Immediate support
Immediate support

Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a discussion

Steph Question about heart palpitations
  • replies: 36

Hello everyone I have heart palpitations 24/7 and always, always, always have a ball of anxiety in my stomach (if that makes any sense). What I wanted to know is, is it normal (for an anxiety sufferer) to constantly have heart palpitations? I am tryi... View more

Hello everyone I have heart palpitations 24/7 and always, always, always have a ball of anxiety in my stomach (if that makes any sense). What I wanted to know is, is it normal (for an anxiety sufferer) to constantly have heart palpitations? I am trying to avoid caffeine and anything sugary as these seem to exacerbate the anxiety, but even without either of these it seems to be a constant thing. Can anyone tell me if a) you experience the same thing and/or b) what you can do to stop the heart palpitations. Many thanks in advance Steph

reecemiley Unwanted anxious feelings around happiness
  • replies: 16

I am struggling to understand why when I come close to happiness I become extremely nervous , my anxiety goes into overdrive to the point that I feel I am losing control. I feel in my mind that in order to release these feelings I destroy the possibi... View more

I am struggling to understand why when I come close to happiness I become extremely nervous , my anxiety goes into overdrive to the point that I feel I am losing control. I feel in my mind that in order to release these feelings I destroy the possibility of happiness. my relationship is strained from this and it has been happening for quite sometime now. I cant seem to release from these feelings quickly and I become low for several days after. I feel like in my moments of my anxiety I am fighting with my own mind. Is it normal with anxiety to not trust well or is this my way of keeping happiness away in order to not have these moments ?

caitie0 reassurance
  • replies: 20

Hi, I am new too this and need some confirmation that everything I am feeling is that I am not going mad. About 3 months ago I started having bad anxiety ( thought I was really sick ) I have never really had anxiety like this in my life and it stress... View more

Hi, I am new too this and need some confirmation that everything I am feeling is that I am not going mad. About 3 months ago I started having bad anxiety ( thought I was really sick ) I have never really had anxiety like this in my life and it stressed out more as I didn't know why it was happening so I worried about all the things I was feeling. At the height of it I had the shakes, wasn't eating, hot/cold, heat pounding, hyper and really tired, bad insomnia elbows/jaw would feel weird numb, just felt absolutely awful have never felt like that in my life, felt like I was going crazy and was really struggling. Since I have managed to calm down more ( Am going to see a psychologist ) I am still struggling about whether what I am feeling is normal, my heart still has palpitations often enough ( its driving me boncers and what bothers me though most ) seems worse when I wake up, getting stomach aches, sometimes my chest feels tight like after doing a work out. I guess I worry that it is not the anxiety, I suppose I go around in a bit of a circle. I used to be able to relax quiet well, now I have trouble relaxing and just getting into my reading or whatever else. I think my anxiety is just caused by stress and hoping I am just having a "moment" but just struggling whether what I am feeling is anxiety.

EB01 Phobias
  • replies: 1

Hey guys, I'm a student doing work in SA and for a large part of my grading I am basing one of my final projects on phobias. I have conducted a question of "How does psychology explain the effects of phobias on an individual?". It would be such a gre... View more

Hey guys, I'm a student doing work in SA and for a large part of my grading I am basing one of my final projects on phobias. I have conducted a question of "How does psychology explain the effects of phobias on an individual?". It would be such a great help if any of you could take a minute to answer a couple, if not several or all of these questions below. 1. Are phobias a common occurrence? 2. What are the physical symptoms? 3. Are there any symptoms that are a rare side effect of a phobia that you know of or may experience? 4. How are phobias formed? How did yours start? Is it hereditary or an evolved childhood fear? 5. How do phobias physically impair someone? 6. Are phobias common? Do you know anyone else with a phobia? 7. How do phobias differ from everyday fear? 8. How would this situation be treated? How do you deal with a phobia? Thank you!!!

Shivers88 EMOTIONAL DISTRESS ABOUT MY MENTAL HEALTH
  • replies: 24

Hi there,, im very distressed and anxious about my health basically having intrusive thoughts and ending in full blown panic attacks! Which ended me up in bed for weeks and crying like no tomorrow.. This is hard Journey for me, as the thoughts I've n... View more

Hi there,, im very distressed and anxious about my health basically having intrusive thoughts and ending in full blown panic attacks! Which ended me up in bed for weeks and crying like no tomorrow.. This is hard Journey for me, as the thoughts I've never really experienced like this, harming my children or thinking I'm a pedophile or something stupid like that, it freaked me out. So I started to fight these thoughts out of my head which didn't work, and it snow balled. I felt like I was going crazy!! Anyway, since then I've been feeling guilty about these thoughts and can't quite shake it off, I'm seeing someone and it's helping but today in particular in finding myself like every other day googling my symptoms, to the point where I'm so anxious I'll keep going until I'm satisfied I hate it it sucks!! It's like an addiction constantly googling shit to "find" or "self diagnose" I've also been suffering some sadness, but j avoid those feelings and just "keep going" with life you know? I've adjusted to my partner doing FIFO 2/1 and it pretty much happened a week after that, which didn't help at all really... It triggered me off. Do I take meds if I'm feeling really miserable,? I have constant brain fog as If a black cloud is in my head, no clarity or anything it's debilitating

AnxiousSince1998 Anyone similar? Agoraphobia?
  • replies: 8

Hi guys, is there anyone else suffering agoraphobia, or having trouble with 1 on 1 conversations?I have been really struggling of late to do such simple things such as going to the supermarket or post office, and finding when I do force myself into t... View more

