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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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Meowface Oops unhealthy choices with anxiety
  • replies: 1

When my anxiety is sky high I struggle to make healthy or well thought out decisions for myself. I used to run marathons so know how to do the “healthy” lifestyle thing. But have seen myself deteriorate when things get tough. I are hot chips and a ba... View more

When my anxiety is sky high I struggle to make healthy or well thought out decisions for myself. I used to run marathons so know how to do the “healthy” lifestyle thing. But have seen myself deteriorate when things get tough. I are hot chips and a bag of licorice for dinner tonight because that’s what sort of happened. I stayed in bed all day even though it was beautifully sunny outside. Ill let my hands and lips crack because I can’t feel worthy of looking after them. Its just a share but if you can relate and feel like sharing as well please reply. Xx

Kris92 Anxiety, Travel and Sleep.
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, Hopefully I can get some help with some of the nice, kind people on here. Or people who have shared a similar experience. Since young I've been experiencing anxiety. From the age of 13. It's nothing new for me (I'm currently 25). Ever si... View more

Hi everyone, Hopefully I can get some help with some of the nice, kind people on here. Or people who have shared a similar experience. Since young I've been experiencing anxiety. From the age of 13. It's nothing new for me (I'm currently 25). Ever since I was 18 I've been on and off anti-depressant meds. I've done some travelling with friends from when I was 18. However, because of my anxiety, travel can be really hard for me. The problem is that I hardly sleep well when I'm on holidays with friends (I'm travelling again next week). I'm not sure why that is. It's for various reasons. Sometimes I fear what they think of me and I can't fall asleep. Sometimes I fear that I won't be able to sleep and therefore won't be able to do the fun activities the next day because I will be too tired. Sometimes I don't sleep well next to people because of the temperature being too hot, or I feel I dont have enough room, or I'm not that comfortable around them or their snoring. (The girls I'm going travelling with, I'm not that close to). I can put a lot of pressure on myself to be liked, even though I dont really care to be that close to these girls. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but this sleeping problem while I'm travelling has been an issue for quite awhile. Everytime I travel with friends these fears bite me in the ass and it's so exhausting. And I never have as much of a good time as I could because of this issue. If someone could please provide so tips that would be awesome and much needed.

Guest6732 Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.
  • replies: 16

I was diagnosed with Anxiety and minor depression about a month ago when I had to come back from the snow (training to be a professional snowboarder) because I was having a panic attack at least once a week and was not leading a healthy life style. B... View more

I was diagnosed with Anxiety and minor depression about a month ago when I had to come back from the snow (training to be a professional snowboarder) because I was having a panic attack at least once a week and was not leading a healthy life style. Back home now and my "mask" for anxiety got taken off and I completely broke down and everything got worse, but it made me realise how deep I was in anxiety and avoiding it. I'm on medication now and working through all of my problems with my psych and gp, feel kinda bad that I let it get to the stage where I needed AD's and a sedative to even cope just living at home but I'm staying optimistic. I'm reaching out today to ask if any of you know any good tips or tricks to get better. I'm doing meditation everyday and starting to get my sleep schedule and eating habits in order while also trying to feel my anxiety to get familiar with it. Because at the moment most things over stimulate me in the way of anxiety and its hard to even go out in public for a long time. If I had to put it in a way it would be that you are always feeling alert of everything and focus, hence the meditation and self reflection each day to get be able to not be affected by the anxiety as much and not let it take my focus. 2 things that bother me though is 1. with the depression, it can just make you feel like you aren't doing anything good at times with recovery and makes me more anxious and 2. I have really low self-confidence and I don't mind the AD's cause I know its a long term thing but the sedative is sticking around for a while and I keep doubting the doctors and myself on that decision even though I know its the right balance at the moment. Thank you in advance for any responses.

Me__myself_and_my_unrelen Close, but no baby- when your unrealistic goals are not met, but life still goes on.
  • replies: 3

Six years ago I met an incredible guy. We immediately began planning our life together and had decided to start trying for a family the year he turned 30. We moved in together, got a cat, got engaged, I won a permanent position at work, and we even s... View more

