Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Pinned discussions

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. Remeber, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anixiety 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 you 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 worthile 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

All discussions

Alexia1 Heart rate
  • replies: 2

Has anyone had a panic attack where the heart rate has reached 250bpm at any stage... mine did for the first time and I can't stop thinking about it

Has anyone had a panic attack where the heart rate has reached 250bpm at any stage... mine did for the first time and I can't stop thinking about it

Peterzim95 Panic attacks and my heartrate.
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone, i'm peter, 22 and I've just joined beyondblue. I wanted to talk about the problem I have with panic attacks and see if anyone else could empathise or share their own personal recovery story with me. About 7 weeks ago I smoked marijuana w... View more

Hi everyone, i'm peter, 22 and I've just joined beyondblue. I wanted to talk about the problem I have with panic attacks and see if anyone else could empathise or share their own personal recovery story with me. About 7 weeks ago I smoked marijuana with my friends and when one of them (who had never smoked it before) who was acting odd asked me to check his pulse i freaked out because i touched his skin (nowhere near his wrist) and hallucinated that his heart was basically exploding. I freaked out, I instantly became aware of my own heartbeat, which was throbbing in my chest and rocking my head, felt like a blood vessel would burst. I ended up calling an ambulance and going to hospital all night where i was panicked the entire 4-5 hours and passed out at one point when my heart reached 240 bpm. It's been easy to account that experience to the drugs and traumatic experience but ever since im now constantly aware of my heart rate. I have increased anxiety and every few days my heart rate spikes and everything becomes super sensitive because of the adrenaline. Wind on my leg hairs feel like the tingling one supposedly experiences before a heart attack. My shirt rustling against my chest feels like my heartbeat. It suffices to say, im really stressed about my own heart rate. Ive had blood and blood pressure tests, they say im fine and won't be experiencing a heart attack anytime soon. But just the memory of that first panic attack, every sense amplified by the marijuana, and the fear of believing i was about to have a massive heart attack or brain aneurysm is enough to send me into a panic. An irrational fear considering the evidence weighed against it, but my nervous system doesn't care how irrational it may be. Id really like it if someone replied, i feel so hopeless at the moment, as if I'll never return to life as normal. Oh and after thinking for a while i could deal with it, after a panic attack tonight ive decided to organise a psychologist visit

Alexia1 Extreme dizziness
  • replies: 2

Hi, i am new here. I have had severe anxiety for 2 years now. I like to refer to anxiety as "it". It sounds better. i use to get severe panic attacks. The past 4 months have been okay, I work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. I am also planning my weddi... View more

Hi, i am new here. I have had severe anxiety for 2 years now. I like to refer to anxiety as "it". It sounds better. i use to get severe panic attacks. The past 4 months have been okay, I work 12 hours a day, 5 days a week. I am also planning my wedding. until last Friday night I have been nothing but extremely dizzy/lightheaded and this hasn't stopped , it's been a week now. I went to the doctors and checked my blood pressure and it was normal then. I keep thinking of the worst. Is this extreme dizziness normal for 'it' ??? Sometimes I feel sick or my heads more dizzy when I get up real quickly too. Please let let me know

Hylo46 OCD intrusive thoughts worse on SSRI
  • replies: 20

Hi there, day 6 on SSRI (meds) and my intrusive thoughts are more prevelant and nastier - keep thinking I will act on the them due to the thoughts - anyone out there have a similar fear?

Hi there, day 6 on SSRI (meds) and my intrusive thoughts are more prevelant and nastier - keep thinking I will act on the them due to the thoughts - anyone out there have a similar fear?

syrinxCors My anxiety story
  • replies: 1

Began when I was about 16 that I remember - maybe younger but I don't really know. I'm a 41 year old man now and over the last couple of weeks it's back with a vengeance. Back when I was younger I never felt like I was worth anything to other people,... View more

Began when I was about 16 that I remember - maybe younger but I don't really know. I'm a 41 year old man now and over the last couple of weeks it's back with a vengeance. Back when I was younger I never felt like I was worth anything to other people, especially to girls. I had friends, don't get me wrong - but I never felt comfortable in a group when I couldn't fade into the background. I never wanted to stand up in front of other people and be seen for what I was or what I could do. I just felt like I wasn't like other people. That continued into my later teens - when all my peers were expressing their personalities I felt like I didn't have one. Due to my social anxiety, coupled with domineering parental influence - I found it was just easier to stay home and get high. I'd avoid mates places and parties because I just felt like I couldn't stay, that everything I said was stupid, that everyone was looking at and judging me. In my last year of school my friends list was pretty much down to 1. Fast forward ten years and some bad decisions later, and I'm renting a flat with that 1 dude. By now I'm having panic attacks fairly frequently - several a day. In buses, movie theaters - even just walking from place to place (if I walked to the middle of a street block, i'd feel "trapped in the middle" and have one, just completely irrational.) Usual panic attack symptoms - fast heart, dry mouth, short breath, feeling like I'm about to pass out or even die, tingling and checking my pulse every 2 seconds - and the need to RUN. Go forward another couple of years and this guy is down from Brisbane staying now at my place. I'm going through a bad phase, to the point where I feel trapped inside my own head. Like my mind and body were two separate things. Like I could actually feel the dimensions of my skull and was pushing to get out because I didn't want to spend the next 60 odd years stuck in there feeling this way. I would stand at my front door, look outside and not recognise anything I saw. I knew people were going about their lives all around me but couldn't convince myself this was real. Everything I saw was in 2d and I was watching it happen - I've since found out this is called "derealisation." I felt I needed to actually focus to continue breathing. This went beyond just feeling weird, this was scary. So even though I still didn't know what was wrong I went to the doctor. He was great - suggesting medication - and it worked.

