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

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. Remeber, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anixiety 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 you 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 worthile 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

Start a discussion

Chris_B Do you #knowanxiety? Your feedback please
  • replies: 6

beyondblue has relaunched its #KnowAnxiety campaign today. You’ll see the clip below on TV, online and in outdoor advertising spaces. Why? Well, while progress has been made since its original launch in changing the Australian public’s perception of ... View more

beyondblue has relaunched its #KnowAnxiety campaign today. You’ll see the clip below on TV, online and in outdoor advertising spaces. Why? Well, while progress has been made since its original launch in changing the Australian public’s perception of anxiety, there is still work to be done. Here’s three things we know from recent research: Half the population believe that anxiety is ‘part of someone’s personality’ Only 6 in 10 people understand that anxiety is not just ‘stress’ Nearly 3 million people in Australia currently have an anxiety condition, making it more prevalent than depression What do you think of these facts? What do you think of the ad below? Keen to hear your thoughts.

Eme I'm a newbie here!! 😊
  • replies: 7

Hi! This is my first thread, here goes. I have been suffering from Anxiety for about 12 years. I had diarrhea for 2 years straight in my early 20's after dealing with being sexually abused when I was young. I ignored my toilet problem as I was hoping... View more

Hi! This is my first thread, here goes. I have been suffering from Anxiety for about 12 years. I had diarrhea for 2 years straight in my early 20's after dealing with being sexually abused when I was young. I ignored my toilet problem as I was hoping it would just go away. Then out of no where had a panic attack & it has all stemmed from there. Started meds after I lost twins & whilst my Father was dying from Parkinson's Disease. A couple of years later I had Labyrinthitis (middle ear/vertigo) HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SICK IN MY LIFE!!! Since then I have worried about being dizzy/passing out etc. I also have this breathing thing, always trying to catch my breath, struggle to take a deep breath then slowly wind myself up to constantly just taking short little breathes. I know it's all in my head as I don't have it until I start thinking about it & putting focus on it. I gave birth 11 weeks ago & also have a little 3 year old boy so life has been hectic. I've been so exhausted that I've started getting dizzy spells ( only had a couple) .. My brain isn't shutting off so I'm not going into a deep sleep then waking up feeling EXHAUSTED.. So now I've started the green eyed monster up again.. I'm CONSTANTLY thinking about getting dizzy, I'm not leaving the house unless I have to & I hate it as I can't keep my son from getting out and about but I'm scared. Unsure if I should go & see a councillor or not?! I have never fully vented about what happened when I was younger because a GP told me to not bring up the past?! Some advice would be great, thanks for reading. P

HelenM learning to live with anxiety
  • replies: 6

For many years I've been troubled by depression on and off. Over the years it's become milder. In this last year it's been very mild indeed and the doctor says that it's far more anxiety now. Well, at the beginning of this year I became terrified of ... View more

For many years I've been troubled by depression on and off. Over the years it's become milder. In this last year it's been very mild indeed and the doctor says that it's far more anxiety now. Well, at the beginning of this year I became terrified of going right back down and that fear is dominating my life. Lately I've been getting physical symptoms of anxiety, tightness of chest, palpitations, butterflies. I'm getting headaches too. I'm told that I won't go back down, the depression's mild and my fear is a spell I'm going through and won't make me ill as long as I keep on with my routine.I'm doing this but life is hard going. My fear did subside for a couple of days recently but came back. The fact that it went briefly is, I suppose, a good sign. My Doctor sees it as another episode in my mental health problems. I have always come through bad spells but this fear factor is something I'm not used to and it's amazing how flexible my fear is. One time I think I'll become really depressed because I can't sleep; then it's because my nephew's ill and the worry will be too much. Just now I'm getting headaches and worried that all this stress will bring on a depression. Everybody who knows me assures me that my depression won't return and that the fear will go. I don't really know that anyone can advise me on this. But thanks for reading anyway. Helen

tully Anxious 24/7 and not sure where to turn next.
  • replies: 1

Hi. I am a 50 year old woman who has had some form of anxiety all my life. I have always felt the gut churning fear of any sort of conflict. Over many years, I have worked out what I think my anxiety is, but I have not been able to eliminate it. I ha... View more

