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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BrokenHearted88 Anxiety and my astrology addiction
  • replies: 3

I struggle with diagnosed GAD which I currently treat with regular psychology sessions and meditation as I wish to avoid taking medications where possible. I was on medication for many years and I felt like I was using it as a band-aid and not truly ... View more

I struggle with diagnosed GAD which I currently treat with regular psychology sessions and meditation as I wish to avoid taking medications where possible. I was on medication for many years and I felt like I was using it as a band-aid and not truly dealing with the issues that caused my anxiety. My anxiety is very high at the moment. I recently experienced a traumatic event and have been on high alert ever since. Many years ago I used to treat my alcohol with substance abuse, both alcohol and drugs, and I have also been known to become quite addicted to eating. Generally speaking, I am very healthy at the moment. I don’t drink much or take any drugs, have a healthy diet & exercise/meditate regularly. But I have recently realized that I have developed an addiction to astrology. I know this may sound silly to some people and not like something you can become addicted to but it has reached a point where it is not only taking over most of my life but also controlling the way I think and act. I use horoscopes, tarot readings, angel card reading & yes/no Q&A apps to decide how I feel, what I should do and what other people must be feeling about me. I am using these in an obsessive way and it is further fueled by my increasing anxiety. I have recently starting seeing someone new and I am trying to hide my anxiety from him so I don’t scare him away and because of that it is spilling out in other ways. This is the first person I have really liked and really want to try a relationship with since I broke up with my ex a year ago and although it is early days I feel like my anxiety will send him running for the hills. Who wants to deal with an anxious obsessive partner right? I use astrology every day. Many times a day. It distracts me from work and I feel embarrassed about it like it’s a dirty little secret I’m hiding. Which probably fuels my anxiety further. I have always been interested in astrology and I have noticed I turn to it during periods of high stress and anxiety to help get me through making the tough decisions and it’s almost like I have someone there telling me I am making the right decisions, because I don’t trust my own feelings. I am not sure what question I am trying to ask here. I suppose has anyone else turned to astrology to help manage their anxious thoughts and how have others stopped in the past? Have you just stopped and it was that easy or does it take time like any other addiction? Thank you in advance for your support

Goldenlight Anxiety in Nurses
  • replies: 8

Hello! Are there any nurses out there who suffer anxiety and if so, what do u find helpful for you? Also have you been successful in overcoming anxiety and continued to work as a nurse?

Hello! Are there any nurses out there who suffer anxiety and if so, what do u find helpful for you? Also have you been successful in overcoming anxiety and continued to work as a nurse?

JulesD Feeling anxious at work
  • replies: 9

I have been doing really well for the past 2 or 3 months. A woman at work has now decided she will ignore me and make it very obvious i do not exist to her. Its making me feel bad, anxious, im not sleeping again and i dont know what to do. I already ... View more

I have been doing really well for the past 2 or 3 months. A woman at work has now decided she will ignore me and make it very obvious i do not exist to her. Its making me feel bad, anxious, im not sleeping again and i dont know what to do. I already spoke to HR twice, i feel like im a whinger. I can feel miself started to spiral down and my days feel sad while im at work. I cant go backwards what can i do

Ukgirl Health Anxiety
  • replies: 5

I have had GAD. For many years now ,but now it's more health anxiety , At the moment I am having health anxiety over my teeth , Went to dentist because I found a bump on my lower molars and was. Told all ok it was evidently a retromolar pad but I wan... View more

I have had GAD. For many years now ,but now it's more health anxiety , At the moment I am having health anxiety over my teeth , Went to dentist because I found a bump on my lower molars and was. Told all ok it was evidently a retromolar pad but I wanted X-ray done. Which still showed nothing , then I got another opinion from another dentist who said all ok but I can't help feeling it's something worse and I am just freaking out over it Just keep checking all the time , making myself more worried , I hate this anxiety anyone else have similar problems ,that can share please

meatloaf Can't stop crying
  • replies: 1

Just a rant to get it out...I literally cannot stop crying anything starts me off ....probably the pressure of workcover and constantly being sent to IME's ....feels like it will never end....hopefully tomorrow will be better

Just a rant to get it out...I literally cannot stop crying anything starts me off ....probably the pressure of workcover and constantly being sent to IME's ....feels like it will never end....hopefully tomorrow will be better

Sarah3108 Is it my anxiety again
  • replies: 3

Hi I suffered from gad 8 years ago and got myself off medication with self help and seeing someone. But I recently had an iron problem and I've been suffering with lots of different problems since and can't help feel it might be my anxiety again. I f... View more

