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.

All discussions

meelk I can no longer leave the house due to my anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi, Bit of background - history of anxiety and minor depression, recently had a traumatic event happen and have been seeing a psychologist, have recently been seeing a GP and was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder (however i do not agree with the diagn... View more

Hi, Bit of background - history of anxiety and minor depression, recently had a traumatic event happen and have been seeing a psychologist, have recently been seeing a GP and was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder (however i do not agree with the diagnosis as i do not display most of the tell tale signs). I've recently had such bad anxiety to the point where whenever i have to leave my home for anything i get so nauseous, foggy and feel like i'm going to faint. For example i'm in my final year of university and everything i'm about to get up and go i just cannot seem to leave the house, i cannot concentrate or do anything really. (This is a big issue as i cannot drive due to the anxiety and worry i have). The doctor i was seeing has been trying me on different medications but i've had extremely bad side effects to all of them except for benzodiazepenes which cannot be used for the long term. Before i started all the medications i had manageable anxiety but now my anxiety is so bad that it has completely ruined my life and is holding me back from doing anything. Is there anyone who has had something similar? i'm at the point where i'm considering asking for a referral to a psychiatrist so i can figure out what exactly is wrong with me.

Laura__ Anxiety over casual work/living situation
  • replies: 11

Basically my situation is that I am a casual teacher, I graduated end of last year. I got married this year, but the timing wasn't great as my partner dropped from full-time work to part time in order to complete a degree. This meant that rather than... View more

Basically my situation is that I am a casual teacher, I graduated end of last year. I got married this year, but the timing wasn't great as my partner dropped from full-time work to part time in order to complete a degree. This meant that rather than our original plan to move out, we had to stay living at my parents (and will likely have to for the next couple of years). The issue isn't living here because we have a big house with our own space (and privacy) the issue is that I so desperately want our own home and to start a family. And for the past couple of years it's all I can focus on, it's exhausting. My partner has gone for many jobs/scholarships this year as he hates where he currently works and gets paid next to nothing. Everytime he comes so close but just misses out. He had an amazing job opportunity come up this week, and it seemed as though he had it in the bag. But circumstances changed and it doesn't look like it's going to happen. The problem is I got my hopes up too high, I started looking at houses for sale and furniture and got way ahead of myself. I haven't been taking casual teaching days because I'm so tired (I've been having restless leg syndrome at night) and my mind is so preoccupied, and all I've been doing is sitting at home and dwelling on the life I want but can't have. I feel as though I can't face work in this anxious state, and I just want to be by myself. I feel trapped in our situation, it's an incredible amount of pressure on me to support us on my casual wage. I have a problem with sitting on social media and comparing myself to everyone else, and envying them because they are achieving things I'm not and living 'normal' adult lives. I'm not a patient person and people always say "you have it so good at your parents" "your still young" etc. But I catastrophize and feel like we will never get out of this situation we are in. My Mum also adds to my anxiety as she is a very anxious person herself and makes comments like "did you get any phone calls for work today?" or "I hope you don't plan on living here until your 40" in a very negative tone, I feel guilty, pressured and embarrassed by this. I'm always going round and round in my head thinking of strategies to get out of our situation "can I get a full-time job in a different industry?" "should my husband defer uni?" etc. but it always comes back to the fact that we can't change anything until he graduates. I don't want to live with this anxiousness and misery anymore.

Jenny1980 Anxiety - 60 hrs of flying at 31 weeks pregnant
  • replies: 5

Hi all, this is is my first ever post. I have a history of anxiety that gets triggered every few years. I'm suffering badly at the moment and need reassurance so I took a job requiring me to make a trip. I took it early in my pregnancy and told them ... View more

Hi all, this is is my first ever post. I have a history of anxiety that gets triggered every few years. I'm suffering badly at the moment and need reassurance so I took a job requiring me to make a trip. I took it early in my pregnancy and told them I was pregnant before taking the job. Location wasn't clear (could be anywhere) and time was meant to be earlier. Anyway it's now scheduled when I am 30 weeks pregnant (7months) and it's a 30hr flight to get there and 30hrs back (seriously?!) with 6 days on the ground. I freaked out. Can't sleep, eat etc. panic attacks, vomiting... so I emailed asking if I can move the job to Melbourne (it's possible just maybe not ideal for them). Please tell me this is ok. That I'm not letting anxiety rule my life and I'm not being a bad person. I've been bursting into tears at least every hr. I hate not living up to expectations, or letting people down. I really wanted to do this but I can't see it being a good idea.

