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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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Bodey294 Anxiety, tears and dizziness
  • replies: 6

Hello, it's been a while since I last posted. Usually it's within the depression category but feel like this is etiology. Anyway, I'm currently is my room and I'm listening to my roommates (three girls) laughing and having a good time, socializing on... View more

Hello, it's been a while since I last posted. Usually it's within the depression category but feel like this is etiology. Anyway, I'm currently is my room and I'm listening to my roommates (three girls) laughing and having a good time, socializing on the other side of the wall in the dinning room. I feel my heart rising and muscles tightening and then I need to go to the bathroom. As I go out into the dinning room to then get to the bathroom I get dizzy (it's not enough to make me pass out but like a miniature swirl in my head that sometimes makes me have to stop walking or I freeze to get my head back to normal). Anyway I got there and the door was closed so I assumed someone was in there so I tried to open it but then I tricked myself into thinking it was locked so I didn't put the door open far enough. Now I'm back in my room. I continue to here them having a good time talking, then I cry because I know I'm never that social and I feel lonely and now I'm in bed under covers writing this long paragraph and I just want to be heard and so that's it. By the way I saw a therapist about my depression couple months back but I never have talked about social anxiety.

Asil Ahhh i need sleep.
  • replies: 2

Hi there, about 3 months ago now i started to stay awake, feelings of trapment inside my own home when i put my roller shutters down. Anixety and hopelessness feelibgs kick and id stay awake some nights without even going to sleep. Not a wink. Sleepi... View more

Hi there, about 3 months ago now i started to stay awake, feelings of trapment inside my own home when i put my roller shutters down. Anixety and hopelessness feelibgs kick and id stay awake some nights without even going to sleep. Not a wink. Sleeping was great prior to 3 months ago, so this feelings of anxiety only at night is sending me bat crazy. Ive decided to pull the pin and do a sleep study. It concluded i had very severe sleep apnea. Ive been on the machine for 4 nights. Ive been struggling to come to terms that i do have sleep apnea and have to where a mask to bed. The first night sleeping with the mask i only slept 3hrs all night. Though at least i did sleep with it. Second night i slept 4 hours, 3rd night night 5hrs. I went to see docs and they said by wearing it i dropped from 106 AHI to 2. I should be happy right???? Last night didnt sleep a wink... omg. Sooo frustrated. I tried using it from about 9pm till 1am, though the anxiety and feelings were overwhelming and i slept nothing... not a wink.. youd think good news would relax me!! Im such a mess. No sleep and now this morning i have to get my 2 boys up ready for school and go to work 5 days a week? How am i going to drive? So tired? I only have anxiety at night. Not during the day cause im so busy with kids n work. Night time rolls in and bam... so does Anixety. Docs a month ago prescribed tablets. I was on them for about a month and since starting the cpap treatment for apnea last week, i stop all tablets... well now its anxiety town again since stopping tablets. I am battling getting use to the idea i have a sleep disorder and have to wear a mask attached to a cpap machine. I do have support. I have my parents ans family. Friends. Lots of support, though i just wanted to ask another professional who gets my craziness and lack of sleep at night. I have a doctor helping me, plus the sleep lab team so support is all round me. But i syill feel im strugglibg. Struggling at night. In the dark. Ive tried Everything to rest... when i say everything i mean everything from middle of the night baths, sleeping pills, mood apps everything. Tring to loose weight so maybe i can get off this machine. Can you recommend good other help instead of the mask? What do you think about laser help surgey i looked up tou can have or s mouth piece? I need help for nights to come to terms with this anxiety and depression. Thank you

Leets Having a bad day!!!
  • replies: 11

Help I'm having a really bad day I'm feeling scattered and can't relax I'm that frustrated with my anxiety I'm being forgetful and of course I google it and it's never good.

Help I'm having a really bad day I'm feeling scattered and can't relax I'm that frustrated with my anxiety I'm being forgetful and of course I google it and it's never good.