Hi guys, is there anyone else suffering agoraphobia, or having trouble with 1 on 1 conversations?I have been really struggling of late to do such simple things such as going to the supermarket or post office, and finding when I do force myself into these situations (for exposure therapy), I am left with full blown panic. It is peaking at its worst when I have to talk to someone, or if I'm asked a question. Everything tenses up, I go mega dizzy, faint, shakey, scattered, sweaty, and breathless to name just a couple of symptoms (you guys already know the rest of them)..My couple of days a week at work are becoming harder and harder to face, and that's even with minimal interaction with people. It looks like my anxiety has found a new way to bring me down now, and it's really scary.... I don't want to be housebound or this person who can't face the world. I question myself, being off medication now, after being on it for so many years, if that is playing a part in all this? Maybe I do have a chemical imbalance now, and need to be on them for life?I have been riding my bike a few times a week, which I find awesome because it gets me outdoors and is keeping me fit, but winter is here now and the days are getting colder/wetter....I have an appointment with my psych in a fortnight, so hoping he can provide me with some answers/therapy, but really don't want to be just thrown some meds and sent on my way.Any advice or personal experiences on this topic would be awesome.Cheers guys, Jase.

luckyman Inertia resulting from fear of change
  • replies: 4

Hi there good people at BB. I am currently struggling a little bit with a decent bout of inertia atm. I have been through quite a bit in recent years and come out the other side but it has left me a bit gun shy so to speak. I have ideas in my head ab... View more

Hi there good people at BB. I am currently struggling a little bit with a decent bout of inertia atm. I have been through quite a bit in recent years and come out the other side but it has left me a bit gun shy so to speak. I have ideas in my head about what i would like to do with my life going forward, but then I begin to get bogged down with doubt and fear of failing or even success and then end up becoming paralyzed by my own thoughts. I suppose I am just wanting to hear from anyone who has been there and what they did to push through and if they had success at the other side? Just looking for some inspiration I guess. Thanks in advance!

NBAC79 Driving anxiety
  • replies: 4

Does anyone else experience driving anxiety? I've had anxiety on and off for years but this aspect is new for me. I'd like to know how others deal with it? I'm worried it will leave me completely housebound soon if I don't get on top of it. Stopping ... View more

Does anyone else experience driving anxiety? I've had anxiety on and off for years but this aspect is new for me. I'd like to know how others deal with it? I'm worried it will leave me completely housebound soon if I don't get on top of it. Stopping at red traffic lights is my biggest issue at the moment. Instant panic attack inducer. But also just driving in general. What do others experience and suggest?

Bluegirl2014 so scared and worried about the thought that Donald Trump will cause WWIII
  • replies: 7

Hi, I have generalised anxiety disorder diagnosed for over ten years now... long slow road. I often worry about the threat of terrorism, but have recently been managing to lead a fairly normal lifestyle without too much of these intrusive thoughts. I... View more

Hi, I have generalised anxiety disorder diagnosed for over ten years now... long slow road. I often worry about the threat of terrorism, but have recently been managing to lead a fairly normal lifestyle without too much of these intrusive thoughts. I used to worry if my teenage daughters were in a public place they might get attack by a terrorist, so I would constantly worry when they were at movies etc. Now my fear is that America and Donald Trump in particular will cause a World War and I'm so scared that my kids and family will suffer terrible experiences or die and I won't be able to help them or take their fears and pain away. I know it sounds dramatic but I cant stop these thoughts. One of my children also has anxiety and I'm so worried she will be hurt and scared confirming that world is bad after all.

Hael Anxiety Symptoms Rollercoaster
  • replies: 6

Hi All,Just wanted to come on here and share my horrid experience so far and hopefully get some feedback to help get this weeks anxiety off my back, i find when i talk about it, it alleviates some symptoms.I'm 25, have been suffering from depression ... View more

Hi All,Just wanted to come on here and share my horrid experience so far and hopefully get some feedback to help get this weeks anxiety off my back, i find when i talk about it, it alleviates some symptoms.I'm 25, have been suffering from depression since i was 14, i had counseling back then, tried dealing with it since then up until late 2014 i started seeing a psychologist. 12 months of seeing her we weren't on the same page and my depression was spiraling down at a fast rate. I saw my GP and got put on some anti depressants, had heaps of issues with side effects, went off them and changed, had all the withdrawals, new ones were good. i use medication tooThen a few months back i got glandular fever, after having 2.5 weeks off work resting, i was really stressed about returning to work because i wasn't healthy enough yet. I like working and working had, so to be not my normal self i found difficult, returning to work is when i discovered what panic attacks and anxiety were. I was vomiting before going to work and my back neck and jaw were so wound up. when i looked into these things i realized I've been having panic attacks for about 4 years now on and off, never knew what they were just thought my body was doing weird stuff. Ever since i saw the GP the day i committed getting ready for work and he explained the anxiety.I've had 3 panic attacks in the last 2 months, and when i'm anxious and stressed i have been having these symptoms and the same time or separately, on different days or on different weeks on some kind of cycle. and it is driving me mad. It is worse through the day at work, it eases on the weekend when i relax.I get for some periods of time the current streak is 5 days, dizziness, blurry vision, sharp head pains, neck pains, neck back and shoulder tension, nausea, stomach cramps, twitching, neck pressures, head pressures, chest pains, chest rashes, difficulty concentrating, short term memory loss and drowsiness. not all together, usually some after others.I've had tests done by GP, i saw a Psychiatrist about 2-3 weeks ago and all these symptoms eased off. I had a big night drinking over the weekend and it has triggered everything. . Seeing GP again tomorrow about anxiety symptoms and new psychologist straight after. The anxiety is taking over my life, i finally start to deal with it and tell myself it is all in my head and it comes racing back out of no where.. Feel like i am going insane. does all of this sound normal lol