Hi. I am a 50 year old woman who has had some form of anxiety all my life. I have always felt the gut churning fear of any sort of conflict. Over many years, I have worked out what I think my anxiety is, but I have not been able to eliminate it. I have worked with therapists, psychologists, meditated, run, did yoga, took benzodiazepines, found a hobby, talked about it, wrote about it. But still it persists. That feeling of impending doom, all the time, even when I wake up from a good night’s sleep. It’s there. Nothing specific that I am worried about, in fact, a lot of the time, I am not thinking of anything at all! I feel ill in my stomach, with a feeling of jitters or butterflies. I feel lethargic and tired, unmotivated, dizzy, breathless, sweaty. It often feels like someone has injected me with a shot of adrenalin, and I experience the whole flight or fight reaction.This happens on average, 5 times a day. Sometimes, there is a trigger, my little dog escapes the house, or I have seen a snake in the garden. Quite normal triggers to a little fright. But more often or not, there is no external trigger. It just happens, I feel bad, dizzy, stomach pain, tired .... etc. I do talk to people about this, and mostly get the reaction that I shouldn't worry so much, or to go for a walk etc. All well meaning advice, but it does not help. I used to run, until I damaged my knee but even this was only a temporary help. After an hour of running, I would get perhaps an hour of relief and then back to the same anxious feeling. I guess I am posting this as a cry for help, although I know in my heart that there is no magic cure. I think I have tried all that there is to do, and now I am at a loss as to what to try next.I do push myself, put on a smiley face, and get on with life, but it always feels so hollow inside. Like I am living a lie, or living a life that makes my family and loves ones feel I should. I don't think I am depressed however, just anxious. I have managed to arrange my life so that I can have time to myself when it gets really bad, I have a supportive and loving husband, I have a lovely garden to escape to. I should be happy and content as I am so lucky. But I am not, I feel so ungrateful. I would love to chat to anyone who feels this too, and maybe find something that helps. Thank you

Emjay6509 I'm new here, & not sure what to do about my anxiety..
  • replies: 1

Hi, I am new to BB and to be honest was quite nervous to post anything on this website but I am hoping to talk to some people who might understand what I have been feeling. I am a 23 year old female and have been reasonably healthy for most of my lif... View more

Hi, I am new to BB and to be honest was quite nervous to post anything on this website but I am hoping to talk to some people who might understand what I have been feeling. I am a 23 year old female and have been reasonably healthy for most of my life. I never really struggled with anxiety when I was younger although I have always been a "worrier" and "perfectionist" which I just accepted as me being me. I was however involved in a car accident about 5 years ago and my health has taken a bit of a dive since, as I developed chronic reflux and have been on tablets since. But even after the accident I never had any issues with anxiety. About a year ago I started getting more frequent anxiety attacks - at first I dismissed it as stress and just hoped that it would go away when things settled down for me but instead they just got worse and worse. These attacks come on at random times, I will be feeling fine & out of nowhere my heart starts racing, I start shaking, feeling nauseous, dizzy and have even experienced vertigo a couple of times. I had these attacks on and off for about 6 months straight but they went away for a month or two. But they have just recently come back & it is starting to take its toll on me. I haven't been sleeping properly - I wake up in the middle of the night with an attack and it can take hours for it to settle down. They can come on while I'm driving, and the anxious feeling just consumes me and I feel trapped and sick and feeling sick just makes the anxiety worse. Because I have experienced these attacks whilst I'm driving, it makes me not want to go out. I have been to my GP who suggested I go on medication but I would really like to avoid that as I don't like tablets being the solution for everything & I don't want to become reliant on them. I have been feeling like I am under so much pressure lately, and all I want to do is just curl up and cry. I just feel like whenever things start to get better, something else comes up that makes everything a mess again. I just don't know who to turn to, and I apologise for the essay I have just written, but I really appreciate it if you did read the whole thing & hope that someone might be able to relate to all of this.

MissyA chasing my tail
  • replies: 4

Hi I am a newbie. I have been suffering from headaches and nausea on and off for 3 months. The headaches and nausea has caused me extreme anxiety to the point of not being able to function and look after my family. I have been seeing a physiologist a... View more

Hi I am a newbie. I have been suffering from headaches and nausea on and off for 3 months. The headaches and nausea has caused me extreme anxiety to the point of not being able to function and look after my family. I have been seeing a physiologist and have just recently been put on medication. I just dont know where I am at and in such a rut.I feel so guilty not being the mum I should be.

Pixie15 Don't just do something. Sit there.
  • replies: 4

Hi, I have trouble doing nothing. When my anxiety sets in I can become particularly active although the activity I choose is not necessarily well thought out or productive. I am coming off a period of necessary high activity due to dealing with my pa... View more

Hi, I have trouble doing nothing. When my anxiety sets in I can become particularly active although the activity I choose is not necessarily well thought out or productive. I am coming off a period of necessary high activity due to dealing with my partner having an accident. During this time I have managed to do everything necessary and hold things together but have let my own self care go. This has been a feature of my life. Although I do not really know how I would do anything differently. If something needs to be done it needs to be done. I am just wondering if anyone else can relate to this. Christine.

