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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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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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SilverLight Anxiety: The Missing Pieces of Me
  • replies: 1

Does anyone else feel like their anxiety just sucks the life out of them? I have depressive disorders as a side effect of my anxiety so I guess that doesn't help... But I feel so broken, like theres pieces missing and like im still stuck a decade in ... View more

Does anyone else feel like their anxiety just sucks the life out of them? I have depressive disorders as a side effect of my anxiety so I guess that doesn't help... But I feel so broken, like theres pieces missing and like im still stuck a decade in the past... Its really random. Back in highschool 7 years ago I wrote songs, lyrics and music, that were praised by a real lyricist in a band, I could draw, paint, create almost any medium, I wrote short stories, poems and even about 2/3 of a novel... and then I got hit with anxiety in the middle of year twelve... I haven't done anything with my own imagination since... I use how to draw guides to be able to remember how things are drawn, I wrote some song lyrics for the first time in 6 years yesterday but only a few lines. I haven't gotten past a single colour on a painting in years... I used to sing, dance, perform as well and I loved every second of it.... Now its just gone... Now I fear ever getting back on a stage again... Whats happening? Why has my anxiety taken all this away from me? How do I bring it back? How do I look at my arts and crafts materials and feel passion for it again? Or is it gone forever?

Davida2020 Anxiety and Asthma
  • replies: 3

Hi, I've just experienced Asthma flair-ups from the flu I got almost two weeks ago, it seems like its treated after heavy does of Antibiotics and Steroids and the doctor said your fine? but I still feel very nervous and anxious which is making my che... View more

Hi, I've just experienced Asthma flair-ups from the flu I got almost two weeks ago, it seems like its treated after heavy does of Antibiotics and Steroids and the doctor said your fine? but I still feel very nervous and anxious which is making my chest very tight and hard to breath? I think I'm experiencing Anxiety based on past experience been admitted to hospital so many times, I cant even drive to the shop when someone gives me the finger for ( making a wrong turn) everything makes me very nervous and in public places. I talked to my GP and he said it might be the prescribed asthma drugs or in my head? Okay thanks Doc? I just feel really down, two weeks ago I was doing my business work, happy and healthy, going to the gym and boxing, now I'm a different person now I just wait for another attack but I feel very tight chested? cant go near anyone while I sort my anxiety out.

Congo90 Feelings are an odd thing....
  • replies: 2

I have been feeling quite fantastic the last few weeks. My psychologist has been really pleased with my progress with my anxiety and panic attacks, but, the last few days I have been feeling tense and my thought process is shifting! Do you think this... View more

I have been feeling quite fantastic the last few weeks. My psychologist has been really pleased with my progress with my anxiety and panic attacks, but, the last few days I have been feeling tense and my thought process is shifting! Do you think this is a normal behavior? I knew i wouldn't be feeling sensational forever, but I was hoping that the feelings may last a little longer. I have suffered anxiety since the age of 5, I know my anxiety well, we are good friends, but I'm not sure as I have never had a breakthrough with being okay for such a long period of time!

Hypersleep G'day everyone, just a self introduction and a request for some fairly specific anxiety related support.
  • replies: 26

Where to begin. I guess I'll just start with my condition that made me sign up here today. I've been having trouble eating. For about a month now. Now, this isn't the 1st time this has happened to me, infact it's the 4th by my count, the 1st event li... View more

