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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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Snickers24 Anxiety and depression
  • replies: 1

Hi I'd like to get some advice about how you manage anxiety. Mine is out of control. I am now confined to the house. I can't go to the supermarket to get groceries . I can't drive my car properly or go long distances. I can't do anything. This is cau... View more

Hi I'd like to get some advice about how you manage anxiety. Mine is out of control. I am now confined to the house. I can't go to the supermarket to get groceries . I can't drive my car properly or go long distances. I can't do anything. This is causing depression. I'm already on an anti psychotic for schizophrenia. I don't know what to do.

louxz Job Provider Anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I've been struggling with chronic GAD & MDD for around 8yrs & have been on Centrelink payments for around 2 yrs. Looking for work whilst seeing a psychologist was generally pretty easy sailing at first. My job provider was understanding & mor... View more

Hi all, I've been struggling with chronic GAD & MDD for around 8yrs & have been on Centrelink payments for around 2 yrs. Looking for work whilst seeing a psychologist was generally pretty easy sailing at first. My job provider was understanding & more than happy to help me. I didn't need therapy anymore & was coping. But then at the start of this year he left the office & I was placed with a different provider who worked there. At first she seemed to like me & wanted to help. I gained a certificate 3 in floristry last year & she was excited to start trying to place me in a florist. It seemed I'd found employment with a local florist but after 6 months of back & forth between them about the wage subsidy, the job fell through. During these 6 months my provider constantly promised a 2 week paid trial with the florist, saying that they'd call me about it when it was confirmed. This never happened & each fortnight I was pulled up & down in mood as a result. After an appointment where the florist wasn't even mentioned, I ended up contacting the florist myself & found out that she wasn't able to afford me & was upset that my job provider hadn't told me. My job provider actually ended up telling me 2 weeks after I'd found out from the florist. Now I must note that after speaking to her & understanding her situation, I'm on good terms with the florist & have done some voluntary work experience with her since. All this leads up to now, where my job provider seems to dislike me. After the florist job fell through she gave me a long, belittling lecture about how I have been on the dole for 2 years & how I needed to do better, this despite completing my course, taking steps to improve my mental health (aka a barrier to employment) & completely disregarding the fact that they had dragged me along for 6 months trying to sort out that florist job for me. Now when I see her each fortnight she seems to look down on me, making me feel small & useless, despite all I have done. I want to make it clear that I do want a job & I am looking for work diligently but she disregards my efforts & talks to me like I'm a lazy "dole bludger". My appointments are now plagued with a crippling anxiety & I have had a drop in mood which has lead me back to therapy. I'm having anxiety attacks again (after a long while without them). I find it difficult to go back to my provider & am now struggling with motivation to find work. Is there anything I can do to help this situation?

Chloe90 Please help NEW JOB Xtreme Anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hey Guys, I started a new job 1 week ago and it has been the longest most exhausting week. I’ve cried nearly everyday and been anxious. Prior to this I was handling my anxiety and depression quite well with medication and my part time job (approx 15-... View more

Hey Guys, I started a new job 1 week ago and it has been the longest most exhausting week. I’ve cried nearly everyday and been anxious. Prior to this I was handling my anxiety and depression quite well with medication and my part time job (approx 15-25 hours a week). My new job is different hours 9-5 / 4 days a week so I’m not sure if that’s what has set me off. I haven’t felt so terrible in a long time and I don’t know what to do. I guess I just want to hear other people’s stories does it get better, should I quit or will this make it worse? Why can’t I be a normal person that goes to work. I don’t feel like myself and am thinking did I make a mistake leaving my other job?? Please help!!

Cameron005 Struggling with Pure O...
  • replies: 7

Hi all. I am 44 divorced father of a lovely 10 year old girl. About 3 years ago i woke up with what can only be described as the worst thought ever about my family members...i had no idea where it came from nor had it happened before. It scared me a ... View more

