Immediate support
Immediate support

Anxiety

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

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Jump to
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

All discussions

Start a discussion

Sammy1723 Need help or suggestions please
  • replies: 1

Hi I have very bad irritable bowel syndrome which is causing me to feel very anxious and depressed. I've tried so many things. I think I need to see a psychiatrist that specialises in this. Can anyone recommend a good one please?

Hi I have very bad irritable bowel syndrome which is causing me to feel very anxious and depressed. I've tried so many things. I think I need to see a psychiatrist that specialises in this. Can anyone recommend a good one please?

AJ1954 Confused and Anxious
  • replies: 6

Hi, First time blogger.. I'm 60 and until 2 months ago was walking and jogging regularly, sleeping and dreaming well every night. No problems and only went to the Doctor once a year for checkup.. Then suddenly had heart palpitations for the first tim... View more

Hi, First time blogger.. I'm 60 and until 2 months ago was walking and jogging regularly, sleeping and dreaming well every night. No problems and only went to the Doctor once a year for checkup.. Then suddenly had heart palpitations for the first time whilst returning from an 8klm power walk. This was a major worry. Had all the tests and heart good, had some iron deficiency. Did not do much except stopped all exertion and it settled down for a few weeks.. Then out of the blue it started again.. Spoke to a local Naturopath and pharmacist who said possible magnesium and electrolyte issues. Naturopath took care of those issues. All good for a while then suddenly waking cold with butterfly's and mildly shaking hands.. Now seems anxiety has set in Especially in the AM. All of the above has me both confused and now very anxious.. Any thoughts greatly appreciated. AJ1954

NameUserID Should I seek help or just go with it
  • replies: 2

For many years now; each and every day on my way to work I start to sweat and my heart starts going 100 miles an hour and i think about all the things that can possibly go wrong in the day and even keep going over everything thats happened on previou... View more

For many years now; each and every day on my way to work I start to sweat and my heart starts going 100 miles an hour and i think about all the things that can possibly go wrong in the day and even keep going over everything thats happened on previous days. i also keep thinking about what the repercussions of each interaction could be. always i think the worst case scenario. This stays until after an hour or so of work and it get busy and then i just work hard. but after work i think back on everything and the same thing, i worry about if i did everything 100% perfect and if not what could go wrong for me, will i get fired?! for years i thought i just hated my job, which i did, but then i went traveling for aprx. 2 years around the world. each place i went i was worried. I was scared we wouldnt do thing right according to culture, i worried about everything we did during out sightseeing trips and what other people thought about my actions. each night i would analyze every interaction in my head and think the worst. i do this when at work as well. 2.5 weeks ago i started a new job which is awesome and right up my avenue (so no longer in an industry i hate and actually doing something i approve of and love: READING/Selling Books!) but im still having the before work sweats, nerves, worries, heart races and after work i still go over everything in my mind and make up bad things that MAY happen. the other day on the way to work my girlfriend said i should seek help (once again) an this time though beyondblue had a radio add which i listened to and thought the same thing. so. here i am. asking for advice. although now that i type it all out it actually does sound like i may have a problem. i would like some advice still, please.

Hj1981 What is wrong with me?
  • replies: 3

To make a long story short over 12mths ago I found out my husband was cheating. I than had a break down and told him about the sexual abuse I got from my dad when I was young. I had never told anyone about it. Since then a few other people now know, ... View more

To make a long story short over 12mths ago I found out my husband was cheating. I than had a break down and told him about the sexual abuse I got from my dad when I was young. I had never told anyone about it. Since then a few other people now know, I have told my family and have moved away as they don't support me. Not long after coming out and telling my husband I started having these feelings of "lightheadedness/dizziness, weak in the legs and some times slightly tachycardic, when out in public and of course I started feeling like I was going to feint. It doesn't happen all the time, but happens often enough. Today it happened when I went to the shops with my 2 young daughters (6&4) and my hubby. It is actually really scary. I have had blood tests, all clear, blood pressure has been slightly low, mri of head all clear. It is getting to the point that I am worried that I might die during one of these events and leave my daughters without a mum. What is wrong with me?

unsureaboutallofthis My First Anxiety Attack
  • replies: 2

I guess I've been battling mild anxiety for years. I'm just too stubborn to ask for help. And my family has such a huge history of mental illness, and over the past 12 months so many awful things have happened - I just could never justify putting my ... View more

