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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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Vanessaknowles Anxiety and my goal to become a police officer
  • replies: 8

Hi all, I’m a newbie at posting in forums so bare with me, my spelling and punctuation is also horrible so if I make a mistake just keep reading! I was “diagnosed” with anxiety when I was 15 but I’ve had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Now tha... View more

Hi all, I’m a newbie at posting in forums so bare with me, my spelling and punctuation is also horrible so if I make a mistake just keep reading! I was “diagnosed” with anxiety when I was 15 but I’ve had anxiety for as long as I can remember. Now that I am 22 I am trying to aim toward my goal of becoming a police officer with the WA Police Force. I have struggled with attending a handful of interviews for various positions over my employment history due to my anxiety. I know my goal to be a police officer will be difficult to acheive because of my anxiety..I guess my question is... Can anyone offer any advice on being a police officer and dealing with anxiety? Any advice will be appreciated

Booklover17 Everything is an effort
  • replies: 6

Hi forum members, I just wanted to ask who else feels that everything is an effort right now? I feel depressed and isolated and even getting off the couch has been an effort these past couple of days. I don't feel like doing anything.

Hi forum members, I just wanted to ask who else feels that everything is an effort right now? I feel depressed and isolated and even getting off the couch has been an effort these past couple of days. I don't feel like doing anything.

WhatSheHides People don't understand
  • replies: 3

Hey all... so for the past few months I've struggled quite badly with depression and anxiety. . Being switched from medication to medication whilst trying to juggle my job (which is up in the air with what they are doing with me) and trying to sort t... View more

Hey all... so for the past few months I've struggled quite badly with depression and anxiety. . Being switched from medication to medication whilst trying to juggle my job (which is up in the air with what they are doing with me) and trying to sort through so many family issues, also with being diagnosed with von wilderbrands (mild to moderate haemophilia) I've noticed though so many people don't understand what living with mental health is like, there i days as work where i literally cannot cope, i cannot function and so i just shut down and shut everyone out.. last week my boss pulled me into his office and was ready to call an ambulance because i was what he woul describe as "catatonic " i just was so overwhelmed with work and personal issues that i broke and i fell... but i fell hard and it's so hard to open up to people about everything because growing up everyone i have let in has let me down and has gossiped about the very secrets i let them know so i just ... when i break i feel like i cannot speak to people, i write poems but even that release lately doesn't seem to do much, my fiancé tries to help but he doesn't understand half of what i am going through simply because we are from 2 completely different upbringings, he is so close to his family and has such a great reationship with his parents yet I'm complete opposite. . My mums boufriend abused me for years and she blames me and my mum and dad split when i was 6 and he still to this day tells me he hates me because i look like her.. I'm sorry to air this all out but i just needed somewhere to turn

Guest_9870 Barely hanging on at work. Help!
  • replies: 17

I am anyday away now from doing the flight, leaving work completely once again. I have fought my demons, even spoke about them to the managers and now they have put pressure on me and i don't want to go back. Is there any way a doctor can give me a c... View more

I am anyday away now from doing the flight, leaving work completely once again. I have fought my demons, even spoke about them to the managers and now they have put pressure on me and i don't want to go back. Is there any way a doctor can give me a certificate for this matter, and what are my options? I really do not want to face the pressure. Its not fair that they did this to me after i told them my problems. Please help with advice if anyone can on what i can do, if i can leave without notice ( i know its not ideal but i feel theres no choice atm) Please and thankyou

Mumma7 Long time anxiety sufferer, first time poster!
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone! I’ve had anxiety and OCD since I was 12, worrying about everything! It got much worse after each time I had a child (hormones) and I suffered very badly after my first 2 children and had counselling and was put on and anti-depressant. My... View more

Hi everyone! I’ve had anxiety and OCD since I was 12, worrying about everything! It got much worse after each time I had a child (hormones) and I suffered very badly after my first 2 children and had counselling and was put on and anti-depressant. My third child is now 5 months old and I was perfectly fine until these past few weeks. I can tell my hormones have gone crazy again but also I’m talking myself in to going through bad anxiety again. I avoid going out because I’m scared of having an anxiety attack when I’m out and the horrible feeling it brings. I’ve been having random anxiety attacks over nothing, this feeling just comes over me and I feel like something horrible is about to happen and sometimes I struggle to control it. I feel like I can’t breath, get panicky and sweaty and just cant stop my mind from thinking horrible things. I also do this thing where I control my breathing, I breath in and out constantly to the point I don’t know how to not control it? Then I dread going out because I fear starting doing the breathing Thing again. I don’t want to be back here again as I’ve been doing so so well the past year and a half! I just want to be strong and push through this and not let it take over. Anyone else going through anything similar and have any tips to combat it? Thanks

