Anxiety

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

FAQ

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

Forums guidelines

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

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Bluey_moon Mixed up
  • replies: 5

Does anyone else mix up there words, or feel like they slur a bit? Not often do I do it. But due to my health anxiety I worry. I haven't done it for months than bam last two days. Does anyone know if my SSRI could cause this especially as I'm increas... View more

Does anyone else mix up there words, or feel like they slur a bit? Not often do I do it. But due to my health anxiety I worry. I haven't done it for months than bam last two days. Does anyone know if my SSRI could cause this especially as I'm increasing my dose? Or has anyone else done this?

Bluey_moon Fear I will really become paranoid!
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, I'm having a really great day today, which is super, but I wanted to ask you guys a question. As you know my latest fear, health wise, is scizophrenia. Now previous to my deal with my GP, psyciatrist and psycologist not to google health issu... View more

Hi guys, I'm having a really great day today, which is super, but I wanted to ask you guys a question. As you know my latest fear, health wise, is scizophrenia. Now previous to my deal with my GP, psyciatrist and psycologist not to google health issues I had, I googled a lot, over and over. Truth be known I still cave and do it. (My doctor says I get no gold stars, when I see her weekly, if I've googled, lol). When I googled scizophrenia, I read a lot of personal accounts and also did lots of those quizzes, "do you have the early signs of scizophrenia". Mostly I would score I didnt, once or twice I scored I might. Anyway, gettin off track, one of the symptoms I read about was paranoia, specifically the thought "they" or specific groups were watching them! I started to think about that a lot, as I do, the obsessive thinking coming out ! Then I would wonder what if someone put a tracker in my ring or lamp, ok, I have an active imagination! Now all along I knew it was just a paranoid thought, and attributed it to the stuff I'd read, as I'd done in the past with ms symptoms. Ocassionally the thoughts still pop into my head, what if..... Do I really believe this.... My question is, after this long winded explanation, is, can you think about something so much, get so anxious about the thought, that you actually start to beleive it, in essence make yourself delusional/paranoid? Thanks guys for listening to my constant questions. skye

Chicken_Wings Where does my anxiety end and depression begin?
  • replies: 4

I have generalised anxiety disorder and also depression. I take 1 medication which is meant to look after both. I don't know if it even matters, but I'm not sure where one ends and the other begins? And would having a better understanding of that mak... View more

I have generalised anxiety disorder and also depression. I take 1 medication which is meant to look after both. I don't know if it even matters, but I'm not sure where one ends and the other begins? And would having a better understanding of that make dealing with the two of them easier? I assume that the fidgeting and shakes along with the tense, feeling I get in the morning are my anxiety. Same with the heart palpitations. And I assume that the crying, lethargy, loss of appetite and lack of self care are the depression? But I wonder about the intrusive thoughts. Is that anxiety? And what about that weird feeling of disconnection I sometimes get? And does the anxiety make me depressed, or does the depression cause me to be anxious? I don't know if anyone will have any real answer for this, are these questions anyone else asks themselves?

Bluey_moon Insane?
  • replies: 9

Hi guys, By now I guess you know my story. Health anxiety, anxiety, obsessive tendencies! Ekk, quite a list! Specifically, this time at least, my worries centre around scizophrenia. This week I'm worried I'm becoming paranoid! First I worried that I ... View more

Hi guys, By now I guess you know my story. Health anxiety, anxiety, obsessive tendencies! Ekk, quite a list! Specifically, this time at least, my worries centre around scizophrenia. This week I'm worried I'm becoming paranoid! First I worried that I thought people were watching me, I don't think I really thought that?! Now I'm stressing I'm worried about people's motives, for example, my doctor, whom I have always trusted. It feels like these thoughts are driving me insane. Am I going crazy? Is it a part of the anxiety? I don't seem to think these things when I'm busy. Ive not had a lot of sleep this week and I don't see my psycologist until next week. I guess I want reassurance, I know you guys can't give. Has anyone been through something similar? I really thought the tablets were helping!! And they have slowed the thoughts down, and the intrusive thoughts are going! Skye

