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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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tigers Thanks Beyond Blue
  • replies: 4

hi all as of last week I have never open up to a group like this or really admitted to anyone or myself that I suffer from anxiety and have panic attacks, and suffer from depression and iam a long term sufferer. Within a week this site has helped me ... View more

hi all as of last week I have never open up to a group like this or really admitted to anyone or myself that I suffer from anxiety and have panic attacks, and suffer from depression and iam a long term sufferer. Within a week this site has helped me to understand more about what I go through, and how to respond to an attack or negative thought.And most importantly iam not alone nor is anyone else that seeks help and support. Iam on antidepressants which I have had to increase over the last week which is a good thing because they are helping,iam also waiting for an appointment to speak to someone. I don't like taking the tablets but they help and make me feel better most importantly I can enjoy my life. The biggest help for me this week was admitting to myself that I have anxiety instead of constantly fighting it. and telling myself that I will control my anxiety it wont control me anymore its a start I know I have to work on it daily. today was a good day as I was able to go to work for first time for a week with no panic attacks and that's important as iam self-employed.Iam going keep working on my illness so I get better and start doing things that I have missed out on in the past instead of playing it safe at home all the time that's my plan anyway. So please people seek help take the first step,read through the posts I know its hard but things do get better. thank you

CoffeePowered My anxiety is stopping me from doing anything
  • replies: 3

I've been seeing psychologists for it for years, my latest one for over a year and i'm not really getting any better. I've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and unsure about ADD and Aspergers. (probably not) My main problem is my anxiety is st... View more

I've been seeing psychologists for it for years, my latest one for over a year and i'm not really getting any better. I've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and unsure about ADD and Aspergers. (probably not) My main problem is my anxiety is stopping me from doing anything. Most predominantly the thing I've been trying to do the most which is write. This might sound a little pathetic but I'm starting to think i need someone to help me do pretty much anything, at least for a little bit. At the moment my anxiety is stopping me from doing anything, and the only time I've been able to is when I've had someone with me to coax my ideas out. I don't need someone to tutor me in specific subjects but just someone there in general. Otherwise I freeze up and do nothing, even if I do kinda know what I'm doing. I kinda get this overwhelming feeling like i'm not allowed to or I can't, and I don't even know why. I don't even know if anyone can help with this. Is there some type of life tutor out there?

tigers day to day battle with anxiety
  • replies: 11

hi my name is richard iam 48yrs old I have been married for 27yrs with three adult children and one granddaughter who I adore.i have lived with anxiety for more than twenty years and panic attacks which still affects my daily life. it started when I ... View more

hi my name is richard iam 48yrs old I have been married for 27yrs with three adult children and one granddaughter who I adore.i have lived with anxiety for more than twenty years and panic attacks which still affects my daily life. it started when I was in my twentys I thought I was having a heart attack at work I was taken to hospital and after a few hours they told me I have anxiety.after that day nothing was suggested to me to seek help or treatment.so as time went on my anxiety started to develop it was so bad that when I had an attack no matter where it was outside my home I would always flight instead of fight but I knew no better I had no knowledge of what was truly happening to me.it started to put a strain on my home life I would always ring my wife for reassurance when I was feeling anxious I did not understand or realize what pressure I was putting on her.as time went on the only thing I done to control my anxiety and panic attacks was to always stay in my comfort zone,and now I look back at that and realize how many things I have missed out on in life just so I could feel safe and comfortable. as I got older nothing changed until my sister started to fall ill with cancer and i was always on edge and very anxious battling the negativity and what ifs and the constant over working of my brain constantly thought after thought eventually it wore me down and I had a bit of a break down my wife had had enough so I was told I need help which I did get in the way of medication which iam still taking and I spoke to a councillor for several visits.she was so understanding on my first visit we sat outside so I would be more comfortable(this was because at this stage I could not even go shopping without fear or sit in a drs room unless I could make a quick get away if I needed to sometimes I would walk out of the drs surgery before my name was called because of feeling so anxious)with the help of the tablets and the sessions I got better and I understood that iam not alone.. I returned to a normal life for me anyway and things did improve my confidence got better and I felt better within my self,i went through some tough stages with my life the death of my sister was very hard and still is but with the medication I got through it. my anxiety has returned not that it ever left me so with the help I have had and get and talking about me for the first time I wish to get better and enjoy my life instead of the daily battle. richard

