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
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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

Haylee92 ANXIETY AND OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS
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I have obsessive thoughts of spiders crawling all over me and a fear that I’m going to go psychotic and lose the plot. i have panic attacks from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep due to this phobia. I see a psychologist and she assured... View more

I have obsessive thoughts of spiders crawling all over me and a fear that I’m going to go psychotic and lose the plot. i have panic attacks from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep due to this phobia. I see a psychologist and she assured me it’s just an anxiety disorder, Pure O (obsessive thoughts) and also Depersonalization. i have been given lots of homework to do and ways to try and cope. I am just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this? And did you ever recover? I just feel so very alone right now..

Kyliec36 Anxietys Recipie
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20 kg of Guilt. 80 percent self loathing 100 percent fear It is the most horrid thing. I have named my Anxiety monster Milton I Figure if you name it, you know it's something in you. Stay Strong people xx

20 kg of Guilt. 80 percent self loathing 100 percent fear It is the most horrid thing. I have named my Anxiety monster Milton I Figure if you name it, you know it's something in you. Stay Strong people xx

Miss1234 Easing physical anxiety symptoms.
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I've finally gotten my anxiety under control but today I feel so flat. I have such an uneasy feeling in my stomach and my legs and weak and tingly. It makes me so tired and headachy. Does anyone get these feelings and how do they manage them? thank y... View more

I've finally gotten my anxiety under control but today I feel so flat. I have such an uneasy feeling in my stomach and my legs and weak and tingly. It makes me so tired and headachy. Does anyone get these feelings and how do they manage them? thank you

Lilac1 Should I be upset?
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Hey I don’t know if I should be as upset about this as I am. I have been having really bad anxiety and maybe depression over the last few months. I decided to start an Instagram page because I use a lot of poetry to help express my feelings and it he... View more

Hey I don’t know if I should be as upset about this as I am. I have been having really bad anxiety and maybe depression over the last few months. I decided to start an Instagram page because I use a lot of poetry to help express my feelings and it helps me, so I decided to be really creative and share it with others. I was honestly terrified it took my ages to gain the confidence to do it, I didn’t tell anyone because I just wanted it to be my own special thing to express myself and help others. Its worked wonders, the lovely feedback and comments have helped me so much. Its hard to control my negative thoughts but I can control this, I’m doing it by myself and it’s made me so happy. I’m so proud of it and having the courage to do this when I’ve been so down. Today someone I know found it and I didn’t expect to get so upset. I feel like it was just my own thing to express myself and be really raw and personal and now the one thing I had to myself to control I guess is ruined, it probably sounds silly but it means so much to me and having them know about it just crushed me. I didn’t expect to be so upset. I am really upset and down about it, it’s not the persons fault, I don’t blame them but I just didn’t want to share it with anyone yet. Am I being dramatic? I feel it’s ruined the whole experience of why I made it, I love my followers and don’t want to stop because of them but I just feel like it’s ruined for me.

AnxietyHelp_ I need advice for 13yo's with anxiety?
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My child has suffered with anxiety since he was a small child and needs to be around other children with the same special talent. I think that this will help in normalising his feelings . I have done so many programs , seen doctors, tried other socia... View more

My child has suffered with anxiety since he was a small child and needs to be around other children with the same special talent. I think that this will help in normalising his feelings . I have done so many programs , seen doctors, tried other social groups but he cant seem to relate and this leaves him feeling angry and frustrated. He wants to have friends and socialise but the ones he is introduced to, he does not want to be around . It would be great if someone could please lead me into the right direction as I am running out of ideas .

LoverHater Anxiety is ruining my relationship
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Usually my partner is quite supportive of me and my anxiety. If what I'm anxious about doesn't involve him. We've been together for nearly a year but I'm scared that we won't even reach that milestone. I moved in with him quite early on in our relati... View more

Usually my partner is quite supportive of me and my anxiety. If what I'm anxious about doesn't involve him. We've been together for nearly a year but I'm scared that we won't even reach that milestone. I moved in with him quite early on in our relationship. I've started seeing a councillor a couple of months ago and it's going really well. I just seem to have trouble actually applying myself to get better. To let those little things go, and to live for myself instead of my partner. The problem is is that when I get into an even small argument with my partner he just shuts down and doesn't want to talk to me at all. It's a real problem because my coping method is to cling and to talk. I know that he could definitely use help in the way that he deals with things too, I haven't told him this to his face but I know he doesn't care about how childish he is being anyway. And in turn to his childishness, even though I try to deal with it in a healthy adult way, I end up going between childish and adult. For example, I get anxious about him not wanting to spend time with me because he is always online with his friends. I express this and insist that we talk about it immediately. He gets angry and because he won't spare me a few minutes of his time, I get even more anxious and won't leave him alone and he gets angrier. It just escalates even higher until his friends leave him because he's gone aft, we get to the point of him either leaving the house or him saying that he can't do this anymore. We've nearly broken up twice. I recognise my issues, and that I need to fix them. I've only just now after reading an article realised how controlling I am. I never even thought that I was being controlling. I realise now that this is probably the main factor in my anxiety ruining my relationship. i just don't know how to really apply myself. I really want to get better. I feel like I do the things I do with him to almost test him in a way. But it never ends well and I know that if I jus let things go our relationship would be so much better. I just don't know how to let go because I don't want to feel like I'm just giving in to him constantly?

