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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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Kate44 Post wedding anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hi all I have posted here before but have had my anxiety under control for quite a few months however I recently got married and life was pretty hectic in the lead up to that. I felt great in the lead up but I was looking forwards to having some more... View more

Hi all I have posted here before but have had my anxiety under control for quite a few months however I recently got married and life was pretty hectic in the lead up to that. I felt great in the lead up but I was looking forwards to having some more free time after the wedding. 2 days after the wedding I had one of the worst panic attacks I’ve ever had and have since been left literally feeling dizzy almost 24/7 a day. I know it’s a symptom of my anxiety but No matter what techniques I use to manage it it won’t go away and I’m now exhausted because it’s always there. I simply can’t spend every waking moment feeling dizzy, I’m thinking of making a doctors appointment as my GP is quite good but he is unavailable for the next 2 weeks. Should I see someone new or wait it out? My anxiety is at its worst when I’m at work as I tend to have time to think about it. My work does not distract me enough to forget about it and I feel like my performance is suffering. We have so many people away that I feel bad taking any time off.

Shellwin Anxious, scared & sad
  • replies: 4

Ok, where to even begin. i have , for as long as I can remember felt different. I don’t fit in with the mainstream (and don’t really want to) and find it difficult in social situations, although I fake it. Smile, chat etc etc & go home exhausted. I h... View more

Ok, where to even begin. i have , for as long as I can remember felt different. I don’t fit in with the mainstream (and don’t really want to) and find it difficult in social situations, although I fake it. Smile, chat etc etc & go home exhausted. I have always had bouts of sadness & feelings of “what’s the point” my mind is always questioning everything & trying to find reason in the things we’re supposed to do & the things society expects of us. I self medicated a lot in my youth but just suffered through it as I got older. I was taking medication for 3 years but that just made me feel numb. So I’m not on anything at the moment. I wish I could be happy. I feel my mental state is so ingrained in me that it is actually me and can’t be changed. I wish I could take a holiday from myself. i see other people enjoying life & being happy & im just here like Is there a secret reset to factory settings button located somewhere on the human body, coz that’d be great. I hate that my brain works against me. Why can’t we be friends. I need to learn how to play these cards I’ve been dealt & how to beat the game it’s playing, at the moment I’m running around with a fist full of crumpled ass cards screaming WHAT THE FRICK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS!! WHAT A CRAP HAND! Anyhoo, I need help but I don’t know where to even begin. Maybe I’ll just take another nap. rant over. thanks for listening. Fin

Thunderdog Can you ever be "cured"of Social Anxiety?
  • replies: 3

Hi, So I have social anxiety and I'm really down in the dumps about it now. I've been struggling with this for my whole life, I'm now 24. Talked to various specialists over the last 6 months and I am now on meds. The last 6 months I have never been w... View more

Hi, So I have social anxiety and I'm really down in the dumps about it now. I've been struggling with this for my whole life, I'm now 24. Talked to various specialists over the last 6 months and I am now on meds. The last 6 months I have never been worse... And by social anxiety I mean vomiting food back up if I eat around people, just vomiting in general or fainting at parties or before public speaking, never knowing what to say in groups and just stay quiet, plus all the other normal symptoms like sweating, hyperventilating etc. People think I just prefer being alone or I'm arrogant but I've now realised that all I really want is to be social. Its just the anxiety which prevents me because its so repulsing to feel that way. Generally they say I need to accept that I'm just an introverted person but I don't think I am. On rare occasions I've been the classic socialite at parties with people I don't know, then other times on the brink of a panic attack just being out with my brother who I trust more then anyone. I have a friend who is one of the most outgoing people I know but tells me they were really shy and only ever had one friend in school, this just seems crazy to me. So my question is can the social anxiety go away? Can it be beaten or is it something that will always linger and I just have to learn to live with/manage? I understand that everyone gets shy and nervous in some situations but most people don't loose their lunch at a family reunion. I feel like if the SA goes away it will make me a more likeable person which will help with getting a social group which will help the depression and boost the confidence and so on. Thanks

