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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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gloria10 Avoidance
  • replies: 4

Hi, So I've been trying to work out why I struggle with work and I think one of the issues is avoidance. It can be if I avoid a confrontation or getting upset at work and even now I realised I've been putting in a lot of energy to avoid Work for the ... View more

Hi, So I've been trying to work out why I struggle with work and I think one of the issues is avoidance. It can be if I avoid a confrontation or getting upset at work and even now I realised I've been putting in a lot of energy to avoid Work for the Dole. I know it isn't a bad thing, I know that it helps with confidence and keeping active with the community, but I find myself trying to avoid it and I realise I do this a lot as well. I also find it hard when I feel backed into a corner like there's no other choice (which is how I feel with this situation) and I guess I just feel agitated. Has anyone gotten help with avoidance and has it helped? I am going to see a counsellor soon and think this will help. Just feeling a bit anxious at the moment.. I think I am also worried about failure. Workplace providers can put a lot of pressure on and I'm worried I won't be able to achieve what they ask. I guess I haven't had much luck with them. Gloria10

ED17 Work, panic and repeat..
  • replies: 2

I finished uni at the end of last year and went straight into my current full time job (I started interning there while at studying, then worked part time while studying, and have been there almost three years now), but had to quit last week because ... View more

I finished uni at the end of last year and went straight into my current full time job (I started interning there while at studying, then worked part time while studying, and have been there almost three years now), but had to quit last week because I just couldn't cope anymore. Since going full time this year I can't stop making so many mistakes and forget really important things almost every day - this is not an exaggeration. This has resulted in me missing deadlines with clients and forgetting to hand in important forms for my company. Im not a stupid person and have always excelled in work and school (but have always been very forgetful about minor things like where I have put wallet down etc) but now I can't even seem to function with basic tasks! I feel panicked all the time and this makes me freeze up and take longer on tasks then I should, so I end up working late into the night or getting up really early in the morning to try and finish my work in time. This is not helped by the fact I work from home so have no separation between work and home life (sometimes I don't leave the house for a week because I don't have any reason to, and literally all i do is work, panic and sleep) Everyone else I work with keeps up with their (much larger) workloads and I am always the one letting down the team, its just so upsetting because this is not the person I am. I have always been reliable and take work very seriously. So, like I said I quit my job because I couldn't handle the stress any more. My mum, who has had depression almost her whole life and has been worried by the change in my personality finally convinced me to go to the doctor who put me on a starter dose of an SSRI, so I am hoping this helps me get back to being myself because I hate this so much. I honestly feel like my next mistake is just seconds away and I always have this overwhelming feeling that well.. basically the world is going to end. My boss has said she will give me a good reference and help me get another job, but I am working until the end of this month (we are required to give 4 weeks notice) and I just feel like I'm going to stuff up big time before my time is up and I wont have a reference anymore... and then wont be able to find another job because they are my most important one. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has gone through similar, or has some techniques to deal with this fear... I cant wait for this job to end but am also so scared of what to do next..

Anxiety_hell Plz help with anxiety
  • replies: 9

My anxiety is out of control its like I'm scared to do anything. Get chest pains all the time from anxiety having them now it just seems to much its hopeless and never going to stop, I try to talk my self out of it, it makes me so tired, I just want ... View more

My anxiety is out of control its like I'm scared to do anything. Get chest pains all the time from anxiety having them now it just seems to much its hopeless and never going to stop, I try to talk my self out of it, it makes me so tired, I just want to hide in my bedroom or I end up at the hospital. I have a 15 yr old daughter and just feel like the worst mum wife person that I just can't get over this stupid anxiety. I just want it to stop I don't even know where it comes from what I'm worrying about. I watched and took both my parents to the hospital when they had heart attacks both OK thank god but now for the last 13 years I have been living in this hell. I won't put a date on my wedding I feel like I just don't have the energy to do it. Just want to hide need help to get out of this big black hole I hit bottom in and no way of getting out Thanks to anyone that can give advice or any story's u have so scared going crazy

worrier92 never thought i was anxious
  • replies: 17

Hey All, Im very new here and never posted anything like this. Im a little nervous however i read some very similar threads to how i feel. I am a 24 year old Registered Nurse who constantly suffers hypochondria and anxiety. I always new i suffered an... View more

