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Anxiety

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Chris_B Forums etiquette: give support to receive support
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newb... View more

Hi everyone, particularly any new members who may be reading. From time to time, we get contacted by members who are unhappy that they haven’t received a lot of replies to their posts. Our community champions work very hard to make sure that all newbies are welcomed when they first post, and we understand that it’s a big step to post for the first time on a forum like this, especially if you aren’t feeling great. It’s important to remember, though, that these forums are a community of real people, just like you, not a one-on-one support environment like going to see your psychologist. To get the best out of being here, one of the best tips we can offer is give support to receive support. Being a good community member means: participating in different threads (not just your own), replying to people who have taken the time to reply to you (even if it’s just to say thank you), and... posting words of emotional support and encouragement when you see others who are hurting and reaching out. You don’t have to feel obliged to solve the problems of others: that’s not what we’re here for. But you can offer empathy and what you’ve learned from your own life experiences, even if it’s just a line or two, eg. “I don't know what to say, but I want to give you my support and tell you I care about what is happening to you and hope life will get better soon.” Try to develop an interest in the journeys of others here on the forums. You may be surprised at how good being an active, caring member here can make you feel. For those of you who have had good experiences giving support here on the forums, please post in this thread here and let us know how it has helped you on your journey.

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Nova Possible Anxiety?
  • replies: 1

I hope this is the right place to post this. Well, over the passed two years I have been experiencing some increasing troubles with self esteem and worries. It was all relatively manageable and probably normal until recently. Last year I started noti... View more

I hope this is the right place to post this. Well, over the passed two years I have been experiencing some increasing troubles with self esteem and worries. It was all relatively manageable and probably normal until recently. Last year I started noticing that I was making mistakes and rather than thinking about doing better next time, it would just stay on my mind and plague me for months. Then some things happened and now I can't stop feeling like something is going wrong, that I'm forgetting something and that I'm going to get in trouble and something bad will happen because of it. I never really thought about getting help or there being a way to help until about two weeks ago. I was in exam block, I had studied for everything because I knew I would freak out if I didn't know something. I walked into the exam and I started shaking, I don't even know why. I could only stare at the page and I felt like it was in another language, I tried to answer the questions but I couldn't do it, I left about half of it blank and walked out early. I knew how to do everything but in that room it was like I couldn't breath and I just wanted to cry or break down. I tried telling my dad that I thought I would fail my exams but couldn't quite say it. I'm never scared of my family before last year, but now every time I see them I flinch and I keep thinking they are going to yell at me or hit me even when I can't think of anything I've done wrong. I can't look at mirrors or outside windows anymore because I feel like something is there watching me and I'm terrified. I tell myself not to look and see nothing there but for some reason I convince myself that there was something and I just run from place to place because I think they're going to catch me. I can't go out with people anymore because it feels like everyone is watching me and hating what they see. I feel like everyone hates me and I'm just annoying them. I probably haven't written this out correctly and it probably doesn't make any sense, but any advice on what to do would be incredibly helpful because I don't know what to do.

Guest_3712 wrong place, wrong time
  • replies: 16

hey friends, so confused just posted on anxiety forum should have been here, but then again I am now so anxious that I did it wrong............. having a bad day, week, month need to see psych but too embarrassed to go such a loser, can't even achiev... View more

hey friends, so confused just posted on anxiety forum should have been here, but then again I am now so anxious that I did it wrong............. having a bad day, week, month need to see psych but too embarrassed to go such a loser, can't even achieve the goals we set last time, and then make matters worse with new anxiety trait trying to breathe it's a beautiful day here but my mood makes it cloudy and dull Stressless

Nat345 My anxiety is getting worse - overthinking
  • replies: 3

Hello I will try not to waffle on with my story and boar you so here goes. me and my boyfriend have been going out for the the past two and a bit years, now our relationship has been wonderful, he is a loving caring boyfriend. But like any of us he h... View more

Hello I will try not to waffle on with my story and boar you so here goes. me and my boyfriend have been going out for the the past two and a bit years, now our relationship has been wonderful, he is a loving caring boyfriend. But like any of us he has his faults , but most challenging sometimes is our age difference, there is an 8 year age gap, me being the older one 33 female and my partner 25 male . Always tell my self that sometimes that it is our age and emotional maturity that makes us differ in opinions and the way we see things. But but lately he has been going on about living abroad in Germany. Now we have talked about this before, but being young he is very spontaneous and wants to go next year . Now I want to and and would love to go next year for about 6mnths but There are several things that worry me. money him leaving with out me not managing in a foreign country not having a job go back to i have tried to talk out a plan with him, but every time we talk about it, he either dose not know what his plan is or if he is even going, and he gets frustrated when I get upset . I get very upset and anxious and we get into huge fights sometimes because of it. He can't understand why I get so upset over something that is ( to him, so far away). But being a woman and having anxiety I tend to plan and overthink everything. but these thoughts tend to spiral out of control sometimes with suicidal and self harm tendencies. Mind you that is only on really bad days. Sometimes I get so upset with him because of his lack of compassion and empathy I don't even want to talk to him. I have even said that if he goes with out me, I won't be here when he comes back. Which really kills me, because I love him. We have talked about a plan were I would join him a few months after he goes, but then the negative thoughts start again, " can I live with out him for a Cretan period of time?" "what if he meets another woman?" " what if he has an accident?" " what If he dose not want to come back?" Omg these thoughts make me Feel sick!. I am getting to the point were I don't even know where we are heading anymore. My thoughts are killing me and, I am sick of being the one who is the crying mess every time we talk about it. Sometimes I wish I could jump into his head and make him understand what I am feeling. I really don't know what to do HELP!!, if anyone has any positive feed back. Thank you for taking the time to read my story Natalie

