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Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

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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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Zoostar84 Living with Anxiety and depression
  • replies: 2

This is my first post with BeyondblueI have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression since 2004.This year has been very difficult for me. Earlier this year I was feelingvery drowsy every morning and stuggled to push through the mornings. I had runo... View more

This is my first post with BeyondblueI have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression since 2004.This year has been very difficult for me. Earlier this year I was feelingvery drowsy every morning and stuggled to push through the mornings. I had runout of my thienobenzodiazepine a couple of days before I was to see mypsychiatrist. I noticed I was not feeling drowsy during these couple of daysand I told my psychiatrist and he was happy for me to discontinue my thienobenzodiazepin. He prescribed me a tricyclic antidepressant that has been used for decades. Oneday at work I had went to the toilet and felt a sensation like I was on arocking boat. I went back to work and just froze. My manager wanted to speak tome in a private room and I felt very unsteady. I went to the tea room and layedon the couch. I later found out my blood pressure was low and I nearly passedout.I saw another psychiatrist whilst my psychiatrist was away in April. Heprescibed me a serotonin-nrepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). I was keepingfit and healthy. I go to the gym three times a week most weeks. At times I felta throbbing sensation and sharp pain in my forehead. I felt something was notquite right. My psychiatrist increased my SNRI dose. I went to thepharmacist and looked at the SNRI dose that I was being dispensed andquestioned the considerable increase in SNRI dose i was being dispensed. I spoke to him the following day and theremust have been a miscommunication between the psychiatrists because i was being dispensed the starter dose since April and he thought I was takingmore. Knowing this he increased my dose until my next appointment.I now keep a diary of my prescribed medications.Mid september I had close to a week off from work as I woke up every morningat 3:30-4:00 with heart palpitations, my head feeling a bit fuzzy. I'm back atwork now. I went to see my counsellor last week and she is very worried aboutme. I have lots of people that support me including my family, girlfriend, andwork colleagues. My counsellor gave me a mental health number for someone totalk to in an emergency situation. I am having currently having difficultyconcentrating, memory loss and feel very absent minded. I dont feel I amcurrently on the right dose of medication or right type of medication. I amtrying to manage my stress levels, but every day is difficult.

CoffeePowered how do i get past the freeze response
  • replies: 1

I have a problem with freezing up due to anxiety. Mostly I get a mental block while writing... or speaking. Like exam anxiety but all the time. I've been trying to overcome it but i can't. I break things down into smaller steps, i do calming/breathin... View more

I have a problem with freezing up due to anxiety. Mostly I get a mental block while writing... or speaking. Like exam anxiety but all the time. I've been trying to overcome it but i can't. I break things down into smaller steps, i do calming/breathing exercises. I've tried everything, but I still can't unfreeze myself.

Jon364 Agoraphobia and Centrelink payments
  • replies: 2

Hi, I've been homebound for 10 years, with anxiety/depression and feeling uncomfortable being in public places. It was at it's worst point about 5 years ago but even now it's still very bad. I'm a part of a very small family with only my mother and m... View more

Hi, I've been homebound for 10 years, with anxiety/depression and feeling uncomfortable being in public places. It was at it's worst point about 5 years ago but even now it's still very bad. I'm a part of a very small family with only my mother and my brother (who lives elsewhere) and have only been out of the house twice in the last 10 years in terms of being a social/fun sort of thing. I'm always more comfortable when at home and very uncomfortable, even when someone else comes over. I recently went to a GP and got a medical certificate and referral to speak to a psychologist/psychiatrist about it but there's a waiting time of a few weeks and I'm in a bit of a limbo at the moment in terms of waiting. I also went to open a bank account, which was especially hard.. especially being in the shopping centre. I was shaking and felt really uncomfortable and overwhelmed. The GP was ok once I was able to get into his office and talk.. but anything else other than talking to a doctor is very hard for me right now. The reason why I don't mind the doctor so much is because it seems the one situation where someone can understand or help. And I don't have to try and act "normal". I've applied for Centrelink payments but going in on my own would have been hard, so I've had my mother handle it for me by giving her the authority t odeal with it. It's been a month of ups and downs so far, I have a medical certificate for two months, but currently waiting for ID to arrive via mail before payments can start. The reason I am making this post is for any general advice anyone has with this situation.. and secondly because I received a letter today from Centerlink for an appointment next Wednesday. A suitability for work appointment etc. It says if I don't go the payments will be stopped (I haven't even started receiving them yet and money is getting quite tight, even just to see a doctor). I was told by the GP I wouldn't have to look for work, and through the whole process Centrelink have said I wouldn't need to look for work (at the moment) so I don't really understand what my options are. This appointment was never mentioned until today (via mail). Does anyone have any advice? I really want to speak to a GP/counsellor, but anything else seems very hard at the moment. Work is the last thing on my mind right now, and to have to worry about cutting of payments is an additional stress that makes things harder. What should I do? Thanks