Hey All, Im very new here and never posted anything like this. Im a little nervous however i read some very similar threads to how i feel. I am a 24 year old Registered Nurse who constantly suffers hypochondria and anxiety. I always new i suffered anxiety in specific moments however over the last couple of years it seems to of increased without me knowing it. I have suffered family deaths and issues as well as heartbreaks. I am recently engaged to the love of my life, however that seems to of caused me to have an increase in anxiety too. When i first started at uni the lectures used to say the more you know about the body the more you will self diagnosis. And it is so true. I am hoping to find others in the same boat and really work out a way to stop it, as it is getting to the point of becoming 24/7. A while ago i was constantly short of breath and couldnt catch it. I kept telling myself i was really sick and had lung cancer etc. I went to the doctor and got diagnosed with reversible bronchial lung disease. I went on a puffer which helped however i still get short of breath. The doctor believes there is more anxiety related symptoms going on. I will always feel sick and tired. Always panicking that i have some type of cancer. I diagnose myself and cannot stop thinking of death. When i go to bed, i feel my heart racing. Just before i randomly got short of breath and felt so sick in the stomach. It is happening everyday and i am getting so sick of feeling stressed and worrying about having a terminal illness. I constantly think i have bowl cancer and stare age at my bowel motion sussing it out. The doctor states the likelihood is minimal. Im really hoping that someone else is like me and can give me tips. Its making me so depressed but know one would know as i try to hide it. My fiance doesnt take my physical symptoms seriously as they understand anxiety so thinks nothing physically is wrong. I dont know where this obsession and diagnosis constantly came from but i cannot get rid of it. HELP!

ScaredBetty Feeling Detached from reality and not myself
  • replies: 2

Hi there I just wanted to know if anyone else has ever experienced the same thing as I am experiencing now. Im 18, and over the past few weeks I have been having moments in the day (usually afternoon) where I begin to feel strange in my head, I feel ... View more

Hi there I just wanted to know if anyone else has ever experienced the same thing as I am experiencing now. Im 18, and over the past few weeks I have been having moments in the day (usually afternoon) where I begin to feel strange in my head, I feel dizzy and light headed and I start feeling like Im losing my perception on things around me. I have felt for these past few weeks like I am not myself, I have felt sometimes that I am losing control of myself and losing my grip on reality. Some background knowledge to know is that for majority of this time I have been sick with a cold, and for the past few days my head has been very congested. I am not sure if this feeling is coming from the sickness, I am not even sure if you can be sick for so many weeks like I have been. I am on anti depressant and anti anxiety medication and have increased the dose now because of how I have been feeling lately. I cant pinpoint the exact time these feelings started, I remember waking up one night and feeling like it wasnt me, I looked in the mirror and I felt completely seperate to myself and like I couldnt tell what was real. It is such a hard feeling to describe but Ive tried my best. Also may help to know I did smoke weed for a week or two on a daily basis, and I dont know if that has messed with my head and made me start feeling like this. I suppose my main worry is that these feelings will never go away and I will never feel normal again.

_FallenAngel_ Hi, thank you for adding me!! weight issues, anorexia and other mental health issues, struggling, guilt :'(
  • replies: 11

Hullo everyone, I have recently joined beyondblue and it's wonderful to hear you all I am single 30, living in Sydney. Lover of fine arts, oil painting, and sketching sorts of arts. Currently taking art classes at The Rocks. My primary diagnosis is A... View more

Hullo everyone, I have recently joined beyondblue and it's wonderful to hear you all I am single 30, living in Sydney. Lover of fine arts, oil painting, and sketching sorts of arts. Currently taking art classes at The Rocks. My primary diagnosis is Anorexia Nervosa which I have battled for 11 years now. Bipolar II Disorder, with Non-Melancholic Depressive episodes; GAD and Personality Disorder. Life hasn't been the best but eating (or not eating) I have control over and I know that triggers my other mental health issues which results in extreme dieting, starvation, over-exercising and most of the time, nobody notices not even my brother because eating is such a fundamental pleasurable activity that people just assume you're doing it, even when no one's watching. Anorexia plays a big part in my life. I would say it is the top dog of all my health issues. So I start my morning by weighing myself, it's a very regiment thing for me waking up, everything is in order and it can be very difficult because I share with my brother and he is often up before me and that kind of behaviour for people to do is not normal so I have to do in secret. I feel extremely ashamed sometimes as I feel I'm abusing his trust and space. Anyway I will weigh myself and whatever the scale says I wouldn't be happy if I had lost weight, and I wouldn't be happy for sure if I had gain weight. It causes so much anxiety before weighing myself every time and if I had gained weight, it affects not just my mood, it brings upon strong depression and really bad mood swings and I feel awful about myself (it is pretty bad anyway, but it would be pretty bad if I had gained weight. I remember growing up, I was such an inquisitive child at school and at college my mind was never focussed, was restless, always wandering, I could not pay attention, always used to be so fussy around food, poor body image but I was very proper which turned into perfectionism and it changed my life forever... but I started to expect the same from others including my family and as a result a lot of broken friendships, relationships, conflicts at workplace... In my youth it only got much worse and inclined to a point where it has now become a big part of my life. However I am in recovery and hope to beat it without relapsing Of all my mental health issues, if God can take away one I wish it would be anorexia for sure Bless you all lovely people take care XXX