Skaters Inability to do daily tasks due to Anxiety.
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone! So I have been diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and depression and I am currently medicated for all off these. For the past 6 months I am struggling greatly with everyday tasks and constantly get stuck. Some examples are; I cant open bills/le... View more

Hi everyone! So I have been diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and depression and I am currently medicated for all off these. For the past 6 months I am struggling greatly with everyday tasks and constantly get stuck. Some examples are; I cant open bills/letters or even retrieve items from my mailbox, I get obsessive about money and can't touch my accounts or even look at them, Inability to answer phonecalls... my list could go on and on. So very recently my inability to do daily tasks are now starting to effect me, because I cant open letters I am not paying bills or missing important things, because I cant use my phone I am uncontactable and I am no longer even able to work, because I obsess about money I go weeks even over a year without paying a bill (my electricity has been switched off 4x and unpaid for 15 months) So does anyone else get stuck like this? What am I going to do? I have no family support so can't lean on that. Are there any services in Australia? I am just getting to a point in my life where everything is about to crumble and because I get stuck I am literally witnessing my own demise.. Any advice would be brilliant

Mariee Academic Performance Anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hi, I am studying a master’s degree and recently I have found that my fear of failure is starting to impact on my grades. I have been to see a counsellor and have been given meditation and breathing exercises, but I’m not so sure how helpful it has b... View more

Hi, I am studying a master’s degree and recently I have found that my fear of failure is starting to impact on my grades. I have been to see a counsellor and have been given meditation and breathing exercises, but I’m not so sure how helpful it has been for me specifically. My peers have really been excelling and I feel as though I am out of my depth. I was prepared to be average among the group as my convener told me the class would be the ‘best of the best’. However, I am finding that it is just making me feel like I can’t do it. I have moments where it gets so intense that I can’t really see a way of getting through it, but somehow I do pull through and wonder why I was so stressed. Worrying about failing and adding huge fees and time on to my degree is exhausting. Writing this post makes it seem like such a small and silly thing to worry about, but it’s something I can’t seem to get out of my mind. If anyone has had similar issues please share with me what helped you. Thank you, Mariee

mrw Anxiety and Eating
  • replies: 6

Hey all, Ive been recently diagnosed with anxiety and started taking meds, which are helping a lot, one issue i am having (and intend to bring up with my doctor next visit) is I wake up hungry every night. This has been going on for over a year, ever... View more

Hey all, Ive been recently diagnosed with anxiety and started taking meds, which are helping a lot, one issue i am having (and intend to bring up with my doctor next visit) is I wake up hungry every night. This has been going on for over a year, every night, multiple times a night I wake up so hungry that I cant sleep. I have been counting my calories, eating high protein diets etc, i feel like i have tried everything, and definitely eat more than enough. Has anyone else had this problem? Any tips?

gloria10 Anxiety and too many expectations
  • replies: 6

Hi all I've been in a job and as I'm still new I'm learning the ropes. The thing is with my anxiety I have a bad habit of expecting to learn too much too soon. Then I start to doubt myself about whether or not I can do the job and it becomes a viciou... View more

Hi all I've been in a job and as I'm still new I'm learning the ropes. The thing is with my anxiety I have a bad habit of expecting to learn too much too soon. Then I start to doubt myself about whether or not I can do the job and it becomes a vicious circle. I left early today due to exhaustion and I was wondering if anyone else deals with this and what helps? Do you have any tricks to focus on what you're learning? I'd appreciate some advice. gloria10

fire How do I manage severe anxiety? Going through a workers comp claim
  • replies: 5

