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Anxiety

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Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

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Coggie I think I will choke when I eat..Feel like I am going Crazy!!!!!!
  • replies: 4

Hey I am new to this site and think it's great that you can express how you are feeling. I was recently in hospital and to say it was an unpleasant experience is an understatement and I feel that I had a physical and nervous breakdown. Fast forward 3... View more

Hey I am new to this site and think it's great that you can express how you are feeling. I was recently in hospital and to say it was an unpleasant experience is an understatement and I feel that I had a physical and nervous breakdown. Fast forward 3 weeks after that and one night I took two tablets before going to bed and They did not go down too well and I thought I was going to choke. The next day I awoke with my throat aching, went to the Doctor and he said I had an infection and put me on antibiotics, which did not solve the problem. My infection is gone but I have developed a phobia of eating solid food as I feel it will get stuck and choke me. I feel like a baby as I have to eat really soft foods and even then I have panic attacks and cough for such a long time that I am left with a very sore throat. I am seeing a counselor but does not seem to be working and I am also doing meditation. I feel like I am going crazy and life will never be the same again. I have a very supportive partner but I feel with what I am putting him through.

Clear82 Wake up and have panic attack
  • replies: 3

I’ve been waking up every morning at the same time and i have a panic attack for past week. My heart races, pain in chest, muscle tension and I feel hot. My thoughts then go crazy! I’ve recently had a relationship break which has broken my heart. And... View more

I’ve been waking up every morning at the same time and i have a panic attack for past week. My heart races, pain in chest, muscle tension and I feel hot. My thoughts then go crazy! I’ve recently had a relationship break which has broken my heart. And now I’m faced with this unwanted panic and thoughts. Anyone had morning panic attacks before? Advice please!

luft_ Anxious again, job hunting, family problems
  • replies: 1

Hello to all, I was posting here earlier in the year and received some great help from people! Thanks to support from people on here, I gained the strength to make some really good changes to my life, and my partner and I's relationship has improved ... View more

Hello to all, I was posting here earlier in the year and received some great help from people! Thanks to support from people on here, I gained the strength to make some really good changes to my life, and my partner and I's relationship has improved after having gotten to a pretty dark place. I had just lost someone in my family (in Nov) after a long battle with cancer, and I was really struggling. Unfortunately now I feel my anxiety, lack of confidence is resurfacing again. Some background: I have been running my own business, but effectively a freelance communications & political consultant, for the past 3 years. It has had its ups and downs. I have been looking for a while to return to paid work because my partner and I would like to buy an apartment in the next year, but have been struggling to find something. I am currently earning little money per week working on a freelance project, and I picked up some casual work in a bar which starts next week. It's about 1/3 of what I would be paid for hour normally, and I am too embarrassed to tell anyone, particularly my family. I have nothing against anyone working in hospitality, but I know my family will judge me and continue to think I am 'hopeless'. Last night at a party my sister even said I "don't really do anything during the week" which isn't true, simply because I work from home. I feel like I probably have missed out on some learning whilst being in freelance work. Trying to return to the corporate game is daunting and have been trying for a month ever since I got back from my holiday (I climbed to Everest Base Camp!). Lots of recruiters I've met with think I'm quite bright and strategic, but I am terribly anxious about meeting with prospective employers, and I'm really scared to start a job and have it not work out. Over the past 4 years I have had a number of things not work out, whereas some work has been fabulous. I have ADHD so work can be difficult, but I have been undergoing some therapy and training recently, which has helped. Nevertheless, I'm really worried that any new job will be hard, and I will perform badly. I am interviewing for a director level job next week, and will be glad if I get it because it will make paying off a mortgage a breeze, but part of me is still scared and would like something more junior, and less stressful, but everything more junior I have applied for I have been told I am overqualified. Would appreciate anyone's advice in this! Many thanks.