Rochan2014 Really struggling with physical symptoms. Need to be heard/listened to.
  • replies: 7

Hi, I'm new here. I've suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for about 15 years but lately things are really getting out of hand. I suffer from all kinds of physical symptoms, many of which I don't believe are stright out anxiety/panic but due to t... View more

Hi, I'm new here. I've suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for about 15 years but lately things are really getting out of hand. I suffer from all kinds of physical symptoms, many of which I don't believe are stright out anxiety/panic but due to the medicine I'm taking. I'm due to start my new anti-depressant medication tomorrow and really hope I can get back on track. Today I've had a massive migraine, pain in the head/spine plus discoordination, feeling of passing out, constant dizziness, jolts in the head plus more. Everyone I tell dismisses my symptoms as panic attacks and I simply can't make myself heard except by people who support me in the community (but they are not the doctors).So I'm welcome to any advice because I go for a morning walk every day, try to eat the right foods, and want to get well. I live with my parents but they don't come anywhere near me so I'm both physically and emotionally isolated. Luckily I have a good neighbour who I spend an hour and a half with each day. It helps to get out of the house.My GP isn't really on the same wavelength as me either. Any advice is welcome. Thanks for reading.

Kelvin How hard does it have to be
  • replies: 3

My father used to say ( If it is to be it is up to me )I totally get though the implementation is easier said than done.Running a business when your failingTired 24/7, panic attacks, no concentration, the want to disconnect,Why have I lost my MOJO I ... View more

My father used to say ( If it is to be it is up to me )I totally get though the implementation is easier said than done.Running a business when your failingTired 24/7, panic attacks, no concentration, the want to disconnect,Why have I lost my MOJO I never was like this. I guess the antidepressants dont help hey.Well back to work know. Thanks

JoJo1981 Health Anxiety and scared to see a doctor
  • replies: 4

Hi This is my first post here. I think i may be suffering from health anxiety. I just have never been diagnosed. Im 34 and all started when i was 24 working in a nursing home and had to deal with death. Being around the elderly and seeing a lot of si... View more

Hi This is my first post here. I think i may be suffering from health anxiety. I just have never been diagnosed. Im 34 and all started when i was 24 working in a nursing home and had to deal with death. Being around the elderly and seeing a lot of sickness. I will get headaches and think i have a brain tumor or other aches and pains and i just put it down to cancer or some horrible incurable disease. Its got to a point now that i wont even go to a doctor. Im so scared he will tell me something is terribly wrong. Most days are a struggle. Ill feel fine when i get up in the morning and as the day goes on i have these thoughts that im dying. Any slight ache or pain will trigger it. I get so tense during these episodes my muscles are sore for days afterwards. I had a baby boy in 2008, 7 years ago and have not been to a doctor since. Besides the few times i have gone in to panic mode and gone to the ER because of chest pain and been told everything is ok and put down to panic attacks. I had a medical check for my job today and they had to do a urine test and they found blood in my urine and they said it could be just a bladder infection and advised to see my Dr for antibiotics. So of course im in panic mode now. I know i need to go see my doctor. Just worried he will send me for blood tests and find something really bad. I just want to live and enjoy my life with my little boy. Instead of worrying everyday of my life. Im so exhausted. Has anyone else experienced this and can offer any advice? Thanks

