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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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tim41 Sleeping problems
  • replies: 23

Hi, I would really like some advice/support to what I'm going through at the mine, I recently had my parents visit me from overseas and my father took unwell, it was a terrible experience for me, since then I have been to see my GP and a Psychologist... View more

Hi, I would really like some advice/support to what I'm going through at the mine, I recently had my parents visit me from overseas and my father took unwell, it was a terrible experience for me, since then I have been to see my GP and a Psychologist to get some help as I'm very down and anxious about life in generally, the doctor has given me some Anti depressant tablets to which I'm at week 3 of taking them, my biggest problem is I cannot sleep at night and its effecting a lot of things in my life, has anybody gone through this, does anxiety cause this and what are good remedy's to help, I'm trying everything I can such as non prescription sleeping tablets and going to gym but nothing seems to be helping me, I would be much appreciated to hear from anybody in the same situation or can offer me some advise and encouragement, thanks in advance

Anxious5 Health Anxiety
  • replies: 8

Hi, I am new on here. I have been suffering with anxiety since my teens which has come and gone however in the last year we had some big life changes and my anxiety came back full on. My anxiety always stems to health anxiety in where I am convinced ... View more

Hi, I am new on here. I have been suffering with anxiety since my teens which has come and gone however in the last year we had some big life changes and my anxiety came back full on. My anxiety always stems to health anxiety in where I am convinced I have something horrible and then am just panicked so much that I can't function and so it started about a year ago where I started feeling a bit lightheaded and had to constantly go to the toilet and so I was convinced that I had bowel cancer and so after going to do a colonoscopy and it all came out clear I then developed some other pain or something else and it even developed into agoraphobia and I didn't leave the house for months. I slowly got the courage to go out again and do little everyday things but I haven't had a day where my anxiety has been low. I do not like taking medication and so I opted to do things naturally. I did yoga at home, walking/running on the treadmill which sometimes was my only relief from the adrenaline and meditation which I find really hard. I had also started taking Same which a naturopath suggested but then thought it created more heart palpitations so I stopped that but don't know if it was all created by me to be honest. I have been pushing myself outside of my comfort zone but I am finding no relief and new symptoms which now are really weird start creeping up. I have now for the past couple of months have started getting pins and needles in my feet and hands with sometimes I wake up to my hand completely fallen asleep in the middle of the night and I'm not even lying on it. I get pains in the back of my head and even had like a head zap which freaked me out completely. I get days which I feel really out of balance. I went to see a neurologist and he did a full spine and head MRI which he said came out ok and he suggested a nerve conduction test which I don't want to do as part of me does believe this is anxiety. Can anyone relate to this as I am feeling very alone in this situation.

Guest_5241 keep looking in
  • replies: 3

Greetings. I have generalised anxiety disorder. This was caused by being subjected to horrific physical and emotional child abuse. i had a health scare in 2011, low blood sugar. My mother passed away from cancer in 2014. Previously, my great aunt die... View more

Greetings. I have generalised anxiety disorder. This was caused by being subjected to horrific physical and emotional child abuse. i had a health scare in 2011, low blood sugar. My mother passed away from cancer in 2014. Previously, my great aunt died of cancer, my great uncle died in a motorbike accident, my second cousin committed suicide: I'm only 30 and all this has happened to me but I am putting in the past I am recovering from this mental health issue but I'm wondering if people on here have the same thoughts I do. i am obsessed with my health, avoiding jail, not touching strangers, not having people harm me. i have been looking over and over at moles on my skin, checking them every morning to see if they've changed which is useless because moles change over a period of 3 months or so and I have no family history of skin cancer. does anyone else do things like this? Thanks remember guys and girls we are not unwell, we just think differently to some other people. A lot of us are highly intelligent and such kind people

Gingerninja Do you google your symptoms when you're feeling bad?
  • replies: 2

Does anyone else Google their symptoms when they feel like their anxiety/depression/other disorder is getting worse again after a really good patch? do you find it helps or exacerbates things?

Does anyone else Google their symptoms when they feel like their anxiety/depression/other disorder is getting worse again after a really good patch? do you find it helps or exacerbates things?

lostlookingforlove Sporting nerves
  • replies: 3

This is my first time posting and my first time playing with a team, in over five years. This is due to anxiety. We have our grand final and im starting to feel the nerves kicking in as i dont want to stuff up and ruin it for my team. I know that if ... View more

This is my first time posting and my first time playing with a team, in over five years. This is due to anxiety. We have our grand final and im starting to feel the nerves kicking in as i dont want to stuff up and ruin it for my team. I know that if i do i will be out of sport for another lengthy period of time. I am just unsure on how to deal with the nerves for this game on sunday, does anyone have advice or tips on how to manage this nervousness and anxiety. i really want to enjoy this game without overriding negative thoughts which i know will impact my performance.

