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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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jenlee86 The last year has found me almost a complete agoraphobe
  • replies: 4

Hi I'm new to beyond blue and I need help. I have never been officially diagnosed with anxiety but I have been suffering with it for about 8 years. The last year has found me almost a complete agoraphobe. I live in the blue mountains and I dont have ... View more

Hi I'm new to beyond blue and I need help. I have never been officially diagnosed with anxiety but I have been suffering with it for about 8 years. The last year has found me almost a complete agoraphobe. I live in the blue mountains and I dont have any friends. I cant find a doctor to visit me at home and my partner and mother have had enough. I'm tired all the time and havr had enough. I need and want help I just dont know where to look. Please help me.

Teeko Living with social anxiety and body dysmorphic disorder
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. I am new here, so I thought I would tell my story as an introduction. I am in my early 30's and I have been living with severe social anxiety for around fifteen years. It is hard for me to do simple things such as go into stores to buy t... View more

Hi everyone. I am new here, so I thought I would tell my story as an introduction. I am in my early 30's and I have been living with severe social anxiety for around fifteen years. It is hard for me to do simple things such as go into stores to buy things, as interacting with strangers gives me a lot of anxiety. I also hate myself intensely, and I think I have body dysmorphic disorder. It all became a bit too much to handle, and I dropped out of high school and ultimately gave up on everything. I have no qualifications and have only have a small amount of work experience. Because of this, I believe that nobody will hire me, and it causes me to lose even more motivation to turn my life around. I should of sought help a decade ago, but it was just easier for me to hide away from the world. Now I am paying the price for taking the easy way out.

Bluey_moon I just want to feel better
  • replies: 9

Hi guys, I'm just having a rough time at the moment and it's scaring me! As you guys that have read my posts before know, I've been diagnosed with GAD and obsessive thinking. My current obsession is a fear I'm getting scizophrenia! (Before it has bee... View more

Hi guys, I'm just having a rough time at the moment and it's scaring me! As you guys that have read my posts before know, I've been diagnosed with GAD and obsessive thinking. My current obsession is a fear I'm getting scizophrenia! (Before it has been ms, melanoma, bi-polar, you name it, I've thought I've had it). So, at the moment my sleep has been awful, it that light dream state, I've been having weird thoughts and it scares me. Last night my mind was racing! As per normal. But as I was thinking/ half asleep, I swear in my mind I saw a lady saying to me my thought. Well it freaked me out! I was like, that's it I'm hearing voices, seeing things. I'm going nuts! This obsession has been going on a while! I've been to see a psych, a psycologist and am on an SSRI. I have to admit though, this week, I have been having 2-3 alcohol drinks a day (we are on holiday). and loads of caffiene! Im scared my husband says I'm destroying myself and my family!

Elea Anxiety + Uni nursing placement
  • replies: 5

I start a 2 week nursing placement in the surgical unit of a hospital on Monday and I'm seriously questioning if I can do it. I've had anxiety and depression for years and until recently I thought I had it under control with medication, but lately I'... View more

I start a 2 week nursing placement in the surgical unit of a hospital on Monday and I'm seriously questioning if I can do it. I've had anxiety and depression for years and until recently I thought I had it under control with medication, but lately I've been feeling myself slipping back into feeling awful. Now I'm questioning whether I should even be doing this course and whether I can be a nurse. I've just finished my first year of my nursing degree and this will be my first real placement, where I'll be expected to do injections and administer IV therapy to patients. I'm so nervous and feel physically sick already. I keep asking myself why I thought I could do this. If I make a mistake I could hurt someone. I don't know whether I'm seriously questioning whether I want to be a nurse, or whether it's my anxiety making me want to run away when things get hard, which is my usual reaction to anything remotely stressful. I've dropped out of 3 Uni degrees and I can't do it again. But there is so much responsibility that comes with being a nurse, and I don't know if I can handle the stress. Thanks for listening xx

MisterM Fear of the sun
  • replies: 6

Hi all, For about 10 years now (since I got sizzled lobster red at the Aus Open tennis) I have had a fear of going out in the sunshine (even on overcast days) during high UV periods of spring and summer. I've talked about this fear with my psychologi... View more

Hi all, For about 10 years now (since I got sizzled lobster red at the Aus Open tennis) I have had a fear of going out in the sunshine (even on overcast days) during high UV periods of spring and summer. I've talked about this fear with my psychologist. I am pale and burn easy and I always fear I may get skin cancer from previous sunburns in childhood/teenagehood and at the tennis 10 years ago. Days out at work like work lunches or activity days in the outdoors used to cause me tremendous anxiety as noone would slip slop slap and I felt weird if I did so I always did my best to hide in the shade. If my manager organised a team lunch at a nearby restaurant I would scope it out beforehand to see if it was open to the elements or if there are shaded parts. If I get invited out by people to a park for lunch or any outdoor activity I get fear and apprehension straight away. I make excuses to avoid going or to arrive later in the day. I avoid the outdoors in spring and summer until the safe times. I often got/get made fun of for wearing wide brimmed hat and sunscreen. Once I got laughed at by colleagues for putting on sunscreen. Anyone else have this weird abnormal fear like I do? How do you manage?

ci Ocd big decision need advice
  • replies: 4

I'm having trouble with a decision I have ocd and it's at its worst ever at the moment I've been planning to go back to uni this year I'm a mum of three I also work from home part time so I'll be adding a lot to what's already a busy life. I'm wonder... View more

I'm having trouble with a decision I have ocd and it's at its worst ever at the moment I've been planning to go back to uni this year I'm a mum of three I also work from home part time so I'll be adding a lot to what's already a busy life. I'm wondering if anyone with ocd can help me part of me thinks getting out of the house (which I'm starting to find hard to do) will help to focus on something new and help with my ocd. Another part of me worried I'll just completely overload and hit breaking point? Any advice please?

