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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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mirnz Childhood fears. Is it just me? Desperate to reach out.
  • replies: 2

Hi there, i am here to find anybody with the same fears as me. My anxiety/OCD is very specific. It is based on childhood fears. I am ashamed but I need to say this.... I am 25 and my OCD and anxiety is so severe and it's of all the monsters and scary... View more

Hi there, i am here to find anybody with the same fears as me. My anxiety/OCD is very specific. It is based on childhood fears. I am ashamed but I need to say this.... I am 25 and my OCD and anxiety is so severe and it's of all the monsters and scary movies I have come across. I don't sleep or so anything really without extreme anxiety of things I saw over ten years ago. I get obsessive thoughts of any scary movie character and I am desperately looking for anyone who is the same? I've seen phobias and anxiety towards tangible things but never came across someone like me. I am reaching out with all my heart to try and find someone. I have posted a different thread about the battle of pure o and anxiety but want to open up about this deeper side of it. Horror movies and topics are on my mind non stop since as long as I can remember stopping me from showering properly and sleeping properly and even moving! I have not known anything different and I feel very alone as I don't know anyone with anxiety based in this. I feel ashamed and embarrassed yet I need to reach out and see if I'm not alone. And if I'm not I want the other person and I to help each other and support each other. I hope I can find someone to help and help myself get by.

LaHola How do you stop worrying about the future
  • replies: 3

We are about to move home to AU from Indonesia and our friends' negative reactions about Australia are getting to me. I now worried, except I want to leave him because I'm over it. i have had a rough time. It's taken eight years to find the right bip... View more

We are about to move home to AU from Indonesia and our friends' negative reactions about Australia are getting to me. I now worried, except I want to leave him because I'm over it. i have had a rough time. It's taken eight years to find the right bipolar meds and now I'm coming out of the fog, So I am worried about the future because my life has been difficult. So because I'm an idiot I consulted a computer generated tarot site and the result was bad. As I am an idiot, it has shaken me up. The thought of more trauma is too much. My friends' comments are making it worse. I suppose it shows I am vulnerable by consulting the tarot. Can someone please inspire me to go ahead? What can I do? Just a note, I have seen psychologists, counsellor and psychiatrists for years. Tried mindfulness, ACT and CBT. thank you!

marlu Anxiety affecting my parenting
  • replies: 1

Hi I'm a mum of two and I've had anxiety for a solid ten years before that I suffered depression and ocd, anyway long story short I know when I'm anxious and why I'm anxious but I can't switch off the stress and physical symptoms it's driving me nuts... View more

Hi I'm a mum of two and I've had anxiety for a solid ten years before that I suffered depression and ocd, anyway long story short I know when I'm anxious and why I'm anxious but I can't switch off the stress and physical symptoms it's driving me nuts! I feel so exhausted from my life even before I had children, I have little motivation to actually DO something about it, I think to myself I need to sit down and relax and play with the kids but I cant do it I always get distracted by what 'needs' to be done I really need some advice on how to calm down and stop because I feel like I'm missing out on enjoying my kids while they're young. Just feel like a scatter brain and can't breath deeply I wake up feeling tired all the time and am very reactive as a parent, which in turn is causing some behavioural problems in my youngest child. Anyone got any tips? I've tried meditation but it feels weird to me, tried yoga and that was good for me but I don't like meeting new people, i don't want to get counselling because I hate having to go through the motions all the time it's more exhausting. Sorry to be negative but I'm getting really annoyed with myself and sick of the way I am just wish I could snap out of it

Cloud90 My story
  • replies: 6

Hi Everyone, This is my first post and the first time ive talked openly about my anxiety. Im 25 years old and have been suffering with anxiety for now 5 years. Within the last 5 years i have had numerous health problems and surgery, many unsuccsessfu... View more