Tilly4 Very new to all of this
  • replies: 3

Hi, I am super new new and and super new to anxiety. Not really sure where to begin, but hoping that there are others out there that have the same symptoms as me so I know I am not alone. Mine started about 2 months ago when I apparently had a panic ... View more

Hi, I am super new new and and super new to anxiety. Not really sure where to begin, but hoping that there are others out there that have the same symptoms as me so I know I am not alone. Mine started about 2 months ago when I apparently had a panic attack when I was waiting for the train. This led to me hyperventilating and ending up in emergency where they found absolutely nothing wrong with me. I guess I should have been relieved by that, but part of me wishes they had just found something wrong and then it could be treated. After that I had good couple of days and then bam! A week of serious dizzy spells, racing heart, chest pains and difficulty breathing. Again a dr's visit was in order where I was pretty much told to 'calm down', easier said than done right? Ever since I have regular dizzy spells every day at no specific time and seemingly not the result of anything specific or even any anxious feelings. However these dizzy spells create a vicious cycle, where I then panic about the dizzy spells. Urgh!! I've since been to another dr who described it as having a 'sympathetic drive' and has put me on a 4 week plan of exercise and meditation before we try any medication. So yeah that's my story, hoping to hear from other people here and any similar stories.

Daisee First step to a positive future...
  • replies: 10

Hi there... My contact with Beyondblue via Facebook was last night - looking at New Access. After worrying (yes I'm a worrier) about my health & family history of heart disease I went to the Doctor. The first set-back was high cholesterol - a heredit... View more

Hi there... My contact with Beyondblue via Facebook was last night - looking at New Access. After worrying (yes I'm a worrier) about my health & family history of heart disease I went to the Doctor. The first set-back was high cholesterol - a hereditary issue. OK, I'm fine with taking that, but that got me thinking (yes, thinking can be a problem - those negative unrealistic thoughts), am I going to die young of heart disease... like my father did at 61 ...then, other thoughts come into my mind (negative of course!), and well, one thing leads to another a full blown panic attack happens! OMG, is this my heart? LOL I am actually laughing out loud, because I'm not in that state of panic right at the minute, but it's not funny at the time, it is TERRIFYING! I then buy a blood pressure monitor a few months back and nearly every time I take it I'm nearly in a state of panic, so yep, you guessed it, blood pressure is high... so again one negative thought after the other and I'm in another full blown panic attack situation. Hehe (I'm lol'ing again) - at myself Anyhow so a couple of weeks ago I get a 24 hour blood pressure monitor fitted, because the Doctor *thinks* I might have white coat syndrome (clever Doctor!). Everytime I feel that BP monitor squeezing my arm, at first, I panic. I get sick of sitting around doing this, so I get up and do some gardening, walk, keep myself busy. 10000 steps on my fitbit & more that day! Go to bed and sleep, wake up get the thing off. Wait 2 weeks for the diagnosis and in those 2 weeks I was an absolute mess!!! Convinced at any second I was going to "pop off". I even got my Doc to prescribe me the lowest dose of BP medication and then came home and took 1/2 a tablet (yeah, I don't like taking pills), and measure my BP on my machine. It was LOW 90/60 ...very low. So I wait it out and go to the Doctor for my results. Basket case at the Doctor's, (inside - on the outside I looked calmish) hoping no one noticed, only to be told my BP on average was NORMAL with White Coat effect present. So then with great advice from the Doc and my husband, "maybe it's time to get a little bit of help" is my first step. I've had panic disorder on & off all my life and have sought help, first time at 17, and hopefully this time now at 51, I can get the right tools to handle what comes. Like driving into tunnels in peak hour (WORST EVER FEAR), over high bridges & other places & fears. First appointment Monday! Wish me luck!

