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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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contrarymary Is this anxiety or attention seeking
  • replies: 5

Hi All I am hoping someone has advice on how to cope with these events. I go to bed as normal and about 1 hour later wake up feeling very agitated, with palpitations, shaky cant get back to sleep, pace up and down through the house and garden, then l... View more

Hi All I am hoping someone has advice on how to cope with these events. I go to bed as normal and about 1 hour later wake up feeling very agitated, with palpitations, shaky cant get back to sleep, pace up and down through the house and garden, then lie awake for hours getting up pacing up and down more, this happens about every 3 months might happen 2 nights in row. Its usually always about an hour after going to sleep eg if I go to bed about 10 it happens about 1130 GP says cant pinpoint problem had blood tests etc all ok, nearly every othet night i go yo bed at 10am and sleep through night. GP says anxiety and/or panic attack. Anyone got any suggestions on how to get back to sleep, happened last night woke up at 11pm after 1 hour sleep paced house for couple of hours ended up falling asleep about 4am. Not too much coffee or tea as suggested by GP as drink neithet

michael1410 ADDICTION AND ANXIETY
  • replies: 3

I've always I guess had a predisposition to addiction no matter how hard I try to not let different substances take over my life I always seem to succumb to their clutches. It started with marijuana innocently enough smoking a few times, then slowly ... View more

I've always I guess had a predisposition to addiction no matter how hard I try to not let different substances take over my life I always seem to succumb to their clutches. It started with marijuana innocently enough smoking a few times, then slowly before I knew it getting taken over by it and my life becoming all about where was my next hit coming from. When I quit smoking cold Turkey I never knew it would be so easy but also affect me so much, I was unable to leave the house unable to be in large crowds and my depression hit an all time low. After seeing a psychologist for a year or so, I slowly began to be able to get out more but my problems never went away if anything my anxiety was the worst it had ever Been. I think I started drinking innocently enough the same as the marijuana never thinking this will get out of hand or become a huge problem, how wrong I was. Before I knew it I was drinking everyday and slowly but surely I began to drink more and more, I suppose drinking is different because it's socially acceptable. Unfortunately I eventually got to the point where I was drinking copious amounts of alcohol daily usually to the point of being physically ill then feeling better and continuing to drink some more. It became pretty obvious that I was drinking for the numbing effect to help me deal with and forget about my anxiety and depression along with any problems that were around at the time. In reality it doesn't help at all your problems are there when you sober up and sometimes, depending on the amount drunk joined by new ones just for something different. I knew I had a problem for a long time but I guess I didn't wanna face it, it Was too easy just to continue drinking and deal with the problems later.my anxiety was getting to the point where I was worrying about everything all the time even worrying about worrying.

Faee Anxiety Overload
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, I'm new here and this is my first post. I am suffering with severe anxiety at the moment which has stopped me from being able to go to work. I have taken 3 days off to take some time out for myself. Yet recently I seem to be taking a lot... View more

Hi everyone, I'm new here and this is my first post. I am suffering with severe anxiety at the moment which has stopped me from being able to go to work. I have taken 3 days off to take some time out for myself. Yet recently I seem to be taking a lot of days off from this illness. And it worries me as you can probably tell. There's so much going on in my head and I am extremley restless/short of breath/nauseas. recently I went to my mum and told her that I am suffering with anxiety and depression and she ignored the whole subject. I do have my husband for support yet that is all. I have no close friends and I feel very confused, lost and lonely. I know we need to be positive but I can't find it anymore. This illness has taken over. It's taken control of my life and I don't know what to do anymore. I know there's people out there suffering a lot worse than what I am, but I just don't know how to shake this feeling. It's horrible and I'm scared for myself, I'm really really scared. If anyone is out there reading this, I hope you're doing ok. I am sending good energy and love your way.

