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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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Northern_prince Advice / peer support: manager with anxiety
  • replies: 9

Hi - I have been just started my first management position and have a history of anxiety. I have just had a breakdown at home and then work after becoming completely overwhelmed by the constant and varied demands of being a manager. I've organised to... View more

Hi - I have been just started my first management position and have a history of anxiety. I have just had a breakdown at home and then work after becoming completely overwhelmed by the constant and varied demands of being a manager. I've organised to see a counsellor and have have a supportive supervisor who will have help me implement a wellbeing plan. That said I've noticed that there is a lack of resources for managers with anxiety themselves. I also can't find much about other managers dealing with anxiety, their experiences and how they have overcome these. Can anyone point me in the right direction for tailored resources for managers suffering from anxiety or is anyone willing to share their experiences to assist me get through this difficult period? Thanks in anticipation

kaimare Vomit Anxiety ?OCD
  • replies: 11

Hi all, I'm Kai, i'm 24. Lately I have been wondering if I have an issue, bought up by another friend who laughed and joked about maybe I am "OCD". I have an intense fear of vomiting but only when related to Gastroenteritis. From this I excessively w... View more

Hi all, I'm Kai, i'm 24. Lately I have been wondering if I have an issue, bought up by another friend who laughed and joked about maybe I am "OCD". I have an intense fear of vomiting but only when related to Gastroenteritis. From this I excessively wash and sanitise my hands, I don't touch public doors/handles/buttons, I always check if my food is properly cooked or warmed (even in public restaurants), constantly wipe and clean my benches and my house (i'm talking 4-5 times a day with antibacterial wipes) and when a friend or family member mentions to me that they or someone they know has been "vomit-sick" I either make excuses not to see them, or if we are already together my anxiety hits the roof..I find myself trying to rationalise it, I get sweaty, nauseated, I feel an intense need to wash my hands and long to be back at home. My friends alway laugh because I am a "germ-o-phobe" but I have only just thought, hang on, maybe this is next level and I actually have something else going on here.. I know all of these things are silly, and I even feel silly feeling or doing them but they make me feel better and safe. Has anyone got a similar phobia?? Or experience similar things??

mpmelb First time in a forum
  • replies: 6

Hi... I have been suffering from health anxiety since shortly after my first child was born, almost six years ago. I had a breast cancer scare when my baby was 6 weeks old and that was the onset of my health anxiety. Since then, I have been on and of... View more

Hi... I have been suffering from health anxiety since shortly after my first child was born, almost six years ago. I had a breast cancer scare when my baby was 6 weeks old and that was the onset of my health anxiety. Since then, I have been on and off of medication and went through CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) nearly 2 1/2 years ago which was helpful. Right now, I am suffering very badly with it. Whilst my child is at school today and my husband is at work, I have spent the day sobbing because I am convinced I have colon cancer. You see, cancer is my problem. I obsess over it. I had an accident a couple of weeks ago and injured my hand, requiring plastic surgery. This seemed to flare up my anxiety and I was hyperventilating, which was making me dizzy and get lots of headaches, so naturally I thought I had brain cancer. Somehow, over the past week or so it has managed to switch to colon cancer. It's so ridiculous, I know. I also know that the symptoms I am experiencing are because of my diet, and the anxiety but no matter how much I reassure myself, I can't get past it. I am trying to implement the strategies I learnt in CBT but today, I am a mess. My husband is so busy at work, I feel I can't burden him with my struggle today. So, here I am, needing to vent and do something other than cry. The thoughts of dying from cancer and having to say goodbye to my child are overwhelming me today and I just need something from someone to help me because today, I can't do this on my own. Thank you.

finjake Feel very alone
  • replies: 4

I feel like no one understands the way I feel. I feel like the universe is forcing me to be alone when I'm scared to. When I'm home alone I feel so alone and afraid. I'm afraid that something bad will happen to me and no one will be here to help me. ... View more

I feel like no one understands the way I feel. I feel like the universe is forcing me to be alone when I'm scared to. When I'm home alone I feel so alone and afraid. I'm afraid that something bad will happen to me and no one will be here to help me. I am terrified of dying, I become obsessed with it and its complex because it confuses me I want to die but I'm petrified and I want to live. Every little symptom I have I'm afraid something is happening with my health and I'm dying and I always think the worst. Then when I'm out and I'm around people I want to be alone because I feel alone then too. I guess I'm writing this because maybe someone somewhere out there in the world will understand me and tell me I'm not crazy, that I'm not alone and that I'm safe. It's getting so hard to be inside my body. Its exhausting I just want to be free from this paranoia.

