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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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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. Remember, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anxiety 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 your 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 worthwhile 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

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K_Ley Struggling
  • replies: 4

Hi, well what a few months it has been. Last Friday was the first anniversary of my sisters passing and although it was difficult, it was nice to be surrounded by family. It did bring up a lot of feelings and emotions though. lots of sadness, anger w... View more

Hi, well what a few months it has been. Last Friday was the first anniversary of my sisters passing and although it was difficult, it was nice to be surrounded by family. It did bring up a lot of feelings and emotions though. lots of sadness, anger why it had to happen at all and I miss her dearly. On top of that work is getting worse by the day, the constant behaviour management all day every day, the copious amounts of reports, data collection and emails, the phone calls to parents, and writing behaviour records. Then there is the everyday prep work to be ready for lessons. It is never ending and it is nothing for me to complete another 4+ hours of work at home each night. So how is my mental health in all of this?? Not great. I feel like I am slowly drowning - the water level is lapping at my chin and soon I won't be able to breathe. I am attending therapy once a week and whilst it helps, its the days in between that are difficult. Some days I just want to stand on a mountain somewhere and just yell and scream until I feel better. And other days I just want to crawl up in a ball and cry my eyes out and wait for the world to pass on by. I am in two minds about returning to my doctor and going back on anti-depressants. I stopped taking them about 6 months ago. Anyway, I should probably try and get some sleep......

Guest_55233920 Worrying at night and cannot sleep
  • replies: 1

Hi allMy first time doing this but wanted help with dealing with night time worries which I cannot switch off and then means I cannot sleep. Any ideas will be welcome.I have a fair amount on my plate like a lot of people including being a carer for 2... View more

Hi allMy first time doing this but wanted help with dealing with night time worries which I cannot switch off and then means I cannot sleep. Any ideas will be welcome.I have a fair amount on my plate like a lot of people including being a carer for 2 family members both of whom I live with and love very much.But still find it all a lot at times and I need to deal with the NDIS which is an ongoing burden which I cannot say is easy.I Have also retired recently after a fulfilling 42 year career so finding that a bit difficult as well.Any how I hope someone can make a helpful comment or idea. Look forward to the discussions.thankyouPat

Guest_36134434 Anxiety
  • replies: 2

my child is having anxiety going School and very emotional,feeling dumb about task assessments.I tried everything but refusing to talk.And I'm on edge all the time overthrowing what's happening to my kid.

my child is having anxiety going School and very emotional,feeling dumb about task assessments.I tried everything but refusing to talk.And I'm on edge all the time overthrowing what's happening to my kid.

Fiatlux Why do some people go out of their way to cause stress and anxiety?
  • replies: 7

Hello to everyone this beautiful Sunday, I have woken up with a stress headache once again, caused by one person who has been vile to deal with. (He is a customer not family) All of last week he was deliberately complaining about absolutely nothing, ... View more

Hello to everyone this beautiful Sunday, I have woken up with a stress headache once again, caused by one person who has been vile to deal with. (He is a customer not family) All of last week he was deliberately complaining about absolutely nothing, being abusive towards me and my staff. He was deliberately causing confusion and mixing up orders to test me and my staff. To test our service. Calling late at night and becoming an absolute nuisance of himself. I mean calling at 10pm on Friday to complain. I was already in bed trying to recover from the harassment I had been subjected to all week. Yesterday I was having an anxiety attack because of not sleeping and this morning, Sunday, Mother’s Day, he started again. The phone calls from different numbers, the messages and videos and voice messages, he sent emails at 11:30pm to stress me out about nothing. A error of his own making. And again calling staff this morning to place an order and then call 30 minutes later to cancel it. Just to create unnecessary work. Why are some people like this? I want to scream every expletive I can think of at him but I have to bite my tongue as he’s threatening to post nasty poor reviews of my service online. Tomorrow, I will be telling him that I can no longer provide with any service as he’s threatening to cancel his account anyway. I want to tell him that I don’t need his business. What is wrong with someone like that? I haven’t cried yet, but I feel like punching a pillow and just imagining it’s his face. I want him to know how much stress he’s caused me to a point of breaking down today. I’m exhausted. Thank you everyone for listening to my rant. Fiatlux 🫶

sb9803 health anxiety and panic attacks
  • replies: 1

Hi! Just putting this all out here to see if anyone can relate because I’m quite stuck and really struggling and nobody close to me understands what I’m going through. I developed health anxiety November last year (7 months ago), I’ve always been sca... View more

