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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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Fairmaiden64 Mental Health
  • replies: 4

Things are supposed to be getting better for those suffering from Mental Health issues, but I have trouble believing this. Even trying to get some help or any documentation regarding your conditions is still a maze of red tape and too much for alread... View more

Things are supposed to be getting better for those suffering from Mental Health issues, but I have trouble believing this. Even trying to get some help or any documentation regarding your conditions is still a maze of red tape and too much for already mentally worn out people to handle. I suffer from Major Depression, Social Phobia, OCD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, Hodophobia just to name a few. Life is hell on my best day. Nobody understands unless theyre going through the same thing. It's like being in a prison you can never escape from. You think you're as intelligent as the next person, so why can you not get past this? Some days I just stay in bed altogether and some days I struggle just to do the most basic thing that others take for granted. Then I have to pat myself on the back repeatedly so that I can do another minor task. My brain is exhausting. Some people think you're just lazy. Would anyone really want to be this way if they had a choice? If I stay inside for a few days, I can't even get them mail because I have to check if anyone's outside first. I can't go to the shops anymore because of the Social Phobia. I have not been out anywhere in like, forever (decades), and I continually cancel appointments because I just can't do it. I find myself having short term memory issues frequently and I often wonder what I'm doing or what I was about to do. I've been called 'thin skinned' and plenty of other things due to not coping as well as others in normal situations. I procrastinate enormously. Two thirds of my hair has fallen out in the last few years, just something else to worry about. I always worry about what others think. Just like someone else on here I read a post from, no one likes me, no family either and I am all alone. I don't like people, and I can't tolerate them for very long, I just want to run (unfortunately people think I'm arrogant because of this). But I'm also lonely and wish there was a group where I could meet others who understood. You don't want to be constantly moaning or be negative all the time. And I HATE being the centre of attention with a passion. I just want to merge right into the back of the group and hope noone sees I'm there. People have told me I'm "weird". And I don't even know why. I try to always be a good person, but sometimes I think to myself that even serial killers have friends and family, so I must just be really really bad.

Fairmaiden64 :(
  • replies: 4

I was diagnosed 17 years ago with Major Depression and Generalised Anxiety disorder. But I can remember feeling this way over 40 years ago. I am on anti depressants which appear to work for the depression side of things but all of the different anxie... View more

I was diagnosed 17 years ago with Major Depression and Generalised Anxiety disorder. But I can remember feeling this way over 40 years ago. I am on anti depressants which appear to work for the depression side of things but all of the different anxiety disorders are off the wall. I awake filled with terror every morning, some days unable to get out of bed at all. It is difficult to explain to anyone. Every second of life is just terrifying for me. I don't know why. Nothing has just happened. I just know it will. I don't cope well with any difficult situation arising. I always have a "doomed" feeling. I try not to be negative, but I've always been a worrier, even as a little girl. I have experienced that those things "unlikely" to happen, always do in my life and so my brain needs to always prepare for the very worst scenario. I have OCD to the extreme. It sometimes takes me days to clean a room because it needs to be as close to perfect as possible. I have in fact, had a nervous breakdown over this not happening several times. Sometimes, I just let things go in a way that others don't. Because I can't do things "by halves". I wish so much I could just look at that cleaning job and 'let it go' saying 'that's enough'. Because of this pressure on myself, I procrastinate immensely. This makes me seem lazy. But I just want to be a good person. I come from a very abusive and critical background, where I was always told that "near enough is NOT good enough". I was relieved when I finally left home, although I was 19, I still call it "running away", not "moving out". I was told that if I left I was never to come back, even though it was required for my job. Despite leaving this behind me, my life has been littered with DV situations. I left the last one 6 and a half years ago and made the decision to live alone, without a relationship for the first time in life. I like living alone, I am not a social person and don't understand how to be, and in most things relating to behaviour, I don't understand "where the line is". I did try to obtain help with medication for my anxiety issues but the G.P said I was on the highest possible amount he could give me, of this anti depressant. I was given something extra, but it was only to be used if absolutely necessary due to being addictive. So its been useless to me, because I need a regular medication. I have had to go onto Centrelink which does not even cover my rent, but I do want to go back to work asap. Unfortunately, you're now thrown in with job providers. I've just started out with one for disability (DES) and he treated me in an outrageous fashion. My eyes were swollen shut when I left there. The expectation that I be fully functional for a job right now is an impossiblity when I struggle to get to the shower. There is no money for the doctor, or a psychiatrist or psychologist, or anyone who can help with medication for the terrorising, debilitating anxiety I feel 24/7. Let alone for medical certificates that they want. I even went to emergency at the local hospital for a medical certificate for them for the 3 months they are asking for, but they said they couldn't give me one, after waiting for hours and hours with many many people pushing my social phobia over the top. I came home and vomited.