Where to begin. I guess I'll just start with my condition that made me sign up here today. I've been having trouble eating. For about a month now. Now, this isn't the 1st time this has happened to me, infact it's the 4th by my count, the 1st event like this being what lead me to being diagnosed with Anxiety. So it's a very mixed feeling, knowing that I've beaten this before, certainly under worse conditions (Cyclone Marcia in '15 left us without power for about a week, that absolutely shattered me but again, I made it and I'm here still.) From what I can tell what set me off this time was losing our phone line and internet for a few days when I was already feeling a bit down. So that happened about a month ago, only lasted a few days but by the time I could get back to my regular distractions and habits for dealing with my anxiety I was already quite severe. No appetite, upset that after going so long (about a year and a half of being on the 'offensive', so to say, with my anxiety) to learn that I can still arbitrarily be brought down to what I consider my worst really hurts. I kept a journal last time I was this bad though, and I am updating it daily again. I find it helps. Sorry if I'm veering all over the place here, I'll get to the core of my post now. Basically each day I wake up awash with dread. I'll be lying in bed calmly but as soon as my brain acknowledges that I need to get up I start to feel the tenseness, gagging often, up till lately it would lead to expelling phlegm quite painfully before I even left the bed. Thankfully lately, possibly through the help of an app on my phone called Smiling Mind, I've been more calm in the mornings but I still dread food. Every time I look at the clock I see how long it's been since I've eaten and how long till I need to eat again. Everytime I feel something in my body I assume it's food related, that I'm hungry, that I'm about to be sick, that I'll need a trip to the bathroom. Yet thus far it's been none, besides upping my food only twice in the time I've been like this. So when I got bad enough to start writing in my journal again I was eating a banana, chicken soup, and a frozen meat pie. I was never a big eater but to think I thought I was bad then when now I string through the day on snacks, scared of each one, though a little less as each individual day goes on. Somedays I can have more than just snacks (that I eat slowly.) But I still wake every day terrified of the food to come. I'll elaborate more.

Bulldog_Boy Panic attacks about not having anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, Long story short I've had panic disorder on and off for years, the past couple of weeks it's come back with some of the worst panic attacks I've ever had, I believe this is because I had changed meds because I thought the old one wasn't ... View more

Hi everyone, Long story short I've had panic disorder on and off for years, the past couple of weeks it's come back with some of the worst panic attacks I've ever had, I believe this is because I had changed meds because I thought the old one wasn't working. I'm back on my regular meds now and have been for two and a half weeks. The anxiety has finally started to subside today and now I'm having panic attacks about the fact that the anxiety is going away. I'm pretty sure that's normal and is the "darkest before the dawn" part before my meds start working again but I could use some reassurance. Thanks everyone.

Jayy Hi, I am very anxious
  • replies: 4

I am so anxious, worried about business failing and financial loss and relationships with staff. I had a car incident last week while driving I was thinking about the business issue. I am panic every second, and feel like to cry most of the time. Don... View more

I am so anxious, worried about business failing and financial loss and relationships with staff. I had a car incident last week while driving I was thinking about the business issue. I am panic every second, and feel like to cry most of the time. Don't know how to get out. Have put my business to broker for sale, but it will take a long time to go through. I am on the edge.

BiancaAM Asbestos Anxiety
  • replies: 6

A few months ago at a block of land we were about to start building on, we had someone illegally dump rubbish from a demolition. We went to check it out with my 2 young children. Anyway we later found out that within the rubble were some cement sheet... View more

A few months ago at a block of land we were about to start building on, we had someone illegally dump rubbish from a demolition. We went to check it out with my 2 young children. Anyway we later found out that within the rubble were some cement sheeting at the back of some old tiles that likely had asbestos in them. I am now consumed with anxiety about the fact that my children may have been exposed to asbestos. I feel like I will have to live with this fear the rest of my life, wondering if they will ever become sick from it. Although I know it is likely a small chance they inhaled any fibres, it just terrifies me and I dont know how I will deal with this fear that I can do nothing about. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a history of GAD but this has just pushed it into overdrive.

Soba_Kinoko a bad day at the office
  • replies: 3

Hi all I have only post once before on the forums but thought I might need some advice. I have been at my new job for about 3 months now and things have been pretty shitty. The job I got is mail sorting and it's a pretty good job to have while I am s... View more