Ashlou Breathing problems at nightime
  • replies: 2

Hi i have had anxiety on and off for many years. Right now i am going through probably the worst patch i have ever had going on 3 months straight of constant symptoms that are really concerning me. Probably my worst symptom right now is my breathing.... View more

Hi i have had anxiety on and off for many years. Right now i am going through probably the worst patch i have ever had going on 3 months straight of constant symptoms that are really concerning me. Probably my worst symptom right now is my breathing. At night time just as im about to drift off i feel like i stop breathing and jolt myself up out of bed then i really have to focus on my breathing like make myself breath its really hard to explain. This can occur many times in one night just before i finally fall asleep probably because im so exhausted. I have a doctors appt tomorrow to get a referral to a psychologist because i cant cope with the way i am feeling. I have this feeling of impending doom like im going to die or something. I have so many other symptoms like left arm and leg pins and needles. Waves of nervousness come across me many times during the day even just sitting on the couch watching tv . I also dont feel present like im just existing with no emotions, i cant even explain it. Is anybody else feeling like this? I am on the road now to getting some help.

Bluey_moon Weird random thoughts
  • replies: 5

Just interest guys. Do any of you have weird random thoughts, that are distressing? Occasionally I'll have a thought that seems to come from nowhere. The other day I was looking at someone's hands and thought, they could be killers hands! (I knew it ... View more

Just interest guys. Do any of you have weird random thoughts, that are distressing? Occasionally I'll have a thought that seems to come from nowhere. The other day I was looking at someone's hands and thought, they could be killers hands! (I knew it wasn't true, it caused me a great amount of stress as i love this person immensely). It was very random! Anxiety related???

Morrisr Post break-up OCD and anxiety
  • replies: 2

Quite recently I was broken up with.During the relationship, I was extremely anxious about being heartbroken (because I had been before) and I was constantly doing OCD rituals because I thought that I didn't, I would be broken up with. Well, I was br... View more

Quite recently I was broken up with.During the relationship, I was extremely anxious about being heartbroken (because I had been before) and I was constantly doing OCD rituals because I thought that I didn't, I would be broken up with. Well, I was broken up with anyway (the reasoning had nothing to do with my disorders. I actually hide it extremely well from everyone).Since the break-up, we have still been in contact. We are trying to be friends. This is proving very difficult for me, and my OCD and anxiety has flared up to a point where it is controlling my life. When I get out of bed in the morning I have rituals... When I go to the toilet I have rituals... When I was my hands or leave the bathroom, my kitchen, or the house I have rituals... I have rituals when I am driving... I have rituals when I am walking... and I have rituals at work. I also have rituals right before I go to bed that play up and sometimes I go over and over again for an hour. It is swallowing my life. The rituals are all still centred towards one thing: him. I repeat numbers and actions because if I don't (I think) it means that he will either 'move on' or 'get with someone new'. I am constantly torn because the thought of him being out of my life completely terrifies me. I am so scared to move on that I am still grasping on to anything I can have. I genuinely want my feelings to go away and I want to be friends. It's getting really, really hard to deal with the constant OCD and anxiety. I haven't necessarily had suicidal thoughts but I have times where I just want to sleep and only sleep. It's getting harder and harder at a time it should probably be getting easier and easier. I am constantly living in fear and am in desperate need of help. beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}

HelenM Nothing stays the same
  • replies: 6

It's strange. I was dreading the Christmas period. But a few days before Christmas I found myself feeling well for much of the time. And apart from a few hours here and there I've had a good time. Strange though. It felt like a ceasefire rather than ... View more

It's strange. I was dreading the Christmas period. But a few days before Christmas I found myself feeling well for much of the time. And apart from a few hours here and there I've had a good time. Strange though. It felt like a ceasefire rather than anything else. And I'm very glad I had it. But now I'm back to where I was. Scared. Fear of the future robs you of the day. But I'm not able to live in the day. Whatever the fear it's the intensity that cripples. That awful fear that your life is wrecked. That somehow you will ruin everyone else's life. I'm living with it. And it's amazing how days pass by. And the ways I try to put it in perspective. Looking at all the centuries and thinking of all the people who have got by. If I say please don't tell me it'll be fine don't take offence. It feels like a mockery. I really hope that doesn't offend anyone because on here I meet the nicest people. It's just that at the beginning of Dec. it all got worse and in a way I need people to let me be where I am. Does that make sense. I think I'm frightened of letting people down if I don't improve. I can't be any other way. I can only be ill. The only other thing to say is I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! It is impossible for people to imagine it. What we all suffer. Sorry for being so miserable. Helen x

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