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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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Rob1234 Confused
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I am just looking for a bit of clarity in regards to what I might be suffering from mentally. I think if I went to a GP I would be diagnosed with anxiety but I am confused as I seem to have strange symptoms. Firstly I need to make it clear th... View more

Hi all, I am just looking for a bit of clarity in regards to what I might be suffering from mentally. I think if I went to a GP I would be diagnosed with anxiety but I am confused as I seem to have strange symptoms. Firstly I need to make it clear that I am not suffering from anything too severe. But it is having an affect on me and I think I need to finally do something about it. I don't feel very depressed but I do have a bit of low self esteem. But Im not a majorly confident person anyway so thats nothing new. The main symptom I have is I literally just cannot stop thinking. I think of a topic and I analyse it till I think Im going mad. For e.g. A fair while back (months) I was thinking I need to grow up a bit in a few different ways like saving money etc. So then my brain has literally been disecting what growing up actually means and what maturity means etc. once I feel I know the complete answer I feel at ease only to find another topic to obsess about. I giggle A LOT. The thoughts are never scary or threatening but they just dont stop. The latest one I have which I have been thinking about today is if I have depression or anxiety! So now I cant stop thinking about which symptoms are similar to mine and my brain wants to have a black and white answer at all times. I know this obsessive thinking would be a standard anxiety symptom but the tricky part is I do not suffer from any other anxious symptoms except for the thinking. I do not ever have panic attacks and do not worry much unless it is a proper problem which is normal to worry about. Can you have anxiety and not have any physical symptoms whatsoever? The thing that makes me think it is depression is that I do feel a bit low but not massively. I still get enjoyment out of things in life but I do feel a bit lost and low on confidence. Mild depression perhaps? I have had the obsessive thinking problem now for a fair while and just getting sick of it. I have tried exercising more and eating healthier, cutting back on alcohol etc but it still doesnt stop my brain from constantly thinking and analysing. Any help or advice would be very appreciated. Thanks, Rob

Thejokesonme The Dark side
  • replies: 7

Hi I'm Will and I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I have suffered with this for many years. I was on medication for some years while on the medication I was fine only thing was I put on a lot of weight. About a year ago I decided to go off my ... View more

Hi I'm Will and I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I have suffered with this for many years. I was on medication for some years while on the medication I was fine only thing was I put on a lot of weight. About a year ago I decided to go off my medication , the first two attempts were horrific and the third time was also hard but after some months I was better. After some time I began to slide downhill ,about two months ago my anxiety was so bad I thought I was dying. I thought I had some bad illness because I had many physical symptoms, mainly with my digestion,loss of apatite . It's been two weeks since I started back on medication it's still hard and still struggle. My girlfriend and my daughter moved out recently that made thing a whole lot worse. I just want to be able to have some quality of life.

Sammyd Weird feeling? Panic? De realisation?
  • replies: 4

Hello about s month a go I had the worst panic attack I have ever had. Since then it has had me questioning if I am real, if my family is real, if my surroundings are real and the thing is I know that things are real but it's like I zone out and it a... View more

Hello about s month a go I had the worst panic attack I have ever had. Since then it has had me questioning if I am real, if my family is real, if my surroundings are real and the thing is I know that things are real but it's like I zone out and it all becomes a blur! people who I usually socialise with don't seem real to me even my family and my house! It's making me panic like I did like the last massive attack I had, i was off my medication and today I finally broke after waking up and not knowing where I was- the doctor has put me back on the meds! I just hope this all goes away I feel like I am losing my mind and I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this- had anyone else been trough this?

RonnieA Can't drive alone
  • replies: 2

I've had anxiety with panic disorder for 11 years this July. I wasn't diagnosed for about 4 years. So in this time, I lost my confidence with driving because I had no idea what was wrong with me! I still to this day, can't drive further than around t... View more

I've had anxiety with panic disorder for 11 years this July. I wasn't diagnosed for about 4 years. So in this time, I lost my confidence with driving because I had no idea what was wrong with me! I still to this day, can't drive further than around the block by myself & can't drive anywhere too far with someone else unless they know all about my anxiety. My fear is not being close to my 'safe place' and/or no quick escape if I start to panic! Does anyone have similar symptoms?? Anyone know any helpful tips??

