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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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Solosombra Life is looking up! So why am I scared!?
  • replies: 17

Life is actually going good in a lot of areas. More then usual anyway! So why is it scaring me to the point I can't enjoy any of my current success? Am I just being stupid? Has anyone else had this happened before?

Life is actually going good in a lot of areas. More then usual anyway! So why is it scaring me to the point I can't enjoy any of my current success? Am I just being stupid? Has anyone else had this happened before?

Guest_342 I'm new here
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. I'm really looking forward to hearing your experiences and also perhaps offering some helpful thoughts if I can. I've always been a fairly anxious person by nature but about 6 years ago something (and I've no idea what) triggered the sta... View more

Hi everyone. I'm really looking forward to hearing your experiences and also perhaps offering some helpful thoughts if I can. I've always been a fairly anxious person by nature but about 6 years ago something (and I've no idea what) triggered the start of fairly severe general anxiety. It has at times tended to cling to thoughts about my health (e.g. with each new partner I felt needed to get blood tests to assure myself they had not given me an STD) and persistently to thoughts that I have somehow inadvertently breached rules e.g. running red lights, speeding or filling out forms incorrectly - when I know this is not the case. My anxiety basically clings to anything it wants to. It got to a point where anxiety had total control over my life. Whenever I drove my car, I had to sit down afterwards and travel over the route in my head to picture each intersection and speed sign to satisfy myself that I had complied with all the road rules along the way. On multiple occasions I had to drive back to where I thought I might not have noticed exceeding the speed limit to reassess the conditions. This sometimes involved standing on the footpath at an intersection and observing a few rounds of green lights to see what everyone else on the road was doing. There was no room in my mind for normal thoughts to come and go because my mind was occupied around the clock with very worrying thoughts about "what ifs" and total dread. I Decided to tell my parents and take a week or so off work. I had never taken even a single day of sick leave in my life. My parents also helped me to get back in touch with a GP who I really clicked with in the past. Over the last few years I have tried various different approaches to getting back on track and not all have worked well for me - it's been a whole lot of trial and error. But now I can honestly say that I've found the right thing for me - at least for now and have been really well for some time now. My relationships with family have gone back to how they were - and beyond - and I have even kept a relationship for a couple of years now. I can make decisions and am astounded at how quiet things are without those noisy thoughts circling around in my head - such peace and quiet! I know I'll continually have to work on staying worry free, but it's so worth it. I suffered in silence for so long and my only regret is that I didn't embrace life earlier. I wouldn't wish anxiety disorders upon anyone. best wishes!

CookieMunster Anxiety and phobias.
  • replies: 7

Hi. I'm new here. I guess I should start with how I suspect I'm suffering from anxiety. I've grown up in a very sheltered household, and was basically raised by my mum. And I'm terrified as to what might happen should anything happen to her. I'd hate... View more

Hi. I'm new here. I guess I should start with how I suspect I'm suffering from anxiety. I've grown up in a very sheltered household, and was basically raised by my mum. And I'm terrified as to what might happen should anything happen to her. I'd hate to ever be alone, and the thought of being without my mum really makes me feel sick. I cry at the thought of it. A few days ago, mum got into a car accident and got a little hurt, and it just made all these things and feelings come to the surface. I am pretty certain I also have Metathesiophobia, which is a fear of change, and it brings to a concern... what am I to do when my mum isn't any longer with me? Our family has a history of various mental illnesses, so I'd also like to know if anxiety is hereditary? Is there any natural remedies for it? I really hate feeling like this.

gloria10 Anxiety with confrontation
  • replies: 3

Hi, So at the moment I'm in the process of finding a new job, hopefully getting closer, one thing I do find hard though is facing my boss, especially if I go against something he says. They tend to have outbursts from time to time and I never know wh... View more

Hi, So at the moment I'm in the process of finding a new job, hopefully getting closer, one thing I do find hard though is facing my boss, especially if I go against something he says. They tend to have outbursts from time to time and I never know when it will happen, so it makes it worse for my anxiety. Actually, they are the main reason I am seeking a new job because I can't deal with their quick temper any more. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on how to approach this? Luckily I shouldn't need to spend too much more time with them, but I am always on edge when they are at work. I dread facing them if I do something wrong because I keep worrying that I will be told off like a child or humiliated. I guess I just needed to vent but any advice would be welcome.

Greyhound123 Feelings of regret
  • replies: 3

Hi Guys, I am wondering if this is just a thing I do, or if this is common? I came from a very moral family, where in my eyes my mum, dad and sister always did everything right. Throughout the years growing up, I think i was generally a good person, ... View more

