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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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Byltim Feeling overwhelmed
  • replies: 5

Hi all, im kind of new to this kind of thing but im hoping it will help in some way. Im 29 and i suffer from GAD with a few other things thrown in (depression, PTSD, OCD. In the past 5 years specifically i feel like i am just keeping my head above wa... View more

Hi all, im kind of new to this kind of thing but im hoping it will help in some way. Im 29 and i suffer from GAD with a few other things thrown in (depression, PTSD, OCD. In the past 5 years specifically i feel like i am just keeping my head above water. I lost my son in 2011, my dad in 2013 and my mum was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2014 and has approximately 6 months to live. My life seems to have fallen apart. I have a gambling problem, i am not able to have anymore children, i did have the best job in the world but have lost interest in everything. I even lost interest in my art which used to be my out time. My childhood was full of crummy happenings and i have never been one to dwell too much on that. But some of the past happenings have resurfaced and are affecting me and the way i do things. I am suffering at the moment from serious insomnia. I am scared that something is going to happen and i will lose everything. My daughter, the things ive worked hard to get. Its just overwhelming. Everytime i go to a counsellor i cant even get through the newest issues to get to the older ones without some other major horrible thing happening. I am a strong person... but i feel like everything is starting to crumble.

kbh anxiety stops me from living.
  • replies: 1

Hi I am new to this I have just learnt to accept I have anxiety and depression, my biggest problem with it all is I feel trapped like I can't enjoy my life I'm scared to exercise due to heart pulps and the fear of ending up back in hospital because e... View more

Hi I am new to this I have just learnt to accept I have anxiety and depression, my biggest problem with it all is I feel trapped like I can't enjoy my life I'm scared to exercise due to heart pulps and the fear of ending up back in hospital because every time I first had a panic attack I thought I was dying, I can't go for a walk with my family or even a bike ride. I hate being in this position my life is wasting away on this up and down roller coaster, I listen to calming noises and do breathing exercises which do help to a degree, until I have a panic attack while out then i'm back at the start any tips n what else I can do.

Claddam My health anxiety feels hopeless
  • replies: 4

Hey all,I'm new here. I woke up about 2 months ago with a racing heart and unable to sleep more than 1.5-3 hours a night. I had blood tests done, ECG and it all came back fine. I hardly ate, stomach always felt bad, weird bowel movements and dropped ... View more

Hey all,I'm new here. I woke up about 2 months ago with a racing heart and unable to sleep more than 1.5-3 hours a night. I had blood tests done, ECG and it all came back fine. I hardly ate, stomach always felt bad, weird bowel movements and dropped 5 kilos in 3 weeks. I kept thinking that my body is shutting down and every symptom I had lead to "heart failure" or "MS" on the internet. Even my head feels funny, intermittent headaches - like tension headaches, chest sensations. I've stopped googling and checking my pulse now.I'm on medication now and feeling better but still notice that my weight fluctuates up to 2 kilos a day. Yesterday morning I was 83.2 kgs. This morning I was 82.2kgs. How could I have lost a kilo a day? Everytime I pass a movement, my stomach churns and gurgles. I keep thinking there is something wrong with my insides yet the doctor feels my lower area every week and says it all feels fine. He may refer me to a gastro person.Has anyone else experienced this? I just feel a little tired all the time and want my stomach to calm down. I've been off dairy, alcohol and coffee for 8 weeks but just wanted to see if anyone else has experience weird stomach and bowel movements during their anxiety. Should I be really concerned? Even typing upset stomach into Google comes up with every cancer, brain tumour - ugh, why does anxiety do this to you...Thanks in advance and sorry for sounding like a hypocondriac.

hamlex Panic Attack Hangover??
  • replies: 1

Hi all!I am new to the forum.I thought I had panic attacks before but they all seem pretty mild compared to the horrible attack I had last night. My thoughts were so erratic. I was thinking about things that are so irrelevant to my life and stressing... View more

Hi all!I am new to the forum.I thought I had panic attacks before but they all seem pretty mild compared to the horrible attack I had last night. My thoughts were so erratic. I was thinking about things that are so irrelevant to my life and stressing about them. I would think about one thing and then in the blink of an eye, think about something else. My mind was in overdrive. I tried breathing exercises and grounding methods but none of it seemed to work. I had medication and was able to sleep, although very restlessly.Today I still feel a bit jumpy and "hungover". Any tips on dealing with this aftershock? Thank you all!