Undiagnosedanxietygirl what’s wrong with me?
  • replies: 2

Hello, i don’t think of myself as a shy person but often I will be so shy I can’t even look a person in the eyes and this person could be my best friend or my best friends boyfriend who I have known for a long time. I don’t know what happens but some... View more

Hello, i don’t think of myself as a shy person but often I will be so shy I can’t even look a person in the eyes and this person could be my best friend or my best friends boyfriend who I have known for a long time. I don’t know what happens but sometimes when I’m going out and I’ll catch a bus, I get awkward and all sweaty and feel like everybody in the bus is looking at me ( and I hate feeling self centred) I’ll constantly put my head down and even then I’ll feel as though all eyes are on me and “people think I’m weird” “stop doing that” “look this way” it’s as if I go robotic. it gets so bad most times that if I’m listening to music through my headphones I’ll put the volume all the way down because I feel as though I’m breathing too loud, like I’ll have to listen to myself breath. I have no idea what this is or if it means I have anxiety but i just feel like my friends don’t have this kind of problem and they say I over think stuff but it doesn’t help and it still always happens, ESPECIALLY when I’m by myself. I totally avoid doin things by myself because I know what I get like, but then again I avoid hanging out with my closest friends because I feel like I can’t even be around them without getting awkward and it makes me seem weird and like a bad person and I’m really not like that at all.

d_93 Anxious mother, Anxious family/Psychotherapy
  • replies: 3

Hello, One year on my mum is still suffering from the cruel battles of anxiety and depression. This time last year she was in a mental health unit receiving treatment for her ongoing illness. I can celebrate some improvements she has made but i'm now... View more

Hello, One year on my mum is still suffering from the cruel battles of anxiety and depression. This time last year she was in a mental health unit receiving treatment for her ongoing illness. I can celebrate some improvements she has made but i'm now beginning to see some set backs which i hope to be minor ones. She is constantly complaining that she has a sore stomach which she is convinced it isn't anxiety when several medical professionals have told her it is only anxiety. Alongside this she is constantly complaining and saying she is sick and crying. This is taking a real toll on the family as frustration is definitely kicking in. The once mother who was so caring is no longer caring to her family members. Whilst understanding the pain she must be experiencing it is really hard when we are running lengths to do anything to help her. it's becoming really hard to be a mother to your own mother. We are about to start psychotherapy with her on Saturday. Can i please have and experiences that people may have had with this kind of treatment. D.93

Vicki88 Bad health anxiety... at my wits end!
  • replies: 10

4 months ago I fell ill with what we thought was gastro or food poisoning, that I feel I never fully recovered from. Following a bad belly ache/cramps I had water like diarrhoea for a whole hour and nausea, but wasn't sick. Since I have had abdominal... View more

4 months ago I fell ill with what we thought was gastro or food poisoning, that I feel I never fully recovered from. Following a bad belly ache/cramps I had water like diarrhoea for a whole hour and nausea, but wasn't sick. Since I have had abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea/normalish bowel movements and bad reflux. I have had bloods, CT of abdomen, ultrasound of abdomen, CT & X-ray of chest, colonoscopy & endoscopy and all clear, except the endoscopy revealed mild gastritis. My gastro specialist thinks I have IBS also and my GP thinks it is all due to anxiety. My reflux causes severe chest discomfort, pulling/burning feeling and sometimes stabbing pain. The discomfort also travels to my shoulders and arms. It is scary and I am so sick of it. Since switching medications I have found my reflux improved but it is still there. I get my PH levels checked for reflux next month and my GP has put me on medication for anxiety. I keep getting sore neck, weak upper arms & thighs, tingly finger tips, and little niggle electric shock feelings in my head. I am scared and so sick of all these symptoms. Can they really be caused by anxiety? Please help I have convinced myself I had every cancer to name and then once cleared of one, Id go onto the next one. Is this possible?

