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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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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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AnxiousBird123 Health Anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone,Hope everybody is doing better then I am right now. I'm wondering if anyone has the same anxiety as me. I have this new sensation in my hand, it's like a sharp shooting pain that runs down my hand. It comes and goes and only last a few mi... View more

Hi everyone,Hope everybody is doing better then I am right now. I'm wondering if anyone has the same anxiety as me. I have this new sensation in my hand, it's like a sharp shooting pain that runs down my hand. It comes and goes and only last a few minutes, I'm trying not to over think it but I keep thinking maybe something is wrong with me.

Andy999 Sleep anxiety !
  • replies: 19

Hey so i used to suffer a lot of sleep anxiety a few years back, this lasted quite some years, basically the more I’d try to push myself to sleep the harder it was. it was always worse when I knew I had to be up early (ofcourse) but at the time of my... View more

Hey so i used to suffer a lot of sleep anxiety a few years back, this lasted quite some years, basically the more I’d try to push myself to sleep the harder it was. it was always worse when I knew I had to be up early (ofcourse) but at the time of my life I didn’t have to be often. It’s suddenly all kind of come rushing back to me, last night I was lucky to get maybe 2-3 hours sleep before I was up for work at 5am, and tonight it’s happening again. it’s really bothering me now because I’m up at 5am 6 days a week for work. what used to work for me best was just kind of telling myself I’ll close my eyes and rest it’s better then nothing, and it would work eventually, but I’m just pretty stuck atm. Nothing seems to be helping much and leading into sleep time I’m just thinking about it which definitely doesn’t help. I may notice myself dozing off at times because I am tired ! But I’ll like catch myself and Continuously keep myself awake. I’ve been through all the helping mechanisms, breathing techniques, meditation, turning of technology and so on, not having a lot of luck I just seem to have been sucked back into the cycle and yeh I just don’t know what to do, I work a physical job and have quite a bit of responsibility so I’m really worried about this happening again. I have a pretty structured sleep schedule and usually in the past I’ll get into bed, put Netflix on and im out like a light and before I know it I’m up at 5am ready for another day but now that falling asleeps on my mind it’s not that simple, anyway I see what the problem is but I can’t really work out how the break out of the viscous cycle so if anyone has any recommendations that would be great, thankyou !

heyfriday128 Why do I get scared over little things/always see the bad in things
  • replies: 5

I had to call a professor at a university today for my research project (I'm in highschool) and I was so scared. Thank god the zoom link wasn't working and I rescheduled to talk to them with my tutor because Im scared to do it alone but reflecting on... View more

I had to call a professor at a university today for my research project (I'm in highschool) and I was so scared. Thank god the zoom link wasn't working and I rescheduled to talk to them with my tutor because Im scared to do it alone but reflecting on that and why?? I also had a job once but I left after my 4th shift because I was so stressed and scared of the clique that people had there, I also overheard them saying that I'm so nervous so that didn't help. I just wish I could be normal and not get scared over little things and be so sensitive.

Bee40 Anxious each day
  • replies: 3

Hi all. For a week or two now I've been feeling anxious each day. Anxious about my daily responsibilities. Cause of that anxious feeling. I've been tired more, body pains and not being able to connect in a happy way with the guy I've been seeing . I ... View more

Hi all. For a week or two now I've been feeling anxious each day. Anxious about my daily responsibilities. Cause of that anxious feeling. I've been tired more, body pains and not being able to connect in a happy way with the guy I've been seeing . I feel hopeless at work and been even upset over small things that my boss has said to me . I usually go to listen to music to calm me but this time around it hasn't helped. What ways ppl have calmed self down from bring axioms?

sixthpersense Wondering if I'm ADHD, or just a little different
  • replies: 2

Background info: I have generalised anxiety, and I've recently gotten past a very bad depressive episode (yay!) that lasted me a few years, and I've begun to notice all these things I do that I haven't wondered about before, but they are a little odd... View more