I guess I've been battling mild anxiety for years. I'm just too stubborn to ask for help. And my family has such a huge history of mental illness, and over the past 12 months so many awful things have happened - I just could never justify putting my own hand up for help while others clearly suffered so much more. Lately, I've felt it growing. I've had freak outs and panics about seemingly pointless things, I've had that horrendous tight feeling in my chest, all for years but lately (maybe the last 4-6 months) it's been so much more frequent and severe. It's like there is no reasons, no causes, it just sits with me all day. It is that nagging, ball in my throat feeling that yesterday manifested in a full blown anxiety attack. I could feel it getting heavier, and eventually that tightness was so painful I just couldn't breathe anymore. I was at work and for two hours sat in silence and struggled through. As soon as I got onto my usual train home, I lost it. I was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably and I don't know how more people didn't notice the girl in the corner losing herself... I've never ever felt anything like this. It was uncontrollable, exhausting, all the while being a wake up call too... I need help. I've needed it for a long time, and it's ok for me to ask. Today I'm left reeling. I'm sleepy, and I feel like I'm just going through the motions at work. My chest is still so tight, and it's working it's way up again and it scares me. I want to keep it under control but I feel so lost. I forced myself out the door and have just been zoned out quietly at my desk. I'm writing this to get it off my chest and hopefully maybe to get some advice on how to handle myself, or where to go from here. I've watched my sisters go through so much worse, but I myself don't know where to start. I'm so lost!

Nadselise anxiety is hard
  • replies: 2

Hi, I'm new. I have general and social anxiety. I like to tell people about my anxiety as I have learnt so much, and still it continues. My anxiety was diagnosed in 2010, my son had just turned 1. I'm currently seeing my counsellor for the 2nd time, ... View more

Hi, I'm new. I have general and social anxiety. I like to tell people about my anxiety as I have learnt so much, and still it continues. My anxiety was diagnosed in 2010, my son had just turned 1. I'm currently seeing my counsellor for the 2nd time, first in 2010, started again last yr. New routines are hard, and I'm currently going through my son starting school. Today I'm not going so well, but I got him there and that's important to me. I don't like crowds of people. To me living with anxiety means I can and have learnt so much about me. I understand my thoughts and whether they are helpful or unhelpful. A lot of the time I feel scared, but I put myself out there. Last year I volunteered on the Kinder committee as Treasurer, did fruit duty, and I attended both out of Kinder excursions. In December I had 7 Christmas parties in a week! Massive effort, and I did a lot of daytime napping, simply from overstimulation. When I was first diagnosed in 2010, I barely left the house once a week. Today I simply sat and read a book for 2 hrs. Diffusion is not working today, most of the time it does. I also like mindfulness and have done CBT. I'm slowly reading through The Happiness trap, slow going is required. I wish I could put my finger on it and squash anxiety out of my life, but it's here and I'm working on it and I'm a better parent for it.

Nebula OCD/Depression sufferer with weight issues.
  • replies: 2

I am a longtime sufferer of OCD and severe depression (almost in my mid 30s now). I have been on so many different medicines that I can barely remember them all. I have gained a massive amount of weight since my initial breakdown over 12 years ago. I... View more

I am a longtime sufferer of OCD and severe depression (almost in my mid 30s now). I have been on so many different medicines that I can barely remember them all. I have gained a massive amount of weight since my initial breakdown over 12 years ago. I am now about 150kg at 180cm tall, which is morbidly obese. When I started medication all that time ago I was 70kg. My diet over the years has certainly degraded as have my activity levels, which has also contributed to my current state. I have gained some level of control over the ritualistic behavior associated with my illness but have never really been able to stop the intrusive thoughts. The last few years I actually feel that depression is taking more of a toll on me than the OCD and that this depression itself largely stems from feeling like I am, for want of a better word, grotesque. I really have no self-confidence and am very worried about how people perceive me because of the way I look. I often get the sense that people are looking at me with disdain. I feel that I am reaching a critical juncture with my weight and depression at the moment, as with a strong family history of diabetes and heart disease I am pretty much skating on thin ice health-wise. I want to do something about all this and reclaim my life, but don't really have much motivation and even less energy. I see a psychologist who is also overweight and maybe because of this he never seems to take my weight issues seriously. I need a plan of action, some advice or guidance to tackle this obesity problem, but he doesn't seem to get this and usually changes the subject or makes light of it. I am seriously considering changing to someone else, although my GP and and psychiatrist seem to think this guy is great. Has anybody else had similar problems and managed to address them in a positive way? I have all the good intentions in the world, but they really don't get me very far. I am due to meet with my psychiatrist again soon and was thinking of asking for alternative medicine options, but am worried if I change again I will stack on more weight as always seems to happen. Are there any medicines for my illness that would even have weight loss as a side effect? I get so confused as to what I should do and feel like I have very little guidance. If anyone has any advice about this I would love to hear it