Guest_3712 really low
  • replies: 1

hey guys, feeling very low over the weekend, and really had to drag myself out of bed to take my dog for her walk this morning. I am supposed to see my psych today, but I just don't think I can do it. I am ashamed I have not been able to achieve any ... View more

hey guys, feeling very low over the weekend, and really had to drag myself out of bed to take my dog for her walk this morning. I am supposed to see my psych today, but I just don't think I can do it. I am ashamed I have not been able to achieve any of the goals we set and worse still I feel incredibly ugly with my latest anxiety trait. I desperately need approval and validation and without it I feel useless and a loser. sorry to be a doom and gloom gal today Stressless

Hadlee Anxiety overwhelming
  • replies: 8

Hi All I am struggling terribly with this latest bout of anxiety. I have had anxiety before, but this time is worse than any other, and I believe I am dealing with social anxiety now. It's been so bad in the last couple of days that all I want to do ... View more

Hi All I am struggling terribly with this latest bout of anxiety. I have had anxiety before, but this time is worse than any other, and I believe I am dealing with social anxiety now. It's been so bad in the last couple of days that all I want to do is end the pain. The trigger was caused by a senior manager at work ripping into me for something she deemed I did wrong in a meeting last week. There is another meeting scheduled next week and I am petrified. I feel like an idiot and am afraid I will freeze when asked a question. My stomach won't stop churning and I constantly feel sick. Haven't been able to sleep properly and I scared myself on Friday night with having dark suicidal thoughts (I have calmed that down now). It's horrible as all I fear is doom - can't seem to find any positive right now

Guest_3712 "stop this ride I want to get off"
  • replies: 12

Hi guys, I think this is the first time I have posted on this forum as I usually post on the depression forum. I wish I could say it's because my depression is better, ( wrong) but at the moment , actually for a while now I find I am incredibly anxio... View more

Hi guys, I think this is the first time I have posted on this forum as I usually post on the depression forum. I wish I could say it's because my depression is better, ( wrong) but at the moment , actually for a while now I find I am incredibly anxious and somewhat out of control. My behaviours have become obsessive. As I alluded to in one of my earlier posts I had started drinking to excess, while still taking anti anxiety meds. My psych had me keep a diary of how much I was drinking, and if I could pin point triggers. Well I've stopped that because I wasn't improving, and worse still I am now obsessive with other things. The first one being posting on BB! After a fairly long silence , where I read the posts but didn't reply, I feel the need to reach out as much as I can to you my friends. I am losing a grip on my own behaviours so I need to feel valued and useful. Please don't doubt my sincerity , but I know it sounds selfish - wow I am truly losing it. I feel overwhelmed by all the new people on the sites and distressed that I can't reply to every one, but as I already feel quiet manic I wouldn't be really helping. Guys I need some input here. Can someone tell me what I need to do. I feel angry, and confrontational blaming everyone and everything ( see post on suicidal forum) I am also engaging in some mild but disturbing self harm- habitual and non life threatening but obviously anxiety derived. You have no idea how quick I am typing this. I have jammed so much already into my day, walk dog, shopping, pay bills, housework and I go to work in an hour- Crazy I know. I want to yell, "Stop this ride I want to get off" Ok must get ready - I am exhausted and really hope I don't get any difficult customers- for their sake! Thanks Stressless

bb1988 I Need Some Advice.
  • replies: 3

Hello all, I just wanted to start a thread to talk about my own personal dealings with anxiety and ask some questions. Firstly, I have been looking at this forum and so many people seem to have figured out exactly what kind of anxiety they have but f... View more