Hi! Just putting this all out here to see if anyone can relate because I’m quite stuck and really struggling and nobody close to me understands what I’m going through. I developed health anxiety November last year (7 months ago), I’ve always been scared of death but this is a whole new extreme, i started having panic attacks daily that eventually turned into a 24/7 panic attack that lasted 8 weeks, my mum had a brain aneurysm when i was 6 that burst, i was meant to get a brain scan at 18 because they can be hereditary but i put it off until November and I’m now 20. As soon as i had the scan done is when the panic started, I convinced myself I was about to have a brain aneurysm burst, I wouldn’t leave my room, didn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, could not function for 8 weeks and was stuck in a constant panic. I went to emergency multiple times and had 7 doctors tell me the scan was clear and still I wouldn’t believe them. About a week after I accepted the fact my brain was okay a relative passed from a heart attack, he was in his early 30s (has had major health issues his whole life) this then made me convinced that I was going to have a heart attack, still to this day and it is so debilitating cause once again i can’t sleep or do anything, i don’t go out anymore, i won’t go further than 10mins from my house and won’t even go into shops. It has gotten a lot better than at the start, once again multiple trips to emergency, multiple ECGs and been told countless amounts of times my heart is fine and healthy and i’m also very young still. Now one of my friends went into anaphylaxis from almonds randomly with no previous allergies, now i’m to scared to eat and when i do eat my anxiety convinces me im going into anaphylactic shock I just really need some support or advice because this has gotten so out of control and I just want it to stop

Zeity I'm My Own Worst Enemy
  • replies: 4

First of all, I can acknowledge that I have come a long way since hitting the depths of rock-bottom a few years ago. And this forum helped. I sought therapy, got some life managing tools, turned a corner when I left a toxic job and since then, have e... View more

First of all, I can acknowledge that I have come a long way since hitting the depths of rock-bottom a few years ago. And this forum helped. I sought therapy, got some life managing tools, turned a corner when I left a toxic job and since then, have experienced a healthier mental headspace and over body shape. My problem is....how quick I spring back to hating myself, blaming myself for everything, highlighting my failures and being uncomfortable with any positive validations - I feel dishonest like I'm fooling people. Am I addicted to anxiety? Is the daily effort, to ignore the self critic in my head, for the rest of my life? Because thats too much work. I get acknowledged at work or someone praises me, I list things that I do wrong instead. And I'm such a friggin dweller. Cannot move on from a mistake or a comment I made even though noone is bringing it up and hasn't caused consequences. I can't sleep. I can't function. And I have a great network of family and friends around me but I feel selfish to burden them with I'm not coping with Life. I feel like a failure at everything. I hate myself. I annoy myself. I'm surrounded by a network of supporters but I feel selfish to lean on them. Why cannot I feel joy, be grateful...why is it easier to accept I'm a waste of space, im fooling everyone that I have my shit together .I'm not house proud, don't do enough homecooked dinners, I'm on the phone lost in cyberspace where I can be helpful or liked, instead of cooking and cleaning for the family. I always make a good impression and then I retreat. Like I'm going to give you reasons to not like me. This affects Work. I come in as a social butterfly and then I start second guessing my ability to do the work, start thinking I've disappointed everyone and I just spiral. My Manager said last year "you're not the same person we interviewed". She didn't mean it in a negative way at the time. She was encouraging me to be kinder to myself. I. Have.Not. Let.That.Go. I feel guilty like I started working there on false pretenses. Sometimes I feel like I'm playing so many different roles that when I'm alone I realise the real me is the one I hate the most. Pathetic, lazy, unorganized...I've convinced myself that whatever anyone else sees is an illusion. So that being said what do I need to do to feel better about myself? How do I switch of that inner self critic? And do I just embrace I live with anxiety and whatever tools work, yes, I'm going have to use them every day for the rest of my life? I need the second phase of my life to look different. I don't want to be a burden to myself and others anymore. I want to feel lighter. I want to see the positive and lean into it. Most of all, I just want to be able to say "Oops. Noted. Moving On." I hate living in my head. I hate that I know I have plenty to be grateful for but feel unworthy of it. I hate I didn't pursue my dreams because I wasn't good enough so I seek impossible perfection in everything that I do - deliberately I guess, to remind me I failed to be successful. I hate that I've taken up someone's time reading this rant when they probably have bigger problems than me feeling defeated by Me. All I know it is a horrible feeling to close your eyes and feel nothing but hate and anxiety towards yourself. I've been told I'm a good wife, mum, friend, colleague, relative....instead of feeling joy, I'm devastated that I've duped them somehow. If I'm destined to live like this just please help me with the spiraling? How do I stop the negative cycle in my head from snowballing? I want to sleep. I want to proactive around the home. I want to give Work the hours it requires and switch off and go be present with my family. I want to be more present with my family and friends. I want to feel joy. I want to look around me and everything and everyone that I love is around because I deserve it. That's it, I guess. How do I feel worthy of my life?