Dyinginside Introducing my anxiety
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone. I'm new here so I would like to introduce myself and my anxiety. im 25 years old. I've been happily married for 3 years and am a stay at home mum to my very active 20month old son. All through school I was a very shy girl and didn't have... View more

Hi everyone. I'm new here so I would like to introduce myself and my anxiety. im 25 years old. I've been happily married for 3 years and am a stay at home mum to my very active 20month old son. All through school I was a very shy girl and didn't have friends because of the social fear. Since I gave birth 20 months ago I have been extremely anxious for absolutely no reason at all. I am super tense 24/7 no matter what. I've tried a lot of techniques but unfortunately nothing helps. I have been in and out of the emergency department the last week with chest pains, gasping for air, extreme dizzy spells, nausea, tension and the list goes on.... But I'm told it's only anxiety and it's not going to kill me. But oh my it's very painful! I'm currently on an antidepressant.ive been seeing a counsellor the last 3 weeks but not finding it helpful. She is referring me to a psychiatrist but the only thing putting me off is the cost. I've tried to talk to my husband about it but he just doesn't get it...Lets just say, I need some online friends who are going through the same thing so we can chat and realise we aren't alone coz right now I'm in pain and dying inside! thanks

Bluey_moon Has anyone with anxiety experienced paranoia?
  • replies: 13

Hi guys, So for those of you that have read my previous posts would know Ive had GAD and more recently obsessive thoughts. And at the moment my obsessive thoughts centre in me being scizophrenic (even though I've been told by my GP, a psychiatrist an... View more

Hi guys, So for those of you that have read my previous posts would know Ive had GAD and more recently obsessive thoughts. And at the moment my obsessive thoughts centre in me being scizophrenic (even though I've been told by my GP, a psychiatrist and my pyscologist that I'm not,well that they'd put a millin dollars on me not being scizophrenic). My question is: previously when I'd read a lot about it, I read the symptoms. One of them being paranoia. So now sometimes I convince myself someone is watching me ect, even though I know it's not true! Has anyone else experienced something similar? Bluey

Ellie05 I think I'm descending into 24/7 panic
  • replies: 2

Hello, I've been posting on this forum for a few months now. I started around the time my anxiety started. There are a range of issues feeding it, but it's as though the anxiety has taken a life of it's own and I've simply descended into 24/7 panic. ... View more

Hello, I've been posting on this forum for a few months now. I started around the time my anxiety started. There are a range of issues feeding it, but it's as though the anxiety has taken a life of it's own and I've simply descended into 24/7 panic. I'd been getting better slowly, but over the last few days it's been getting bad, really bad. Yesterday I spent the day with my sister, today was spent with a friend (both understand what is happening). Now that I'm on my own I'm a complete shaking mess and am completely freaking out. I just spent the last 20 minute rolling around on the floor, calling out for help like a crazy person. I calmed down enough to write this post but am shaking like mad. Has anyone ever been in this situation? I don't know what to do. I really struggle to eat something and getting through the day is such a struggle (getting through the night is even worse). Did I mention that I'm starting a new job tomorrow? I don't think I'll get much sleep beforehand!

Octavia ANXIETY WITH CHEST PAIN
  • replies: 2

HI . Im new here, but of my background story is 22 June 2015 i had my first nervous breakdown, eg. Palpitations. Chestpain.feeling of doom.fear.rushing sensation in my head leaving me lightheaded.nauseated and upset tummy. Since then i have been to t... View more

HI . Im new here, but of my background story is 22 June 2015 i had my first nervous breakdown, eg. Palpitations. Chestpain.feeling of doom.fear.rushing sensation in my head leaving me lightheaded.nauseated and upset tummy. Since then i have been to the ed 7 times. Seen a cardiologist, had a endoscopy, been on acid reflux medication. now obviously become abit of hypochondriac, due to no awnser as to whats wrong. I have seen my doctor 10 times.been on medication but now my hubby and i are finally pregnant and cant be on meds.so my anxiety has become very hard to deal with. Im happy we are expecting long awated but im struggling very badly to deal with my head at the moment. Ontop of it i have bad indigestion and acid reflux i asume due to anxiety and stress. There is alot more details but my main isue is 1.my constant thinking im gona die . 2.chest pain 3. Palpetations and racing heart 4.acid reflux pain and burn even just a sip of water hurts. I want to feel beter and be my happy self like i was before 22 june 2015.the worst day ever.