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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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M2 Dealing with fear
  • replies: 1

Does anyone have any advice on battling debilitating fear? I suffer from anxiety (general and social, with panic attacks when it gets particularly bad) and depression. Fear seems to be the source of all of this. If I could work out how to overcome it... View more

Does anyone have any advice on battling debilitating fear? I suffer from anxiety (general and social, with panic attacks when it gets particularly bad) and depression. Fear seems to be the source of all of this. If I could work out how to overcome it, I'm certain the rest (including depression) would follow. Changing thought patterns is obviously hard, but what can be done to alleviate fear? I try challenging it by facing it but I find that introduces massive spikes of intense anxiety over a short time so I shy away. Pushing through it causes panic attacks. I don't want to live like a recluse. I want to have and maintain friendships but I also want to live without feeling like I'm suffering heart attacks, followed by dark periods of self hatred. Life can surely be a more pleasant experience! Any advice?

Lurch09 Severe anxiety.
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, all my life I have had problems with anxiety and sleeping. They went away for 18 months but have now come back again even worse then before. My rock all my life, Is now leaving for a holiday and I mentally and physically can't deal with it.... View more

Hey guys, all my life I have had problems with anxiety and sleeping. They went away for 18 months but have now come back again even worse then before. My rock all my life, Is now leaving for a holiday and I mentally and physically can't deal with it. I've gone back on my medication and have booked an appointment for Monday with my gp but I was wondering if anyone could help with to get through the next couple of days/ weeks. Thanks in advance.

Hannahm2 No job in 2 years because of panic attacks
  • replies: 2

It started when I got fired from my job at the time for having panic attacks at work. It's been 2 years and I still haven't had a job since, I need some advice on what to do. I'm only 21 and feel as though I've done nothing in my life and I'd love so... View more

It started when I got fired from my job at the time for having panic attacks at work. It's been 2 years and I still haven't had a job since, I need some advice on what to do. I'm only 21 and feel as though I've done nothing in my life and I'd love so much to have a career and a job that I love but can't pluck up the courage. I get sweaty, nauseous and gag when I think about getting a job. What do I do? I'm also having trouble with when I do end up applying for jobs should I be letting my employer know of my condition or keep it to myself?

Tiger04 Anxiety symptoms?
  • replies: 3

Hi, ill keep it short I just want to ask if anyone gets really dizzy, almost vertigo type feeling when their anxiety is really bad or they have anxiety attacks? i feel dizzy all the time lately and my anxiety is out of control right now, I can't even... View more

Hi, ill keep it short I just want to ask if anyone gets really dizzy, almost vertigo type feeling when their anxiety is really bad or they have anxiety attacks? i feel dizzy all the time lately and my anxiety is out of control right now, I can't even go to the shop without having an anxiety attack. i suffer from vertigo and have for most of my life and I'm not sure what's what anymore and it's driving me up the wall. I guess I'm looking for answers I don't know.

Hypersleep When you do something you thought you couldn't, how do you reward yourself?
  • replies: 2

Thus far I have two ways of rewarding myself, that come to mind at least. After I do something that stresses me out I get some take out or if it's something big I buy myself a video-game or other media related merchandise. But lately I am looking for... View more

Thus far I have two ways of rewarding myself, that come to mind at least. After I do something that stresses me out I get some take out or if it's something big I buy myself a video-game or other media related merchandise. But lately I am looking for more ways to spoil myself. So I'm wondering: how do you reward yourself for doing something that made you proud or otherwise overcoming an obstacle?

nic98 Anxiety has reared its ugly head
  • replies: 18

Hi I'm posting for the first time. I've a history of migraines intertwined with anxiety. The anxiety I've managed with medication for several years but a few months ago had to change it to try a migraine treatment. Anyway, after recently changing bac... View more

Hi I'm posting for the first time. I've a history of migraines intertwined with anxiety. The anxiety I've managed with medication for several years but a few months ago had to change it to try a migraine treatment. Anyway, after recently changing back to my original AD, my anxiety has increased. I'm also coming off triptans atm. I'm highly anxious in the mornings and am needing some support

EllieC Who I want to be vs my anxiety
  • replies: 9

Hi guys, young woman with GAD here One of the hardest parts about anxiety sometimes is the constant struggle between what is ethically right and what is right for my anxiety. I want to be the sort of person who is socially responsible and who is a lo... View more