Six years ago I met an incredible guy. We immediately began planning our life together and had decided to start trying for a family the year he turned 30. We moved in together, got a cat, got engaged, I won a permanent position at work, and we even started buying things for a baby glory box. Then reality set in. That tiny voice in my head that always bossed me around began to boss my fiancé around too. It nearly tore us apart a number of times and I was eventually diagnosed with traits of anxiety and obsessive compulsive personality disorder, requiring therapy and medication. It became pretty clear that we both had a long journey to go through before we could handle a healthy marriage and start a family. So now we are in those months that we originally dreamed of being pregnant, and instead I'm packing away all of those artefacts we bought (a cot, clothes, blankets, bottles) and reminding myself that it's not the end of the world... and not believing it in the slightest. I could tell myself that I am still so young, that I can travel and focus on building my career more. I can finally learn German fluently and get lost in books, and I'm doing all of that. But then at the end of the day when I lay down on the couch, exhausted from filling my time with whatever I can to distract myself, that tiny little voice reminds me that I have failed at getting the one thing I want most in life- a family of my own. So I've decided to learn acceptance. I need to accept that this is a time of my life where there will be some emptiness and some pain. These feelings will not last forever and I don't need to run from them. Yes, it does suck that I must put this moment on hold, but I know that I will be a better person and a better mother if I work on my controlling behaviour and my anxiety attacks before taking such a huge plunge. But why post about it? I'm hoping someone out there has been in the same situation. What have you put on hold while you worked on yourself? How did you handle the days where life reminded you of your unfinished goal? What do you do if you are never able to reach your goals? Your stories are all welcome here.

Mel... Overwhelmed.
  • replies: 3

Hi Community, So I start a new job tomorrow. I have been basically unemployed since December, all I have wanted is a proper job in my field and I finally have it but I am so terrified of jeopardising it with my anxiety that I don't want to show up to... View more

Hi Community, So I start a new job tomorrow. I have been basically unemployed since December, all I have wanted is a proper job in my field and I finally have it but I am so terrified of jeopardising it with my anxiety that I don't want to show up tomorrow. My anxiety has been high for a few weeks now. I have seen my doctor and psychiatrist who decided it would be a good idea to increase my med dosage - It's been 11 days on the higher dose and I don't feel any better. There were a few days of improvement but I am basically back where I started. I am exhausted and so over feeling like this. I fear that I will be too tired tomorrow to perform my new job properly or I will have a panic attack at work and have to leave. I am trying to decide whether it is best to email them today and let them know about my anxiety disorder. On top of that - my close friends mum passed away last week. It sounds a bit far fetched but she was an important role model in my life and I think I am more shaken by the grief than what I expected to be. Tomorrow night after my first day at work we are having a memorial, I am so anxious about going to work the next day I almost don't want to attend the memorial even though it's the support group I know I need to be with. Is it worth telling my new work about the grief? I am so anxious about having to put on a brave face and leaving the house each day even though I would prefer to be with people than being home alone - that's when the intrusive thoughts occur. Any help would be much appreciated.

CLS29 anxiety and pregnancy
  • replies: 5

hi everyone, i'm a long time sufferer of anxiety and as a result of that, depression. my husband and i are currently trying to have a baby. we have been together for a long time and are both late 20's with stable jobs and are financially stable as we... View more

hi everyone, i'm a long time sufferer of anxiety and as a result of that, depression. my husband and i are currently trying to have a baby. we have been together for a long time and are both late 20's with stable jobs and are financially stable as well. the timing, as they say, is perfect. the only real issue that we have is now my anxiety. when we first began trying a couple of months ago i would have had the 'normal' persons reaction to trying - i was excited and only a little nervous about what was to come. fast forward a couple of months and i've suffered from a bout of gastro. sickness has been possibly the biggest of all my anxiety triggers. the loss of control over my body and how i am feeling ensures massive panic attacks will occur for the length of my sickness. the gastro i've just had has made me very anxious to get pregnant. the thought of a repeat of uncontrollable nausea and vomiting is almost unbearable. i know not everyone gets morning sickness, but part of my issue is not knowing if that would be me. not knowing if i can handle being sick for an extended period when an hour of it sends me into uncontrollable panic. the birth also frightens me, mainly because of not knowing what will exactly happen and not having control over it. the pain is ok because i know there are available drugs - but there aren't really many options left for panicking as i know i can't take valium. just wondering if anyone has been through a similar experience, and if anything worked for them? I'm hoping there would be nausea drugs that i could possibly get prior to getting pregnant that i could use if i needed. any other tips would be welcome. thanks.

Frankl15 Anxiety and Studying
  • replies: 5

Lately I’ve been anxious about uni , I find that I want to study but I don’t feel happy , travelling from home is hard and my mums health isn’t so well but I’m worried about my education because work back home isn hard to come by. I feel like I’m stu... View more

Lately I’ve been anxious about uni , I find that I want to study but I don’t feel happy , travelling from home is hard and my mums health isn’t so well but I’m worried about my education because work back home isn hard to come by. I feel like I’m stuck in a loophole of decisions to make and whether one decision is going to mess up my future or benefit my happiness.