LostonaForum Should I Face My OCD
  • replies: 2

I have been diagnosed with depression and PTSD both of which I am medicated for and see a psychologist about, but there is one diagnosis that I chose to ignore and that's OCD. This one came to me as a surprise because I hear people go "I have a littl... View more

I have been diagnosed with depression and PTSD both of which I am medicated for and see a psychologist about, but there is one diagnosis that I chose to ignore and that's OCD. This one came to me as a surprise because I hear people go "I have a little OCD" or "I'm OCD about this" so I assumed that my rules and cleanliness came down to little quirks of mine. When I found out I had OCD it did kinda click and it did make sense but I didn't want it to go away because when everything is the way it should be I feel calm and a great sense of peace washes over me that when I think about no longer having that feeling I get kinda tense and choose to ignore the idea of addressing my problem. Today though I had a panic attack because someone put milk into my clear glass mug (even thinking about it makes me sick) it should be noted that I live with roommates and although they share plates and cooking equipment I own my own set of everything which only I can use. I have a rule that water based drinks can only be drunken from clear glass cups and milk based drinks can only be drunken from non-see through clay or porcelain like mugs and cups. This to me makes sense and feels right but when someone messed up my system it felt like my cup became contaminated and now i'll have to wash it out fairly rigorously to use it again. For the first time I realized how obsessive I can be. Looking around in my bedroom it shows up again with my bed being made a certain way and everything being placed on my desk at a certain angle on a particular spot. But I feel scared to lose my OCD because I've had it for so long that it's one of the only ways I have to cope with everything else in my life. P.S. I'm incredibly embarrassed about my OCD so please be kind.

Britt_B_Bear Phobia of my child getting hurt. New to anxiety attacks.
  • replies: 3

I have two kids, aged 8 and 4, so I dont really fit into the "new stressed out mum" catagory. The eldest, a girl, is a dream child. Compliant, sweet and well adjusted. The 4 year old, a boy, is a trainwreck. He is the most hazardous, accident prone c... View more

I have two kids, aged 8 and 4, so I dont really fit into the "new stressed out mum" catagory. The eldest, a girl, is a dream child. Compliant, sweet and well adjusted. The 4 year old, a boy, is a trainwreck. He is the most hazardous, accident prone child I have ever known. When he was born, everything was fine, except when we went for the first feed, he couldnt work out how to feed and breathe at the same time. He went blue. Once we stopped feeding, he was fine. It was weird. But after a day, he workeed it out. Just to give you an indication of how calm and in control was... the second time he did it in the ICU, I presse d the nurse alert button to ask for help, and all the doctors came flying because they assumed it was the "medical emerency" button. Anyway. Hes never really improved his coordination and has had multiple falls, bumps and grazes. Every kid gets it, I logically know that. However, when he gets hurt, I can't breath. I shake. I want to throw up. I cry. I actually feel like Im dying. And his dad, and the rest of the family look to me like "mother knows best". I feel the weight of the worlds eyes watching me on my next move, do I waste more taxpayers dollars and make my husband stay up all night for one silly head bump? Do I get it wrong and have child protection on my door asking why I didnt get my child medical care? Will my child secretly die in the middle of the night? Am I a bad parent? I only experience these syptoms when he gets hurt. Its like I have a phobia of him getting hurt. Its miserable and the online advice for these feelings "take a moment to stretch". What do you think, internet?

unigirl1994 Fear of death - the "unknown"
  • replies: 4

Hi all. I've been a member on here for a while, have been feeling really well lately with my treatment methods. However tonight I had a massive panic attack in bed after thinking about dying... not the method of dying but about what happens when. I k... View more