Hello all, I just wanted to start a thread to talk about my own personal dealings with anxiety and ask some questions. Firstly, I have been looking at this forum and so many people seem to have figured out exactly what kind of anxiety they have but for me, it seems to be all over the place. I cannot pinpoint a time, place or activity that provokes anxious thoughts for me. My anxiety seems to appear out of the blue but it is becoming more and more prevalent in my life. Also, for me, it does not have many physical attributes like tight chest, sweating etc...it feels like it's literally all in my head. Thoughts racing around, inability to focus on the logical/positive side of things. I guess my biggest concern is that my anxiety seems to come from nowhere and be about nothing, if that makes sense. Either that or it's about different things every time - one time it could be money, another time I am panicking because my friend hasn't texted me back (sounds so silly, I know!). I have tried meditating, exercising - and they do help short term but my mind seems to take over soon afterwards and I am back to square one. I am 25yrs old, male and gay. I do feel that I have some issues with my sexuality that have not been dealt with but I don't believe that is the real issue here. As much as I was bullied (like most gay teenagers)...and this MAY have had a longlasting effect, I truly don't know if that's it. My family is accepting of me and we (for the most part) have a good relationship. I do get extreme anxiety with anything to do with medical issues - particularly when it comes to sexual health. I have read that fear of diagnosis of medical issues can be a trigger for anxiety and I definitely suffer from this. I guess as a gay man, there are always higher risks of sexually transmitted diseases etc and this causes me a lot of stress (even though I always practice safe sex....!!) But i guess that's the definition of anxiety, because I know everything should be fine but I will convince myself it isn't. Besides that, I study which actually doesn't seem to cause too much stress, and work a part time job which causes me no stress or anxiety at all. So basically I am just looking for some advice...I don't even know what about...and that is the problem. I cannot put into words how I feel but I know it's anxiety because I tick every symptoms box (except most of the physical). Any other stories similar to mine or advice would be helpful and I would like to continue the discussion. THANK YOU.

BFG What is going on with me ?
  • replies: 4

Everything just seems to be hitting me all at once this year, over the last 3 months i have had some major issues in my life, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer in January, apon returning home they day she come home from hospital i came home to... View more

Everything just seems to be hitting me all at once this year, over the last 3 months i have had some major issues in my life, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer in January, apon returning home they day she come home from hospital i came home to find the roof in my room had collapsed which destroyed some of my personal effects that i needed for my first day of uni which was in a week, they roof has since been fixed and uni is going ok, but the worst occurred when on saturday afternoon good friend of mine suddenly passed away.It just seems like my life has just turned into this snow ball that is slowly rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger, i started displaying some symptoms of anxiety about a week ago, i noticed there were points in the day where my breathing would become uncontrollable and my heart would start racing, the chest pains would kick in for a few minutes but then i was ok. I tried to convince myself that it was something i was doing, maybe it was the coffee in the morning i was having, the amount of sugar or soft drinks in my diet, i began to cut them out over the course of the night, but the worse was yet to come. After visting the family of friend who had passed away for the second night in a row, after being there for an hour or 2 i began to get those feelings again, breathing heavily, chest tightening, heart racing so i went outside to get some air. Then my mum came out to check on me and she said "Whats wrong, you haven't been yourself lately" and then i just let it all out, i broke down in tears, i kept saying why does this all have to happen at once, and why does this always happen to us. My mum thought i might be suffering from anxiety and so did my dad who had previously had a bout of depression many years ago.I made the first step today, i got in contact with beyond blue over the phone, it was a fantastic feeling to get the ball rolling, but i know its going to take a while. My question to the people on the forum is, What are some things that helped or are helping you while suffering with anxiety especially when it comes to the area of sleeping at night, and dealing with panic attacks ?Thanks Guys xoxo

Nervous_Girl Anyone anxious about their anxiety?
  • replies: 7

This probably sounds like a weird question, but do many people worry mostly about the fact that we have anxiety? I am totally consumed with it. I have suffered with GAD for over 10 years now and there is not a day that goes by where i don't constantl... View more

This probably sounds like a weird question, but do many people worry mostly about the fact that we have anxiety? I am totally consumed with it. I have suffered with GAD for over 10 years now and there is not a day that goes by where i don't constantly worry about how i feel, why do i feel like this? Am i getting worse? Is it normal to be worried about certain things or is it my GAD. I am constantly questioning myself and exhausting myself worrying about whether i am feeling normal on any particular day. If anyone has found a way to get past it i would love to hear some ideas.

Sam_ First mental health check...
  • replies: 1

Ok so I just made an appointment to see a doctor for a mental health check on Monday and I couldn't choose my usual doctor because I'd have to wait at least a week to see her. I've never seen another doctor before and who I normally see knows my fami... View more

Ok so I just made an appointment to see a doctor for a mental health check on Monday and I couldn't choose my usual doctor because I'd have to wait at least a week to see her. I've never seen another doctor before and who I normally see knows my family and history, was it a bad choice to see someone else? What questions should I expect? because I don't like to go into something that I have no idea of and I have started to write down some issues that I have on a piece of paper. Will I have to do the test where I check the boxes? I don't think they're very accurate since I answer them according to how I am feeling at the time. Since he doesn't know me will I have to explain everything to him? i.e. family history. Any other advice would be really helpful.