LilyJax Humiliated about medical anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi I'm brand new to this forum but am seeking (hopefully) urgent support. Just in the sense of reassurance that I'm not the only one and maybe how to fix this issue. I have medical / health anxiety. I've had it for years at different extremities. I'v... View more

Hi I'm brand new to this forum but am seeking (hopefully) urgent support. Just in the sense of reassurance that I'm not the only one and maybe how to fix this issue. I have medical / health anxiety. I've had it for years at different extremities. I've always been embarrassed about it because I don't want to be seen as a hypochondriac- because I don't believe I am one. When I hear that word I think of someone being all dramatic and making stuff sound worse than it is and talking about it all the time. I'm not like that. Mine is extremely internalised and I've only shared my fears of medical things that could be wrong to trusted GP's. In fact I felt like one was treating me so much like a hypochondriac that I changed GP's. I've since found an incredible GP who I've been seeing for over a year, mainly for help with depression and generalised anxiety. But sometimes I have physical issues too, and of course I raise them. My depression and anxiety is so bad that I see her quite often. Anyway I've noticed my medical anxiety getting so much worse, and this afternoon I said to her this - that "I think my medical anxiety is..." and she finished my sentence with "through the roof?" Which is exactly what I was going to say. I agreed of course, but then she said something along the lines of she feels that I sort one thing out and then the next thing pops up. I'm hoping she didn't mean it the way I'm scared she meant it but ever since then I've just felt horrified, deeply humiliated and my depression has jumped to an all time low. I'm COMPLETELY embarrassed. I didn't choose to be this way, I don't make stuff up, I have very real symptoms and I worry. I don't go around telling anyone else other than my GP if I think I have an issue. But I'm horrified to think she might see me as a hypochondriac like I described above. It makes me want to close up and not tell her my worries like I have been - which of course is just as unhealthy. I have had a significant physical health issue 5 years ago and that has deeply affected me, I'm currently dealing with another less serious one (both very real!) and have had SO much in between so that doesn't help. But nothing is made up or dramatised. I am just devastated. Has anyone else felt this way with doctors before? I'm seriously just so embarrassed. I feel like doctors who think (or know) you have medical anxiety don't treat you with the same concern they usually would - they think it's being dramatised. Is ANYONE like me?

M2B Struggling to keep it together
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone I hate talking about this stuff as I feel very vulnerable. I have so much going on in my head but so I don't exactly know where to start. I've felt this way most of my life but got better once I moved out of home (14 years ago). I love my... View more

Hi everyone I hate talking about this stuff as I feel very vulnerable. I have so much going on in my head but so I don't exactly know where to start. I've felt this way most of my life but got better once I moved out of home (14 years ago). I love my family but it is almost taboo to talk about feelings and show emotion other than happiness (but not excitement). I know I have anxiety and am pretty sure have had depression on and off (if that's even a thing), I wouldn't say it's server though. I did get diagnosed with PND after having my first son and did counselling for a while but ended up stopping as i was feeling better. This was a few years ago now. I basically just want to hear from people in similar situations. I know I haven't really explained my situation well. I just don't really know what to say. I snap a lot and am frustrated and irritated a lot, I am overly emotional at things that have nothing to do with me (like when watching a movie) but when these things happen to me, I don't seem to feel much. Sometimes when I am feeling something, I don't understand what it is i'm feeling. I don't know why I am feeling a certain way or what triggered it. The birth of my 2 children, I didn't cry. They handed them to me and I just felt relief it was over. When I married my husband, I just wanted it to be over and couldn't concentrate on anything that day as I just wanted to be out of the lime light. But then I will cry for no reason and for example when I saw my sick grandparents who were really sick, I just wanted to get away from them. I just don't think I could handle the emotion and even more so I don't want anyone to see me get emotional. As I said earlier, we weren't aloud to show emotion when we were kids so I think I struggle with it now. I do want to run away from situation's when they bring up emotion and get flustered very easily. My parents talk about this stuff with such negativity, saying things like "their not right in the head" (even though my mum suffers from anxiety which no one ever talks about) and they definitely do not know how I feel or how I have ever felt as I have and never will tell them. I always put on a happy face and pretend everything is fine. Anyway, I know this is getting long, I just find myself struggling more now to put on a happy face. I'm always snapping at my husband and kids and always feel stressed about something. Would just love to hear how other people have coped with this stuff.