amalee78 Anxiety relapse
  • replies: 2

I have felt pretty good the last few months. But this week has not been great. In the last week I have been really worried about North Korea starting the next world war, I have worried that I was going to lose a hand due to a too tight wrist brace, w... View more

I have felt pretty good the last few months. But this week has not been great. In the last week I have been really worried about North Korea starting the next world war, I have worried that I was going to lose a hand due to a too tight wrist brace, worried I had a blood clot in my leg because I banged it hard and it's been sore and bruised, worried that my husband has prostrate cancer because he said his prostate was sore....and now I'm worried about our fridge killing us because I just read a story about a leaking fridge that killed a child with carbon monoxide poisoning (and my fridge is 30 years old and isn't working well). For the first few days, I really believed something bad was coming, but just today it occurred to me that my anxiety is getting away from me, all my worries I guess sound ridiculous, but I've been distracted, grumpy, scalp has been prickling, hands have been sweating and I just feel miserable. I have been doing some of my strategies which have helped in the short term, but I keep getting different worries that pop up as soon as the old one disappears. i just don't know what to do to pull myself out of it.

kaityo1 Long term unsolved anxiety
  • replies: 4

Hi, Since early childhood I have suffered with a speech disorder (stutter) which left me to develop low confidence, self esteem and to become quite harsh towards myself due to the frustration of not being able to speak properly to people or in front ... View more

Hi, Since early childhood I have suffered with a speech disorder (stutter) which left me to develop low confidence, self esteem and to become quite harsh towards myself due to the frustration of not being able to speak properly to people or in front of crowds. After years of being told by family and teachers that there is 'nothing wrong with me' and what I'm going through is 'normal' and 'will disappear over time', I was convinced of this and never sought help. Now, in my early 20's, this unsolved anxiety has caused a domino effect of issues such as possessing low self confidence, OCD and a fear of interaction and making mistakes. Because of this, it has affected my mental health greatly and many job opportunities for me. I am unable to get past job interview stages due to my lack of confidence and I am too fearful to take on any further opportunities as verbal communication is important in any job and I won't be able to do it. What steps should I take to improve this? I am thankful for any advice.

Chozzy Loss of appetite & nausea
  • replies: 9

Hi all, I struggle with anxiety and recently I've had a lot of days where I've completely lost my appetite and felt really nauseas. For instance, today I went out for lunch with a friend and felt like I was forcing myself to eat and only ate maybe 10... View more

Hi all, I struggle with anxiety and recently I've had a lot of days where I've completely lost my appetite and felt really nauseas. For instance, today I went out for lunch with a friend and felt like I was forcing myself to eat and only ate maybe 10 chips total. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to manage this? It doesn't happen everyday but it's obviously not healthy to have days without eating.

Fragment I am afraid
  • replies: 3

Hi, i have never posted on here before. But i better start some where. Quick intro; i am 26 year old man i also have a daughter. I quit one of my jobs left my relationship two days ago. I don't go out anymore and only have one true friend. i am afrai... View more

Hi, i have never posted on here before. But i better start some where. Quick intro; i am 26 year old man i also have a daughter. I quit one of my jobs left my relationship two days ago. I don't go out anymore and only have one true friend. i am afraid of other people and get nervous but appear confident. I am getting help with medication and couciling. But i can't function properly anymore. I feel like i have done nothing with my life. I always struggle to do anything. I feel like the worlds biggest failure. Any advice on how to get out there and to not fear things anymore. I have been this way for so long i don't know where to begin

Lauren32 Really struggling with anxiety
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone i am a 27 year old female and I am really struggling with anxiety lately! I have missed a lot of work and have instances where I've been in work and I just got up and left without telling anyone cause I felt like I was dying. I have ended... View more

Hi everyone i am a 27 year old female and I am really struggling with anxiety lately! I have missed a lot of work and have instances where I've been in work and I just got up and left without telling anyone cause I felt like I was dying. I have ended up in the doctors and emergency room a number of times thinking I was dying. It's the physical symptoms that are so severe I struggle to believe it's just anxiety!. My heart feels like it's coming out of my chest I get breathless and feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen to my brain! The worst is feeling like I'm going insane like I literally feel like I'm losing my mind. How can I feel better??? I'm on and off medication but I struggle with the side effects! I think for the first few weeks it makes my anxiety worse! Does anyone have any coping mechanisms? Willing to try anything thank you in advance