I have decided to join the forum to learn how you guys manage severe anxiety. I am going through a workers comp claim and finding I am getting confused about dates, months - when things happened, when they didn't. I have kept a diary but this only in... View more

I have decided to join the forum to learn how you guys manage severe anxiety. I am going through a workers comp claim and finding I am getting confused about dates, months - when things happened, when they didn't. I have kept a diary but this only includes dates and remarks about appts, results etc. I thought I had clarity of mind starting out to remember pain issues, but as time goes on, the weeks and months are getting muddled leading to confusion in reports, which is hard for the insurance company and others to understand. I guess I am not as strong as I thought. One thing for sure, I can't do this on my own any more. I am tired and I can't come up with the answers to cover my errors. I like to be upfront with things and honest, but my mind does not seem to want to play that game at times. My psych is on holidays and I am really missing her. She is coming back in a couple of weeks. I scare myself with what I have quoted as happening, as I can see I am losing a grip on the situation. I have not verbalised this before to health professionals, but I feel from this point on I will need to. It is one thing to read psychiatric issues in a report, it is a whole different ball game to say yes, I have chronic depression and anxiety which I am being treated for and it is shadowing my version of reality. How frightening is this? Reading posts from other people with mental health issues, and what they have been through with WC claims is really touching and makes me feel very humble. Kisses to you all - I will close wishing you a happy pleasant week ahead, and I will now start reading thoughts from those who have walked the hard road ahead of me.

Craigos First post, have been told writing helps....
  • replies: 8

Hi all, this is my first post. Forgive my rambling but have been told writing it down helps. So here goes. I grew up in a very rough family. Step father a very violent alcoholic and my mother a severe agoraphobic who took copious amounts of pharmaceu... View more

Hi all, this is my first post. Forgive my rambling but have been told writing it down helps. So here goes. I grew up in a very rough family. Step father a very violent alcoholic and my mother a severe agoraphobic who took copious amounts of pharmaceuticals. I was beaten daily, worked from the age of 13 to support my family and left school and home at 15. Please don't think I'm looking for sympathy. Just context to my story. Honestly thought I was fine. I have worked most of my life. I'm currently 38. I have a wonderful wife and we have an amazingly smart if stubborn 16mth old girl. I thought everything was fine. I should be happy. Recently I have started having severe panic attacks. I can control it. I cry at stupid things. I never cry. Was always told it was weak. I cried at a FB post about a dog. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. As I said, stupid lol. I have been unable to work with any consistently for the last month. I can't sleep more than a few hours with my brain on the "what if" train. I'm constantly worried I'm letting everyone down. Worried my friends are noticing my change and are distancing themselves from me. I know it's all in my head. I feel useless because I control my basic emotions. My wife is so supportive. We have been to doctors and I have done bloods to rule out a physical issue. I just want to be normal.

Indra Build up and release
  • replies: 18

Today has been a particularly sad day for me. The high and low roller coaster begins to feel like the norm. I saw my GP on Wednesday and he is still pushing for meds and I am still reluctant, mainly to do with my children. I have found myself constan... View more

Today has been a particularly sad day for me. The high and low roller coaster begins to feel like the norm. I saw my GP on Wednesday and he is still pushing for meds and I am still reluctant, mainly to do with my children. I have found myself constantly pushing away my fiancée and it is usually with negativity. I constantly feel jealous or the need to check on him - sometimes I feel he gives me cause, other times it's just me. I know part of the reason was my ex husband cheated on me and there is always a fear it will happen again. He is not as interested in me as before - intimately and sometimes just in general. We don't have the easiest of lives to deal with but he knew about most of it when he signed on. I did have a moment though today when I felt enough was enough with me and told him that I won't stress on what he is doing anymore and concentrate on me. I was surprised with the reaction. Small steps forward....