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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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JBat New job causing my anxiety to flare up quite badly. What do I do?
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I started a new job 3.5 weeks ago and am unhappy and it's causing my anxiety to flare up because I don't know how to handle in. Just resign I hear you say, well I tried that but then because I felt guilty, I said I would stay and work from ho... View more

Hi all, I started a new job 3.5 weeks ago and am unhappy and it's causing my anxiety to flare up because I don't know how to handle in. Just resign I hear you say, well I tried that but then because I felt guilty, I said I would stay and work from home the majority of the time and go into the office on Thursday's. The thought of going in tomorrow makes me feel sick. They don't know about my depression and anxiety as I am embarrassed and don't want to be judged. I have lied (I know it's wrong) and said I cannot get childcare and this is why I cannot remain in the job but really it's because my anxiety is so bad. Last Thursday when I was in the office I had to get my friend to call with an "emergency" so I could leave. What do I do?

Ccbbk anxiety attack over mess
  • replies: 3

Does anyone get the feelings and thoughts that they have finally got better? Ive been so happy and positive after a really bad time a few months ago and today i felt amazing and went out with no social anxiety feeling pretty fabulous.... until i got ... View more

Does anyone get the feelings and thoughts that they have finally got better? Ive been so happy and positive after a really bad time a few months ago and today i felt amazing and went out with no social anxiety feeling pretty fabulous.... until i got back home and remembered i didnt clean before i left. Now i know it doesnt take long to clean up so why would i get so worked up My mother arrived during and i was shakey and heart was pounding and i couldn't stop cleaning trying to fight back the choking feeling. When she left i helped myself calm down and I called her and apologised which i never usually have the guts to do and she said it was very obvious something was wrong but she new i needed space. Its really embarrassing when you have to say its because I didn't clean before i left! Anyone else have Anxiety attacks over a clean unorganised house?

tleaves Can anyone help me with anxiety problems
  • replies: 2

Can anyone give me some advice. Recently my depression has become alot worse due to some issues that i had in my work place although these issues are now better i am finding it increasingly difficult to get myself to work. I get very anxious about th... View more

Can anyone give me some advice. Recently my depression has become alot worse due to some issues that i had in my work place although these issues are now better i am finding it increasingly difficult to get myself to work. I get very anxious about the thought of going to work nearly every day which is very upsetting for me cause even though I know that there is nothing to worry about i seem to get myself so worked up that sometimes I can't leave the house. So this leads to me missing work and pay as i am a casual employee. If anyone can offer some advice on how to manage my anxiety would really appreciate it

Sad_Puppy_Dog An example of how anxiety affects me: OVERTHINKING. looking for similar stories, successes, etc
  • replies: 2

Anxiety has been with me for a long time. At least around the start of high school with bullying, expectations, the future, grades, peer pressure, etc. I over analyse, overthink, to a ridiculous degree. After much chaos and setback particularly in th... View more

Anxiety has been with me for a long time. At least around the start of high school with bullying, expectations, the future, grades, peer pressure, etc. I over analyse, overthink, to a ridiculous degree. After much chaos and setback particularly in the last 10 mths and time spent with a new psychologist for 2 mths, I have come to learn a bit about myself with overthinking and acknowledging it more loudly. The boiling point happened in the recent session where I became teary thinking about how much it rules my life. When asked what I was thinking, I responded that is it just SO EXHAUSTING. It is a part of me that I do NOT want and have not managed to control and recently it is something I am confronting, questioning, analysing (!) by myself and with my counsel support. I LOATHE it, even (As goes the perpetual cycle) wondering if it has anything to do with driving people away or them recognising that quality in me and wanting to flee. Undetermined. My mind is not always at high levels of fear though that occurs from time to time. There is some degree of me going "What if this? What if that?" about numerous things, actions I consider taking. I do seem to prefer some order, structure and logistics though I have always wished to be more carefree like some others. My mind is frequently restless, on overdrive, going back over the same problems and scenarios (Recent breakups would be the main field above all) from things that have occurred even a long time ago, trying to get unanswered questions resolved and solve problems, going round in circles. It is SO tiring, playing my life over and over again ad infinity. It kind of makes it difficult too because I am a writer and I am creative with film, drawing and design. I'm a storyteller and a visual person...so my skills/talents can actually open up to serve me in a negative way. ^&*$! I have recently been told to focus on mindfullness, the present moment. I am wondering however about the experiences of others who have a mind that just won't slow down, that won't stop obsessing, rehashing, planning, analysing and all of those other appropriate words. And are there examples of people who have controlled or "beaten" this aspect of themselves that I can read about? Would love to see what is out there. Thanks.

