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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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Mapi00 Struggling with relationships.
  • replies: 2

Hi, This is my first time posting and I am here because I am in a bit of a rut. I have had what I would best describe as social anxiety almost all my life - I can't remember life without it. I have had years of therapy, years of isolation, patches of... View more

Hi, This is my first time posting and I am here because I am in a bit of a rut. I have had what I would best describe as social anxiety almost all my life - I can't remember life without it. I have had years of therapy, years of isolation, patches of employment, and quite a few volatile relationships. I think right now is the most stable I have been...which is great. But this is because I am being supported by my partner while I study. This means very little social interaction - which suits me and my anxiety just fine (though it is terrible for my recovery overall). This stuff that I'm finding it really hard to cope with at the moment is sitting with my past. Having experienced years of extreme social anxiety I have found meany ways to deal with it - strategic ways. These have included prescription medication, amphetamines, codependent relationships, a succession of therapists, every technique/therapy under the sun. I have been accused by some of my friends of dishonesty and lack of reliability. I know this about myself. I am a bit of a Houdini at getting out of uncomfortable social/work situations. Now I have a very slim social life. 10 years ago a had a big social network - mostly left over from school and uni and my first job. Now I really have very few friends; I have done little to maintain relationships and I have to admit that I have been a pretty terrible friend. The way that I see it is that I am so stifled by my social anxiety that I become a bit of a...'angler', if that makes sense. I angle indirectly to get my needs met. This makes friendship a bit of a one way street. I'd really like to be a good friend, to have friends, but I am so caught up in my head with my anxiety that I am like a person at war...every move is strategic and I am always frightened of crossing a line... so I do things sideways. Anyway, this is one of the things I am struggling with. Perhaps there are others who relate?

Lex92 Is this normal with Anxiety ?
  • replies: 7

Hi, I'm 23 years old , I'm currently a uni student and work part time . I'm just curious if anyone else experiences what I do and is it classed as anxiety or normal ? Start of every week I plan my whole week in advance to what I'll do every day and i... View more

Hi, I'm 23 years old , I'm currently a uni student and work part time . I'm just curious if anyone else experiences what I do and is it classed as anxiety or normal ? Start of every week I plan my whole week in advance to what I'll do every day and in what Oder to do tasks. And when it comes to the crunch and things don't go the way I planned it to , I feel this sense of stress , I can feel my heart beating fast and experience sweaty hands. And I'm a constant over thinker, I constantly stress about things when there is nothing to stress about , what have you guys found that help with this ? I haven't seen a doctor about this yet but I realise it may be a issue that may get worse with time .

Mal50 Severe anxiety attacks.
  • replies: 11

Hi everyone, this is my first post. For most of my life ( since childhood) I've had depression and anxiety disorders. Now in the 'severe' range. In the past few years the anxiety/panic attacks have gotten much worse. No type of medications have helpe... View more

Hi everyone, this is my first post. For most of my life ( since childhood) I've had depression and anxiety disorders. Now in the 'severe' range. In the past few years the anxiety/panic attacks have gotten much worse. No type of medications have helped to relieve the symptoms. I despise myself because of how my disorder had affected my children in the past. I've tried to talk to my GP about it, but get nothing more than a blank stare. Can anybody suggest anything? Thanks for reading.

ElleMilly Is it Anxiety? Or a real problem?
  • replies: 2

Please someone tell me if what i have is an irrational fear or a real one that i should keep giving my attention to... I feel so alone because no one has ever been able to tell me that my problem isn't a true concern and it seems like every anxiety w... View more

Please someone tell me if what i have is an irrational fear or a real one that i should keep giving my attention to... I feel so alone because no one has ever been able to tell me that my problem isn't a true concern and it seems like every anxiety website talks about simple worries that get out of hand, but my worries aren't about simple things like exams or money, they're about my fears of never being totally happy with a man. At times, it's crippling. The problem: when I get into relationships, the MOMENT the person shows me that they may not be EXACTLY what I want or what I think I need, I become absolutely riddled with depression and anxiety because I feel I cant break up with them because by that stage ive developed super strong feelings for them. Now, please- listen closely- just because I love them, that DOESNT mean that I don't truly want to break up with them- when I know in my gut that a guy isn't right for me, i don't doubt it, what I get upset about is that somehow I still seem to love them and it makes it IMPOSSIBLE for me to break up with them. So that's one issue- the other is that I worry that i'll always think that there's someone better out there for me, I wonder if my standards are so high that no one will every compare. It KILLS ME. can anyone relate? am I broken? or am I okay?