Lozzy33 Health Anxiety - Help am I'm a hypochondriac!?
  • replies: 3

Hello fellow stress heads... I have been suffering from health anxiety for some months now and it's getting progressively worse. I knew a girl my age who recently died of a brain tumour and a family member in my household is currently undergoing radi... View more

Hello fellow stress heads... I have been suffering from health anxiety for some months now and it's getting progressively worse. I knew a girl my age who recently died of a brain tumour and a family member in my household is currently undergoing radiation treatment for cancer, together with constant health horror stories on the news and social media is turning me into a hypochondriac. I am paranoid about constantly washing my hands or sanitising with the fear I might catch something awful. I worry myself sick if I show the slightest abnormal symptom and over analyse by searching on the internet. I get anxious about being in places that are far from hospitals in case I need one. Last year I had a small biopsy procedure for Cervical cancer as my original results showed signs of abnormality, but the second lots of results came back clear - yet I can't help but worry that somehow they got my records mixed up or information wrong and I must be living with cancer. As far as anyone else is concerned including my GP I am healthy! It's really starting to impact my day to day and it's making me upset because I can't get out of feeling this way, I literally can't stop worrying! Then the spiral begins, I worry and stress more, giving myself more emotional and physical symptoms and so it continues... in particular I am suffering from Bruxism (clentching my jaw) and waking up with a sore jaw every day and general emotional stress from constantly feeling like this. Does anyone else feel this way? What steps have people taken to alleviate the anxiety of health issues???!!! Please help!

vader1 anxiety and life
  • replies: 2

Hi , I have used beyond blue forum once before and found it helpfull, so i though would post again, as i found it supportive and dont have many people to talk too . I have anxiety and depression , since I was 15. I have recently had a few turbulent m... View more

Hi , I have used beyond blue forum once before and found it helpfull, so i though would post again, as i found it supportive and dont have many people to talk too . I have anxiety and depression , since I was 15. I have recently had a few turbulent months , I was working in a new job(emergency nursing), that was a big acheivment for me ( for over 14 months), however I had no family or support and it was very stressfull. I decided to then move to a new job (even more stressfull) to try something new . However I recently resigned from the job to focus on myself and I moved back in with family. I was living alone and far away and was in a very stressfull job, which esculated my anxiety. I was determined to get some help and saw 2 diffrent people and talked about my anxiety . However I have found that they havent heped me that much. If anything I hated myself more. Some days I feel really good and I can take on the world and then there are other days where I find that I am having panic attacks , and breathing heavily, and not sleeping. Just leaving the house make me anxious at times and in many ways I feel that I am at a standstill with life. I use to be very confident and postive and yet now i am the complete oppisite. I have been focusing on eating right and continul exercise , and sharing my thoughts with my family , i have even been trying to do new things and trying to get back into old interests , even a new course , but I just dont seem to want to strive or push myself like I use to. Moving and resiging if felt would give me a fresh start but I feel that I just cant move forward . I know that nothing is stopping me from making new positive descions but I just feel that something is stopping me . I dont know if it is my anxiety , or past thoughts or past regrets or something else . I have looked at getting some part time nursing work , as I can cope with that and I have support unlike before , however at times , even the thought of applying for jobs makes me anxious and sick in my stomach (and i dont know why). Sorry for rambing, like i said i found these forums helpfull previously and would love some suggestions or advice. Thnakyou.

cakeboss Hi does anyone else suffer from health anxiety
  • replies: 9

Does anyone else suffer from health anxiety .I suffer from anxiety panic attacks and somtimes if im not feeling well i think the worst and start looking up on the net things releated to whats wrong with me at the time and thinking the worst .I have g... View more

Does anyone else suffer from health anxiety .I suffer from anxiety panic attacks and somtimes if im not feeling well i think the worst and start looking up on the net things releated to whats wrong with me at the time and thinking the worst .I have good weeks and bad weeks and am currently seeing counciler which is great to help with the over thinking .Does anyone else get pains in the stomach with anxiety and panic attacks.love some positive advice.

TinyDancer2017 Does this sound like anxiety?
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, Just wondered if anyone had any similar experiences to this: Every few months (at best) and weeks (at worst) I get this really weird feeling... It's hard to describe, but it's as if the world feels like it's not real. It's like everythin... View more

Hi everyone, Just wondered if anyone had any similar experiences to this: Every few months (at best) and weeks (at worst) I get this really weird feeling... It's hard to describe, but it's as if the world feels like it's not real. It's like everything has been stripped away and I can see how weird everything is... Noises sound different too, kind of dull... Do you think this is connected to anxiety? After a while, the feeling passes and things go back to normal, but I'd like to know why it happens. Thanks.