Real1 Living nightmare!!!
  • replies: 5

Anxiety is eating me up!! In 2008 I met someone special, we connected and fell deeply love. Over 3 years we saw one another 3 times, the distance between us (2 states) away started to take a toll as I had trouble finding steady work and she lost her ... View more

Anxiety is eating me up!! In 2008 I met someone special, we connected and fell deeply love. Over 3 years we saw one another 3 times, the distance between us (2 states) away started to take a toll as I had trouble finding steady work and she lost her job. Then she died! I mourned her for the next 4 years, I cried a river! Then I rang her, and she answered her phone! I spent the next year (2015) angry and upset. April last year she reached out and we became friends. It progressed over the year, and we got engaged. Start of this year she revealed she'd cheated on me with a friend the 4th year of our relationship. Fell pregnant! Married the guy as it was best for the baby. He beat her up 3x! Went to jail and she fled. Devastated! I blocked her on Facebook and backed away to lick my wounds. I attempted to get over her, going on a succession of (flop) dates, upto 3 a day! She'd text me now and then but I ignored her. Two-weeks ago she reached out for a friend...her mum was on her death bed. As a Christian I forgave her and we have been chatting ever since. Since I'd left her she's done EVERYTHING she could to better herself...twice a week counselling (she was abused as a kid). New mental medication. Made amends with her abuser dad, who'd she'd grown up without. Became vested in her church again. Lost weight, to feel better about herself. I commend her for her efforts and am impressed she didn't sit back and do nothing to improve herself. I forgive her for her discretion, but in the recesses of my mind, my head swirls with what to do! If we grow close again, we both know what's due. It does my head and heart in!!!

chap10 OCD and addiction
  • replies: 1

Hi all. It's been two years since I last posted on these forums. I had just been diagnosed with OCD, and had suffered for a long time prior to that. Over the last two years I have made tremendous progress with my OCD-- symptom reduction, lessened anx... View more

Hi all. It's been two years since I last posted on these forums. I had just been diagnosed with OCD, and had suffered for a long time prior to that. Over the last two years I have made tremendous progress with my OCD-- symptom reduction, lessened anxiety, regained the ability to do things I couldn't such as read books, drive my car etc.. All of these victories were hard won, and I thought I would never get to where I am now. I seriously contemplated suicide many times when at my worst. I have been hospitalized three times on a psych ward (voluntarily) and all Up I spent 10 weeks there in 2016. I would love to chat to anyone who suffers from OCD, as I believe we could help each other. And I've found it is certainly hard to find people who understand... Though the ones that do are invaluable-- usually fellow OCD sufferers. Though I have made progress, I am still debilitated in certain ways. In certain aspects of my illness I have made no progress at all. I am still dealing with alcohol addiction, and with drugs rearing their ugly heads in the mix at times too. I have read that it is as high as 1/4 of OCD sufferers that also have substance abuse problems. I have been to aa and joined online forums specifically designed to help those with alcoholism, and I have made some progress but always seem to shoot myself in the foot again. I haven't managed more than 6 weeks alcohol free at one time over the last few years, and struggle to make it to a week most of the time. I believe I have the tools to achieve a sober life, I just need to keep trying... I wonder if anyone else here has struggled with this? Aside from this I am struggling with depression, albeit pretty mild comparatively to what I've experienced in the past. It is still very hard for me to put together a sense of meaning and purpose in my life, even though I know it is out there, I've seen glimmers of it in the past-- If I stay sober and keep making improvements with my OCD I know I could find it again... Right now, I feel so ashamed of myself. I know I have the power to change this for myself, so why haven't I done it? I have tried so hard, so hard. And I am really lonely now. Maybe more than I have ever been. I've alienated myself from my friends. I don't even know what they think of me now, most know I've been through a hard time and they are probably avoiding me like the plague.

Blondie101 Blushing all over
  • replies: 2

I have suffered with anxiety for years and have tried to ignore it as much as I can. But it's getting harder. The last couple of weeks I have had countless situations where I have become very nervous and embarrassed in the most normal social situatio... View more

I have suffered with anxiety for years and have tried to ignore it as much as I can. But it's getting harder. The last couple of weeks I have had countless situations where I have become very nervous and embarrassed in the most normal social situations with family , friends and even my partner . I feel my face getting hot and I know I am blushing madly , I try and calm myself down but I can't It takes awhile to calm down and once I have I feel stupid for it and wonder what people will think of me. Today it happened at work just because my partner came in to say hello. I had no reason to get nervous but I did and i was so red from embarrassment it even gave me a headache. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's so exhausting