Saltwater__ Introducing me and my anxiety
  • replies: 10

I've been stalking and reading many of your posts so that I feel already I 'know' some of you. Anyway I thought it was time to step out of the shadows and say hi ... Hi ! Anxiety at this level is really new to me ... Just on about 2 weeks ( Looking b... View more

I've been stalking and reading many of your posts so that I feel already I 'know' some of you. Anyway I thought it was time to step out of the shadows and say hi ... Hi ! Anxiety at this level is really new to me ... Just on about 2 weeks ( Looking back though I can see I have always had a few things that I thought were quirks that were very mild anxiety ). So the last 2 weeks ... Wow what an intro ... The physical symptoms ...OMG !!! So this all started with some stressful health issues that had me chasing my tail trying to get answers and then treatment. It's like this year has been stress on top of stress and then finally my stess volcano exploded. I saw my GP immediately and organised a mental health plan .. I'm booked into see a psychologist through that in a couple of weeks. I also joined an online program. Then as wait was so long my hubby organised I see a psychologist through his work but it can only be a very short term thing. I've been twice and go again next week. That could be my last. I also went to see a naturopath and have done so much research online to try and educate myself and attempt to understand this different new part of me. The first week was horrible. Hard to sleep which of course made the days even worst which made the next night worst and so the viscous circle continued. I finally got some sleep after I faced a fear ( had talked nyself out of driving in case I had full blown attack ). from there I did feel a bit better each day ... I had my first moment of no anxiety ( about an hour )and this gave me hope. A few more days passed and then I 24 hours of heart palpitations and limited sleep. Throw some stresses on that and bang ... Anxiety attack !! I was hiding from my kids on the phone to hubby asking him to come home. My GP had given me benzos ( didn't even know what they were a month ago ) that I had no intention of using but I found my brave me and took half the dose. It helped. Since then it's been a bit the same ... Some moments of no symptoms, more moments with them.

Littlebitalone Does anyone else feel invisible ?
  • replies: 1

Hi there, I'm Simone, 24 & happily married. I have a wonderful husband, wonderful family & in laws as well as a handful of friends who I love & trust ! but aside from this strong support network, I constantly feel alone & invisible. I feel like I'm c... View more

Hi there, I'm Simone, 24 & happily married. I have a wonderful husband, wonderful family & in laws as well as a handful of friends who I love & trust ! but aside from this strong support network, I constantly feel alone & invisible. I feel like I'm crazy. I feel like all these people are around me but I'm alone ? It's a horrible feeling & I don't know why i feel this way. For instance, if I upload a photo to Instagram & my sister in law (for example) doesn't like it I will dwell on it for days, even a week as to why she didn't. I just feel like everyone is better than me & more deserving & I think everyone else realises this. I think if they didn't have to be around they wouldn't & I would actually be alone. Maybe I try too hard to make people like me ? Can anyone suggest what I should do ? I try to ask people questions about themselves & show interest in my life but no-one really shows interest in mine. Am I so boring ? Do I take over conversations ? Maybe I can't blame them ? Maybe I am better off feeling alone

Monicaw1988 So lost and upset
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone,I'm new to the forum, where do I start? I have social anxiety and depression and used to take medication for it, I no longer take SSRI as it was making me numb and made me put on so much weight. Now that I have come off it I am slowly be... View more

Hey everyone,I'm new to the forum, where do I start? I have social anxiety and depression and used to take medication for it, I no longer take SSRI as it was making me numb and made me put on so much weight. Now that I have come off it I am slowly beginning to lose some weight.I recently started a new part time sales position 3 weeks ago and I really dislike it to the point where it makes me very anxious and sick. I have seen my psychiatrist about this and they have given me some helpful tips and guidance on how to try and manage my anxiety. I have a fiance of 9 years whom I live with and love dearly, I lost my father to cancer in 2014 and a year later I lost my father in law to cancer aswell. Last year was pretty awful and this year hasn't been all that great yet either, we are going away to America in August for a month though which should be good. My problem is that my fiance is not dealing with his grief well (I've suggested a grief Councillor but dont want to push him as he is not ready he says) he is always on the edge, has quit smoking so he is temper is high and I've tried telling him about this job but he doesn't want to hear a word of it. He says if I leave he will be very mad and it will put our relationship on the rocks, I understand where he is coming from because it's hard paying for all the bills and the reason why I had to get a 2nd job is because my main job has cut me down to 1 day a week. I was on newstart until I found this job and my anxiety was not triggered. This job is making me physically sick and mentally exhausted... I have been to the dr due to stomach problems and it turns out I have a case of IBS due to stress. I understand we need the money I'm scared I'm going to just lose it... he tells me to stick it out till the end of July and then I can hand in my resignation but then again hes frustrated at me and tells me I should just stick at it even after that, he says I'm selfish but I try to tell myself that is not him talking. I just don't know what to do... he says he is happier now the money is coming in but I am feeling so trapped and lonely and miserable.It's a hard job and I don't know how long I can put up with all this stress.