sadLex Depressed about my anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hi - I've been experiencing depression and anxiety since the birth of my first child 11 years ago. I get better but I relapse and I find it such a struggle to get well again. I push myself to exercise and try to socialise but all I really feel like d... View more

Hi - I've been experiencing depression and anxiety since the birth of my first child 11 years ago. I get better but I relapse and I find it such a struggle to get well again. I push myself to exercise and try to socialise but all I really feel like doing is curling up in a ball and hiding away from the world. At the moment I'm finding it a real struggle to go to work and put on a happy face. I find it so hard to concentrate. I usually just make it home at the end of the day before I burst into tears. My husband can't understand why I'm so down. He thinks I should look at the positive things that are happening in my life. At the moment I can only find things wrong with my life. I'm struggling to challenge my thoughts because I don't think they are wrong. I went to the GP yesterday because I have been so teary. My usual GP is on leave and this one suggested that I take some medication and two days off work. I feel so lost and alone.

Trini Needing to release
  • replies: 1

This is the first time I have written on any of these forums. I will often have a read and move on but this is a first. ☺️It is midnight and I can't sleep. I had a couple of rolling panic attacks tonight the first full on ones where I have felt mysel... View more

This is the first time I have written on any of these forums. I will often have a read and move on but this is a first. ☺️It is midnight and I can't sleep. I had a couple of rolling panic attacks tonight the first full on ones where I have felt myself losing control for about 3 years. That in itself is fantastic. What I hate is having panic attacks at all. They make me feel weak, useless, stupid, dramatic, over the top .... ... I am sure we could all put in words here but I think you understand what I am trying to say. I am not sure what brought these on tonight as nothing 'bad' has happened, no bad news, I have nothing to fear etc. On saying all that I have been sick with a viral upper respiratory infection for nearly a month and it has worn me down. I feel sick on the antibiotics and sick with the infection. I was all set for making myself help out at my son's school tomorrow. I had told my son too so he was prepared (my son has high functioning autism). Then I was told I wasn't needed and that they would be fine and to enjoy my day. Giggles I should be happy but I feel depressed. I feel unwanted. I feel left out. Stupid really as I do so much at my son's school and I am pleased I don't need to go in as such (even if I think they are undervaluing the amount of hands they will need).I feel lost and I feel pushed away but I shouldn't logically feel this way. So now I have taken some medication to take the edge off my agitation and panic. Which has helped the physical symptoms but not my mental thoughts. I just want to get a good night's sleep.

grumpypoppy I became the ''quiet one''.
  • replies: 4

Hi everybody, I'm a 49 yr old maori male. I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was 15. I grew up an only child to my single parent mum. My mum gave me so much love, but I and her family knew she was sad. We lived well but solitary, wh... View more

Hi everybody, I'm a 49 yr old maori male. I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I was 15. I grew up an only child to my single parent mum. My mum gave me so much love, but I and her family knew she was sad. We lived well but solitary, which suited me because I was shy. But in my senior year of high school something inside me snapped. My GP told me I had mild depression. Life went on, but without any real professional help I lost my identity. I became the "quiet one''. I rode a sad,lonely,painful rollercoaster ride for years. I've had a few loyal friends and I've worked hard. I moved here to Australia with my beautiful wife and children through my work which was good, but after time my depression came back. I have seen a psychiartrist who treated me with behaviour therapy. I'm in a good place, with support from my family and a few friends. I've kept working at my job, which has been hard because everyday I'm at work the never ending self negative anxious fearful thoughts cripple me. Thank you for letting me share my story. At last I've find my home, my friends who understand my pain, lonliness and fears.