RML No one likes me
  • replies: 6

Hi, does anyone have this experience and how to deal with it? No one likes me, and I know if they do seem to now, it will end when they get to know me or I make a mistake. I've had repeated experiences of this with my family over the years where I th... View more

Hi, does anyone have this experience and how to deal with it? No one likes me, and I know if they do seem to now, it will end when they get to know me or I make a mistake. I've had repeated experiences of this with my family over the years where I think they like me and then I realise they don't because of something they say or do. Its gotten to the point where I don't have anything to do with them anymore. At first I thought it was them and not me, and I could find a different experience outside my family, in work and friends. But I have had this experience now repeatedly at work and I feel like I need to constantly move fast enough (before they realise I am shit) to a different job where people don't yet hate me. I have a few friends but I am withdrawing from them because I don't want to have them hate me. I have seen psychologists to try to understand this but it always ends with me realising they don't like me either and I stop seeing them. I feel like I can't seek support for this because I don't want to reach out to someone else who will ultimately hate me again. I have always asked psychologists whats wrong with me, what am I doing wrong that people don't like me and they keep telling me I am doing nothing wrong to make people not like me, but there must be a big something because this just happens over and over repeatedly. I wish I could find out what that thing is but every time whatever I do I seem to get it wrong and there is just a multitude of things I can do wrong for people to not like me.

Maisie-E Anxiety issues I think
  • replies: 2

Always feeling run down, tired, heart rate fast, sore neck and shoulders, and headache, and patience isn’t great, don’t sleep well

Always feeling run down, tired, heart rate fast, sore neck and shoulders, and headache, and patience isn’t great, don’t sleep well

confusion Boyfriend with porn addiction
  • replies: 2

My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years now and about a year ago I found porn on his phone I had never discussed porn with him or how I felt about it. After finding it I confronted him and I was very upset and disheartened. He told me he’d ... View more

My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 years now and about a year ago I found porn on his phone I had never discussed porn with him or how I felt about it. After finding it I confronted him and I was very upset and disheartened. He told me he’d stop but months later I found more through reddit and YouTube. I gave him multiple times to try and tell me but he kept denying and lying to me. After I told him what I saw he apologises and we talked about boundaries again. He started downloading wellness apps to help with his addiction. However this has happened and he has lied to me 3/4 times since about stopping and then me finding it. I have lost so much trust and it has ruined my self esteem and am always anxious about what he might be doing. He has not watched porn for about 5 months as I’ve been told but he has told me he searches up porn stars/bikini models on Instagram but “does nothing with it”. I feel defeated and not sure what to do. I feel guilty in getting so upset about this and constantly questioning myself despite him trying his best and telling me

Maggie S TMS Experience
  • replies: 3

Hello there, I am currently on antidepressant and antianxiety medication. I have severe anxiety and have recently been treated with ECT for major depression. My psychiatrist is considering TMS - has anyone experienced this treatment? My current sympt... View more

Hello there, I am currently on antidepressant and antianxiety medication. I have severe anxiety and have recently been treated with ECT for major depression. My psychiatrist is considering TMS - has anyone experienced this treatment? My current symptoms are more anxiety than depression. I’m experiencing overwhelming dread/nervousness, an underlying ‘jittery’ feeling, derealisation, stress.