bec126 social anxiety???????????
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I'm scared of failure and being left alone. I'm scared of embarrassing myself and I'm scared of most loud noises, especially yelling, even if it's not at me. I want to change my hair (colour/length/style) but I'm too scared to in case people don't li... View more

I'm scared of failure and being left alone. I'm scared of embarrassing myself and I'm scared of most loud noises, especially yelling, even if it's not at me. I want to change my hair (colour/length/style) but I'm too scared to in case people don't like it. I don't say much in groups of more than two other people because I'm anxious about saying the wrong thing. When I'm nervous/anxious I subconsciously play with my Fitbit and I squeeze my own hands. I used to pretend to be on my phone but my school banned school within the school hours. I hate answering the phone and calling people and I hate giving people gifts and receiving them. Every time someone says ''Hi how are you'' I always respond with the same thing of "good how are you" because I'm too scared to say something else and seem rude. Most people notice how quiet I am and I only talk a lot to a few of my friends that I trust and know won't judge me. I feel like I'm going crazy and I'm living in a whole different world to everyone else. When something happens out of routine I second guess and overthink everything about it. Like if there was a free dress day at school I always think "what if I got the day wrong", "what if what I'm wearing isn't cool", "what if I get in trouble for wearing the wrong thing" even if I know everything is fine.

Sunnyside6 Hypnotherapy for Asbestosis Fear
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Has anyone tried hynotherapy and if so did it work for you? I have a complete fear of my children developing asbestosis due to the fact that we have renovated an old house that has cement sheet. We have had two professionals out who work in demolitio... View more

Has anyone tried hynotherapy and if so did it work for you? I have a complete fear of my children developing asbestosis due to the fact that we have renovated an old house that has cement sheet. We have had two professionals out who work in demolition and deal with asbestos on a daily basis who said it ISN'T but my head keeps telling me it IS. I have panic attacks about the fact I may have exposed my children to asbestos and when I hear the word, it makes my anxiety go through the roof. Eventhough I have had counselling which has helped me in all other aspects of my anxiety, this seems to be something I can't get past.

Georgia123 Anxiety medication.
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Hi all I’ve just recently joined here in hoping I can have some comforting reassurance with my anxiety. I have just started medication for the first time to cure my severe anxiety but the first couple of days I’m feeling worse then before.. super bad... View more

Hi all I’ve just recently joined here in hoping I can have some comforting reassurance with my anxiety. I have just started medication for the first time to cure my severe anxiety but the first couple of days I’m feeling worse then before.. super bad anxiety and panic attacks and just freaking out.. i know this is apart of starting medication, but what can I do to help take my mind of this and help me push through.. it’s hard, but I know it’ll be worth it! Just looking for some positive support.

Tragic_Swan Neighbour is causing my anxiety to flare up again.
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First a bit of background on me. I'm 34 and having being living with Anxiety and depression for all of my adult life (first diagnosed with depression and GAD at 16). 5 years ago things got so bad that I lost my job as a social worker. I was self harm... View more

First a bit of background on me. I'm 34 and having being living with Anxiety and depression for all of my adult life (first diagnosed with depression and GAD at 16). 5 years ago things got so bad that I lost my job as a social worker. I was self harming and abusing alcohol and prescription meds. My life was a mess really. With the help and support of my incredible family and amazing friends I started seeing a psyc, moved into my parents investment property and got a furry companion (Foxie X Jack Russell, my cuddly ball of happiness). I have spent a lot of time over the 5 years getting myself mentally and emotionally ready to reenter the workforce, even returning to university to retrain for a career change in office administration and accounting. I have quite happily and confidently been managing 2 days a week of volunteer work, and was even thinking about adding some extra days. but now I am fearful that all this good work will come crashing down all because of one neighbour who seems intent on making my life miserable. For the second time in 2 and a half year he has lodged a complaint with council that my dog is barking at all hours of the night, and while I am reasonably sure nothing will come of it (the last complaint fell through and if anything my dog barks less then she did then) the constant worry is starting to affect my day to day. Most nights I have very poor quality sleep as I'm constantly trying to listen for her barking (I should point out I am a little deaf and her barking has to be pretty loud at night to bother me). Quite often I am convicted I am hearing barking and wake up only to find my dog asleep in her bean bag. I have done everything I can think off, letting her sleep inside at night, bringing her food bowls in, putting up a curtain on the window facing his property and have even brought a device that I can put outside that is meant to deter barking. My neighbour has not come to speak to me about her barking since before the first complaint but I often hear him yelling abuse over the fence. I'm am very worried about what he will do if his complaint again falls flat i feel like I am constantly on the verge of a full fledge anxiety attack and am at a loss of what I can do. I live alone now days and I don't feel like speaking to him is something I could safely do. I've already had to miss a couple of volunteer days because I've just felt too tired and anxious to leave the house. I don't want all the good work I've done to just go away.