Hi all. I've been a member on here for a while, have been feeling really well lately with my treatment methods. However tonight I had a massive panic attack in bed after thinking about dying... not the method of dying but about what happens when. I know this might sound stupid as logically I know it's inevitable and we cease conscious thought after it happens, but I can't wrap my head around it. We're here, living, and then nothing? It makes me scared, and upset because I hate that I can't stop it. I get upset knowing I was brought into this world just to die eventually. I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with voicing these concerns, as I'm wondering if counselling may help? I should also mention that in a few weeks I'm going on holidays to a country I visited two years ago, however 3 days in to my trip, my grandmother passed away. So I'm thinking it has made me feel on edge due to the bad memories even though I love the location and can't wait to be on holiday.

iron_man Major Health Anxiety (I think).
  • replies: 2

Hello to whoever is reading this, First of all hey, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the title and thought that you can relate to it. If that’s you then I’m sorry to hear and I wish you all the best. Anyway, this is the first time I’v... View more

Hello to whoever is reading this, First of all hey, if you’re reading this then you’ve probably seen the title and thought that you can relate to it. If that’s you then I’m sorry to hear and I wish you all the best. Anyway, this is the first time I’ve written something like this so bare with me. I just gonna share some of my experiences with you and I hope it makes you feel less alone. I’ve been having what I would think is health related anxiety for probably almost a year now. Pretty much everyday, the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep is my health. More specifically, I think about things that could be wrong with me and then what would happen to me and the people around me if these things were wrong with me. I create full scenarios in my head about what would happen if I was diagnosed with some fatal disease. Every time I feel something I think is wrong I’m straight away on Google trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I always end up finding something cancer related or life-threatening then I build up the worst case scenario thing in my head. I spend everyday constantly worrying about my health. I sometimes have panic attacks when I Google up symptoms that I think I’m experiencing and I end up a mess. This non-stop worrying frequently interferes with things such as school and my personal life. Aside from this, I feel like a different person than I was a year ago due to my anxiety. I used to be a care-free person who loved life and didn’t stress about anything at all. Now my life is just stress and worry, although it may not seem like it because I’m pretty good at hiding it from people. I’ve also been to doctors various times and even an ER once because of symptoms I thought I was having. The doctors just said it was stress and things like poor posture and lack of exercise and stuff like that. I didn’t take this for an answer and I’m still here worrying about the same things. Anyway, that’s about it so thanks for reading if you made it down to here (it was pretty long). If you’re in the same boat as me then please leave a comment I would really appreciate it.

tpman derealisation
  • replies: 3

hello, just wandering if anyone can relate to this as its kinda spinning me out... i've been on and off medication (mainly on) for anxiety/depression for 10 years. I find one of the great things about being OFF meds is how the world feels to me. It's... View more

hello, just wandering if anyone can relate to this as its kinda spinning me out... i've been on and off medication (mainly on) for anxiety/depression for 10 years. I find one of the great things about being OFF meds is how the world feels to me. It's like the volume gets turned up, the environment seems richer, people seem clearer. There's just an overall sense of clarity... Anyway - I've recently been through a traumatic few months triggered by coming off my meds... Although my anxiety/dep returned, it was good in the sense I experienced what I mentioned above (clarity returning) In-fact I felt more alive/myself than ever. I ended up having to leave my job due to the anxiety/depression becoming intolerable... I then went back on meds and in the first week or so started experiencing INTENSE panic attacks (for the first time). I was experiencing extreme emotional states to the point I was dry reaching/vomiting. Anyway meds eventually kicked in and started to feel a bit better, but I decided that I wanted to stop the meds again and use my time off work to work on my issues without the meds. However, this time around I noticed the clarity did not return. As time went on I slipped into what was diagnosed as melancholic depression. I was not sleeping at all, had extreme agitation and panic attacks and was hospitalised a cpl times. I think a lot of my panic was caused by why I wasn't feeling that clarity I usually do when off meds. I was also feeling emotionally numb. My psychologist told me that this can happen when you experience severe negative emotional states. Your mind kinda zones out to protect itself. I believe this is referred to as dissociation/derealisation. Anyway, its still kinda freaking me out. I'm back on meds now (different type to my old meds) which don't seem to be helping much, and I guess I've become somewhat obsessed with this feeling of derealisation. Wondering will I ever be able to experience this connection/clarity again. Even when I'm on meds, although things are a bit numbed out, I don't really experience derealisation/dissociation... I'm kinda scared I will be stuck in this state of dissociation for ever... My doctors tell me not to worry, its just due to high levels of anxiety.. Can anyone relate to this ? Thanks