sharichan Do I have OCD?
  • replies: 2

I love stationery - specifically notebooks, for as long as I can remember. Growing up, Mum would take us kids to the nearest mall each week, and she knew best to leave me alone on the stationery section. I can literally stay there for hours. It have ... View more

I love stationery - specifically notebooks, for as long as I can remember. Growing up, Mum would take us kids to the nearest mall each week, and she knew best to leave me alone on the stationery section. I can literally stay there for hours. It have no idea what it was, but there is just something magical about touching the feel of the paper, how the book itself is bound and the many print options available. Back in the day, there was a trend of collecting “biodata” from classmates. Notebooks and diaries would get passed around and we would fill out our personal details, favourite things, etc. Not a surprise, of course I participated in this trend. However, I couldn’t pinpoint what it was that made me feel that something was not quite right with it. Was it the handwriting? Or how the pages were filled out? In the end, I would rip out the notebooks, buy new ones, get people to fill it out again, and repeat the process. Of course I didn’t think much about it at the time (I was a kid after all), but this wasteful habit pretty much stuck with me for at least 20 years, even today. I did the same back in high school. Countless of times, the course notes I have written would feel wrong - be it the handwriting, the colour of the pen, the pen pressure, or even a little smudge. Again, I would rip the pages, and rewrite them again either on the same notebook or a new one. I love buying diaries, planners and the like. But I can’t seem to dump this habit of mine and keep a full book It really is such a shame because I used to love writing in journals and those memories are pretty much gone. It seems like this habit sort of creeped into my workalike too - even digital stuff. I would type things out on Word, and for instance, if a certain paragraph does not seem right, be it in font, spacing etc, I tend to have the urge to re-type the entire paragraph over and over again until it is “perfect”. Is it a waste of time? Of course. My question goes, is this a form of untreated OCD? Anyone experienced the same and what have you done to manage it?

Chrissy M Anxiety, new job
  • replies: 6

Hi my name is Chris,I was always suffered from anxiety. Well recently I started a new job and my anxiety has got out of hand. I feel overwhelmed, stressed (migraines) can't think straight, not my happy relaxed self, I am physically and mentally a wre... View more

Hi my name is Chris,I was always suffered from anxiety. Well recently I started a new job and my anxiety has got out of hand. I feel overwhelmed, stressed (migraines) can't think straight, not my happy relaxed self, I am physically and mentally a wreck at work. I an also dislexia, so I learn hands on, and pick up new skills slower. Being a single person this puts more pressure on me. Please help any ideas to help overcome this negative mindset.

raq Scared to fall asleep coz u won’t wake up or don’t feel real
  • replies: 3

I get scared to fall asleep everynight because I think I’m not going to wake up or I’m going to be in a bad dream or something bad will happen, I also don’t feel real and get worked up and get to scared to sleep. Right now I feel butterflies in my st... View more

I get scared to fall asleep everynight because I think I’m not going to wake up or I’m going to be in a bad dream or something bad will happen, I also don’t feel real and get worked up and get to scared to sleep. Right now I feel butterflies in my stomach because I don’t feel real and scared I’m going to sleep and never going to wake up

JacintaMarie Hi
  • replies: 11

Hi, How are you? Back again, been doing really well & had an panic attack, did manage to fix myself, breathing in and out, in and out and had a better afternoon. I got triggered at work by someone at work's stress, it's their personality so they can'... View more

Hi, How are you? Back again, been doing really well & had an panic attack, did manage to fix myself, breathing in and out, in and out and had a better afternoon. I got triggered at work by someone at work's stress, it's their personality so they can't change & its not right for me to be judgemental & it's up to me to deal with it, but I failed & I don't know how to deal with their adrenaline, they are a go go go person. The type of person who is always stressed out l. I need to learn how to switch off, as Mum says, I'm going to come across these people again & again. The fault is mine! Not them. And I made mistakes too at work & people will think I'm an idiot! Sorry, I've been doing really well