Hi all I have only post once before on the forums but thought I might need some advice. I have been at my new job for about 3 months now and things have been pretty shitty. The job I got is mail sorting and it's a pretty good job to have while I am studying. I began studying a certificate IV in Disability. I am very excited for study but my job really gets to me. The staff are always stressed and gossiping. When I first started working there I met my other team member who I would be working with in the mornings. I start at 6am and have to get up at 4.30am to get the train to work. I work for 3 hours and then go home or to tafe. So to start with I met the other team member and introduced myself, she was not interested at all in who I was and gave a half smile and just said hi. Throughout my first week she had pretty poor communication and I tried my best to remain as friendly as possible. I know everyone is different and as an introvert I understand small talk can be annoying sometimes. anyway I could explain more on that but I actually have been having trouble keeping everyone's stresses out of my head. I took over from a previous sorter and she returned for work about a month ago. We get on great and she is an artist also. She has her own mental health issues going on too and we do talk about stuff together because no one else has the time to listen. I consider myself a pretty amiable and caring person and I love to help people. Our boss is on leave at the moment and she left us in the hands of another manager that is not up to the job. she is so stressed out and insensitive. I tried to talk to her today as to how I had been feeling and that I felt like I had done something wrong to offend her but she has such a rushed aggressive way of talking she barely listened to me. I said I am sensitive and I have social anxiety and the office has been pretty negative lately. To sum the conversation up she asked "could you toughen up and not be sensitive?" at that I gave up and pretty much listened to her rant off and I went home totally upset and I had to skip tafe today because of it. I'm not sure if this all makes sense. But I was hoping maybe I could get some advice, I actually talked to her on the phone and said it was almost bullying what she said and that I want to resign. This was my second job I have quit in a year and I am worried I am not making any progress. I don't mean to complain. Thanks for reading

Pixiejewelz Trying to Sleep Plagued with Intrusive thoughts
  • replies: 2

Hi all. Whatever activity im involved in (with my daughter and grandkids) during day. For example 5 kids my daughter myself went for 1/2hr car drive today. When it comes time for sleep I read first then when Im tired i turn out the light. My mind rac... View more

Hi all. Whatever activity im involved in (with my daughter and grandkids) during day. For example 5 kids my daughter myself went for 1/2hr car drive today. When it comes time for sleep I read first then when Im tired i turn out the light. My mind races and eventually the thoughts will emerge from the events that day. Scenarios play out where im watching my daughter drive and see the car go off the road i can also see inside the car during the accident. It makes me shake my head to rid the thought but then on goes the light to scared to sleep. This happens every night it may be envisioning one of my grandkids being hit by a car, kidnapped. The other day i took my grandson for running training. He was panting hard out of breath. That night the intrusive scenario played in my head that he collapsed from a heart attack on the oval. Or he passed in his sleep from an undiagnosed condition exaserbated by the training. Why is this happening. Yes i do have fears of losing them i fear my own death. I just cant seem to switch off these thoughts at night or control them stop them from happening. Its impacting on me day to day. Ive rapidly loss weight due to it. Im not sleeping so im surviving on 2-3hrs sleep a night. I feel like swiching my brain off so i can sleep making it go numb if it were possible. Please help im desperate

Grampians Anxiety is cancerous
  • replies: 3

Hello, fresh newbie here, I am a stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma patient and as my thread title suggests I'm struggling with the mental side of having cancer. I'm in no way been diagnosed with a terminal period or outcome but after battling Melanoma for ... View more

Hello, fresh newbie here, I am a stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma patient and as my thread title suggests I'm struggling with the mental side of having cancer. I'm in no way been diagnosed with a terminal period or outcome but after battling Melanoma for 3 years now it's starting to do my head in. It is a cancer that is not obvious apart from some physical scars or those undergoing treatment for multiple lesions. Stage 4 Melanoma means it has affected internal organs and luckily for me only one lesion on a lung which has been surgically removed, while I am currently doing well with no new tumors I find it's the unknown lurking cancer cells floating around that consumes my thoughts on a daily basis. I am very anxious at the moment hence this post, a recent scan completed and now waiting for the report (Friday 18th). I'm not new to the waiting for scan reports, it's the build up over time that has caused restlessness, flushes, night sweats, head aches and lack of sleep. Generally, I have always been a very positive person but now I have started to avoid situations at work, keeping my feelings to myself from loved ones so as not to cause alarm, I have to put on a brave face because I am relied upon to perform with everything I do. I am yet to pick up the phone and talk to a counselor or taken myself off to a Psychologist but I guess that's something I am very close to doing, costs involved for professional help has stopped me, sadly cancer has also taken its toll in financial terms.