Support
Support

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Start a conversation

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a conversation

Bookgirl New Year not so good
  • replies: 4

Hi, i have chronic anxiety and my triggers are war and basically the news. So the USA election and all the fires in LA have been overwhelming to me. I try to keep myself sane by not watching news, have got rid of all the news feeds in apps etc but it... View more

Hi, i have chronic anxiety and my triggers are war and basically the news. So the USA election and all the fires in LA have been overwhelming to me. I try to keep myself sane by not watching news, have got rid of all the news feeds in apps etc but it's impossible to totally avoid. I hear something and then spiral for days. Hasn't helped that my husband lost his job just before xmas and i have to worry about paying the mortgage as well. I know i shouldn't dwell on things i can't change but i am over 50 and this is a lifelong issue for me. I want to just live for now and it just feels like i can't turn off the constant negative information in my head that tortures me. Somedays i can't get out of bed and then i feel like i am such a loser because of it.

Littlediamond Social phobia
  • replies: 5

Hi, I’ve had trouble socialising for a long time now, maybe 10 years and I’ve never reached out for help. I’m ok at small talk but anything deeper and my mind goes blank. I have trouble being myself around others and speaking my mind when I need to s... View more

Hi, I’ve had trouble socialising for a long time now, maybe 10 years and I’ve never reached out for help. I’m ok at small talk but anything deeper and my mind goes blank. I have trouble being myself around others and speaking my mind when I need to stand up for myself. If I’m put in the spot my heart races and I feel breathless which makes everything worse.Every day I leave work and uni feeling more insecure and upset because I can’t connect with people and it hurts to see how it comes so naturally to others while I’m struggling. It hurts to see people happily making friends when it’s so hard for me. I’m turning 30 this year and still have no friends since the ones I made during school and I haven’t spoken to them in years either because my anxiety made me act weird around them so they stopped asking me out. I never date and if I’m being honest I don’t like going anywhere because I feel so disconnected from the world. I’m just not sure what I can do or where to begin. I want to change but at the same time I don’t because I’m more comfortable being alone where I know I won’t feel this anxiety. I’ve tried eating well, exercising and fixing my sleeping habits but I always fall back into the same routine of just doing nothing on my days off and it makes me feel like a loser, but I know if someone asked me to go out I would probably say no because I’m my own enemy. Just looking for some advice because I’m tired of feeling this pain everyday. And I’m frustrated with myself for not even wanting to try anymore.

miael- working makes me want to throw up
  • replies: 4

this is my first time doing something like this so i’m sorry if im doing it weirdly.i don’t know why but just thinking about work and anything to do with it makes my heart beat fast and makes me want to throw up it’s my first job as a 17 year old. i ... View more

this is my first time doing something like this so i’m sorry if im doing it weirdly.i don’t know why but just thinking about work and anything to do with it makes my heart beat fast and makes me want to throw up it’s my first job as a 17 year old. i know it’s bad for me to have a first job so late but i have been avoiding it because of the anxiety(i think that’s what it is) every time im about to go to work i cry and cry even when im at work i cry i dont know if its the stress or the interactions but i dont feel comfortable. i’ve been working there for about 3 months and i still cant get over the sick feeling of thinking about it. because of the sick feeling i haven’t been eating well and i haven’t been sleeping well either i don’t know what to do. everyone thinks im just scared and ill get over it but i have never felt like this for a long period of time before, its everyday.

Boo Does this count?
  • replies: 3

Hi, so I do not have a diagnosis but I think this might be the most fitting forum to talk about this in. I get pretty worried about inconsequential things most days and can’t really remember the last time I genuinely didn’t worry about a yogi g for m... View more

Hi, so I do not have a diagnosis but I think this might be the most fitting forum to talk about this in. I get pretty worried about inconsequential things most days and can’t really remember the last time I genuinely didn’t worry about a yogi g for more than a couple hours. I’m doing okay now, but frequently feel like I can’t breathe enough. It’s kinda hard to describe, as I don’t have any health issues regarding my breathing. As for the small worries, that’s stuff like feeling worried about missing a bus hours before it departs, or that a friend hates me if they don’t text back quickly. There’s plenty of other examples of course. My stress has been increasing, and I’ve been having more physical signs of this too. On the one hand, I can’t hold still, constantly need to fidget and frequently try self-soothing behavior without noticing. So I’ll absentmindedly stroke my arm with my hand over and over, make hushing noises or force myself to do breathing exercises. On the other hand, the physical signs also show themselves in acne outbreaks, increased hair loss, and frequent headaches that won’t go away. I've experienced all this before and know it’ll get a little better if I keep focusing on living healthily and just try to get through the bad moments. I really don’t know whether this counts as anxiety, but hope to get a professional test done within this year.

Guest_43335967 Coming to new country and missing my child at 2022. Disagreements number ever since b/w me and spou
  • replies: 1

I left my country when I got student visa with my husband in 2022. Ever since then I got depressed, have anxiety, cannot sleep, have fear of driving after a lady died while driving. Affected my relationship with husband, always having emotional stres... View more

I left my country when I got student visa with my husband in 2022. Ever since then I got depressed, have anxiety, cannot sleep, have fear of driving after a lady died while driving. Affected my relationship with husband, always having emotional stress of leaving my young kid. Have affected my relationship with husband with whom I cannot speak cordially. Feel lonely and have insomnia

Grant Anxiety
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone I have been living with anxiety now for 12 months and have many times thought about taking my own life. My wife has been diagnosed with blood cancer MDS .I have been kicked off our family farm partnership. As such feel somewhat lost now.I... View more

Hi everyone I have been living with anxiety now for 12 months and have many times thought about taking my own life. My wife has been diagnosed with blood cancer MDS .I have been kicked off our family farm partnership. As such feel somewhat lost now.I used to volunteer as a Ambulance officer in a small town where I have seen more than my fair share of tragedy and loss of life some of them being friends. Have already spent several weeks in a mental health clinic. Sometimes I think I'm making progress and other times it is just way to much to handle. Recently lost my mother and mother in law with cancer as well.