Slipstream_SS Time i started being more social
  • replies: 8

Hi People Its cold and raining here in Perth, some summer hey, anyway thought id put some more thoughts out there. As per my Social Phobia my social life suffers because of it, and even though ive found ways to control my fears though Beta blockers t... View more

Hi People Its cold and raining here in Perth, some summer hey, anyway thought id put some more thoughts out there. As per my Social Phobia my social life suffers because of it, and even though ive found ways to control my fears though Beta blockers to relax me, ive learned not to put myself in situations that could cause panic. The positive is i dont really get panic attacks anymore, the negative is my social life is pretty dead. To put it into perspective, my fears restrict alot of my life. I dont go to dinner parties where i dont know anyone, yet ill go to dinner at a restaurant if its someone i know. I push girls that i meet away before they know my fears. Ive never travelled, as in never been on a plane, never been out of Western Australia, and thats sad i think, cos theres a big world out there to explore, and ive not seen any of it. Reason is i might be in another country at airport or something and have to fill out paperwork. Ive never had trouble making friends so ive always got someone to see if i want, but i spose i just got so adjusted to my safety zone i dont step out of it. My life consists of working 6 days a week training 6 days a week, then Saturday night and Sunday i just stay home and do nothing, where i should be getting out in the world. I also feel that being in my early forti4es now, my life is being wasted. All my friends know about my phobia and are understanding, but they are all normal in the scheme of things, and dont let stuff hold them back This is why i like it here, because im not being judged and weve all got some kind of issues in life. Anyway just a Sunday arvo vent. Have a good week ppl CK

Saschala First steps to getting help
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone , this is the first time posting here , I've decided after tonight's panic attackt at 2 am due to sounds of men talking that I need help heart racing , nausea , headache , shaking and tight chest ... full of adrenaline , too scared to eve... View more

Hi everyone , this is the first time posting here , I've decided after tonight's panic attackt at 2 am due to sounds of men talking that I need help heart racing , nausea , headache , shaking and tight chest ... full of adrenaline , too scared to even wake up my own husband because I'm so fearful not of him ,but of someone trying to hurt us or him I guess I've had anxiety my whole life , I was sexually abused by my step dad at 5 years old up untill I was 9 then as a teenager I was held hostage by a group of thugs who broke into the home as I was sleeping at, I was 14 . I'm a married women with 3 children , I worry about everything but my triggers are crime related - we recently moved into a home with antisocial backyard neighbours, the teenagers who live there have threaten to hurt me and my husband , and since then I won't even go out the back yard ,I'm actually doing my washing inside ! I'm like this tiny little girl who is absolutely terrified of people and I cant trust anyone and I'm absolutely terrified of people who I feel threatened by . I'm too scared to walk my kids to school which is 5 minutes away because I'm so scared I'll bump into my backyard neighbours and they will hurt me, so I drive them to school , I won't even let my children play in the backyard anymore , this is getting so out of control and my own husband doesn't understand what is wrong with me , the control it has over me and how it makes me feel and that that when im scared I'm triggered off and I go into panic .only things that tigger my panic attacks is when im feeling scared , if I hear voices or noises At night if I see someone im scared of, if I'm driving and someone gets to close ,when my husband goes outside to mow the back lawn my anxiety is very high because of my irrational thoughts of the nighbours going to hurt him , i felt like I'm losing my mind and I dont want to spend my life like this anymore , I am losing my battle with anxiety and falling into a depression because I have no support around me , my anxiety keeps me inside a lot and I don't have family or many friends , I go weeks without a phn call from anyone and my husband works very long hours , I feel like my poor children are going to hate me because of my anxiety .I know I need some help and this is my first step into getting help and changing my life around