tulpa Go to tafe feel anxious, stay home get depressed.
  • replies: 8

hi, I had to study for five hours to day which may not sound like much to most people but I broke down crying in class it was an online module so I just turned the microphone off, I've cried every day for nearly 2 weeks now except tuesday for some re... View more

hi, I had to study for five hours to day which may not sound like much to most people but I broke down crying in class it was an online module so I just turned the microphone off, I've cried every day for nearly 2 weeks now except tuesday for some reason feeling ok that day. Whenever I try to do something with my education or work it makes me feel anxious and cry uncontrollably whenever I stay home and do nothing I feel guilty and depressed. I'm 29 now and feel like i shouldn't be at home not doing anything all day but this course is becoming too much for me despite everyone there being friendly and the work itself being easy. I'm also worried I'll start crying in class one day.

reggie11 This is my first step...
  • replies: 8

Well this is hard, and embarrassing, but if I don't do something soon I fear that I will have lost everybody in the world that I love. I have only just discovered this forum and have been very touched by the stories and amazing support provided by ma... View more

Well this is hard, and embarrassing, but if I don't do something soon I fear that I will have lost everybody in the world that I love. I have only just discovered this forum and have been very touched by the stories and amazing support provided by many wonderful people so I'm hoping that by writing this and putting it out there that I too can start to move forward from my mental illness. I'm a 52 yo female with a self diagnosed extreme anxiety disorder. I am not currently receiving any medical treatment for this but do acknowledge that I must see a gp asap. On reflection I believe that I have suffered from this disorder in some form most of my life and have had a few short stints on anti-depressant medication over the past 10 years but didn't really feel any relief from them. I don't have a regular gp in this city and the thought now of finding one and actually getting to an appointment terrifies me. You see I have become almost completely debilitated by my illness. I have successfully, over the past five years or so, lost all my friends and many relatives. One of my sons will not have anything to do with me and has denied me access to my beautiful twin baby grand-daughters. Another son has schizophrenia and has put me through a harrowing 10 yrs or so but thankfully he is stable atm and has just recently left home and moved into his own accommodation with the help of mental health services. I am extremely worried now about my 30 yo daughter that lives with me as I am starting to see signs that she is developing an illness due to my 'madness'. Last night she told me that she had been advised to 'just leave me' so I expect that this will occur in the coming weeks. I see hatred in her eyes every time she looks at me. I have another daughter not at home who is supportive of me, and who will I know, help me on the road to recovery. What is my 'madness'? Well I just can't do anything. I can't answer the phone, or the door. I can't look for a job because it causes me too much anxiety. I really struggle these days to leave the house, anxious that someone will see me. I can no longer manage my life and it is crumbling down around me very quickly. I have no income atm and I am too anxious about that to go to social security. I will lose my home very soon if I don't get help. I'm sick of spending my days crying and shaking and I owe it to my family to try to recover and reinstate 'normality' in our lives.

Wolf Stressing.Depressed.
  • replies: 2

Hi, I guess this is my first posting and Im not sure how I go about this. I had a breakdown a couple of years back and since then Ive not been myself. I used to be easy going and now Im getting better but Im in a relationship and its at the place whe... View more

Hi, I guess this is my first posting and Im not sure how I go about this. I had a breakdown a couple of years back and since then Ive not been myself. I used to be easy going and now Im getting better but Im in a relationship and its at the place where Ive been anxious a lot and snapping at people in my new family. Not yet married but she has 3 kids and I have 2 of my own who live with their mother. Seems when ever the ex is causing problems I get worse. Ive gotten so bad I yell a lot. I never touch them but the yelling causes issues with my partner being in the middle. Im seeing a counsellor but Im not sure if thats helping or not. Mental health recently suggested I see a psychologist through a group they recommend or do referrals to and Ive had my medication doubled to try to help. My issue right now is when I get anxious I tend to hide away using my phone or iPad as a crutch. I don't know how to stop using it and it can be at any time. A family event shopping or even dealing with at times not being able to leave the house. Its causing issues now too. Yet its the one thing I find I can escape the stress with. Nobody in the family seems to understand the stress and anxiety Ive been going through or how I feel. My partner says she's been there but she doesn't seem to understand how Im feeling when it happens. Hell I don't even understand it at times. I just get emotional and in tears all of a sudden and I don't know what to do about it. I want to retreat to calm down sometimes but I never seem to be able to be left alone to deal with things going on in my head and I need help. I can't keep dumping my problems on my friends all the time. And I worry I will never find the right person to get help from. I don't know where to go or who to be able to just let everything out to and I don't want to lose my partner and her kids who I love so much as my own. Can anyone help me with advice. I really need a place or something to let my concerns out and destress. I don't want to bottle things and I can't right now talk to my partner or her family. And my family. You can forget me turning to them for understanding. They have no clue how I feel or where to begin.