Jada89 Derealisation and depersonalisation
  • replies: 6

Hey guys I have been suffering from dp/dr for over 10 years now. I am 26 and have recently found out what it is. I'm happy that I now know I'm not going crazy and many people suffer from this as it's anxiety and trauma related. I just want to get rid... View more

Hey guys I have been suffering from dp/dr for over 10 years now. I am 26 and have recently found out what it is. I'm happy that I now know I'm not going crazy and many people suffer from this as it's anxiety and trauma related. I just want to get rid of this and feel normal again. Would like to talk to people who both suffer from this and who have recovered to try and set me free of this. It restricts me in so many day to day things. Thanks

Jamielee88 Am i normal
  • replies: 16

This is my first post i suffer from sereve anxiety n sevre panic attacks. I cry all the time n question life. Ive got a fear of dying. I dont feel normal anymore. I just wanna feel noral again n do things i use to. I feel useless that i cant do stuff... View more

This is my first post i suffer from sereve anxiety n sevre panic attacks. I cry all the time n question life. Ive got a fear of dying. I dont feel normal anymore. I just wanna feel noral again n do things i use to. I feel useless that i cant do stuff that i use to cause im scared. I just dont know what to do anymore. Its like no one seems to understand. I find when i try go out to shops it feels like everyones just looking at me n judging me. My body is in constant pain both phyiscally n enotionally. Im scared to be left by my self. I just wanna feel good about myself again like i did before. I wake up in tears when i sleep. I have my first phycologist appointment on thursday wich making me more nervous n anxious

Ree85 Recent anxiety attack
  • replies: 15

4 weeks ago I had my first massive anxiety attack. I have always worried and over thought about things but this particular time really hit me hard. i was wondering what are some way that everyone copes with anxiety. I'm also looking for ppl who are g... View more

4 weeks ago I had my first massive anxiety attack. I have always worried and over thought about things but this particular time really hit me hard. i was wondering what are some way that everyone copes with anxiety. I'm also looking for ppl who are going through a similar thing to talk to more often I'm seeing a therapist which I'm due for my second apt this week. Some days are great where others days are just horrible. My husband doesn't understand at all

Reaperbird Anxiety share-space
  • replies: 11

Hey guys I wanted to start a thread where we can all share and vent out any quirks, habits, routines and/or feelings we have when faced with anxiety or panic-attacks. I feel it might be a positive way to share our experiences amongst ourselves and ga... View more

Hey guys I wanted to start a thread where we can all share and vent out any quirks, habits, routines and/or feelings we have when faced with anxiety or panic-attacks. I feel it might be a positive way to share our experiences amongst ourselves and gain some comfort in knowing we aren't alone in this. Well I'll start with a few of mine, and if you like, feel free to add your own in the comments! ^_^ - Mentally repeating to myself what I'm going to say to the shop cashier while waiting in line. - Keeping all doors/windows closed and locked. Re-checking in case I missed one. - Occasionally covering household mirrors with sheets/towels so no one can 'watch' me. - Spacing out when around large crowds of people, or when there's a lot of noise. - Replying 'you too' when people ask 'how are you?' - Needing to know every tiny detail about what's going on before I can relax. Always having a plan B. - Vaguely answering any questions about myself or my interests. - Asking friends/family if they can order for me. - Using the self-serve or shopping online to avoid contact with other people. - Getting awkward and embarrassed when complimented. - Sometimes letting phone calls go to message-bank instead of answering. - Never changing my fashion/hair style so I don't draw attention to myself. - Getting myself lost during a panic-attack, then getting in to more of a panic about being lost. - Either answering people too quickly, or too late. - Using body language and gestures instead of speaking because I stutter a lot.

Robert29 Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing?
  • replies: 3

Hi all, Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing? Everything I read online and even on here describes OCD as intrusive disturbing thoughts about sex, violence etc. I have intrusive thoughts but they are not disturbing. I just analyze sp... View more

Hi all, Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing? Everything I read online and even on here describes OCD as intrusive disturbing thoughts about sex, violence etc. I have intrusive thoughts but they are not disturbing. I just analyze specific topics to the point of almost making myself crazy. The reason I think it is OCD is when I am obsessing about a specific topic my mind thinks SO strongly that if I can just find the right answer or description online my obsession will go away. and it does work but only temporarily. For example I recently thought I needed to grow up in certain areas of my life and because I started obsessing about this I researched exactly what growing up means online for literally months until I found an answer that would satisfy my brain. I would find an article or description that would make me happy for a few days max and then I would start doubting again. I never found an answer that lasted the only reason I ever stopped obsessing about what growing up means and how I can grow up myself is because I started obsessing about a different topic. And so the pain restarts. Right now my obsession is wether I have, depression, anxiety or OCD. My brain thinks if I found out which one I have it will be ok I just need to know which one it is. I understand it could be all 3 but my mind doesn't want to know that it wants a specific answer. I can get on with normal life most days but I have this constant over analysing going on in my head constantly. I can distract myself temporarily but it always comes back. Sometimes I go to bed feeling completely fine and then I wake up the next day and BANG back to square one. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rob

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