Adam Long Term SAD Setback
  • replies: 3

Hi,I'm extremely reluctant making this post for all the obvious reasons, but reading some of the other posts here has given me the courage to do so. I'm 48, have had s.a.d for at least 35-40 of those years and have never sought advice on the subject.... View more

Hi,I'm extremely reluctant making this post for all the obvious reasons, but reading some of the other posts here has given me the courage to do so. I'm 48, have had s.a.d for at least 35-40 of those years and have never sought advice on the subject. I've never been diagnosed officially, and have only started to fully accepted the fact recently, due to a problem I'm facing. A problem I had managed to avoid up until this point in my life. I have done some reading online over the years to get an understanding of my condition and believed I understood it well enough. I spent my teenage years and most of my 20s completely ignorant and fighting off depression. After realizing s.a.d was the main cause I was able to move past the depression, or so I thought. Gradually I chose to live a very isolated life and not rely on other people for my own happiness. I have never been able to hold a job for a long period of time, or had many friends that ever lasted particularly long. I have never found any true happiness, but in recent years I had found peace. There has always been a personal reason that has allowed me to get out of bed each and everyday. The peace I had found always had a clock on it and I knew it. It gave me both the confidence and motivation to step well out of my comfort zone and that seems to have backfired on me. The combination, of my s.a.d and lacking social skills which have deteriorated over time, has left me extremely confused and disappointed to say the least. I am capable of, participate in, and enjoy short social interactions. However I have never been capable of speaking to a gp, or anyone really, face to face about mental health. Any advice on moving forward after a huge reality check and setback would be appreciated. I'll say thank you, now, for reading...and any replies, as I'm unsure if I will respond to any. Sorry hope you understand.

Guest_41 Help... Internal Tremors/Buzzing
  • replies: 33

Hey all... I have been getting this really odd internal vibration buzzing feeling in my legs, stomach & chest for about a month now... ever since I came off an antidepressant (it started while I was on the antidepressant)... It only happened occasion... View more

Hey all... I have been getting this really odd internal vibration buzzing feeling in my legs, stomach & chest for about a month now... ever since I came off an antidepressant (it started while I was on the antidepressant)... It only happened occasionally to begin with but now I'm dealing with it all day & everyday. Every time I mention it to a Dr they brush me off or on one occasion I was blatantly ignored... I honestly don't know what to do? Anyone had this? Is it anxiety related or do I need to take this further? I forgot to mention I also feel very rundown but I also have a 4 months old Daughter who isn't sleeping well.. HELP!!!

Rach28 extremely overwhelmed and anxious after quitting my job
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone. Im writing this post to i guess vent but also seek support because Ive been interalising this for a while now. In August 2024 this year I got a job and quit very quickly after I started the role. I recieved some very negative "constructi... View more

Hi everyone. Im writing this post to i guess vent but also seek support because Ive been interalising this for a while now. In August 2024 this year I got a job and quit very quickly after I started the role. I recieved some very negative "constructive" feedback from my employer regarding my work performance. As a result of this feedback I had an anxiety attack and quit on the spot. To this day their feedback has been imprinted in my brain making me think over and over again "im not good enough" and "im not employable". I know I should be telling myself that their feedback was nothing personal and yes this job wasnt right for me - i hated every single second and was burnt out on my first shift. But I cant help but feel that after being told this same feedback face-to-face and over the telephone. Frustrating part is they werent aware i quit and wanted to offer me a different form of work which in my opinion was rude after the feedback they shared with no emotion or care for my feelings..... Its really impacted the way I view myself and my absolute fear and trauma of failing. I'm scared to fail again after what happened.I'm scared of getting a job and dealing with an employer that tells me that I am not good enough. So yeah I guess I'm sharing this because deep down I'm petrified and scared of repeating my failure and putting myself in a situation where my hard work and energy is criticized. Has anyone else dealt with this situation after quitting a job and receiving negative feedback? I just am so scared of repeating my same mistake and forced to find a job again as I'm currently on Centrelink Job Seeker payment. I feel trapped and stuck dealing with people that dont understand my anxiety or the fact I dont feel like I am employable. I hate that others have made me think this about myself when I know deep down I am employable. But I cant help but let others opinions impact me when my self-esteem and self-confidence is already so low. I hate that my anxiety controls my life this way and makes everything impossible. Does anyone have any suggestions or strategies? I'm trying to consider studying before jumping into a new employment role and even that triggers my anxiety and i feel overwhelmed. So no matter what I do - my anxiety is always there. Help and advice because I am scared and stuck wanting to avoid anything stressful or that will cause me to be in a position of failure. If anyone is reading this and can relate - please help.

meeeeeeee emetophobia chat
  • replies: 17

hey i have emetophobia and i really need people who understand! please reach out if you have this phobiai have it severely about watching other people but also a bit myself no one respects it with me and i need help to be a bit more clear about my bo... View more

hey i have emetophobia and i really need people who understand! please reach out if you have this phobiai have it severely about watching other people but also a bit myself no one respects it with me and i need help to be a bit more clear about my boundaries and if anyone has tips about how to calm down with this phobia please help thank you!

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map