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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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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.

CJ_stuff_and_stuff Heart attack fear constantly
  • replies: 4

Hi there, i have lived with panic attacks since I was 15.. little did I know at that time that is what it was. I had heart palpitations in a couple of major episodes as a kid, subsequently I had a halter monitor for s few weeks, stress tests, ultra s... View more

Hi there, i have lived with panic attacks since I was 15.. little did I know at that time that is what it was. I had heart palpitations in a couple of major episodes as a kid, subsequently I had a halter monitor for s few weeks, stress tests, ultra sound etc. of course they all came back fine. It was until about 10-12 years later that I had a similar experience. It was then I was told I had panic disorder - a round of medication later and I didn’t have another attack for another 6 years. This was about 3 years ago and since then I have been having a panic spell every 3-4 months, which I know doesn’t sound like a lot but every time I am convinced I am about to die, that this time is the last time. I live in constant fear of this predator taking over my mind and body at any time of the day and now the night. i am in the process of tapering off medication because I believe the meds make it worse but I also take a different medication when the episodes do happen. what I would like to know is if anyone else has heart health fear and panic, what you do to bring yourself back to relaliry and ideally I would like someone to tell me if there was something wrong with my heart, the tests as a teenager would hace shown something... (I do realise you are not doctors so this is an unrealistic request). i would also just like to feel like I’m not a nut job

Airbear I have been having panic attacks in class and it’s becoming overwhelming.
  • replies: 1

I have been having panic attacks because of my anxiety. At first it was fine but now it happen regularly. The main problem is that I haven’t told anyone about my anxiety. I fear that they may make fun of me for it. I was thinking of talking to my sch... View more

I have been having panic attacks because of my anxiety. At first it was fine but now it happen regularly. The main problem is that I haven’t told anyone about my anxiety. I fear that they may make fun of me for it. I was thinking of talking to my school councillor but I have never talked to her before so it makes me rather nevous to open up to her. I am only in my first year of high school at the moment and it is starting to become overwhelming having these panic attacks. Who should I talk to? What can I do to help with the panic attacks? And should I tell my teachers so when I have one I can be quickly excused?

Hme44 Asbestos anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi, I have a long history of ocd and anxiety which often attaches itself to something specific in my life. Currently and for the last year my partner has been working with Telstra pits and has been trained to remove the asbestos ones and replace them... View more

Hi, I have a long history of ocd and anxiety which often attaches itself to something specific in my life. Currently and for the last year my partner has been working with Telstra pits and has been trained to remove the asbestos ones and replace them (does not do it everyday) I have developed and unbearable anxiety and fear of asbestos. He wears all the appropriate ppe and follows all the rules however I can’t help but think it is coming home on his clothes under the Ppe or on his phone he might have used after doing it or his work iPad which all get used after work hours. We have a young child and I think this is why I get so worried. My partner assured me it’s fine and he would never put us at risk but I can’t stop worrying. It has gotten to the point I make him get changed outside and leave his clothes there which I know is totally unfair. Does anyone else have this anxiety ? How did you help manage it. I’m also thinking it’s floating around everywhere and every time we go somewhere I’m finding myself checking walls and fences etc. I know it’s silly but I can’t help it, would love to hear from others who have this worry or from anyone who can assure me. Thanks

willrad Panic attacks increasing HELP
  • replies: 4

I am 21 years old 76kg and 177cm tall and quite healthy i work full time. I have had anxiety for years now and it has recently gotten worse so i thought i would just list the issues im having. Firstly my anxiety is almost always related to how i feel... View more

I am 21 years old 76kg and 177cm tall and quite healthy i work full time. I have had anxiety for years now and it has recently gotten worse so i thought i would just list the issues im having. Firstly my anxiety is almost always related to how i feel physically, i have had a heart ablation for SVT and since then i have been very aware of my heart beat and anything abnormal (to me) makes me anxious and panic. I have had multiple tests since then and a halter monitor for 24 hours and everything is fine but still whenever I have a skip beat or chest pain i panic and this is happening daily now and affecting my work. Secondly I also cannot exercise due to the feeling of a racing heart even though i know its normal I always have a panic attack after exercise and now i have no motivation even though i really enjoy sports. Exercise feels like a panic attack. Thirdly I have also been getting anxiety from certain foods like if i eat a food i dont often eat such as spicy food or mushrooms i get anxiety from thinking im allergic for some reason!? And then this can lead to a panic attack it just feels like anything that happens to me gives me a panic attack. It is mainly related to heart and chest pain but even if i have sore back or leg my brain will find a way to link the pain to a heart attack. I just want 1000 tests and an MRI to give me closure that i am fine even though i know im fine. Even if i get tests i feel like the doctors missed something and ughh it just sucks. I was on meds but don't want to rely on meds forever but also dont want to feel like this? thanks and sorry for the grammar i wrote this after a panic attack. So quick recap: Heart is the main cause, cannot exercise without panicking, allergy/food anxiety, chest pain/skipping beats anxiety THANK YOU!

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