Vic1 Work stress and anxiety
  • replies: 2

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong spot. It's a doozy so hold on. I'll start by saying I love what I do as a job. I've been there for 5 years. I work with children. But recently I have gotten a new boss and she has seemed to be going out of her way to... View more

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong spot. It's a doozy so hold on. I'll start by saying I love what I do as a job. I've been there for 5 years. I work with children. But recently I have gotten a new boss and she has seemed to be going out of her way to make me miserable. She yanked me out of my room I worked in. She has made me her cleaner - giving me all the dirtiest jobs she can think of. I copped it cause I'm not one to rock the boat. When given my explanation for being taken out of my room she said I wasn't perky enough. On one occasion she spilt water in the toddlers room and gave me a cloth to wash it up, which I did. I started to mop up the floor as some had fallen off the table and she said "there shouldn't be any on the floor" when I told her about it and almost slipping on it She said "well you should have known it was there" she has told me on another occasion that I "shouldn't think or thought I should ask" Recently I realised I had enrolled in full time uni - thinking it was part time. I applied for a non rostered day and she flat out denied it after telling me she would see what she can do. Throughout this time I have been trying my hardest to be strong but I have gotten to the point where I would die than be at work with her. Unfortunately if I leave my job I don't get any centrelink and I am a single parent with two children . I am happy everywhere else in life - just not at work and I don't know what I can do! Other workers attempted to go through HR but they swept it under the rug. I ask cause I'm hoping someone might have an idea of how to get out of the job without the loss of income. I want to work - part time cause I am studying full time - but just not there. I have been looking for jobs but have not got anything yet. Please help. I'm at breaking point - okay I was at breaking point a few weeks ago I'm barely holding together. Any advice would be appreciated.

Turtled Health Anxiety about someone else
  • replies: 6

Hello everyone, I'm new to these forums. I have recently been diagnosed with GAD. Although I have experienced bouts of anxiety and depression for the past 17 years, the daily panic attacks and excessive worrying is beginning to take its toll on me, m... View more

Hello everyone, I'm new to these forums. I have recently been diagnosed with GAD. Although I have experienced bouts of anxiety and depression for the past 17 years, the daily panic attacks and excessive worrying is beginning to take its toll on me, my partner and family. The terror and fear I feel all day, every day combined with my trying to act like everything is fine is exhausting. I am currently receiving help from a psychologist and I am working on practicing mindfulness and meditation - somehow though, the worrying creeps back and I can't ignore it. The trigger for me was calling my mother and hearing she hadn't gotten out of bed in two days. Our family experienced numerous traumas over the past two years. The devastation and stress was unbearable at times and seeing my mother sick - with what seemed to be just a virus - sent me over the edge. Although she's back on her feet I'm convinced she has COPD, cancer or is dying of some incurable disease. She just seems "off" to me. I'm studying to be a health professional and constantly look for signs and symptoms. Even if I see none, it's only a matter of minutes before the uncontrollable worrying about her starts again. I visit her almost daily as I am on holidays but by the time I get to the front door I am close to collapse and can barely breathe. I have visions of finding her sick or on the floor. I am aware of health anxiety, which I too have experienced, only it never consumed me like this. She is 74 and has never been one to seek medical help. I had made an appointment for her when she was unwell but she cancelled. I understand she has the right to make that choice and she's aware of my concerns but brushes them off. I know my worries may seem irrational and as my psychologist says "not helpful to the actual situation", but they're real and all I feel is hopeless and desperate. For anyone here who has experienced GAD and come out the other side, please tell me there is hope and share how you got through. Also, has anyone here ever experienced such overwhelming fear about the health of a loved one? I know it's common for parents to worry about their children like this, but has anyone ever felt this way about their parents or someone else in their life? thanks in advance and sorry for the long post

Speak Your Truth Sleep
  • replies: 11

I am having big problems with anxiety, but after seeing my GP my meds have been increased and just last night and today I think I felt a shift for the better. One thing in particular on my mind just now though is that while I am lucky to be able to s... View more

I am having big problems with anxiety, but after seeing my GP my meds have been increased and just last night and today I think I felt a shift for the better. One thing in particular on my mind just now though is that while I am lucky to be able to sleep at night my body wants to sleep in day hours as well. Can anyone give me feedback please ? Is a lot of sleep good in recovery, or in some way is it self-defeating, or good or bad in some other way I haven’t thought of ? I can’t think we’ll so any help would be good, thankyou.