Ireth Anxious to go to class.
  • replies: 2

Hi there, This is my first time doing this kind of thing so I... don't know what I'm doing really. But I'll try. This year I was accepted into uni, to do a course that would lead to a dream job should my stuff be amazing and all that jazz. There are ... View more

Hi there, This is my first time doing this kind of thing so I... don't know what I'm doing really. But I'll try. This year I was accepted into uni, to do a course that would lead to a dream job should my stuff be amazing and all that jazz. There are lots of people younger and more talented then I am and that gets rubbed in my face a lot. About 2 months ago, I lost my father. Someone who I wasn't very close to but still hurt. The maybes and what ifs are now nothing. My school was supportive. They gave me extra time and everything like that. But towards the end of the semester, I felt they were just pushing me aside and wanting me to get my assignments in just so they didn't have someone fail or leave the course. I'm not very social, lots of people make me very anxious to the point I shake. I always think that I'm not good enough with everything I do. So after a weeks break from uni, semester 2 has started. At first, everything was ok, I could go into class and listen to my teachers. But then the second week came around and I skipped a few classes. Now I'm in the 4th week and am getting emails about not attending. Meanwhile at home being told off by my mother and my boyfriend. Both know I suffer from anxiety but am just told to get over and go to class. I'm worried that if I go back now, the time I've missed will make me behind, therefore make me stupid and not as good as everyone else. I hate asking for help, I don't have any friends in my class to kind of help me. I feel to my teachers I'm just another number and thinking of going to class makes me want to cry and curl up in a ball and be sick. But then the disappointment on everyones faces around me makes me want to do the same thing.

BubblesIsMyDisplayName UPDATED: Struggling with opening up/talking.
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone. So as you read from the 'title' bar I have trouble opening myself up and talking. Ive had a lot on my mind, like trapped in my head for about three years. I can never get anything out. This is the first time I will tell a big audience th... View more

Hi everyone. So as you read from the 'title' bar I have trouble opening myself up and talking. Ive had a lot on my mind, like trapped in my head for about three years. I can never get anything out. This is the first time I will tell a big audience that. I was wondering if anyone else was suffering from this. I don't know if it is a mental illness or not, probably. At times it's really hard. Things like being bullied makes it harder. Especially when in hard/difficult situations I tend to forget almost immediately what happened, which then makes me not even tell anyone that someone was being a big bully. I really don't know what's going on in my brain. I also feel that I have anxiety and depression but have never been diagnosed because I do not want to see or talk to people. I don't know if that is related to that fact that I have experienced traumatic bullying for nearly all of my schooling life. Its a new year and I need to try and focus on the positives in life. But I really can't find a positive. I don't know what good complaining to you all about myself is but at least I did it. What do you all suggest I do? If anything. Thanks from the girl that like to hide in the shadows.

Leafyman stuggling with social anxiety and depression
  • replies: 4

Hello everyone, this is my first time doing anything like this but desperate times call for desperate measures. I've struggled with depression and social anxiety for most of my life and have recently been trying to gain some real world friends to no ... View more

Hello everyone, this is my first time doing anything like this but desperate times call for desperate measures. I've struggled with depression and social anxiety for most of my life and have recently been trying to gain some real world friends to no avail. I'm in my early 20s and I'm trying my hardest to push through my anxiety to make some friends, but I have had zero luck so far.I'm desperately craving close friendship from males and females of my age group. I am finding myself extremely lonely and anxious in my downtime from daily routine. I would be extremely grateful for some advice on gaining new friendships, dealing with powerful loneliness and any insight you can provide will be appreciated.