KittyCat17 Anxious and Confused
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am new to this forum but have been looking at other posts trying to relate to my situation for a long time now and thought I should really just post my own situation as everyone's journeys are unique. I have always been a slightly anxious perso... View more

Hi, I am new to this forum but have been looking at other posts trying to relate to my situation for a long time now and thought I should really just post my own situation as everyone's journeys are unique. I have always been a slightly anxious person. I have had a severe fear of vomiting since I was a child but have always managed to still maintain functional living and get through moments the anxiety was high. About a year ago I started a job which is focused all around people with cancer and I am speaking with people who have just been diagnosed everyday. I never really thought it effected me much until recently. I begun experiencing feelings of being 'unwell' - like I was coming down with something- extremely tired, brain fog, sore aching mucles. I was convinced something was seriously wrong with me, looking up my symptoms on google (I know, I knew that was stupid but couldnt help myself). I was convinced I could have cancer and really spiraled out of control. I also then convinced myself maybe it was a thyroid issue as it showed a slightly elevated level at my last check up. I found myself at the doctors more times in a month than I had been in my whole life. I felt like death- I felt like there was a 'shadow' over my brain, my eyes felt sunken in, I couldnt even focus on people talking to me. WHen all my tests came back, everything was fine, nothing was out of the ordinary and I was told that I had Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I was shocked, I was relieved about not being unwell but at the same time I couldnt believe that what I was feeling was just anxiety. I guess my question is, has it ever got to this point for other people? Have you ever made yourself so physically sick from anxiety that you didnt even realise it was happening? I have been seeing a psychologist since then, and my anxiety has definitely subsides since being told its just anxiety and not a life threatening illness but there are still days I feel off and I can help it creeping back into my head that maybe it is an illness that the doctors have missed. Would love to hear if anyone else relates to this? Thank you

A_Bit_Of_A_Pickle Caught in a never ending cycle...
  • replies: 2

Like probably a lot of people here, I know that anxiety tends to be a bit of a sneaky *insert your choice of swear word here*, and to be honest I thought I was done, until about a week ago when it came back with a bit of a chip on it's shoulder. I fe... View more

Like probably a lot of people here, I know that anxiety tends to be a bit of a sneaky *insert your choice of swear word here*, and to be honest I thought I was done, until about a week ago when it came back with a bit of a chip on it's shoulder. I feel like everything I've worked for in the last year has fallen apart, and what's worse is that I know why - and i still can't stop it. Maybe I should give a bit of back story. I've been having panic attacks and anxiety since i was thirteen but wasn't officially diagnosed until the beginning of last year at the age of 22 when my depression and panic attacks could no longer be hidden. My anxiety is usually coupled with extreme nightmare which lead to acute insomnia, an extreme aversion to food and pretty epic panic attacks leaving me emotionally and physically worn down. I got help and started on medication which made me feel better and i was able to start regulating my sleep and eating again so much so I was able to go and study overseas for six months. I've been back for over a year now and felt that I was doing really well - until last week when I started getting nightmares again, which made me afraid of sleep, which as you could imagine makes it very difficult to sleep, which makes me more stressed, which makes me more emotional, which makes me more anxious, which makes me afraid that the whole terrible cycle will start again. I've just finished uni, I'm broke and jobless which is adding to the stress and worry about my future and the things that used to help me cope actually seem to be making everything worse. Foods I used enjoy turn to ash in my mouth, shows and music that used to calm me remind me of my anxiety in the past. Because of some childhood interactions I find it extremely difficult to explain to people how I'm feeling. I don't know if i can afford going to the doctor's, and i feel like if I go back on medication i'll be letting everyone who helped me down, let alone my self. But most of all i just want to live. I want to not have to worry about this stuff anymore, and just knowing that I have to start the whole process all over again hurts me.

agoatnamedgrace 19 Years Later...
  • replies: 4

Diagnosed with PTSD, depression, multiple forms of anxiety and panic disorder. It's 19 years later and it still controls my life... These illnesses have controlled employment, my finance, friendships, relationships, family. You name it and it has its... View more