RainbowStars I've hit rock bottom
  • replies: 6

As the titles states, I've hit rock bottom. I've got GAD, depression and (suspected) OCD. The GAD/OCD I can remember from a young age, the depression hit me when I was 25 (2010) and I had post natal depression, after having my first child. It took 5 ... View more

As the titles states, I've hit rock bottom. I've got GAD, depression and (suspected) OCD. The GAD/OCD I can remember from a young age, the depression hit me when I was 25 (2010) and I had post natal depression, after having my first child. It took 5 months with counselling (no medication) and I fought through it and recovered fine. Then I had another episode of GAD/Depression in 2012, which lasted about 5-6 months. This was brought on when I thought there was some issues with my son, and I got very overwhelmed. Thankfully, the issues with my son were a false alarm and he is fine. I also got through that bout of depression with counselling (no medication) and recovered. Fast forward to June 2016, I've had a personal issue within my family that can't easily be resolved. It all became too much in June and I suffered a huge panic attack (in the car) 2 hours from my home, on a day out, which landed me in hospital, as I thought I had a heart attack. Everything checked out fine. I'd had a panic attack. I haven't been the same since. I've had panic attacks constantly, anxiety symptoms heightened and have just been totally overwhelmed, which has flaired up my GAD/Depression and OCD. I have tried for 5 months everything under the sun to fight this and I'm exhausted. I don't feel like myself since and my OCD /anxiety thoughts have gone into overdrive. I don't live in the present, I live in my head. It's terrible. Before all this, I was anxious, but coping fine and now I feel like my life has changed and I don't feel I will get better. I'm terrified of medication (SSRI), that's why I never take it, but my GP and Counsellor have said that my state has become so highly anxious, that an SSRI might be the best thing for me. I have been prescribed medication, and stupid idiot me obsessively researched so many forums on the medicine, and read so much both positive and negative stories about it, and now I am literally terrified of it, but I can't go on like this anymore. My concerns with it are: addiction, will it change me forever, could it make me psychotic, side effects, and also the possibility of it not making me feel any better and I'll feel like this forever. I feel like researching so much about conditions has made me worse. I wish I had never looked at anything on Google! I feel so alone. I'm lucky to be surrounded by loving and supportive parents, my 2 kids and my loving fiancee (who doesn't suffer mental illness). I feel so alone and lost...

PeeTeeEssDee44 My friend was judged intoxicated while having a panic attack on Melbourne cup day and made to leave. She had one cider.
  • replies: 2

This was told to me yesterday by my very close and dear friend of 39 years. She went to the races on cup day which would have been a huge effort for her. She suffers profoundly from acute anxiety disorder and went with her friend as going alone wasn'... View more

This was told to me yesterday by my very close and dear friend of 39 years. She went to the races on cup day which would have been a huge effort for her. She suffers profoundly from acute anxiety disorder and went with her friend as going alone wasn't an option. She is a christian and is a very non intimidating type of person. She had one cider and with all the people and noise around started having a panic attack. A security guard told her she had to leave as she was intoxicated. She explained that she wasn't drunk but was escorted out of the racecourse by 8 security guards in a totally over the top display which drew much attention and made her condition even worse as now everybody was watching her. She is an approved manager of a licenced premises and quite rightly asked why she was judged as being intoxicated when she had only one drink. She was denied any opportunity to explain her condition and in my opinion there was no duty of care exercised at all. Standard procedure would typically be sitting the person down, giving them water and explaining clearly the reasoning for the ejection and making sure the patrons wellbeing was of paramount importance. She asked the police at the entrance to perform a sobriety test and they denied to do so. This has all been detailed in a formal complaint to the racecourse management. I have read the complaint and it is very well written and to the point. Now she has been receiving calls from the security company using terms such as solicitor, making false accusations and more. She just wants it to go away and i completely understand why. However, as a former approved manager and a mental health sufferer, I cant help but feel that a miscarriage of justice has taken place. Is this discrimination, lack of duty of care or even incompetency and neglect by the security guard and therefore by the security company. I dont like seeing the little person get steamrolled by the company, who have been intimidating, over the top and unprofessional. Is there an act, code, procedure or precedent that exists that will protect this individual and recognise and maybe even compensate the wrong that has occurred in this case. Any feedback is very welcome and appreciated.

