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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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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

Mel2309 Don't know how to explain how I feel
  • replies: 2

I don't quite know whats going on lately, so often I feel completely exhausted as soon as I wake and so irritable over the silliest things, although valerian helps a bit with that occasionlly I have mild anxiety nothing too severe I can carry on and ... View more

I don't quite know whats going on lately, so often I feel completely exhausted as soon as I wake and so irritable over the silliest things, although valerian helps a bit with that occasionlly I have mild anxiety nothing too severe I can carry on and get past it but I have this overwhelming feeling about everything coming up, a holiday, my wedding and honeymoon even this morning thinking about dinner was too much any advice on who to see and what to do? I've tried talking to GPs but I find the language barrier hard at times

gaz88 Anxiety/OCD
  • replies: 4

I am originally from Scotland. I have always been a worrier, even from a young age I would worry about things that are not that important. I played soccer, which while I was good at it I would get unbelievable nerves before games. I was relatively co... View more

I am originally from Scotland. I have always been a worrier, even from a young age I would worry about things that are not that important. I played soccer, which while I was good at it I would get unbelievable nerves before games. I was relatively confident until high school where I became extremely shy and quiet but always had friends. I went through a period of blushing easily and wouldn't go out often and never had a girlfriend. To make things worse I began to lose my hair to male pattern baldness which made me extremely self conscious although at this stage I was becoming a little more confident at around 17. the hair really became my main worry. I often would look and play with it in the mirror for hours and wear caps or sometimes get so annoyed I wouldn't go out. I work in construction so this isn't a problem at work. This I believe is OCD. I have also really been careful with money perhaps more than I should. Saving, worrying about future events that may not happen perhaps missing out a little on life for a couple of years. I moved to Australia in 2013 and have been lucky with work. I am currently working in a fifo job making good money and I take regular holiday s to Thailand. When I don't however I stay in a hostel and can feel a little lonely and cannot muster much energy to do anything. In 2014 i had a hair transplant which has boosted my self esteem a little. Although I still am quite vain. I still have bouts of what if this happens, or what if that happens. I want to just live for the day not constantly worry. I attempted a self diagnosis online and the one that seemed to fit with a lot of my feelings is generalized anxiety disorder. I feel now I have to do something to help me feel more relaxed about life. At 26, it's a good time to go about it. I'm looking for opinions from other people on here. Thanks.

mel23 do other people have these symptoms
  • replies: 3

i have anxiety and i am on mediation aswell as seeing someone sometimes it works and other times i struggle to cope . i dont tend to get chest or heart problems but i do get extremly tired and dizzy,weakness and tingling in my limbs which i know are ... View more

i have anxiety and i am on mediation aswell as seeing someone sometimes it works and other times i struggle to cope . i dont tend to get chest or heart problems but i do get extremly tired and dizzy,weakness and tingling in my limbs which i know are fairly common symptoms but some regular ones i get which i dont much here about is having great difficulty concertating and very clumsy i know everyone is different but do other people get these symptoms