Hi Everyone, This is my first post and the first time ive talked openly about my anxiety. Im 25 years old and have been suffering with anxiety for now 5 years. Within the last 5 years i have had numerous health problems and surgery, many unsuccsessful relationships and a great loss of friends. I also watched my career plumet to the ground and im sad to admit my anxiety got the better of me and i ended up walking away from 8 years of building myself up in my career and working exceptionaly hard to reach a sales manager position by 24. I have fought through cancer in 2013, suffered an early divorce at 23 and completely lost my career. i am now 25, jobless and clueless of how im going to pay my bills and try and control my anxiety. Throughout the last 5 years i have lost many friends from my sudden social phobia. I used to be so outgoing and enjoy crowds and meeting new people and thats why i enjoyed sales so much. Nowadays i suffer chronic panic attacks when i have to face large crowds, speak to new people or attend work. I feel a sense of peace hiding behind closed doors and its really sad because i know this is not me but i cant seem to control it. I find myself making up excuses why i cant go out, why i cant stay in a job and the real reason is my anxiety but i have tried to be upfront and honest about it and people seem to disappear faster than u can imagine. i have always been the type of person someone can lean on, talk to and count on. And suddenly i find myself alone and all the people i have helped no where to be seen to help me. Discovering that true friends are hard to find didnt help my anxiety, and laying in the hospital going through my health saga whilst overcoming a divorce with no one to talk to i feel has led me to feel isolated and abandoned. I hope to meet on here many inspirational people that even if you dont know me can relate or somewhat understand my situation. i am taking a stance to regain my life and make change And i know that i havnt always felt this way so i dont have to feel this way forever. I dont know if my story makes much sense to anyone i struggle to explain how i feel and im a little embarrassed by the way it all sounds but this is the best way i can tell me story . Thank you everyone for reading my post and i look forward to being apart of the community.

askignquestions Tiredness
  • replies: 12

I dont know exactly what I want to say here...bear with me. I'm back at work after taking a month off for anxiety, but I can only work (which is doing my PhD) for about 6 hours a day (any more and I get real depressed/anxious that night and the next ... View more

I dont know exactly what I want to say here...bear with me. I'm back at work after taking a month off for anxiety, but I can only work (which is doing my PhD) for about 6 hours a day (any more and I get real depressed/anxious that night and the next day). Then I go to the gym for an hour and go home to relax. But I'm exhausted every day. I've started noticing the physical symptoms of exhaustion too. I remember when I used to stay up all night when I was doing my Masters, my chest would get sort of prickly or fluttery when I was up for too long. Nevermind the mental confusion, not being able to make decisions, and not being able to read. All the mental stuff has been there since I got acutely sick, and now the physical is here too. Is this normal? I can go and do physical things almost on autopilot. I'm slowly getting my mental abilities back, but this past week its like I hit a new phase. I sleep normal hours, so I know that isn't it. But I have noticed that when I want to sleep during the day, I can't. Even falling asleep at night takes hours. I was just wondering if other people have dealt with exhaustion from anxiety or if this might be something more. Valerie

Tubbypuff Anxiety flare ups at night
  • replies: 4

I got random anxiety attacks, for reasons sometimes unknown, through out the day but find as long as I can keep myself busy they're usually pretty manageable. But when I get them at night time, like when I'm in bed preparing to sleep, I have a lot of... View more

I got random anxiety attacks, for reasons sometimes unknown, through out the day but find as long as I can keep myself busy they're usually pretty manageable. But when I get them at night time, like when I'm in bed preparing to sleep, I have a lot of trouble controlling them. right now I'm having a mild anxiety attack as my partner is not feeling well due to a fairly severe toothache. Things like this can set me off, which is really annoying for me. I'm laying here writing this while shaking from head to toe from my anxiety. I try to breath myself calm but it doesn't always work. Does anyone have any tips on ways they cope through varying levels of anxiety attacks? thanks in advance for any advice

dimi92 OCD thoughts
  • replies: 2

Does anyone else with OCD/Anxiety sometimes not remember if something happened or didn't? I get anxious over old conversations and scenarios from the past but then sometimes I create things in my head and I can't remember if they happened or not but ... View more

Does anyone else with OCD/Anxiety sometimes not remember if something happened or didn't? I get anxious over old conversations and scenarios from the past but then sometimes I create things in my head and I can't remember if they happened or not but 9 times out of 10 they didn't. The reason I cannot remember whether they happened or not is cause they didn't at all. For example did I repeat something to someone that I wasn't supposed to? It kills me cause I keep racking my brain trying to figure out whether it happened but I can never come to a conclusion.