Janey123 The fine line between growth and crippling discomfort
  • replies: 7

Hi I am going through a rough time and could really use some advice. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with extremely severe anxiety. My issues were mostly around the insecurity of my new 'dream' job. I've been seeing a psychologist since then an... View more

Hi I am going through a rough time and could really use some advice. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with extremely severe anxiety. My issues were mostly around the insecurity of my new 'dream' job. I've been seeing a psychologist since then and have made great strides to the point where I felt that I could start extending myself and begin to take on some elements of my job that scared me. I've never liked public speaking but when I'm comfortable, like at my old job, I can do it. My anxiety at this job however has morphed into an extreme fear of public speaking. When I was at my lowest, I had a melt down overnight and bailed on a 5 min talk the morning of the workshop, confessing my illness to my ex-boss (who was kind about it). With the improvements I have been making over the last year or two, I have even taken on a couple of local news radio interviews. The first one was terrible, but I lived, so I tried again and actually did a really good job of it. In both of these cases they were sprung on me at short notice, so there wasn't the time to freak out, or I should say, I only had a short time with which to freak out. I came to realise that this suited me, actually. Less time freaking out, more time celebrating the relief that it was over and I'd done it! Last month I was asked to do a presentation to 30-60 people in March, on the same topic at a lunch. I said yes, feeling good and believing that I could take it on now that I was growing and starting to tackle the things that scared me. My anxiety apparently had other ideas. I've had three spirals/meltdowns crying about it so far. I'm now fearing the anxiety melt downs more than I fear the talk I think. I leave my psychologists office feeling totally calm and capable, but the feeling wears off and I end up in a panic. I'm stuck now. Do I go through with it, knowing there is a chance I will melt down and bail on the commitment? My psychologist says I can do this, but speaking is easy for him... I wonder "What if I get up there, melt down, and entrench the fear even worse?!" Do I get out of it, and get a colleague to do it, and deal with the shame of letting someone see how my anxiety controls me over a seemingly simple talk? I am really hard on myself. I find myself wondering have I jumped a bit too far with this one, is this too big a thing to take on if this is the result? Or is this what I need to go through to grow? Thanks for reading xx Janey

Rorooo Panic attacks affecting sleep
  • replies: 5

Hi guys, I'll start by introducing myself. I'm 32 years old and have had some mild anxiety issues in the past, and one severe period in my early 20s where I was put on anti depressants when suffering severe panic attacks after a car accident which wa... View more

Hi guys, I'll start by introducing myself. I'm 32 years old and have had some mild anxiety issues in the past, and one severe period in my early 20s where I was put on anti depressants when suffering severe panic attacks after a car accident which was the last event in a period of me doing things I wasn't particularly happy about. Over the last few years I've been really happy and haven't had any issues with anxiety or depression at all. Late last year was interesting for me. I've been working in a corporate environment for a long time and in December I had a bit of a "mind awakening" where I realised I wanted to do something more with my life and was sick of being in the corporate grind, so I made a decision to resign from my job of 6 years and take some time off doing uber driving and looking for something part time that was semi in line with my passions. I ended up having a really good summer spending it with friends and being at the beach a lot but I quickly realised I had blown through too much money and was getting into debt quickly, a financial pattern that hasn't seemed to get better much in my life. Towards the end I realised I was almost behind on rent so I had to ask some people for money to help and did it behind my partners back to spare him the stress of it all. I took on too much and I think I'm feeling it all now. After the initial period of worry about money, I started to feel better when I had borrowed money and paid off all of the debts that were hounding at me, so now there is nothing immediate requiring payment just the usual things. I've just managed to secure 3 more months at the temp job I'm at which made me feel momentarily better but now I seem to be stuck in a pattern of waking up every night at about 2am experiencing quite severe panic attacks and not being able to go back to sleep at all. I'm feeling quite tired and needing to have a nap during the days and just trying to get this sleep and panic / anxiety situation under control. I guess I just wanted to share my story for now but there's obviously a lot more to explain which I think I'll do soon, by making a psychologist appointment. Does anyone have any advice or has anyone experienced anything similar? Feel free to ask any questions if it may help. I'm just feeling better getting it out and feel like I'm on the mend just very slowly. Thanks