Diagnosed with PTSD, depression, multiple forms of anxiety and panic disorder. It's 19 years later and it still controls my life... These illnesses have controlled employment, my finance, friendships, relationships, family. You name it and it has its grasps on every aspect of my life. Is it ever going to get better? I've seen psychologists, I've been on medication for 10 years. Surely I wasn't just born to suffer with this all my life? Feeling hopeless and helpless. L

hellopanda Getting over panic attacks without medication?
  • replies: 2

Hi, I'm new here! I couldn't find anything similar in a search, but sorry if this has been done before. I'm really interested in hearing about peoples experiences with panic attacks. For the past couple of years I've been having them severely and rec... View more

Hi, I'm new here! I couldn't find anything similar in a search, but sorry if this has been done before. I'm really interested in hearing about peoples experiences with panic attacks. For the past couple of years I've been having them severely and recently I've been taking some prescription drugs to help me out (not sure if I can go into details here?). I also have bipolar so I'm on a range of other medications for that, so I want to avoid more. I'm just curious to hear about your experiences with panic attacks, and hopefully how you've gotten over them without the help of medication. As much as these meds are helping me I don't want to become dependent on them just to function in certain scenarios that I'm going to face almost daily if I'm going to be realistic about this. I panic when I'm the centre of attention. So no talking in front of groups. My flight response is very strong. I've run out of a lot of rooms. The reason for the medication is a new job. It's a really great job that I honestly thought would take me a few more years to work up to (and in those years I'd deal with the panic attacks). I've done a lot of meditation work and breathing techniques. The breathing is really effective to a certain point for me, but often it just gets overwhelmed by the panic. I'd love to hear your experiences. Cheers

out_of_this__world What to do?
  • replies: 7

I am a 31yr old male currently dating a 34yr old female who has anxiety and i would say depression at times as well. We have been dating for 18months and lived together for 6 months, during this time she declined in mental health and is finally seeki... View more

I am a 31yr old male currently dating a 34yr old female who has anxiety and i would say depression at times as well. We have been dating for 18months and lived together for 6 months, during this time she declined in mental health and is finally seeking proper help but still struggling. What happened to me was that when she hit rock bottom i to got depression and some anxiety which i have never had before. I told her i need a 2 week break to reassess the relationship as i didn't know much about the illness until now, sometimes i think i should continue it but at the same time i realize that the illness may never go away for her ( Mum, Dad and Sister have it) she has had it for many years but never said it was this bad. When she went bad she lost her job and sat around on the couch depressed all day in her own head i was stressing hard because i didn't know much about the illness, if i leave i also have the age issue to worry about which has also been affecting me about dating again. When i had my episode my heart was pumping, always worried about health issues and over stressing, all the symptoms are basically disappearing during the break, got the test back from doctor and there nothing wrong is me. I am now concerned about my well being if i stay as the episode she had was bad and lasted 3 months and affected me, but also suffering a little fear about starting over again at 31yrs old. I was wondering if having a depressed and anxiety partner can affect you and your mental health and a little feedback on my situation, also wondering about the illness and if it can get worse, i finally realize mental health is no joke and i am currently seeing a psych who tells to look after yourself first. I also wonder if i just had a breakdown myself and relationship had nothing to do with it but it seems a coincident that it happened when i date someone with the issue. She also wants kids which makes me think if her whole family has it maybe the kids will get it too, a little lost at the moment and recovering back to full health myself which is awesome.

Siera I need help
  • replies: 3

I need help ... are the first words I said when I walked through the door of my parents house. Followed by, can I move in with you as I need help and can't be alone. This was yesterday and today I lay here knowing I have done the right thing but stru... View more

I need help ... are the first words I said when I walked through the door of my parents house. Followed by, can I move in with you as I need help and can't be alone. This was yesterday and today I lay here knowing I have done the right thing but struggling to deal with my now medically diagnosed anxiety. I am in my early 30s and know I have become overwhelmed by an ongoing negative toxic work environment and instability. The doctor has prescribed me with benzodiazpenes and anti depressants. Tomorrow I am going back for a referral to a psychologist. However here I am lieing in bed after just having an anxiety attack after waking up from a bad sleep and wondering how do you manage the anxiety attacks? What do people do? Is there apps that anyone can suggest?