I want from this post but writing helps. Thanks for listening

SorrelTansy Panic, Anxiety - new to this journey
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone last weekend, I pretty much had a breakdown after holding grief in for nearly all my life of 60years. So now I have a mental health plan, antidepressants and benzodiazepines (when needed). I know it’s a process but the inconsolable sobbin... View more

Hi everyone last weekend, I pretty much had a breakdown after holding grief in for nearly all my life of 60years. So now I have a mental health plan, antidepressants and benzodiazepines (when needed). I know it’s a process but the inconsolable sobbing, the irrational behaviour and panic at times, is quite difficult to go through. At times I’m just so irrational that I can’t even think of all those things I’m supposed to do when it happens. I get caught up in it and then it passes. Also the tingly, electrical feeling that is chronic anxiety. Very difficult to deal with as is the breathlessness. I know it’s a process until the medication kicks in but what can I do until then? I’m so afraid to take benzodiazepines because my Dr did warn me that it’s addictive. i want to call beyond blue to chat but feel like a nuisance and won’t be able to stop crying

KKR [Does it get easier?] 3 weeks after my first ever panic attack - medication, therapy and confiding in colleagues and loved ones
  • replies: 1

3 weeks ago I was sitting on my bed working away on my laptop preparing for an upcoming event. My partner arrived home and asked me how my day was..I began explaining my day was not unlike any other when all of the sudden I began hyperventilating unc... View more

3 weeks ago I was sitting on my bed working away on my laptop preparing for an upcoming event. My partner arrived home and asked me how my day was..I began explaining my day was not unlike any other when all of the sudden I began hyperventilating uncontrollably. I became disorientated and found myself crawling across the bedroom floor reaching for a wall in hopes of finding a sense of stability somehow. I was terrified and trying to ask my partner to call the ambulance but I couldn't get the words out. I simply couldn't speak. I genuinely believed I was having a stroke or minor heart attack. After some minutes, my breathing began to normalise and I was able to get to the bathroom to throw back 2 benzodiazepine tablets. I climbed into bed, pulled the covers up and laid awake the entire night staring around the room. I found this particularly frightening as i've never been able to keep my eyes open after having 1 tablet, let alone 2. I knew something wasn't right. I went to the GP the following day and after clearing my physical examination, he explained he was quiet sure what i'd experienced was a panic attack and that it was possible I may experience another in the future. I've since been administered anti-depressants and have started seeing a psychotherapist once a week. Needless to say, I have never felt less like myself than what I do right now. At the moment I don't feel as though anyone in my life seems to fully comprehend how scared, alone and spaced out i'm feeling on a daily basis. Maybe someone here may understand when I say...I feel equal parts of wanting to be cuddled and reassured and equal parts of wanting to be completely isolated from the world. I haven't been the same since the panic attack, since starting this medication and since telling colleagues and friends whats really going on with me. It's all happened so fast and although I've been the one to take the initiative and seek support, I do feel as though i'm losing control of my identity in a way. Please someone tell me this journey get's easier.

IndianaDreaming Anxiety, panic attacks and living with a phobia
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am new to the community here and would like to share my experience with anxiety and phobia. I have suffered anxiety for many years now and was referred to three years ago by a GP to a psychologist for Social Anxiety and General Anxiety. I went ... View more

Hi, I am new to the community here and would like to share my experience with anxiety and phobia. I have suffered anxiety for many years now and was referred to three years ago by a GP to a psychologist for Social Anxiety and General Anxiety. I went to one session and never went back. The truth is, I couldn't even bring myself to tell my GP what was the true cause of my anxiety and suffering. I have a debilitating phobia of throwing up, and this year (almost three years later) after having my phobia more or less under control, I relapsed back into phobia and reached a point where I lost weight due to fear of eating, in fear that it would lead to me being sick. I know that my fear is irrational but it just feels so real. I always get comments from friends and family about my eating habits, I generally stick to bland foods (bread, biscuits, bananas, pasta) and trying new foods is a nightmare for me. I was overseas a few months ago when my phobia reached its peak effect - I was having at least two panic attacks a day, unable to eat any meals and sticking to biscuits or bananas which are my safe foods. My family could not understand my behaviour and panic attacks because I still can't bring myself to tell my friends and family the true nature of this phobia as it is so embarrassing. I have made a lot of progress in the past few months, though I still avoid going to restaurants/eating in public as much as possible. I look at other people and wonder how they can go about their day not worrying about what may happen if they eat. The past few weeks were great, I was eating at least two meals a day (not in public) which was a significant improvement for me. But now during exam period, anxiety has yet again taken over me completely, I'm sometimes unable to do any study for hours as I wait for my panic attacks to pass. I also was told a story that triggered me on the weekend which threw most of my eating improvements out the window as I have now reverted back to old habits and skipping meals in fear I will be sick. My fear is so strong that even being told a story about someone being violently sick or hearing someone say the word can make me revert back to my skipping meals and avoiding danger food habits.. I'd love to have the courage to tell my family and friends about what is really causing my debilitating anxiety, and seek help from a doctor, but it's too embarrassing. I want to seek the help I need but I'm worried that I'll never find the right treatment.

SaltPep Newbie - looking to feel more independent when unwell
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, This is my first post. I’ve decided to join to use this forum to give me another tool for support without relying so heavily on my key supports (husband and sister who are both wonderful). Being overly-dependent on them when I am unwell ... View more

Hi everyone, This is my first post. I’ve decided to join to use this forum to give me another tool for support without relying so heavily on my key supports (husband and sister who are both wonderful). Being overly-dependent on them when I am unwell has become somewhat of a habit - to the point of needing one of them with me nearly 24/7, or at the very least having them “on call” constantly. This of course leaves me feeling petrified of being unable to handle it should they be unavailable, and lowers my sense of independence. I have a great psychiatrist (who helped me identify the above) and psychologist, and have just completed a couple of weeks in hospital to stabilise my anxiety and OCD and transition medications. I’ve never been to hospital for this before (aside from a short admission at age 11 to get my initial diagnosis) and was terrified. But I settled and felt really good for a lot of it, and benefitted well from the structure. Of course, now I am out, I’m terrified too. But I think that’s normal. Today is my first day at home without my husband, so dealing with my anxiety on my own, and it’s been up and down. And so I found myself here. As part of my OCD/anxiety I am prone to “reassurance seeking”, so I think I need to be careful with how I use this forum to make sure I don’t end up using it for that purpose. Any tips from people who feel they have a good balance on this would be very welcome - I don’t want to replace one unhealthy coping mechanism with another! Thanks

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