Meowface Tough day today - "wagged" work
  • replies: 5

Had a tough day today - woke up on the wrong side of the bed - didn't go for my walk which normally gets me going. Had to have some difficult conversations at work and had to drive between stores during the day. I felt really overwhelmed and took a l... View more

Had a tough day today - woke up on the wrong side of the bed - didn't go for my walk which normally gets me going. Had to have some difficult conversations at work and had to drive between stores during the day. I felt really overwhelmed and took a longer lunch break to go home and just curled up on the couch in my dressing gown for 30 minutes. I got back to work but felt a bit guilty about longer break - or maybe it's better than having the whole afternoon off with a panic attack? It can be hard to meet our every day responsibilities when we're struggling.

Karenh Just not coping, constant anxiety and pain.
  • replies: 2

Basically I've hit a pretty big low. I can feel myself being consumed by anxiety. my chest is constantly tight and I'm feeling afraid and paranoid. Sometimes I can meditate myself out of an episode, if I push myself to meditate. I've just started run... View more

Basically I've hit a pretty big low. I can feel myself being consumed by anxiety. my chest is constantly tight and I'm feeling afraid and paranoid. Sometimes I can meditate myself out of an episode, if I push myself to meditate. I've just started running again so hopefully if I can stick to it, that will help. I'm giving up drinking. I only drink once a month or so but I've come to realize that no matter how much fun I have, I will have attacks for day or weeks after. I told my partner I was low and that sometimes I just want to end it. He left me, he said he thought if he was out of my life that I would be happy. He packed his things when I was out of town and surprised me ☹. We are trying to work things out now but it's been a long road. He wants me to move to where he's based for work and quit my job to focus on my mental health. I'm considering this as I'm just so stuck right now. I guess I'm just looking for some stories of others getting themselves out of the lowest lows, I need some hope right now. I'm exhausted..

leeanne82 please help something happened last night
  • replies: 1

Ok so what happened last night was i woke up around 11:15pm to rain, my veg were uncovered so i went to cover them up but was not coherent and not really there weird yes i know, anyway come back in still was not really coherent then i was and a very ... View more

Ok so what happened last night was i woke up around 11:15pm to rain, my veg were uncovered so i went to cover them up but was not coherent and not really there weird yes i know, anyway come back in still was not really coherent then i was and a very weird feeling came over me that if i went back to sleep that would be it i would be dead, that freaked me out and was so scared i was feeling sick and my head was not good, anyway fast forward to this morning and still not feeling good, my head not good had my cuppa and threw it up, so no breakfast. I have no idea what is going on, don't know if my body is telling me my health has taken a turn for the worse or what, it has really freaked me out, i even said to god its not my time yet please don't take me, also chest pain this morning was to my left side of my chest now now pain in my heart area, i called my dr to talk but it's her day off they said they were going to text her to call me but nothing yet, so i logged into mindspot and messaged my therapist, friends think maybe panic or anxiety attack

KMTE Sunday Blues
  • replies: 20

Does anybody else feel even worse on a Sunday? I feel like the working week takes alot of effort to get through most of the time and when it gets to the weekend it's like a rest almost. My anxiety is never as severe (obviously not always sometimes it... View more

Does anybody else feel even worse on a Sunday? I feel like the working week takes alot of effort to get through most of the time and when it gets to the weekend it's like a rest almost. My anxiety is never as severe (obviously not always sometimes it strikes no matter what day it is) on the weekend I have my husband and kids home which just having the company is a help and a distraction and if i need some time to just relax my husband is there with the kids. Also we tend to do fun things and while we keep busy the anxiety tends to stay relatively easy to manage (again not alwAys) also every Sunday we spend the day at my son and husbands sport I'm always anxious if I'm going to have any of my health anxiety symptoms that day or anxiety will take over in front of everyone which would be embarrassing. Also Sunday means its Monday tomorrow and I have to make my way through another school/work/sports/kinder gym week which at the moment im funding quiet difficult and draining. Can anyone else relate?