Hi Guys, I am wondering if this is just a thing I do, or if this is common? I came from a very moral family, where in my eyes my mum, dad and sister always did everything right. Throughout the years growing up, I think i was generally a good person, but like anyone i made mistakes (I was the wild one). Sometimes I find things i did wrong and obsess over how bad it was that I did them. Mostly stuff when I was young, insecure and trying to be cool. Often after woulds I will think, "ohh stop being silly". For example when I was about 16 years old, I stole a VCR tape from the video shop, I really really didn't want to but my friend really pressured me into it (no excuse I know). From the moment I walked out I felt a tremendous amount of guilt. I watched the movie once and just remember pondering for a couple of years on and off what to do and how bad I felt, I would think "ohh i will take it back" but then thinking i would get in trouble or they would think i was crazy, then "Oh I will pay for it" and then I didn't ever seem to have the money, and also being too embarrassed to do so. Eventually about 2 years later a mate borrowed the video. then ironically it was stolen from his place! That sort of gave me a bit of a feeling of "well you got your Karma and it got stolen from you forget it". But now...15 years later, it pops into my mind and I start to regret it....I start to think "what if I got caught, how disappointed would my parents have been", "Now I can't die with a clear conscious knowing I was a thief". I Think to myself though that I had friends who stole things all the time and i don't think any less of them now. But it doesn't change it for me. I thought about going back to the shop and paying for it but never did and now the shop is closed. Now that I am an adult I thought I will find another shop in the chain, go and give them $50 and walk out looking like an idiot but feeling like I did the right thing. If it is not the video I will find another thing. Sometimes it was bigger things like sleeping with women, or it is smaller things like the VCR or being rude and arguing with somebody. It is all stuff from when I was about 15 - 25. P.S. The only other thing I ever stole was a ladder I never returned to the company i did my apprenticeship for, I looked at it as payment for unpaid overtime, but the same thing, I am thinking about bringing it back.

new_beginning My first step towards a new beginning
  • replies: 17

Hi guys, today I called to make an appointment to see the doctor and try to get my depression under control and deal with my social anxiety. I've lived with varying levels for depression for the last 2 1/2 years and have never been a social person bu... View more

Hi guys, today I called to make an appointment to see the doctor and try to get my depression under control and deal with my social anxiety. I've lived with varying levels for depression for the last 2 1/2 years and have never been a social person but have found that as I'm getting older my ability to cope in social situations is becoming worse and worse. As a result of all of this my partner has left me and our 16 month old daughter and I struggle to go a day without crying and feeling completely alone and worthless. My children deserve so much more than I can give them in this state and its time to make a change. I've been told to just stop cracking the sads and just go out and start a convo with the girl at the checkout or a mothers group, which I have tried but it's just not that easy for me. I make people feel awkward by my awkwardness and I never know what to say to someone when they're right I front of me. I'll think about things before hand and be positive about making new friends but then when it happens I just get all jumbled up and close myself off. I hate it. I have no friends, no one I can really talk to about anything and I don't know what to do. All I know is I have to make a change, nothing has worked for the last 34 years of my life and I don't want the next 34 to be the same.. Please help me find a way to live the live that I and my children deserve

Jessme Health anxiety - how to undo what you've googled?
  • replies: 7

Hi guys, so Ive been Google free for about 2 weeks now as Dr told me I was banned. Unfortunately before I stopped, I hit the mother load of all worrying diseases. Now I can't seem to stop the obsession with it. I googled chromosomal damage to cells, ... View more

Hi guys, so Ive been Google free for about 2 weeks now as Dr told me I was banned. Unfortunately before I stopped, I hit the mother load of all worrying diseases. Now I can't seem to stop the obsession with it. I googled chromosomal damage to cells, as I felt older than my years and was worried I may have had a degenerative disease. Instead I stumbled upon several conditions that cause cells to rapidly deteriorate in 20's, 30's and 40's and eventually cause you to die before age 50?( usually from cancer or heart disease) .... Does anybody else have this obsession or is it just me?...why do I pick such weird crap to obsess over?... Where is the line between mild curiosity over staying alive and the delusional obsession with health?... Is there any way to undo knowing more than you should? Help!! Arrgghh

Jasonaus Hey, I'm new!
  • replies: 3

Hey, my name is Jason and I'm from Melbourne. I am hoping for some tips to stop drinking, I am now drinking a bottle of vodka in 3 - 4 hours before bed every night. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks.

Hey, my name is Jason and I'm from Melbourne. I am hoping for some tips to stop drinking, I am now drinking a bottle of vodka in 3 - 4 hours before bed every night. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks.

ci So lost and lonely
  • replies: 4

Not sure why I'm writing this but just need to vent and let it out! The feeling of emptyness and hopelessness is huge today I was doing so well working so hard but everything feels like it's falling apart and I'm sinking into that black hole again. I... View more

Not sure why I'm writing this but just need to vent and let it out! The feeling of emptyness and hopelessness is huge today I was doing so well working so hard but everything feels like it's falling apart and I'm sinking into that black hole again. I don't want to go back to that I want to get better why is this struggle that we all go through so hard. It all feels so cruel to put anyone through this mental torture.

Pepper_Charlie New and need support - Anxiety Depression and Black Out Episodes
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone This is the first time I've reached out for help away from my family. I have a loving supportive family but think I need to find support from similar groups of people. I've always had anxiety, it stems from witnessing domestic violence be... View more

Hi everyone This is the first time I've reached out for help away from my family. I have a loving supportive family but think I need to find support from similar groups of people. I've always had anxiety, it stems from witnessing domestic violence between my parents. I'm happily married, with one child, and recently turned 42. I have had major black out episodes three now, with the last one on Thursday night. I attacked my sister verbally, she's my twin and my best friend, so this is confusing to me why I've done this, and woke up in my car that I had crashed into a ditch. Alcohol was involved, and it was the common denominator on the other two occasions this has happened as well. When these episodes come I black out - I don't remember one single detail. This has been the worst thing that I have ever done and I'm not sure how I'm going to get through it. The guilt of hurting my loved one so much and my own self loathing is almost too much to bear. Obviously I can never drink alcohol again - that's just a given, but I don't know how I get past this, so I can be normal again.

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