CJ7 Agitation associated with anxiety/depression
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I am really struggling with CONSTANT agitation/feeling on edge. It doesn't have to be for a reason, but I can never just relax or unwind. It feels so deep down in my body and it's hard to explain. It's this anger and restlessness that I haven... View more

Hi all, I am really struggling with CONSTANT agitation/feeling on edge. It doesn't have to be for a reason, but I can never just relax or unwind. It feels so deep down in my body and it's hard to explain. It's this anger and restlessness that I haven't found a way to relieve. Its affecting my relationship as I snap over anything that irritates me in the slightest. And it's everyday things, and I always feel horrible after. For example: I struggling with anxiety around being late even if there's not a certain time to be somewhere. If I'm going somewhere 20 minutes away I leave with over an hour to get there. If going with my partner and we don't leave on time (super early) I will get panicked and then snappy and angry toward him. Hes very supportive but I'm sure there's only so much he can take. It's not fair for him. Does anyone else experience this? And any tips of how to elleviate this feeling or how to cope with it? I hate that this is taken out on my partner. I get this guilt and self hatered after I snap at him for no reason as I wonder if I'm just a angry person. Thanks in advance.

MissBear26 Sometimes I just need space
  • replies: 2

Hello out there, I am 26 female and have had depression and anxiety for over 3 years. I have medication and I got all the help. I am unemployed and am struggling to find work. I went away last week with my family. I struggled with money the whole tim... View more

Hello out there, I am 26 female and have had depression and anxiety for over 3 years. I have medication and I got all the help. I am unemployed and am struggling to find work. I went away last week with my family. I struggled with money the whole time. Everyone else had more than enough. I finished the week feeling tired. I feel like I have run a marathon. I get home and all I want to do is be alone. I can't keep up the pretence of being okay. I need to disappear from this world for a while. My partner has trouble understanding. he doesn't understand why I haven't moved from the chair in our room for 2 hours and why I am playing stupid games on my phone the whole time. I just get so tired. Takes all your energy sometimes to be normal. I have come leaps and bounds over the last few years. but the anxiety and depression always seem to be waiting in the wings ready to pounce when I am weak.

Tkracer Finally putting my story out there
  • replies: 3

So here goes nothing. now for as long as i can remeber ive always Had anxious tendancies but nothing that ever rattled me bad. I would have little bouts of worry about things that people would say were silly. But a little over 5 years ago my life too... View more

So here goes nothing. now for as long as i can remeber ive always Had anxious tendancies but nothing that ever rattled me bad. I would have little bouts of worry about things that people would say were silly. But a little over 5 years ago my life took an unexpected turn. Like any other 19 year old boy i tried to "fit in" or have new experiences. So anyway 5 years ago a few friends bought some synthetic marijuana and told me its safer then natural weed because its untraceable in drug tests. Stupid for even believeing them i know. But after that night my life has never really been the same, the next day i had a huge panic attack, i was so freakin scared i thought i was having a heart attack! I told my parents straight away about what i had done and what was happening to me at that moment. From then on in i have had horrible debilitating anxiety on and off! From severe depersonalisation and derealisation to heart pulpiltations and just constantly feeling overwhelmed with fear. So scared that the weed had seriously messed me up! So i went to the doctors after a few months who had assured me that it isnt possible for someone to get messed up from this after one time! But he did not persuade me one bit. He said i would of had this anxiety with or without the weed because at the time i never really gave much thought about what was already going on in my head. Now i dont expect sympathy from anyone because i still believe ive done this to myself! But! Before this i was getting constantly bullied at work, had no proper friends and had no girlfriend so at the time i was not in a happy place to begin with i was just constantly negative. like any other anxious person i used dr google alot! And like everybody says never ever do that because you will make it worse and by golly gosh it did. From thinking i had psychosis and skitzophrenia to having ptsd. on a moRe possitive note i have never ever been out of work because of this. not saying that it hasnt been hard either but there has been alot of times when ive had to stop what i was doing to run to the toilets to just break down and cry because of whats going through my mind. In this time i have since become a qualified carpenter sucessfuly worked for my self, gained a girlfriend, Lost 20kg through hard work at the gym. And in the process of buying my first home. sorry to all you readers for my story its abit all over the place. But this is my story i hope its can help some of you warriers !

Navy I think i have to give in to medication
  • replies: 32

So i have tried every natural tabket possible and it nay have been working in the beginning but now its not. I think it was all in my head because i am getting to a point of frustration now and im not coping. I need some advice as i am terrified. Tak... View more

So i have tried every natural tabket possible and it nay have been working in the beginning but now its not. I think it was all in my head because i am getting to a point of frustration now and im not coping. I need some advice as i am terrified. Taking medication was my last resort and im scared wat if it doesnt help me. Or what if it does in the beginning but then i need to keep getting strobger ones. Please help im so confused.