Background info: I have generalised anxiety, and I've recently gotten past a very bad depressive episode (yay!) that lasted me a few years, and I've begun to notice all these things I do that I haven't wondered about before, but they are a little odd and do tend to make things a little difficult for me sometimes, and a few co-workers and friends have suggested that it's possible I might have ADHD.So, I came here to get input before I try to take this to any medical professional, in case I'm simply jumping to conclusions. I've always found it difficult to do different things, such as managing time for work and (in the past) school-related tasks, and especially focusing on doing absolutely anything, whether for work or pleasure, but for years now I've simply done other things at the same time (such as doodling in school, listening to music, drumming on different surfaces or doing up to five tasks all at once) which has for some reason helped me concentrate.Lately, however, I've also been experiencing more difficulty with noise and visuals, and I've encountered more than two situations in the past week where I was left overwhelmed and unable to do anything just as a result of people whispering and talking in a hall (where it felt as though I could hear every single conversation at once, instead of a white noise/background noise effect), or too many people crowding me, or one instance where I was trying to read a couple of posters that had bold, black text and brightly coloured images that made me oddly stressed.I've had these sorts of problems for a while, but lately (and most likely as a result of other stresses) they seem to have gotten worse, and I'm wondering if I have some sort of condition that I might need help with in order to better manage myself and different aspects of life, however, I've had some difficulty in researching things like ADHD as most results come up with symptoms that match a 9 year old boy. Is it possible that I may have ADHD/some other condition, and should I try to approach this with a licensed professional? Or is it more likely that this is likely to be my anxiety expressing itself in a different form?

Scutrona26 Anti-depressant withdrawal
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this - I was only taking a certain medication for one month, then upped the dose another month, before deciding I really didn't want to be on medication because of the numbness. I reduced it ... View more

Hi everyone, Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this - I was only taking a certain medication for one month, then upped the dose another month, before deciding I really didn't want to be on medication because of the numbness. I reduced it to again for 2 weeks, and then again every second day for 2 weeks. I then found I needed to take half every third day, then fourth day, and now, still, almost 3 months later, the withdrawal symptoms appear if I haven't had a dose in 5 days or more. I'm just so surprised to be experiencing this after only having been on them for 2 months! Anyone else experienced this? Thanks,

suffocating_in_silence Extreme Social Anxiety
  • replies: 3

I've been feeling really stressed and anxious for the last few months or maybe even year, because of one thing which is just talking. Being in high school makes it a very social environment, but everytime I try to talk my voice gets stuck up, I start... View more

I've been feeling really stressed and anxious for the last few months or maybe even year, because of one thing which is just talking. Being in high school makes it a very social environment, but everytime I try to talk my voice gets stuck up, I start being awkward and people get uncomfortable being around me. I have a lot to say, and want to say it but I just can't. I just want to have a happy high school life with friends I can joke around with, and have basic social skills so I can talk to anyone without being scared or anxious. I don't want to feel afraid of being myself at school, and talk normally when someone approaches me. I want to stop overthinking all the time about every small embaressing thing I do, or every awkward conversation I have. Thank you for taking your time to read this, and I hope whoever you are and where ever you are, you're doing well.

JulieS101 Work Anxiety
  • replies: 2

I am currently dealing with extreme anxiety due to a boss who has suddenly gone cold on me due to two weeks of limited availability in May as I am a student teacher. She is very inflexible and critiques me on every thing. I am looking for new work bu... View more

I am currently dealing with extreme anxiety due to a boss who has suddenly gone cold on me due to two weeks of limited availability in May as I am a student teacher. She is very inflexible and critiques me on every thing. I am looking for new work but I am just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to cope while I am still working at this place.

JulieS101 Morning Anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any advice for severe morning anxiety. Every morning I wake up with extreme anxiety that often leaves me feeling super hopeless and not wanting to leave bed. I usually wake up in a gasp and I won’t eat anything as... View more

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any advice for severe morning anxiety. Every morning I wake up with extreme anxiety that often leaves me feeling super hopeless and not wanting to leave bed. I usually wake up in a gasp and I won’t eat anything as I feel sick. It is at a point where I dread going to sleep as I know the morning will be horrible

HelloGail Be Kind to Yourself
  • replies: 2

I just want to share some words on getting through anxiety and any negative thoughts and the very first is: BE KIND TO YOUR OWN 'SELF'. There is only one YOU. Be its FRIEND. Be GENTLE to yourself Take TIME OUT to relax, read, hike or do whatever you ... View more

I just want to share some words on getting through anxiety and any negative thoughts and the very first is: BE KIND TO YOUR OWN 'SELF'. There is only one YOU. Be its FRIEND. Be GENTLE to yourself Take TIME OUT to relax, read, hike or do whatever you enjoy Do you love your friends, are you kind to them? So treat your-self as you would treat your friends, colleagues and family. As individual, we tend to disregard ourselves, we are too busy looking outwards around us in our community or in social media and sometimes it causes us to misjudge ourselves: I don't have what they have. Replace "I" with "me". "Me" is a word that centres you, be yourself.