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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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Jamie1984 Reset Button
  • replies: 5

Hi all What's eveyones ways of hitting that reset button. Yesterday I had a very anxious overwhelming day felt like i was on a poor mode of auto pilot and was just over everything. I just want to flick a switch a turn myself of until the next day to ... View more

Hi all What's eveyones ways of hitting that reset button. Yesterday I had a very anxious overwhelming day felt like i was on a poor mode of auto pilot and was just over everything. I just want to flick a switch a turn myself of until the next day to which I was hoping my mood would improve. Cheers guys from a guy going through a rollercoaster of up n downs.

moganjae_12 i feel like i'm trapped..
  • replies: 1

is it just me? i feel like i'm trapped in a box and there is no way to escape.. my anxiety takes control of me and i cant find a way to get a grip and fix it, i am whats called a severe hypochondriac, every moment of every day i am constantly worried... View more

is it just me? i feel like i'm trapped in a box and there is no way to escape.. my anxiety takes control of me and i cant find a way to get a grip and fix it, i am whats called a severe hypochondriac, every moment of every day i am constantly worried about getting sick, it prevents me from doing everything, just simple things like eating breakfast because i'm worried i'm going to get food poisoning but it feels like life it falling apart because its not just my anxiety its everything, it feels like everything is falling on top of me and i can't get out because everything else in my life just makes it seem like a bigger deal but i don't know if i'm in over my head, if i'm making it a big deal or if anyone else feels the same? i have panic attacks on a daily basis and i don't know how to cope anymore

Baker82 Child with Anxiety after being bullied at school.
  • replies: 2

Hi this is my first time here. My son is 9 and last term at school he was physically and mentally bullied at school and the school handled it really quite bad. The schools way to deal with it was to try and make him be friends with the kid and tell h... View more

Hi this is my first time here. My son is 9 and last term at school he was physically and mentally bullied at school and the school handled it really quite bad. The schools way to deal with it was to try and make him be friends with the kid and tell him he was not allowed to tell the child who who bullied him he couldn't play with him. I had so many meetings over the term with the school and they couldn't understand how this was wrong and even said that my son could "fix" this other child as he has behavior issues and my son is quite bright and is a strict rule follower and is quite gentle and values good friends. Ever since he has dreaded going to school. The little boy has settled down and his behavior towards my son has turned around. However My sons anxiety of a morning is terrible. He is always either sick or has a sore tummy or headache. I even took a video of him this morning. I thought it might be better after the holidays but its not. He is apparently OK during the day and once he sees his friends he waves at them but still quiet with his head down. He Expresses he doesn't like the noise at school??? its a new thing. The school yard is small and quite busy for the amount of kids in it and I don't think that helps. He is a really bright boy and loves learning and for him to be feeling like this about school is heartbreaking. We are thinking about moving him and his brother to a new school next year but wonder if we should try and get them in this year would that help? any suggestions would be grateful. Thank you

Booklover17 My mind is racing
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, I guess I really wanted to vent to people who will understand. I have so many problems/ issues at the moment and in the past few days it has been so hard for me to not let those thoughts rule my mind/ life. I do have anxiety and sometime... View more

Hi everyone, I guess I really wanted to vent to people who will understand. I have so many problems/ issues at the moment and in the past few days it has been so hard for me to not let those thoughts rule my mind/ life. I do have anxiety and sometimes have panic attacks. I do see a psychologist. It’s just I want to be more positive and not just focus on my problems. How does anyone on here get through that?

Volar 13 Years and still anxious - tips?
  • replies: 4

Hi All, I wanted to start by giving a background... I grew up with great family and friends, and nothing from my past really was stressful or bad. My parents are very liberal meaning that drinking from a young age was allowed, which didn't interest m... View more

Hi All, I wanted to start by giving a background... I grew up with great family and friends, and nothing from my past really was stressful or bad. My parents are very liberal meaning that drinking from a young age was allowed, which didn't interest me much. They also smoke (not cigarettes) which is something I seemed to enjoy a lot more, no hangover or loss of control etc. Most/all of my friends got into smoking and other stuff pretty early on and yet still managed to be A students, ending up at good Universities and now all have good/well paid jobs. I used to smoke most days for 8ish years and at weekends do other stuff. I then decided one day to stop it all as I was bored of it....still no anxiety. One summers day after a few drinks I went to a shop and bought a "legal high," thinking by this point in my life not much could really affect me I took it...an hour went past and then I started being sick, sweating and feeling very unwell. I decided to take myself home, where I spent the next 8 hours shivering and throwing up. This is where my anxiety started...every morning for 6ish months I would wake up and want to throw up and I would shiver myself to sleep every night. At work it felt like the screen was moving around and had this constant "root" down my throat and in my stomach making me want to gag. I spoke to friends and professionals who all asked "what are you anxious about?" The answer...nothing, apart from the feeling of being anxious. I remembered a few relaxation techniques I had learnt as a kid - slow breathing and think of somewhere you feel relaxed (beach under a palm tree, with my hand in the sand). This seemed to get me through most days when things were bad. My brother then committed suicide after battling with being bi-polar, all of a sudden my anxiety was gone (perhaps the shock cleared my thought paths). I now have a good job, great wife/friends and am healthy and fit. I still go through patches of anxiety and depression, but they are less frequent/severe. When the anxiety comes I tell myself I can get through it, use the relaxation techniques and I always do. The worst bit about anxiety for me is the physical feeling (the "root") that makes you feel sick, faint, heart racing and want to gag and unfortunately after 13 years I still don't know how to cope with this and you can't tell people about it or be labeled as mad etc. Anyone got any tips?

