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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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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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Living_in_a_world_of_anxi Living in a world of Anxiety
  • replies: 2

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, approximately 45% of Australians aged between 16-85 will experience some kind of mental health condition (Anxiety and Depression). For some people they are able to openly discuss what is go... View more

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, approximately 45% of Australians aged between 16-85 will experience some kind of mental health condition (Anxiety and Depression). For some people they are able to openly discuss what is going on in their life, which is very courageous, but for others they simply hide it away and no one knows about it, which is very easy to do when you just smile it off and pretend everything is fine. Im a very personal person and don't like to share most things in my life, however, in saying that, i am wondering whether if i let my guard down and share my personal experience, whether it will help me at all. This is not something i am doing for sympathy, i am not that kind of person, i am just wondering whether if i share my story whether it will help anyone else who is silently struggling. For around three years i have been struggling with severe anxiety and a bit of depression. It has undoubtedly made my life so difficult and determined what i can and cannot do everyday. There has been some really tough times where i couldn't even force myself to get out of bed and have had to just lay there all day and cry about it because i didn't feel strong enough to complete the simplest of activities. I have removed myself from many social situations because i either have a fear that the person i am meeting with secretly doesn't like me or even the fact that the group of people i might have social drinks with may stay out after 12am... Apparently that is an OCD thing that i have chosen a time to be home and if i am not in bed by then i freak out that i won't get enough sleep. It does sound silly when you say it like that but when you are actually living it, it is very real. I have a few lovely friends who invite me places regularly, which sometimes i deny the invitation and make up any excuse under the sun so that i don't have to go, not for the reason that i don't want to meet them, but for some reason my brain has made up that is restricting me from doing so (because something bad might happen). It took me a long time to come to terms that i had anxiety, i think my doctor told me about 6-8 months before i could admit it to myself that she thought i did. I think i was scared of admitting that there was something wrong because it is classed as a 'Mental Health Condition', but it was the best thing i could have done for myself. I am now seeing a psychologist and she is helping me to try and get my life back on track!

Bambino Fear of never feeling happy or in control
  • replies: 7

Hi, I have now this fear that I will never feel happy or in control no matter what I do. No matter how much breathing, walking or psych appointments I have I just feel like it's all hopeless. Does anyone else get this ? I need a bit of hope.

Hi, I have now this fear that I will never feel happy or in control no matter what I do. No matter how much breathing, walking or psych appointments I have I just feel like it's all hopeless. Does anyone else get this ? I need a bit of hope.

Bluey_moon The tiredness at beating this
  • replies: 25

Despite being pretty good during the day, at night the anxiety gets harder to deal with. The fear I'm feeling paranoid about people watching me when I know they aren't, anything really that used to make me anxious! I am practicing all the techniques ... View more

Despite being pretty good during the day, at night the anxiety gets harder to deal with. The fear I'm feeling paranoid about people watching me when I know they aren't, anything really that used to make me anxious! I am practicing all the techniques and I know I will get better, I know it takes time and practice. I just needed to confide!

Chicken_Wings Weird guilt?
  • replies: 7

Yesterday I had a pretty great day. Did gardening, went to the farmers market, went to Bunnings, went to the park. My boyfriend and I sat under a tree and he taught me some fancy math (he's good at fancy math). I had woken up with some anxiety and di... View more

Yesterday I had a pretty great day. Did gardening, went to the farmers market, went to Bunnings, went to the park. My boyfriend and I sat under a tree and he taught me some fancy math (he's good at fancy math). I had woken up with some anxiety and did some breathing exercises. But I can say that yesterday I honestly felt like a real human being. Today I woke up and didn't feel anxious. I was laying there waiting for it to kick in, but it wasn't happening. I felt a weird sense of dread and started looking for the anxious thoughts. I felt this weird feeling that I think was guilt. Guilty that I didn't feel anxious. So I got up and tried to get started with my day but just kept waiting for the anxiety to kick in. I just kept thinking about it. I wasn't feeling anxious, but I was thinking about it. I thought about a psychologist appointment I have on Wednesday and felt bad that I might not appear to have much of a problem. I've been getting on with my day, but I can't stop feeling a weird guilt and dread

Chicken_Wings Sometimes Things Don't Seem Real
  • replies: 7

I was wondering if anyone else ever has a feeling sort of like things aren't real. Things being the stuff around you, the world. I don't mean not real as in imaginary, I know it's "real" but sometimes I get this feeling like I'm not part of it. For e... View more

I was wondering if anyone else ever has a feeling sort of like things aren't real. Things being the stuff around you, the world. I don't mean not real as in imaginary, I know it's "real" but sometimes I get this feeling like I'm not part of it. For example, earlier today I was a shopping mall. There were lots of people and lots of things going on and I felt like a weird observer. Like I'm watching tv or something. It happens when I'm anxious so I figure its related?