Hi all. I am 44 divorced father of a lovely 10 year old girl. About 3 years ago i woke up with what can only be described as the worst thought ever about my family members...i had no idea where it came from nor had it happened before. It scared me a great deal which led to depression about why this had happened and where it was headed, especially at 41 years of age. So began my last 3 years, these thoughts vary from harm, sexual, etc etc and obviously horrible. My strategies ranged from panic / why me / 'trigger' removal/ isolation / fighting or blocking them. This was obviously very tiring and caused me to be depressed as i just wanted to go back to my usual happy go lucky self. Funny thing this always happens when i am on holiday or not busy and have lots of down time. As soon as i am busy they go away and i love those times as i am my usual self. I dont wash my hands 10 times nor lock doors, nor have physical compulsions. I do all my fighting internally which as you can imagine is quite tiring. the overriding emotion is guilt, and fighting these thoughts and impulses and trying to be happy again. The worst is that when they come back, it usually around spending time with my family, which causes me to say to myself 'right, if i get through this weekend and get back home, everything will be fine'....This is no way to live a life as its like i am wishing my life away... I spoke to a psychologist last week and she was nice, gave me advice reinforcing that i am not that person that the thoughts are focused on and the more you fight them, the more they stay around. If i was to write down some of the worst thoughts (which i never will) you would and could only laugh but when you have them over and over and you try to come up with dealing with them it is no fun at all. The worst i guess is the depression that comes with you remembering what you were like when you didnt have them and the days that you are 'happy and like you once were' make you so happy. I have tried st johns wort but even the psychologist had not heard of it. So that's whats happening. I can tell what type of day i am going to have as soon as i wake up. If its not an intrusive ridiculous and horrendous thought, then i can look forward to the day. Not sure what happens from here but its just good to get it off my chest! Thanks

Benjamin85 Change of meds
  • replies: 6

Hello. I just started my first day on a new medication, after coming off another over the last 5 weeks. Its been probably the worst few weeks of my life i havent been able to go to work for the last three weeks and was just wondering how long does it... View more

Hello. I just started my first day on a new medication, after coming off another over the last 5 weeks. Its been probably the worst few weeks of my life i havent been able to go to work for the last three weeks and was just wondering how long does it usually take to feel the effects of the new meds. I also to take an antidepressant which i am also reducing and coming off of, plus other medications. Im having trouble sleeping and cant really afford to miss anymore work after this week. Im just abit lost at the moment

Kyra13 Is it anxiety or depression?
  • replies: 3

Hi All I'm a newbie to the site and seeking some clarification from those who have real life experience of anxiety and/or depression. I have been to my GP and a psych for what they believe is depression and stress but I feel it is more an anxiety iss... View more

Hi All I'm a newbie to the site and seeking some clarification from those who have real life experience of anxiety and/or depression. I have been to my GP and a psych for what they believe is depression and stress but I feel it is more an anxiety issue. It's not that I get a racing heart or classic panic attacks which is what they seem to look for as indicators of anxiety. Instead my anxiety causes a physical/mental/emotional shut down. I know I am an overthinker and a perfectionist (without EVER getting things perfect.. Lol). I place high expectations on myself especially academically and at work. I always feel like I'm underachieving and should be doing things better. Simple things like sorting paperwork and tidying up create so much angst that I have to walk away from it as I feel like I'm going to be consumed by fear. I dread going out and meeting new people. I feel like I have no life experience worth sharing with others. I even question myself about being on the Autism spectrum or ADD because I am familiar with these conditions through my work. Does anxiety always have to be associated with a racing heart and panic attacks or can it be a fear based? I want to improve my life but I feel trapped by this stupid fear! Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Shebs Anxiety and Depression
  • replies: 2

Hi I have had Depression and Anxiety for 27 years. I was able to handle it ok for most of that time on antidepressants but after caring for my elderly parents for 15 years and losing my dad 10 years ago. Now my mum is in an aged care home and I am se... View more

Hi I have had Depression and Anxiety for 27 years. I was able to handle it ok for most of that time on antidepressants but after caring for my elderly parents for 15 years and losing my dad 10 years ago. Now my mum is in an aged care home and I am severely anxious and depressed! I wake up feeling nauseous, cold, shaking and stressed. I try to visit mum every day a feel deep depression when I leave her. I have no family support or friends to talk to. I have an understanding GP who is very good with mental health and he has been great! But even extra medication has failed to stop my anxiety! I cant get out of bed and avoid social situations most of the time. is mum the reason I’m so bad?

justskips My story – Am I Normal or Abnormal.
  • replies: 3

I was diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer when in 2013 … I had 2 years of intensive chemotherapy. and I elected to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction, given the severity and grade of cancer. I also had 7 years of medication – total h... View more