BlackwoodForest Newly diagnosed with anxiety. Need advice.
  • replies: 2

Hi there, this is my first post. Yesterday, I was diagnosed with anxiety. I have been suffering for five or so years, so it really came as no surprise. I went to the doctor for some weird symptoms I've been having, and she told me it was anxiety afte... View more

Hi there, this is my first post. Yesterday, I was diagnosed with anxiety. I have been suffering for five or so years, so it really came as no surprise. I went to the doctor for some weird symptoms I've been having, and she told me it was anxiety after ruling out other possibilities. I agreed that that is probably a problem I've been ignoring too long. However, I really didn't want to go into too much at that point as I was a bit overwhelmed. She said she wanted to run some blood tests as well, so until they come back, she told me to think about if I want to treat my anxiety. I definitely do want to treat it. I'm 22, so it doesn't really matter what my parents think, but I told my mum that the doctor said I have anxiety. Before anything else, she just yelled saying "DO NOT TAKE ANTISEPRESSANTS BECAUSE YOU'LL GO WEIRD." I said weird is better than miserable, but she just made me feel really awful about something that I've finally had the courage to acknowledge. I will gladly take antidepressants if that's what is recommended, but first I thought I'd ask... What is the usual course of action for testament of generalised anxiety/social phobia?

Jessme health anxiety and Telemerese
  • replies: 6

Hi guys, Does anyone on here have a Health anxiety obsession with DNA damage or Telemere shortening? I did the silly thing by googling health outcomes for people with OCD and anxiety disorders and from what I could understand in the current scientifi... View more

Hi guys, Does anyone on here have a Health anxiety obsession with DNA damage or Telemere shortening? I did the silly thing by googling health outcomes for people with OCD and anxiety disorders and from what I could understand in the current scientific literature is that those tested for genetic anxiety disorders also have shortened telemeres or ability to repair damages DNA, opening us up to immune diseases, degernerative disorders and cancers. This seems to perpetuate the anxiety wheel. Is anyone out there educated on the topic and can help reassure me about my fears. Thankyou

ac1991 Am I making the right decision or running away?
  • replies: 6

So I have about a year and a half left of school. I have always hated it, as it plays a huge part in my anxiety and depression. The people there are horrible, there are some very immature and popularity consumed people that make it hard to enjoy. I h... View more

So I have about a year and a half left of school. I have always hated it, as it plays a huge part in my anxiety and depression. The people there are horrible, there are some very immature and popularity consumed people that make it hard to enjoy. I have never been a sporty kid, (I'm an artistic person) and have a hard time in social settings. Last year my mother suggested getting me enrolled at a place like TAFE, because I told her moving to another school was not going to fix the problem. Now I know moving to TAFE will not come without its own problems, there are always going to be people that will make things difficult wherever I go and thats something I need to learn to deal with. But I truly feel that this is the right step forward for me. My mum called the alternative schooling campuses, and none of them would accept me because I was too young at the time. I am now halfway through the year and of age. I told mum I would try push through the year and see how I go, because it's the first year at school that I can choose every subject I'm doing and was hoping it would make a difference - although the subjects were never really the problem, it has always been the people. I was doing as best I could for a while, but in recent weeks I have become a wreck and I am finding it so hard to cope. My anxiety is through the roof and my depression has taken me to a new kind of low. So again, I told Mum I was ready to leave school. She arranged a few things, and the chances of me going to tafe are now high. Thing is, my best friend and I have this kind of pact at school, and I feel terrible about leaving her because it has always been just us. If she was leaving me, I would be devastated. I told her the news and she told me she would 'hate me' and 'never speak to me again', telling me it was selfish to leave and that she couldn't cope without me. I understand her frustration, but it is making me feel terrible. I want to be happy and get on with my life, but I dont want her to suffer. She basically told me I need to suffer the rest of high school so she wouldn't be alone, but if I leave then she will suffer. I can't win. I asked Mum if she thought I was doing the right thing, and she made me feel bad about it too, saying she's only letting me do this because shes tired of taking me to psychologists and is hoping this will solve the problem, which it wont entirely. I feel that I will be able to start fresh at TAFE and can be myself, but others dont. What should i do?