Hi I suffered from gad 8 years ago and got myself off medication with self help and seeing someone. But I recently had an iron problem and I've been suffering with lots of different problems since and can't help feel it might be my anxiety again. I feel spacey and light headed a lot and my stomach feels full all the time and loss of appitite and generally not feeling like me. These symptoms aren't what I had when I last had gad all my bloods are good and I don't want to go back on tablets as of the side effects but it's getting me down now not knowing what's going on and feeling not with it all the time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

TkandMaori I catastrophize about my partner every day and night :(
  • replies: 1

So My partner and I are very serious and have been dating for almost 2 years, he works night shift at a port and I always worry about his safety. Since a couple months ago, I realised it was beginning to be a problem as I've constantly been losing ho... View more

So My partner and I are very serious and have been dating for almost 2 years, he works night shift at a port and I always worry about his safety. Since a couple months ago, I realised it was beginning to be a problem as I've constantly been losing hours of sleep every night wondering if he is safe. Tonight I woke up at 10:30 and I haven't been able to sleep for 1.5 hours because I usually always wake up to texts from him when he's on his breaks saying that he is safe, but tonight I haven't gotten any which is sometimes the case when work is busy for him. nights like this I always think of the worst, my biggest fear is losing him or my parents and I think about it 24/7. When I don't get texts saying he is safe at work every hour or so I can't sleep, I think of the worst situations and whether or not he is okay, and I panic and start crying and I have difficulties breathing i need advice, how do I make this stop? Because the thoughts are in my head all night long and I can't calm myself down anymore... is it normal? Am I bad for thinking of these things? how am I supposed to calm myself and relax because it's getting out of hand and I NEED help

beyondfaith is it just me?
  • replies: 3

hi guys last 2 nights i been getting excessive sweating even in front of a fan and sore jaw muscles aches,bloated stomach and nausea and headaches and cant sleep at all severely anxious.is this all apart of anxiety and feel like your having a heart a... View more

hi guys last 2 nights i been getting excessive sweating even in front of a fan and sore jaw muscles aches,bloated stomach and nausea and headaches and cant sleep at all severely anxious.is this all apart of anxiety and feel like your having a heart attack etc freaked out.dont know what to do feel lost breathing only helps for a second i had to take medication still not 100%

sean_TSO Does anyone else struggle with underestimating their anxiety level until it's too late?
  • replies: 5

Over the last few weeks, I noticed that I was more irritable, and on edge, but hadn't noticed any anxiety attacks, so didn't pay much attention to it.Then over the last week, I found myself getting emotional, things in the paper and on TV would make ... View more

Over the last few weeks, I noticed that I was more irritable, and on edge, but hadn't noticed any anxiety attacks, so didn't pay much attention to it.Then over the last week, I found myself getting emotional, things in the paper and on TV would make me start to tear up, which is not like me in the slightest. Today, I was working at my computer, and started to notice the signs of an oncoming anxiety attack. I was getting tense and breathing erratically, even holding my breath at times without realising. Noticing this, I decided that I'd take a break from work to try and calm down.Upon minimizing my work windows on the computer, I started to tear up, that then turned into sobbing, and within another minute I was crying and howling hysterically, something I can't remember doing since I was a child. This was accompanied by incredibly severe hyperventilating, again something that hadn't happened to that severity since I was a child (I'm in my 30s). This then went on for the next 30 minutes, crying so hysterically that I'm sure the neighbours could here me. Fifteen minutes into it I took some medication, and 15 minutes later, after listening to a 'calm down' meditation, I was close to normal again. I cannot think of any particular event or worry that would have triggered such an attack. The last time I was like that was when I had a nervous breakdown 4 years ago, and this was worse than that in severity, although not length (mind you, I didn't have medication back then). All I can think, is that I've become so accustomed to an increased level of anxiety, that I've underestimated the level of chronic day-to-day anxiety, and that over time it's compounded until I lost it today. I'm shit scared that this might be a sign of an impending breakdown. The last time I had a breakdown, it was something of a relief, as it meant I left my stressful job and took time off work for two years (as I luckily had income protection insurance which covered medical reasons for being unable to work). However, I no longer have that insurance in place, and no real savings. If I get to the point of being unable to work, I have no idea how my family would survive. To make matters worse, my psychologist is away on holidays, and I don't want to tell my wife, as she's struggling massively with depression at the moment, and I don't want to add to her worries. Has anyone else had experience with underestimating or being oblivious to their high anxiety levels?

aussiememe need some advice
  • replies: 4

Have got severe anxiety don't know how to tell my friends because I want them to know but how do I bring it up??

Have got severe anxiety don't know how to tell my friends because I want them to know but how do I bring it up??