Lind779 Anxiety at its worst. Help
  • replies: 3

I've struggled with anxiety for 3 months now since having major surgery that seems to have triggered it. They have just put me on anti-depressants and been taking them for 7 days now. I feel even more nauseated, no appetite and heart pulpatations all... View more

I've struggled with anxiety for 3 months now since having major surgery that seems to have triggered it. They have just put me on anti-depressants and been taking them for 7 days now. I feel even more nauseated, no appetite and heart pulpatations all the time. Could this be the medication? I need reassurance that it will get better . Seeing the doc and psychologist regularly. Im doing breathing techniques, yoga... trying to keep busy but Im so tired from lack of sleep. Had to leave early from work today because I couldnt stop vomitting. It will get better right?

ac1991 Need Advice - Sad
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I come here today seeking advice. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions and events, all starting at the very beginning of 2016. My OCD anxiety turned into something more advanced than it had ever been before, and it got to the ... View more

Hi everyone, I come here today seeking advice. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions and events, all starting at the very beginning of 2016. My OCD anxiety turned into something more advanced than it had ever been before, and it got to the point that I would question my sanity and reality which was hard because I am usually somebody who is very in touch with theirs and other people's emotions, and am somebody who usually understands. Then my grandfather passed away after almost a decade of battling Alzheimer's (we all saw it coming but that didn't make it any harder to let go). After my family and I thought the troubles had finally blown over and were ready to begin a new chapter in life, my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 Breast Cancer. I have continuously struggled with depression and anxiety for years now, but only this year has it become something bigger and constant than it used to be. Uncontrollable. I am overly sensitive and paranoid, I don't like going to school because I can't trust anybody and there are so many horrible people there who are consumed by popularity and the need to be liked by others. I cannot be myself there, and I think that contributes to my sadness and suppressed anger. Socialising outside of my immediate family and friends is a terrifying thing for me. I am not one to confront people, so whenever somebody does something I don't like, I bite my tongue and let it eat away inside. I have had some horrible friendships over the years, people constantly walking over me and belittling me because they felt like it - and they knew I wouldn't stand up for myself, so they kept going. I have finally found my real friends (4 people, but only one is consistent and I can fully be myself around which is fine), but today that friend got angry at me for something I'm not entirely sure about, we usually have quite an honest and confrontational relationship with minimal fighting so I was hurt and surprised that she was even trying to pretend she wasn't mad but still ignoring me. I have a feeling it is because today I was shutting some people out but talking to others (this was not intentional). A boy took interest in me a while ago so I was seeing him for a while but have shut him out too, it is too much for me all at once and he's angry about it. Mum starts her first chemo session tomorrow and I am very upset and worried. I have reached a new low, and feel completely numb. I feel like nothing is real, is this normal? What do I do?

ac1991 Need Advice - Sad
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, I come here today seeking advice. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions and events, all starting at the very beginning of 2016. My OCD anxiety turned into something more advanced than it had ever been before, and it got to the ... View more

Hi everyone, I come here today seeking advice. This year has been a roller coaster of emotions and events, all starting at the very beginning of 2016. My OCD anxiety turned into something more advanced than it had ever been before, and it got to the point that I would question my sanity and reality which was hard because I am usually somebody who is very in touch with theirs and other people's emotions, and am somebody who usually understands. Then my grandfather passed away after almost a decade of battling Alzheimer's (we all saw it coming but that didn't make it any harder to let go). After my family and I thought the troubles had finally blown over and were ready to begin a new chapter in life, my mother was diagnosed with stage 1 Breast Cancer. I have continuously struggled with depression and anxiety for years now, but only this year has it become something bigger and constant than it used to be. Uncontrollable. I am overly sensitive and paranoid, I don't like going to school because I can't trust anybody and there are so many horrible people there who are consumed by popularity and the need to be liked by others. I cannot be myself there, and I think that contributes to my sadness and suppressed anger. Socialising outside of my immediate family and friends is a terrifying thing for me. I am not one to confront people, so whenever somebody does something I don't like, I bite my tongue and let it eat away inside. I have had some horrible friendships over the years, people constantly walking over me and belittling me because they felt like it - and they knew I wouldn't stand up for myself, so they kept going. I have finally found my real friends (4 people, but only one is consistent and I can fully be myself around which is fine), but today that friend got angry at me for something I'm not entirely sure about, we usually have quite an honest and confrontational relationship with minimal fighting so I was hurt and surprised that she was even trying to pretend she wasn't mad but still ignoring me. I have a feeling it is because today I was shutting some people out but talking to others (this was not intentional). A boy took interest in me a while ago so I was seeing him for a while but have shut him out too, it is too much for me all at once and he's angry about it. Mum starts her first chemo session tomorrow and I am very upset and worried. I have reached a new low, and feel completely numb. I feel like nothing is real, is this normal? What do I do?

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