minny89 Crippling Anxiety
  • replies: 3

I'm just curious to find out how do you go about getting help when you have crippling anxiety and almost everytime you leave the house you have major panic attacks. You know they are panic attacks. You feel like you might actually be dying. You consi... View more

I'm just curious to find out how do you go about getting help when you have crippling anxiety and almost everytime you leave the house you have major panic attacks. You know they are panic attacks. You feel like you might actually be dying. You consider sending yourself to the hospital but know you will undoubtedly be sent home again. So how do I go about getting help when I can't leave the house to go to the doctors to start the process?

sandycee Heart Palpitations
  • replies: 10

Hey all! I have been struggling with health anxiety for a very long time (years now, off and on but fairly consistent over the last 9 months or so), it has recently gotten worse. It has evolved continuously for just under a year now and has debilitat... View more

Hey all! I have been struggling with health anxiety for a very long time (years now, off and on but fairly consistent over the last 9 months or so), it has recently gotten worse. It has evolved continuously for just under a year now and has debilitated me on many occasions. Over the last few months, I have on and off on 3 occasions experienced heart palpitations whereby my heart feels like it flutters/ skips for a beat and it frightens me a lot. The thing is these palpitations have happened during times of high stress but also for example the most recent time which Im still going through right now, the first one was just out of the blue when I wasn't stressed or anxious or drinking caffeine which makes me panic even more thinking somethings wrong with my heart. I am 19 years old, have a vegan diet and last got my heart properly checked when I was 14 to which I was told I had a perfectly healthy heart. Since then Ive been to two doctors and mentioned it. One saw my results from my test when I was 14 and said he wasn't worried about my heart because my risk factors are little to none and because I dont experience pains when exercising (which could indicate a blockage) and said if I started feeling pains when exercising to come in for an ECG but other than that its my anxiety playing tricks on me. My other doctor said I should get my heart checked due to my poor sleep (which is anxiety related) which I think was the initial trigger for thinking I have heart problems. I later brought this up with her in another appt. to which she replied she is not worried about my heart and merely said it incase of a condition such as sleep apnea (which i have been tested for years ago and dont have) which could be linked to heart disease. I just want to know if anyone else experiences random flutters and a randomly skipping heart even when they're not actively stressed or anxious. It has happened a lot more this time round than the last two occasions and has been on and off for a few days now, I think because I have been predicting it and waiting for the palpitations I also kind of put it on myself. The last two times it happened they lasted for a few days or maybe a week and then just stopped again. Just got one right now whilst talking about it but trying not to let it get to me! Feels like someones gone BOO! and startled me for a quick second. Any advice would be helpful, thank you!!!

Disneygirl Newly diagnosed with anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi all, A bit of background about me. I’m a 25yo female who’s had a difficult relationship with my dad (non existent relationship). I’ve been experiencing anxiety for a number of years, probably since I was a child. I’ve recently seen a councillor an... View more

Hi all, A bit of background about me. I’m a 25yo female who’s had a difficult relationship with my dad (non existent relationship). I’ve been experiencing anxiety for a number of years, probably since I was a child. I’ve recently seen a councillor and been put on meds to treat anxiety. Last week I was at a crisis point in my life where I didn’t get proper sleep for a week and ended up in ER. I felt very debilitated by my anxiety and lack of sleep. Barely being able to function. I’ve since taken time off work to focus on my mental state. I do feel like things have been put into perspective for me and my anxiety is a lot more manageable. It’s now been a week on meds for me. Just looking for support and advice from others in sharing what helps them with managing their anxiety. I’m really glad I’ve found a safe place to share my experience and hope to help others in the future. It’s amazing how such a dramatic experience opens your eyes to how important your mental health is. I would also like to hear your positive experiences of starting antidepressants. Thanks!