I was diagnosed with HER-2 positive breast cancer when in 2013 … I had 2 years of intensive chemotherapy. and I elected to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction, given the severity and grade of cancer. I also had 7 years of medication – total hormone blocking treatment. It was a hard slog. I lost my job and moved in with my mother, as I had recently broken up with my life long partner and had nowhere else to go. She cleaned up my vomit and lifted me up to take sips of water etc. I then decided to be my mums full time carer until she died, for 7 years. I did for her what she did for me. and what no one else would do. After all that I had to find my way again in a hard and unforgiving world. I had been out of the workforce for between 5 – 7 years. I have been trying to get back into the workforce. Pre-cancer I was a very successful Software Engineer and IT manager, who had never been short of work in my life. After knock back after knock back and a million reasons why I was unemployable, I went back to university to update my skills. I’m halfway through a Post Graduate degree in Cyber Security and getting distinctions. However, I have had to do it part-time because of the unrecognised and unspoken about side effects and long-lasting effects of cancer and cancer treatment. I still suffer extreme fatigue, illness due to a compromised immune system and grief for the loss of my old superwoman self. This is compounded by the expectations of the society around me, who do not understand and who refuse to acknowledge that side effects exist. There is an overwhelming societal voice that says to you after you’ve survived cancer, which says ‘well what’s the problem, you’ve beaten cancer. Your one of the luck ones ..get on with it..!!’ Whereas cancer specialists say ‘ you have to slow down, stop being a perfectionist and smell the roses….. REDUCE STRESS’. Why is reducing stress SO IMPORTANT to a cancer survivor …. STRESS changes the cell structures creating an environment for cancer to thrive. I am on Newstart allowance. I was never granted a disability allowance, because cancer is not recognised as a disability. I apply for approximate 40 jobs per month on top of my university degree, just trying to get a job and satisfy the Centrelink requirements. I want a job, but I don’t know if I can handle a job. My fragile physical strength and susceptibility to Stress create a pressure capsule which I get trapped in. I can’t explain this to my Centrelink provider – they have limited knowledge of cancer and the same with the average GP. Once you have exited the Cancer Specialists realm – you are tossed back into the ignorant mainstream. I suffer from anxiety – sometimes extreme anxiety and stress, because I can’t do what people want and expect me to do. I can’t fit back into the square anymore. I get called ‘lazy’ and a ‘slob’ because I don’t and can’t do what a ‘normal’ person can do. I am now vomiting the weekend before every Centrelink appointments because I haven’t found a job. I have had some interviews which appear to me to go well, but I am always overlooked. I don’t have the answers to everyone questions ….???? Am I ‘Normal’ or am I ‘abnormal’…??? Do I have a mental condition.?? Or am I just a ‘victim’, like everyone says I am. I can’t do what everyone wants me to be able to do. I’m 56 years old and a cancer survivor, but I feel like society wants me to be 25 and a super athlete.

Azhure101 Anxiety over partners health. Need a break
  • replies: 3

I'm new here. Waiting till 3 so I can do chat with the counselor.... For the last 6 months my partners health has deteriorated is some ways and gotten better in others. Chronic pancreatitis has gotten better but now there are bouts of excessive tired... View more

I'm new here. Waiting till 3 so I can do chat with the counselor.... For the last 6 months my partners health has deteriorated is some ways and gotten better in others. Chronic pancreatitis has gotten better but now there are bouts of excessive tiredness, difficulty staying awake, and difficulty concentrating. I'm so tired. I've just lost my job. We have 2 young children. I feel like I'm breaking. And I dont know how to stop it. I need to keep it together for my family but all I want is to break down. I have daily anxiety attacks. I go to sleep anxious. I wake up anxious. Its stopping me from enjoying anything. No questions I can think of I just needed to get it out

k00lkat Work Freak Out
  • replies: 1

Hey I'm new here. I was just wondering if I could go to a regular doctor and get a doctors note for my anxiety? I had a panic attack at work and now my bosses want my doctor to write them a note but the last time I saw someone was years ago and they ... View more

Hey I'm new here. I was just wondering if I could go to a regular doctor and get a doctors note for my anxiety? I had a panic attack at work and now my bosses want my doctor to write them a note but the last time I saw someone was years ago and they were for children. Can I simply just get my doctor to write a note stating that I'm mentally stable or do they have to write something else? Thank you in Advance