Iamawinner Uni stress.
  • replies: 4

It's my first week back st uni and I'm already extremely stressed. I have to meet with my teacher to discus my project like everyone else. I procrastinate a lot and find it really difficult to communicate my ideas. Every time I meet with the teacher ... View more

It's my first week back st uni and I'm already extremely stressed. I have to meet with my teacher to discus my project like everyone else. I procrastinate a lot and find it really difficult to communicate my ideas. Every time I meet with the teacher and I don't know the answer or I haven't worked it out yet. I will say well I'll just have to work on that more .. but I always always feel him judging me and so when I look at him I get very overwhelmed that he thinks I'm stupid or just a pretty little girl. Or that I haven't put any effort in when 99% of the time I put everything into my uni. And it always makes me hold back tears. A lot of the time I di cry. It's so embarrassing in front of the rest of the class. I'm in my fourth year of uni and this happens every year and with most meetings with teachers. I have panic attacks when it comes to doing my assignments regularly and have so for the last 2-3 years at least. I know I can do it but when I think about not getting the work done I have so many negative thoughts that then cause the panic attacks or close to it. I just hate that everyone else seems to cope with stress so much easier it makes me even more upset!

CMF PMT anxiety/panic attacks/overthinking/constant chatter
  • replies: 22

Hi, I am 46 and have always suffered anxiety on and off. The last few months I have had triggers that caused anxiety and I will have a particular thing that I panic and worry about. I have started to notice that it happens more around that time of th... View more

Hi, I am 46 and have always suffered anxiety on and off. The last few months I have had triggers that caused anxiety and I will have a particular thing that I panic and worry about. I have started to notice that it happens more around that time of the month. I do suffer other pmt symptoms but am noticing a pattern with the anxiety now. There will be a trigger, I will feel panic/anxiety during the day and wake at times during the night as i constantly think negative things about it about. It will then it will lift, like a dark cloud has been removed from my mind and I think more rationally and of positive things re what I am anxious about and tell myself how silly I was being. I will then feel ok and more upbeat until the negative talk sets in again-i.e when I wake the next morning. When this happens I try to remember that I was feeling ok and why I was feeling ok and that it is the anxiety making me think negatively but it is an ongoing cycle. I know hormones play a part in this. I have a dr apt next week but I am assuming it is hormone related as my last few anxiety/panic attacks have been around the time of the month. My cycles etc are also changing. I am taking magnesium and B6 now and drinking chamomile and green tea. Has anyone been though this or had experience with pmt anxiety. cmf

Faithh Hi friends - Seeking some words of support
  • replies: 6

Hi guys, Thought I'd post here cos I wasn't exactly sure where I could just write an "update/having bad day" kinda post! Before I go on, I do have a therapist i speak to but just reaching out today in the hope of some responses as I'm not having the ... View more

Hi guys, Thought I'd post here cos I wasn't exactly sure where I could just write an "update/having bad day" kinda post! Before I go on, I do have a therapist i speak to but just reaching out today in the hope of some responses as I'm not having the best time and hope to feel less alone in this feeling. I'll put a little run down to what is affecting my life in negative ways (which I'm trying to change) but today has just been a bit of an overwhelming time. - Lost job in Nov 2016, still haven't been able to find anything. Im an art director and Ive been looking outside of my industry as well to earn some cash. I've gone from a healthy salary to nothing. Thankfully i have a partner, but still I need to make money and also keep busy! - Staying with mother in law lately to help her out after she was in hospital. I want to help of course but this has also pushed back my recovery program (haven't been to the gym since last Thursday and i can really feel the difference) - Dealing with my own health anxiety. I freak over the smallest things and catastrophise to the point of what feels like no return! Eg: tension headaches for me are... the worst case scenario, and I know I make them worse by imagining myself having to go to hospital for something terrible! - Shouldnt have googled anything health related!! Today has just made me feel so horrible I was pretty much in tears. Any words of wisdom, comfort and understanding would be so appreciated. Thanks xF