bblu Just stressed out
  • replies: 3

Hi, I'm new here and came with the need to rant so please don't mind me as I do. I currently have many problems in my life that give me anxiety but there is only so much I can talk about, so I guess I'll share one of them here since I have no one to ... View more

Hi, I'm new here and came with the need to rant so please don't mind me as I do. I currently have many problems in my life that give me anxiety but there is only so much I can talk about, so I guess I'll share one of them here since I have no one to talk to. I have been wanting to get this off my chest because its been eating me inside and been giving me so much stress. I am a student currently living by myself and have been experiencing financial stress over the last couple of months to the point where I have been skipping meals and just barely making my rent. I am someone who does not make friends easily and only have one friend group which also happens to be my classmates at uni. One of them in particular comes from a wealthy family and everyone knows her as "the rich one". I consider her my friend but I know deep down that I am jealous of her because I can't help but compare myself to her. Unlike me, she is a very fortunate and lucky person who somehow always gets the best opportunities that I don't. She's a talkative person that likes to flex and sometimes overshare the good things in her life. Couple months back, when I saw her the first day back to school, the first thing she told me was how much money she made during the break and how rich her company was. It makes me feel bad about myself because I know I can't share my financial struggles with her and I always think about how much of a failure I am compared to her. I know she doesn't mean harm and is actually a sweet girl, but sometimes her flaunting is annoying and gives me unnecessary stress. I remember one time I got very annoyed at her because she tried to give me "advice" on how to act and do my job better when I was actually the one who had more work experience and a higher qualification than her. She's also part of our close friend group and I realized that most of my friends actually like her more than me, which makes it even more discouraging for me. I don't want to feel this way and I know its not good to compare myself to others but it's so difficult not to feel inferior around her. I don't want to lose my friend group as they will be with me until I graduate so I try to endure it but I am suffering. I am trying my best to earn money to get out of my financial situation but I know that I will never reach the same level as my friend and I can't help but feel like I'm not enough and that I will always be in financial stress.