Rosieg 46 years old and recent anxiety attacks
  • replies: 1

Up until the past year I have been fairly confident (although socially shy). In the past year I have started to have anxiety attacks and continually doubting myself and overthinking. I have a work issue that I think about constantly. I have asked oth... View more

Up until the past year I have been fairly confident (although socially shy). In the past year I have started to have anxiety attacks and continually doubting myself and overthinking. I have a work issue that I think about constantly. I have asked others to check this issue and have been given reassurance that nothing is wrong but I still over think that there is. It's driving me mad just overthinking - I just want the thoughts to go. We have also been planning an overseas trip for over 2 years. This has been exciting but now it is only weeks away and I feel physically sick about going. I don't want to go. I know that on the day we leave I will be a complete wreck. Every time I hear a new story about some drama overseas it makes it worse. I don't want to leave our adult children for 5 weeks. I worry they won't look after the house and the pets. Basically anything I can think to worry about I will. any ideas or people suffering similar circumstances? I just want to enjoy this time in my life but just feel so frustrated.

thisisldizzle How could something like a first time overseas trip cause so much anxiety?
  • replies: 4

Hi All, First time on the website and posting. 5 weeks ago I returned from a VERY quick 10 day trip to America with friends and it was my first time out of the country, I'm 30 years old. I am a very comfortable person usually and this trip was planne... View more

Hi All, First time on the website and posting. 5 weeks ago I returned from a VERY quick 10 day trip to America with friends and it was my first time out of the country, I'm 30 years old. I am a very comfortable person usually and this trip was planned and we left within 3 months of it (which was very quick) and very uncomfortable, I changed a lot of things in my life to make it happen. So leading up to the event I was so anxious about the long flight, money and every 'what if' my brain could think of, even up until I stepped onto the plane I was looking for 'ways out' that I could go home and forget about the whole thing, curl up in my bed and never go onto the big scary plane and experience something I've wanted to since I was 18 but never had the money to do it! I had very little annual leave, work was busy and little money but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was more worried I'd have FOMO in 10 years then what was happening right then in my life. So alas 5 weeks on, I don't feel like 'myself.' 2 weeks after I got back I was still very tired, found it hard to re-focus and was always zoned out. I went to see a doctor who said I had a virus (suffering from dry mouth and very sore throat), and to let it take it's course even though I had cried 5 times within a week for NO reason and felt panicked for no reason. I am now back into a steady work/life routine but I sometimes find myself sitting at my desk zoning out and thinking about my life and 'dark thoughts.' Before I went away I was always bubbly and never liked things that got me or others down and I loved seeing friends, shopping etc but I have struggled socially to get back into things. I am going to see my regular GP this week who is thankfully back from holidays who I hope will help me or refer me to someone who can. Tonight I was driving and felt like everything was closing in on me for NO reason I was just 'driving' like I do everyday and I panicked a little but tried to re-focus myself and I was worried I'd do something stupid, but I'm usually very cautious and controlled, so feeling unlike myself hasn't helped. So my question to everyone is, has anyone else experienced this after something life changing? How did you deal with it? How long did you feel this way? Have you got any advice? I feel like I never want to travel again if this is how I feel after something that should be so wonderful, so I am currently lost and scared...help? Thanks all x

gab22 Anxiety after i come back from a holiday
  • replies: 1

Hello! I noticed my first sign of anxiety when i came back from a 6 month holiday in Europe, i have recently come back from Bali and have noticed it again. Noticed probably isn't the best word to use since its constantly there. I do not have anxiety ... View more

Hello! I noticed my first sign of anxiety when i came back from a 6 month holiday in Europe, i have recently come back from Bali and have noticed it again. Noticed probably isn't the best word to use since its constantly there. I do not have anxiety while on holiday only when i return home, i have no other reason to feel anxious when i return home. This time round seems to be more powerful, as in i can't control or distract my anxiety. I have learnt ways to deal with my anxiety and this usually works, i also have a family member who works in mental health who usually gives me techniques and has been 'counselling' me. Although this time round that family member is away so its not so easy to contact them. If anyone else has had similar anxiety issues, please give me some advise

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