Denzel Anxiety attacks at work
  • replies: 7

Hello, I have suffered from a lot of anxiety in my life but I have never received professional help. Usually I self manage it or talk it through with my family and I get on with things. About a year ago I started a new job. I was so happy to have fin... View more

Hello, I have suffered from a lot of anxiety in my life but I have never received professional help. Usually I self manage it or talk it through with my family and I get on with things. About a year ago I started a new job. I was so happy to have finally got a job as I had been looking for a while and thought I had made it through the tough times but unfortunately they had only just begun. I felt unwanted and unaccepted as soon as I started at work. At the beginning I felt strong and confident so I did the best I could, working hard, trying to make connections and earning trust. But slowly over time my anxiety started to take over. I worried about every decision and how it would be interpreted. I worried people were talking behind my back. Recently an incident happened where even though I thought I was being helpful and collegial I received a nasty email that implied I had acted with malicious intent. For 3 days after this incident I fell into a deep depression, cried spontaneously all the time, thought of wanting to die, lashed out at my family and couldn’t think about anything but what had happened. I went over things constantly in my head and couldn’t sleep. The matter has not been resolved and when ever I think about it I have a panic attack. I feel like I am very fragile and any trigger will make me crumble. I am afraid because even though I want to stand up for myself as soon as I have any confrontation I start shaking, my heart starts pounding and the right words just disappear. Can anyone relate to this and offer any advice? I have organised to see a counsellor and I have spoken to my superior but I am exhausted and can’t believe I have gone from a confident strong person to this mess.

KFPDW Feel the need to escape from hard life/Imagination/HELP! :(
  • replies: 10

Hi, I need to talk about this and get it out in the open. I'm 22 years old and I have an active imagination. But I do know when when it's the right time to use it and whatnot. No trouble distinguishing reality from real life with me. But that's not w... View more

Hi, I need to talk about this and get it out in the open. I'm 22 years old and I have an active imagination. But I do know when when it's the right time to use it and whatnot. No trouble distinguishing reality from real life with me. But that's not why I'm here. I'm going through a tough time right now with life in general with split parents, social circles at uni and I feel alone facing it. I've done alright on my own to start of with but after so long, it's starting to get harder. I feel like I can't be myself around my friends or family, the real me. I feel squashed in a tight box and frustrated feeling I'm not good enough. I feel like lashing out at the world (Metaphorically I mean, not actually physical lashing) just so I can let the world know who I am. I do go to counselling for help which has made a good difference but there's still this part of me that needs to say this in this way on the forum. I never said this before now so here goes! I miss having a best friend, someone I can turn to and hang out on a regular basis. So I use my imagination to escape when things get hard and at one point long ago I had a friend where we played in a fantasy world like Bridge to Terabithia sort of way. But he moved away so it felt like I lost a part of myself. I'm not ashamed of my imagination at all but I miss being able to have that friend where you can turn to and vice a versa, and have that Terabithia imagination world to escape to. I wanna do that again I feel embarrassed that I can't turn to anyone to have that place to escape to with them. Because I know there's people like that who are creatively amazing. I just never can seem to find them. I can never turn to my friends about this because I would calm up completely because I feel like no one would understand me. I know people do larp stuff so I don't see what's the difference. I feel the pressure so much that I have panic attacks that I can't help. Some people that I used to get along with OK react badly and don't take want anything to do with me once they see it. It makes my feel like their closed off reaction is a reminder of my actions no matter how hard I try to get along with people. Overall, I feel so alone and I feel stupid saying that I want to have a imaginary escape world with a close friend I can trust. More than anything really, I want to have that again. I don't know what to do