GreenEgg Wondering if I’ve chosen one of the worst possible careers I could’ve
  • replies: 13

Has anyone realised this, and restarted in a completely different field? How did you do it - or the reverse, did you think that but it ended up ok? I’m so unhappy and stressed all the time, work becomes my entire life. My work is high pressure in tha... View more

Has anyone realised this, and restarted in a completely different field? How did you do it - or the reverse, did you think that but it ended up ok? I’m so unhappy and stressed all the time, work becomes my entire life. My work is high pressure in that deadlines can be very demanding, but it’s also quite complex and means dealing with lots of different people who have different views etc. I’m a people pleaser and a bit of a perfectionist so that really is challenging for me. I keep imaging an escape and it’s always something like a wildlife rescue in the country, or even a florist, or a librarian, or anything else. I feel like I’m just not cut out for my work - everyone says how good I am it but they don’t see the toll that it takes on me? I feel like resigning, ending my lease, moving somewhere and just escaping it all but I can’t do that financially. I doubt I’d ever have the courage or follow through as well, I’m terrible with decisions and just get paralysed and do nothing.I also don’t trust myself though, like is this just me in the moment? Would another job just be exactly the same, because it’s about how I react to things? Would being somewhere totally new and alone with no one really be the best idea?

Ben1983 Cardiac health anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi all, I'm new to this and looking for some advice for some one that has been through what I'm going through. To keep it short it started about 3 months ago now, I went to see my Dr with a bit of chest discomfort and as my heart rate was elevated he... View more

Hi all, I'm new to this and looking for some advice for some one that has been through what I'm going through. To keep it short it started about 3 months ago now, I went to see my Dr with a bit of chest discomfort and as my heart rate was elevated he called an ambulance to take me straight to the closest hospital. Upon arrival they did a ecg, ct scan and blood test which all came back clear. They desided to admit me into the cardiovascular ward as my heart rate was still over 100. From there I was monitored 24 hrs, had another ct scan and an echocardiogram all which came back normal. A month later I was back in the emergency department as I had my first heart palpatation that felt like my heart was jumping around, to me it felt like I was having a heart attack. They did bloods, ecg and it all came back normal, however they wanted me to conduct a holter monitor test. I did the test and it came back that I had 24 pre beats in the 24 hr period and that my heart was perfect from an electrical side of house. Since then I have now been checking my pulse religiously as I have felt weird pains and tightness around my chest, tightness in my neck, light headed from time to time, have even noticed a visible heart beat in the hollow part of my neck. I have even started to notice that some times when I'm standing up for a period of time my heart rate remains over 100 even though other times it has returned to normal. Since then I have had a few panic attacks and developed anxiety over this. My issue is that even though I have been told and reassured from my Dr that every thing is fine with my heart, to me it still fells like something is wrong especially when I notice my heart rate doing weird things and or feeling the physical symptoms as I have mentioned earlier. I've tried hard to believe what the Drs tell me but I still can't shake the feeling or thoughts that there is something wrong. This is starting to control my life as all I do is worry about it. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

_bookworm_ Overwhelmed
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I don’t know if this will help but I feel like I need to get this off my chest.. I am in my 20s and I feel overwhelmed and anxious all the time, I don’t know what to do. I have talked to a professional a couple of years ago after a panic... View more

Hi everyone, I don’t know if this will help but I feel like I need to get this off my chest.. I am in my 20s and I feel overwhelmed and anxious all the time, I don’t know what to do. I have talked to a professional a couple of years ago after a panic attack (never had one before) but her advice was not helpful and it’s just getting worse. I have been feeling ill lately, I’ve seen my GP about it and she did a heap of test that came back ‘unremarkable’. It’s been 2 or 3 months and she is out of tests to run on me so I keep feeling sick. I am wondering if it is my anxiety that’s causing the issues and if it is I feel like there is no hope of getting better. On top of that I feel undervalued and not challenged at work but I am too worried to talk to my manager. I struggle falling asleep every night and wake up a lot too. I have chronic headaches that have been more like migraines lately. I feel tired and unmotivated and things that I used to like don’t seem enjoyable anymore. I thought about going to my GP to get a mental health care plan but I am so worried about the cost involved with all of that and also don’t believe it would help anyway. I get too emotional most of the time and feel like I’m either really happy or really sad. I don’t like to leave my house alone so I never do anything when my fiancé is at work, I don’t have any friends and I don’t talk to my family as much as I should but I have nothing to talk about so I don’t want to bother them. I don’t know what to do and I feel like I’m venting too much.