IndyW Anxiety, Depression, and Uni
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, I'm new to this but am starting to think I could really use some advice from people who have been in similar circumstances. I'm 25 and studying full time, have recently left work because something had to give. I'm currently seeing a psyc... View more

Hi everyone, I'm new to this but am starting to think I could really use some advice from people who have been in similar circumstances. I'm 25 and studying full time, have recently left work because something had to give. I'm currently seeing a psychologist for my depression and anxiety, following a complete meltdown last year, in an effort to gain control of my life again. I was doing alright until now, starting to feel as though my studies are slipping away and everything is ramping up again. I can't afford for my grades to slip or to drop a subject as I'm applying for Medicine in the future. It can be said I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and overachiever, and when the anxiety rears up all of that slips and I start hating myself for it. I'm not on meds at the moment, but will be as soon as exams are done for this semester, using my holidays to relax and let them balance out. Just wondering if anyone has been a position like this before and if they have any advice? Definitely not enjoying this ramped up feeling of anxiety. Thanks in advance.

gloria10 Saying no (social anxiety)
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I have a bit of a problem with family outings. I understand that when you make plans, sometimes things change and for those with anxiety this can be a reason for it as well. I'm finding that one of the reasons for my social anxiety is that I ... View more

Hi all, I have a bit of a problem with family outings. I understand that when you make plans, sometimes things change and for those with anxiety this can be a reason for it as well. I'm finding that one of the reasons for my social anxiety is that I need to feel that I can change my mind or say no, yet with my family I feel like I've got no choice. One person in the family tries to control this and if I cancel for any reason I get 'if you keep cancelling no one will want to spend any time with you'. I don't do it on purpose, just sometimes I feel a sense of relief when I can say I change my mind or say I'll think about it. I did have a relationship where I broke up with someone and things went downhill after that and the controlling person said I should have checked with them first before making that decision. Over the years I think I gave control to them and now its hard getting it back. My question is, how do you stand up to someone who yells at you every time you say no?

Just Sara Anxiety: Accepting my limits, or living up to my potenial
  • replies: 4

When I was in high school, my maths teacher recommended I move up a level to an advanced class. I was so excited; I was better than I thought. When I attended my first class, the reality of my situation was as clear as day. We were doing scientific n... View more

When I was in high school, my maths teacher recommended I move up a level to an advanced class. I was so excited; I was better than I thought. When I attended my first class, the reality of my situation was as clear as day. We were doing scientific notation, and my text book read like something in another language. I had no-one to sit next to, and alone I struggled with what was to be realised later on, as being 2 yrs behind the kids in that class! I took that text book home and did as best I could with its guidance. I did learn some things, but feeling so isolated from the others, and not knowing how to ask for help, I cried until they put me back in my old class. I understand now about this situation; there was no transitional program. Nothing had been taken into account about my individual needs. I was expected to just catch up. This was pretty ignorant, even for the 70's. I was approached the following yr by the science dept to move into their advanced class, but challenged it with what I knew would work; I cried. The powers that be saw my potential, but didn't understand me as an individual. They didn't push me because I cried; it must've felt like they were hurting me. A similar thing happened when I played sports. Our team worked our way from D grade to B grade and were at the precipice of winning and automatically going into A grade. In that game, I injured myself so badly, I couldn't affectively play sport again. I've gone over that scenario so many times wondering if my subconscious had a role in it. This has been the story of my life; average forever...safer and easier that way. But now, my potential is what I need to survive this insidious disorder, and fight 'city hall' in a legal battle. Psychiatrist, psychologist and GP all have said it will send me into a relapse. Do I accept my limits, or transition myself to use my potential when I really need it? What do you say? Dizzy x

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