maryjg Anxiety before starting new job
  • replies: 2

I recently accepted a new job offer and gave 4 weeks notice of resignation at my current job. I have been at my current job for more than 2 years. Ever since that day I have been feeling anxious and having obsessive thoughts about changing jobs and w... View more

I recently accepted a new job offer and gave 4 weeks notice of resignation at my current job. I have been at my current job for more than 2 years. Ever since that day I have been feeling anxious and having obsessive thoughts about changing jobs and worrying that I’ve made a bad career move, or that I will hate the new job or be bad at it, and then lose the job and be unemployed. I’ve been crying at lunch time and constantly talking about it. It’s partly a fear of change; even though I didn’t love my current job it became familiar and I knew what to expect and knew what I was doing. Its partly a fear of the uncertain/unknown because I won’t know exactly what the job will be like until I start. And as it is a newly created position no one really knows at this stage. Also I won’t know I am secure in the job until after the 6 month probation. I have a month until I start this job! I don’t want to feel this way for 4 weeks and then potentially have it get worse when I start!

TheatreGal Getting through anxiety relapses
  • replies: 10

Hello I’m new to these forums but not new to anxiety. I have experienced 3 significant bouts of anxiety in my life: the first at 16, another in my early 20s (when I first went on an SSRI) and this third, which struck a few months ago, as I rapidly ap... View more

Hello I’m new to these forums but not new to anxiety. I have experienced 3 significant bouts of anxiety in my life: the first at 16, another in my early 20s (when I first went on an SSRI) and this third, which struck a few months ago, as I rapidly approach the big 4-0. I don’t know exactly what triggered my latest bout. Just general, ongoing, modern life stress that I neglected to address. The anxiety hit swiftly and packed a real punch. Cue time off work, my Mum moving in with me, adjustments to the amount of my long-term SSRI plus addition of another anti-anxiety medication, lots of crying and my first ever trip in an ambulance to the ER! I have an amazing support network and over the past few months have been piecing things back together. Then this week the anxiety really welled up again. I wasn’t expecting it and I’m working on it, but I just wanted to reach out to others who’ve been in this position. How best did you manage the relapses? How do you fight the feelings of failing and generally being discouraged? How hard did you push yourself to get back to “normal” again? Appreciate any and all tips and general positive vibes!

perfectparalysis Possible disorder hurting me and my family
  • replies: 3

I am seeking for some advice on what I should be doing about some internal struggles I have been having for years. I feel like there is some kind of obsessive disorder that I am struggling with. I don't want anyone to have to do anything but I get an... View more

I am seeking for some advice on what I should be doing about some internal struggles I have been having for years. I feel like there is some kind of obsessive disorder that I am struggling with. I don't want anyone to have to do anything but I get angry (because I'm physically tired) that no one helps. They tell me I say "no I will do that, let me help you" when I should be letting them do it to save me time. I also have a problem starting or finishing complex things because I keep trying to restart it a better way or abstract away the details to make a system for doing it next time when I shouldn't need worry about that. I have strong tendencies for procrastination and don't like conforming to ways of doing things other people tell me, I need to come up with it myself. I reinvent the wheel often. I can't keep living like this. I am the sole provider for my wife and 4 kids. I help my wife with her side businesses but I'm slowly getting behind in everything so I stay up later and later and am going to bed at 2/3am and getting up help get kids ready at 7am and get to work. Money is tight, and while we have bills and mortgage other bills covered and systems in place to manage any unforeseen problems, it's always a constant stress to me. I can't stop this obsession and need to before my physical health starts deteriating.

Timmy-two-hearts First full-time job
  • replies: 4

Hi all, First of all, thank you for beyond blue for having this place for me and like minded people to vent and find eachother to lean on. I am 26, have diagnosed anxiety and depression and have recently just got a job offer for my first full-time jo... View more

Hi all, First of all, thank you for beyond blue for having this place for me and like minded people to vent and find eachother to lean on. I am 26, have diagnosed anxiety and depression and have recently just got a job offer for my first full-time job. Up until now I have done uni and run my own business(very flexible). But I needed more stable income and I dove right in. Now that I have the job offer I am freaking out. I don't know if I can do this. Work everyday for the rest of my life. The commute (public transport) will be 4 hours a day and work hours are 8.30-5.00. Then there is the work.. I don't know if I can do it.. new people, new everything. The prospect alone makes me so nervous and break down into tears. I'm a mess. All types of thoughts are coming back and I don't know if I can do this. Help Tim

startingnew Super duper Anxious!!!
  • replies: 21

Hi guys im so so so anxious, like im going to explode. its driving me crazy and i cant get it under control ive been working on this all day inlcuding a helpline who told me to 'just use your coping strategies'. i have been and its just not helping. ... View more

Hi guys im so so so anxious, like im going to explode. its driving me crazy and i cant get it under control ive been working on this all day inlcuding a helpline who told me to 'just use your coping strategies'. i have been and its just not helping. ive tried breathing, exercise, a shower, playing with the animals, baking, my physio exercises, chilling to watch a tv show. it just keeps escalating no matter what i do! i dont have PRN medications either, and my supports are leaving so i dont have any of those yet until i find others to replace them. i dont know what else to do, its driving me up the walls esp internally. i feel so out of control. any suggestions anyone!?