Zoostar84 Background noises has been really irritating me
  • replies: 3

Recently background noises such as televisions and radios has been really irritating me. At work I may be using the computer at the main desk whilst 2 conversations may be happening behind me and the radio turned on. I have spoken to my manager and s... View more

Recently background noises such as televisions and radios has been really irritating me. At work I may be using the computer at the main desk whilst 2 conversations may be happening behind me and the radio turned on. I have spoken to my manager and she had told me to tell the others I will be turning the radio off for a short period. Work can be quite busy and noisy at times. I work in health and wearing headphones is not an option. I try to find quiet areas (closed rooms) when I am not needed or if I feel I need to escape. I went to the GP recently and was in the waiting room and the television was quite loud (not blasting though). After about 20 mins I was getting really irritated. There only a few of us and the girl next to me was watching it. I waited until she stopped watching it and went to use her phone. I asked her if it was ok for me ask the receptionist if I could get the volume turned town. She was fine with that and I politely asked the receptionist and she turned it down...actually so low that no one could hear it. LOL I was at my dads holiday house and the main television was on a music channel. Dad told me he will not be changing the channel and the volume will be the same all day. I spoke to dad and told me that the noise was really irritating me, I explained to him that I have to deal with it at work and I went away to get away from this. I then told him that I will be spending most of the day outdoors..which is where most people spent their time anyways. Any tips with dealing with background noises would be appreciated

Simona But life IS scary for me
  • replies: 53

Being alive is like being inside a pinball machine and now and then someone comes along and try to give it a good tilt. Like the new car sitting in the driveway that I'm too scared to drive. Partner and his parents don't understand. They keep checkin... View more

Being alive is like being inside a pinball machine and now and then someone comes along and try to give it a good tilt. Like the new car sitting in the driveway that I'm too scared to drive. Partner and his parents don't understand. They keep checking in on me like I'm mentally disabled "So have you gone for a drive yet"? they ask gently NO. I want the old car back because it was a machine not a computer. Except I'm trapped here in the desert and need to drive into nearest town for supplies. For anything. This is a rant now. Living in the country is not what I imagined it would be. If I had a horse to ride I'd be happier somewhat but..i'm bored with the scenery & lack of things to do. I'm bored of collecting insects/arachnids now and lost interest in photography. And all the locals (men mostly )congregate at the pub and drink beer and talk about crops/their health issues or small town gossip. I went in there and spied so I know. Or the very old people rake leaves seemingly.....till early evening. Just depresses me. You grow old. Rake leaves. Or make Jam. Not me!!! I don't belong here : / I want to go places - Brazil in particular. I want to visit Mt Corcovado and just stand in the shadow of Christ The Redeemer wearing my arait's and a nice summery white cotton dress. I'm not meant for here but partner says we are not moving because his business is here and 'chugging along nicely'. *Further more and yet on another topic* I can't believe I am unable to continue writing my so called novel. It's like 4 years in the making now and I pulled out the manifesto yesterday and thought: who the hell wrote all this? And how am I supposed to finish it? what drugs do I need to be on? Where is this person? Which brings me to worry that I don't know who I am and maybe I have another personality I left somewhere...like a missing sock.

AnxiousOCD Struggling with worry, fear and negative thoughts
  • replies: 2

Hello everyone! I feel so down right now I can't eat and I can barely move. I know why I feel this way but it's almost too hard to move from this negative head space to a positive one. My boyfriend went away for work about a week ago and he will be a... View more

Hello everyone! I feel so down right now I can't eat and I can barely move. I know why I feel this way but it's almost too hard to move from this negative head space to a positive one. My boyfriend went away for work about a week ago and he will be away for 2 months. Each time he goes away I fall into a pattern of worry, I think about the past and all the mistakes I've made and I try to find a problem to solve it, I know I do this to distract myself from missing him. I know that by worrying about things it clouds your headspace and only makes things worse. I worry about what I'm going to do for New Years because I don't want to do anything for fear of making a mistake. All my fears are around cheating on my boyfriend and stem from the fact that I did cheat on him in the beginning of our relationship years ago. Now when I feel anxious I assume it's because I've done something wrong or I'll do something wrong and I'm terrified, my thoughts go around in circles and make me feel sick. The good thing is I can tell my boyfriend anything and he is so understanding and supportive but I can't really communicate with him at the moment as he has limited reception and Internet. When I am happy I can look at all these thoughts that make me anxious and realise they are silly, I want to get to that place but I don't know how! I need support and I just don't know what to do. Does anybody else have similar issues?

Guest_1055 Facing fear again
  • replies: 23

I am sitting on my chair in my bedroom. Hiding from my kitchen, I know that sounds stupid. But I have just returned from there, I desperately need to prepare dinner for other people, but I am having trouble going back in there. Because when I went in... View more

I am sitting on my chair in my bedroom. Hiding from my kitchen, I know that sounds stupid. But I have just returned from there, I desperately need to prepare dinner for other people, but I am having trouble going back in there. Because when I went in there last time, and went to grab the saucepan, all I heard was mouse mouse mouse he is going to get you, get you, get you, immediately I felt fear and I could feel my heart beating in my head. I can't grab the saucepan now. I am thinking about this logically now, knowing that they can't hurt you and they are more frightened of people, then you are of it. But I am still here hesitating to leave my safe little chair in the corner. I have experienced panic attacks before and have had victory over them. But this one is a new one, a little different. Anyone have any thoughts? I have to make dinner. Thanks

Bluey_moon Calling my name
  • replies: 26

Has anyone else experienced thinking they hear someone calling their name just before falling asleep? Or hearing thinking they hear someone talking to them?

Has anyone else experienced thinking they hear someone calling their name just before falling asleep? Or hearing thinking they hear someone talking to them?