Skye90 Needing to calm down
  • replies: 2

Hi This is my first time on here so im going to make this brief. My dad has suffered from real bad anxiety and depression as i was growing up. He would do psychological things to myself and my siblings that has now reflected so badly on me as an adul... View more

Hi This is my first time on here so im going to make this brief. My dad has suffered from real bad anxiety and depression as i was growing up. He would do psychological things to myself and my siblings that has now reflected so badly on me as an adult. I have severe anxiety and an ex partner that reminds me of my father in many ways with the things he says and does. Everytime my ex gets a certain tone in his voice or starts yelling i go into a panic and cant think straight and fell so attacked that i have tried many methods on how to deal with it when they occur but nothing seems to work. I really dont like the person he is

Felicity Working hard not to be anxious and sad, but...
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, This is my first post here. It sometimes feels quite lonely struggling with anxiety and sadness even though i do have a small group of people, including my partner, who know about what i am going through. But I think it's a great idea to... View more

Hi everyone, This is my first post here. It sometimes feels quite lonely struggling with anxiety and sadness even though i do have a small group of people, including my partner, who know about what i am going through. But I think it's a great idea to chat about it with others who know what it's like from the inside I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping for a while now and am crying a lot, feeling conflicted and overly concerned about so many things. There's a lot of reasons or triggers I guess - my life is changing ( resigning a job ), going through a 10 month period of travel/ art residencies, and hormonal changes (I am a 55 year old woman). So much of what is going on in my life is good in objective terms but its tough not to have thecomfort zone of a stable home and I am relating to new people and situations a lot, and trying to manage myself in this new phase of life. Its easy to feel a bit useless and rudderless, or to be overwhelmed by possible ways to manage ones time/ goals. I have some good strategies in place - daily mindfulness, and walking, limited caffeine and alcohol use, pretty good diet. I use a tranquillising medication only when I feel i just cant stand to have another bad night's sleep or to go on as I am when I'm feeling just too worried and obsessed about everything or crying all the time ( like lately) . But i am starting to wonder if it wouldnt be a good idea to be taking medication more regularly. I used to take antidepressant drugs - for 6 years - and they really did help with sleep and a generally damping down of extreme emotion but i didnt like their side effects on my digestive system and libido and the fact that i felt a bit numb. Getting off them was such hell for me however and that i decided i never want to take them again. In the past Ive done some CBT and it helped a lot, and try to do some of that by myself Sometimes. Lately i am feeling discouraged - i work so hard at dealing with this thing but it just feels like pushing shit uphill . And i dont want to have to think about it all the time. Also I am never sure how seriously i should take my desire to just withdraw socially for a while till i get through the bad patches, or whether thats the 'wimp's course' . And do you explain to people that you're not well or that youre anxious and a bit depressed? Anyone else feel this way, or have some ideas on how to keep oneself encouraged when it all feels so hard?

Chloekat84 Anxiety and restless leg syndrome
  • replies: 7

Hello I suffer from bad anxiety as well as getting bad restless legs at the same time. I know they are related but don't know how to control it. it gets soo bad sometimes that I need to use medication but that often doesn't work. im constantly shakin... View more

Hello I suffer from bad anxiety as well as getting bad restless legs at the same time. I know they are related but don't know how to control it. it gets soo bad sometimes that I need to use medication but that often doesn't work. im constantly shaking my legs and cant stop it till night time and im soo worn out physically and mentally. any suggestions on how to manage this. I already take magnesium supplements at night. can someone please help me

Mindful_bubbles Anxiety over Allergies
  • replies: 1

Can't shake anxiety over a peanut allergy I have. Had a close call today when I brought some makeup that had peanut oil in it. Didn't use the makeup, but now just feel rubbish. I hate two things. Anxiety. And living with a peanut allergy

Can't shake anxiety over a peanut allergy I have. Had a close call today when I brought some makeup that had peanut oil in it. Didn't use the makeup, but now just feel rubbish. I hate two things. Anxiety. And living with a peanut allergy