Inner_strength Battling with anxiety !
  • replies: 2

Hi all ! Im struggling at the moment with my anxiety which is making me depressed . I feel empty and lost . I have good days but at the moment I'm having more bad days . I don't feel like eating and feel dizzy and unstable a lot of the time which is ... View more

Hi all ! Im struggling at the moment with my anxiety which is making me depressed . I feel empty and lost . I have good days but at the moment I'm having more bad days . I don't feel like eating and feel dizzy and unstable a lot of the time which is frightening me and making me worry more . I'm also due for my period which increases my anxiety . Does anyone else find that ? I've just started seeing a physiatrist and I try to exercise when I can . I'm also on some new ssri medication which I've been on for just over a month . I feel like I'm taking the right steps to get better but I'm still feeling this dreadful anxiety . I'm not sure what else to do .... ?

Keckie More and more weird sensations - burning and sensitivity.
  • replies: 2

I have set off yet another round of anxiety when I woke with burning on the soles of feet, fingers and hands. I am convinced I have small fiber neuropathy (at first I was convinced I had MS, Fibro, or some weird combination of all). Have had tingling... View more

I have set off yet another round of anxiety when I woke with burning on the soles of feet, fingers and hands. I am convinced I have small fiber neuropathy (at first I was convinced I had MS, Fibro, or some weird combination of all). Have had tingling in legs feet and hands since November. I am off the MS bandwagon after MRI and visit to neurologist but since they didn't test for SFN I am thinking this is what it is. I have not had any alcohol for over 8 months and then after a really stressful few events I decided to have a glass of wine. I ended up drinking a few too many glasses and felt completely guilt ridden the next day and I still do - about why I did it. I keep thinking I've made the neuropathy worse but I keep hoping that maybe its anxiety over my alcohol consumption. I am fast falling into a bad space. I think I need to re-visit the neuro and ask for sfn test to confirm or rule out. I am seeking some opinions on whether the burning/red hands and feet and previous tingling can be anxiety related and if any of you have experienced it for long periods at a time? Kind regards

FightingMyDemons Anxiety Peaked today
  • replies: 1

hi all, I'll start by saying I'm a fit healthy 44 year old male, go's gym 4 times a week, rides bike 300 km a week. Sounds good hey except my minds a mess. Its health anxiety!! . I started getting heart palpitations about 4 weeks ago at the gym after... View more

hi all, I'll start by saying I'm a fit healthy 44 year old male, go's gym 4 times a week, rides bike 300 km a week. Sounds good hey except my minds a mess. Its health anxiety!! . I started getting heart palpitations about 4 weeks ago at the gym after pushing myslf hard, then started getting short of breath. I kept fighting through it but started to feel worse. When i rode my bike also stated coughing alot and feeling short of breath. Went doctors and had some tests, all good no signs of any problems. Then at work oneday felt really short of breath so went hospital and had ecg , chest xrays , blood tests and again all good. last 2 weeks I have been drinking alot alcohol which seems to help take away alot symptoms, but when I wake up in morning I feel same again. So the peak happened today at work, had a slight pain in chest which played on my mind then all hell broke loose, apparently I hyperventilated, lost control of my beathing, my limbs went tingling, even had trouble talking, was scariest day in my life. work had call ambulance for me and take me to hospital. not sure how I can break this cycle. I know its in my mind and I am sure I am fit and healthy but I can convince myslef yet. any suggestions if someone else is going through same thing