Hi guys, young woman with GAD here One of the hardest parts about anxiety sometimes is the constant struggle between what is ethically right and what is right for my anxiety. I want to be the sort of person who is socially responsible and who is a loyal supporter of their friends, but I'm usually pretty afraid of conflict so I don't often show it. Today a friend of mine was copping very personal abuse on social media due to a cultural group she belongs to and I finally felt like I could do the right thing. I wasn't rude to these other commenters but I was firm, saying that I didn't agree with their views and they were being incredibly nasty to all my friends who are part of this cultural group I felt good about supporting my friend and speaking out on how much damage discrimination can do... until the first comment calling me a "fat loser" popped up. The second and third comment along the same lines just made things worse. Since then I've been feeling sick, shaky and crying on and off. I have a background of being bullied at school, especially for my weight (which led me into developing a binge eating disorder, so thanks classmates!), so the feeling of being ganged up on and made fun of has just triggered my fear and self-loathing all over again I don't know what the right thing is to do. I want to be this superhero who goes into bat for people who are being treated unfairly but I just find that whenever I do that I get abuse hurled at me and my anxiety sends me into a meltdown. But am I a bad friend and a facilitator of unethical behaviour if I stand by and let them be abused by trolls? On the other hand, I know that I have anxiety so should I be more protective of my mental health and not wade into these highly emotive situations? This is really eating me up inside tonight and my confusion about how to approach this is making me feel like both a fat loser and a bad friend. Normally I would call my Mum when I'm this upset but she doesn't understand social media and just tells me to delete Facebook whenever something on there bothers me. My friend did send me a private message thanking me for being supportive and saying that the other commenters were being mean (she used other words, which I won't repeat here), but I don't feel close enough to her to tell her all this either I feel a little silly posting here because I know other people probably have more pressing problems, but if I don't get a response I at least had to say this somewhere

kned Social anxiety treatment options
  • replies: 8

I'm really wanting to look at some ways to manage my social anxiety. Medication would be last resort. What has worked for you? Has anyone tried alternative medicine (herbs etc)? Did they work? What psychological techniques have you found useful. If a... View more

I'm really wanting to look at some ways to manage my social anxiety. Medication would be last resort. What has worked for you? Has anyone tried alternative medicine (herbs etc)? Did they work? What psychological techniques have you found useful. If anyone can share some links to websites or apps, it'd be very much appreciated. Cheers,

Wa_ranger I feel burnt out and anxious.
  • replies: 2

Hi This is my first post and to be honest I never thought I would get to the point when I needed to do this. My reason for posting is work related anxiety and no matter how much I tell myself 'I have done my best' I feel like the anxiety is winning. ... View more

Hi This is my first post and to be honest I never thought I would get to the point when I needed to do this. My reason for posting is work related anxiety and no matter how much I tell myself 'I have done my best' I feel like the anxiety is winning. I haven't gone into work today as I can't face it. I don't sleep well and if I do, I wake up regularly worrying about work. It's taken over my life, and my work life balance is all wrong. Sunday's every weekend consist of worrying about going back to work so I know I'm struggling. My main issue is feeling stuck and knowing this situation is not changing anytime soon so that fills me with dread. My work is quite specialised and there are no other jobs in my location to apply for. My office is a regional base for a multi-national company and it has gone through a downturn in the last 12 months to the point where I am the only full time person, and I have been there less than 10 months. I manage a small team who are either part time or casual staff, which also makes me anxious. I'm basically overwhelmed, new work keeps coming through, I'm behind on my current work and I have made mistakes that I know I would not normally make. Management know the situation is not ideal and they have given 'support' which I have accepted. I was made redundant in a previous job (through no fault of my own) and knowing that feeling of being out of work prevents me from resigning, although I would if I could. I am a resilient person, so up until now I have just got on with it, although I basically feel 'stuck' and completely alone. Is anybody else in a similar situation who could offer me any advice please?

MissBear26 Can't sleep
  • replies: 4

Hey, Can't seem to switch the brain off. It's not just the brain it is my whole body. So tired and as soon as i lie down it is like everything is magnified. Small sounds in the room. The light from the charger. The small itch on my leg. The stray hai... View more

Hey, Can't seem to switch the brain off. It's not just the brain it is my whole body. So tired and as soon as i lie down it is like everything is magnified. Small sounds in the room. The light from the charger. The small itch on my leg. The stray hair on my neck. Its too hot. Its too cold. I get so fustrated i want claw at my face and scream. I can't sleep next to someone cause i toss and turn till finally (after a long time) i sleep. If i do sleep next to someone all i can think of is that I can't move, to the point where i want to panic cause i so badly need to move. I get myself so worked up. Soooo i get up and try to reset. I will habe another shower. Change pjs. Brush my hair. Remake my bed. Get a cold drink and try again. This i found is the most effective way to get to sleep Tonight however just not working for me.

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