byproductofsystems My Anxiety, how it effects my life, how i feel powerless and aware that i feel powerless to do much.
  • replies: 8

Greetings community, Using the Beyond Blue resource has been something that has been building up for a while i think. And like many other posts, it's how to start. I guess with a bit of the backstory to give context to the present. I am an ex-statewa... View more

Greetings community, Using the Beyond Blue resource has been something that has been building up for a while i think. And like many other posts, it's how to start. I guess with a bit of the backstory to give context to the present. I am an ex-statewad, byproduct of NSW institutionalized care, with DOCS being my longest term carer. In short, i guess details don't matter to me anymore nor do i really find the details of the picture really helpful to focus on. All my life and personal research, meanderings, ponderings and speculations has lead me to i think a vastly deeper awareness of my strengths and abilities, but have confined me with barriers that i don't see difficult as conquering. I just have reached a point where i was ready to take on the world again, full force, determination, aspiration to make it happen. For the first time as an adult, i knew the paths i wanted to spend my life in. But instead of getting help i got doubt from those around me, i got a lot of withdrawals from people due to intensity, passion, wanting to rise above day to day life and achieve true freedom. To be able to live without concerns of the daily grind, how am i going to afford to eat, am i providing well enough (i dont even provide, i sacrifice at the cost of my health). I guess i always knew i had alot of wisdom, strength and life experience due to my history. But never doubt. Now, that doubt has turned into total carelessness. I just don't seem to care about anything. Nothing. I barely eat anymore, i've realised atrophy has started to set, exercise comes at the sounds of "snap crackle and pop" through my cartilage and ligaments. I think i've developed an eating disorder. As when im alone, even with food. I seem to lack the desire to cook, i used to enjoy hosting for people when i had the opportunity and environment for it. But i can barely be bothered watching eggs fry, most of the time i just crack them and check back in a few minutes. I dont really have the energy to watch them. I know simple things like daylight, exercise and healthy food impact alot. I know i need to make changes, yet feel utterly lacking any motivation, energy or care about it. I'm aware i have near no personal life skills, my skill is putting on a mask and convincing people not to look closer. But if you push past it, you'll find someone's mental health in tatters, at a loss, lack of care, motivation or anything. I honestly wish i could just fall asleep and not wake up, but each day. I do.

Number7 My life
  • replies: 3

This condition is ruining my life. It is preventing me from doing things I used to love and leaves me spending my days in bed depressed and wondering how anything will ever get better. I struggle to attend university anymore, every time I approach my... View more

This condition is ruining my life. It is preventing me from doing things I used to love and leaves me spending my days in bed depressed and wondering how anything will ever get better. I struggle to attend university anymore, every time I approach my class my heartrate accelerates, I get hot flushes and a tightness in the chest which generally gets so bad I decide to not attend my classes. I struggle doing things I used to love to do. I can't go to the pub with friends anymore if there is going to be a large group of people there, I begin suffering the same symptoms before I even leave my house and end up deciding to go to bed again no matter the time of day. I work in retail and have had to take the last two weeks off work as the thought of being surrounded by strangers in a store was too much for me, and when I am at work I routinely have to leave the floor and sit in the bathroom to calm myself down. I feel like I haven't left my bed in a month as I can't fathom the idea of being anywhere else without beginning to panic. I've been left fatigued and depressed and really don't see how this can ever get better. I am yet to see a doctor and be properly diagnosed with anything as my future career is within law enforcement and being diagnosed with any mental health condition will make the already competitive application process even harder.

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.