Alphabetty Advice please
  • replies: 1

Hi all, would really appreciate some expert advice. I have successfully dealt with depression and anxiety since I was diagnosed at 16 - now 37. Been on and off meds through that time, pretty good at knowing when they are needed and I'm ready to safel... View more

Hi all, would really appreciate some expert advice. I have successfully dealt with depression and anxiety since I was diagnosed at 16 - now 37. Been on and off meds through that time, pretty good at knowing when they are needed and I'm ready to safely move off them. Recently realised I was not coping with the anxiety side and did some research, also realised just how many side effects were affecting me that I had put down to other issues. Went to GP , explained issues, agreed that I needed to stay on meds but move to another one. So, this week has been tough - tapering off quickly, couple of days on nothing, starting new meds. Plenty of side effects happening of course. No sleep, major tremors, dizzy spells and loss of appetite. All short term (knock on wood) but debilitating. So, finally, the request for advice. I have my 20 year high school reunion tomorrow. No issues staying home from work this week (wonderful understanding workplace) but just don't know what to do about tomorrow. Can get transport there as I obviously can't drive, and I know how to convince myself to leave the house, but as much as I would love to see a number of people there, I am in a terrible state of mind. What do I do?

QldMouse Anybody else driven crazy by cup day?
  • replies: 10

Every year my social anxiety and fear drive me crazy on cup day, its one of the worst days of the year for me. Each year I long to just be part of the group and be happy like everyone else, and every year fear drives me to hide it out and observe (or... View more

Every year my social anxiety and fear drive me crazy on cup day, its one of the worst days of the year for me. Each year I long to just be part of the group and be happy like everyone else, and every year fear drives me to hide it out and observe (or not) from a safe distance. Right now I am so mad and frustrated with myself for being an idiot yet again, if I was a screamer I'd be screaming. Now I'm calming down I just feel so sad and alone and socially worthless. Nuts huh, is it just me. Anyone else?

lotusgirl Please help
  • replies: 2

I have OCD and I am new to this forum. My OCD is specifically on a harm theme. I held my friend's baby in a new way - it is the outward facing hold where you hold baby between the legs facing them out. I know that a lot of people hold baby's between ... View more

I have OCD and I am new to this forum. My OCD is specifically on a harm theme. I held my friend's baby in a new way - it is the outward facing hold where you hold baby between the legs facing them out. I know that a lot of people hold baby's between the legs or via the crotch lol that's even what its called. But I became concerned that its criminal to hold babies this way. The mother said she always holds her daughter like that and was not concerned but my mind is on overdrive. thoughts and helpful comments please.

Nellxo I said something I regret, and cannot stop festering over it
  • replies: 2

So 2 months ago an ex friend of mine tagged me on a remix video on Facebook, saying he didn't like it. I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of remixes, so I replied to his comment saying that I didn't like it either. Within 5 minutes I had 2 people (... View more

So 2 months ago an ex friend of mine tagged me on a remix video on Facebook, saying he didn't like it. I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of remixes, so I replied to his comment saying that I didn't like it either. Within 5 minutes I had 2 people (who were friends with the person who created the page and the remix) calling me a toad, rat, ugly etc, and then continued to tag more of their friends to gang up on us. I refused to comment after that knowing it will only aggravate them more, but my friend started calling them names back. Eventually I convinced my friend to delete it and I blocked the two people who were abusing me with hurtful comments. However, I'm STILL thinking about it all to this day. I feel sick to the stomach for saying I didn't like it and am so ashamed of myself. I've been bullied my whole life and know very well how hurtful words can be, yet I did exactly what I'm against doing?! I wake up every morning in tears worried that I have seriously hurt the person who created this remix. I wish I could send the person an apology but I have forgotten the names of all the persons involved. Do you have ANY tips on how to cope with this daily guilt that I live with?

Macdadz Chest pains
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone else has been getting the same problems. For the past year I have been getting these random sharp chest pains. They usually occur on my left side but can occur on the right side of my chest. Some times I get an "... View more

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone else has been getting the same problems. For the past year I have been getting these random sharp chest pains. They usually occur on my left side but can occur on the right side of my chest. Some times I get an "electric jolt" across my heart and pains in my collar bone and stomach. Usually the sharp pains come and go and reappear in different locations in my chest. It's very annoying and I've had all the usual tests like an x ray, blood tests and ECG and even seen a cardiologist. All my doctors seem to think it's due to stress or anxiety but I find it hard to imagine because I wouldn't say I'm any more stressed than usual so why now?