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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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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.

E123 Severe Anxiety after a night out drinking alcohol
  • replies: 4

Hey guys I'm having a lot of trouble with anxiety after a weekend of binge drinking. I know I shouldn't have done it but I have and now I'm finding it really hard to cope. I keep thinking that everyone hates me, I have no friends, over thinking every... View more

Hey guys I'm having a lot of trouble with anxiety after a weekend of binge drinking. I know I shouldn't have done it but I have and now I'm finding it really hard to cope. I keep thinking that everyone hates me, I have no friends, over thinking everything and my partner isn't talking to me which is making things so much worse. Someone please help me get through this tough time. My mind is killing me.

tulpa Adults with imaginary friends/worlds?
  • replies: 5

I've been suffering anxiety and depression a long time, have had several trips to the psych ward. This is going to sound a little weird but I've always been a heavy daydreamer, imagining fantasy worlds and far off planets recently I looked into it it... View more

I've been suffering anxiety and depression a long time, have had several trips to the psych ward. This is going to sound a little weird but I've always been a heavy daydreamer, imagining fantasy worlds and far off planets recently I looked into it it could be called a paracosm or even maladaptive daydreaming, at any rate I read further and something called a tulpa can be created which is a fancy way of saying imaginary friend I'm thinking of going for it I only have 1 or 2 friends in the real world. I just hope this won't cause me to shut off further. Haven't told my doctor about this one either.

alifelivedalone Hi! Trying to sort my life out
  • replies: 8

Hi everybody, I'm a 27 year old girl who was diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression a year ago, after it got so bad I was just desperate for it to stop so I finally went to the doctor, I've not being prescribed any meds and if I'm being honest I ... View more

Hi everybody, I'm a 27 year old girl who was diagnosed with anxiety and mild depression a year ago, after it got so bad I was just desperate for it to stop so I finally went to the doctor, I've not being prescribed any meds and if I'm being honest I don't think I've gotten much better either. I've been seeing my therapist as recommended but I feel the same as I always did. I'm from a rural background so I've just worked on the farm and never really had any outside friends or activities, but my dad died 7 years ago and although me and my mum tried to keep the farm going we just couldn't do all the work, so late last year we sold. Now I'm friendless, boyfriend-less, hobby-less and educational-less and not very happy as you can imagine I want more from my life. I've travelled a bit with my mum and I'd love to continue but I'm too sacred to go alone. I dropped out of school in year 8 due to bulling and, what I thought at the time, a reliable future in agriculture. I'm now trying to go back to school, which as I'm sure you can imagine is a huge deal, I started last week in a year 12 program but I'm concerned with my lack of education I'll fail. I feel sick and shaky before every class and I have weird nightmares over it too. I've never even written an essay and my math is pretty bad and I have no idea about note taking! I don't want to fail.....I tend to want to quit before then which means I never get anywhere! My ultimate goal is University but at the moment I just feel like maybe it's too late for all that? I don't know. Anyway I'm hoping I can find some kindred sprints and support on this board Vanessa

askignquestions My story and need suggestions
  • replies: 11

I'm new to Australia. I moved here from the US in October to do my PhD. I've had social anxiety forever (selective mutism as a kid and just anxiety forever) but it was under control. I had a month of meds when I got here, but there were issues gettin... View more

I'm new to Australia. I moved here from the US in October to do my PhD. I've had social anxiety forever (selective mutism as a kid and just anxiety forever) but it was under control. I had a month of meds when I got here, but there were issues getting a doctors appointment and ran out of meds. So my anxiety went through the roof and it started getting hard to even think- my mind would just go blank and I would sit at my desk for hours. A professor helped me find Community Mental Health and take a month off work. My anxiety went down and I went back to work. I could feel my anxiety rising again, first to panic attacks then to going blank and not being able to read. And thats where I am now. I see the doctor weekly and we are playing with meds to prevent going blank while at the same time making it possible to interact with people. But I dont know. The Acute Care Team is calling me a few times a week, so I have them to talk to, but I feel so alone. My friends don't know anything, only a couple supervisors know a bit. I just dont know what to do. Lately its been real hard at night- I want to disappear. I dont want the day to come and I dont want to even fall asleep. When I walk past a mirror all I can think is how big I am. I just feel so messed up. I dont even know what to call any of this. I just need friends and I dont know how to make them with my anxiety. I retreat into myself all day. But when I do that I start to have conversations in my head, playing out different scenarios. My mind never stops, unless I go blank. And when that happens it gets hard to talk or move sometimes. I dont know what to do. One doctor suggested moving back home, but I want to do my PhD. But if I can't think or read anymore, how can I? beyondblue's clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636

Thejig Lifetime of anxiety
  • replies: 7

All my life I have suffered anxiety in silence. as a child in school I would try to hide in the back do that I wouldn't have to ever present or answer questions, I would complete my work very slowly so that the teacher would forgot to check my work a... View more

All my life I have suffered anxiety in silence. as a child in school I would try to hide in the back do that I wouldn't have to ever present or answer questions, I would complete my work very slowly so that the teacher would forgot to check my work and would move onto the next task. I made my parents pull me out of dancing before the end of year concerts because I convinced them I hates it but the truth is I couldn't be Infront of a crowd, I am nervous of being watched and analysed and making a mistake or not being accepted. throughout high school was similar to my experience of primary school I never participated in anything because I thought I was not good enough, I would make a mistake or make a fool of myself . i have finished uni and am now a registered nurse. Uni was also another time where people mistook my lack of involvement for being uninterested and having no initiative. In my work experince I was always too affraid to give reports, or to handle a set of my patients on my own because I think I don't have the ability abd I'm so scared of making mistakes. I have spent 18 months applying for jobs, scheduling interview times but I never attend the interview. I have applied for hundreds of jobs and probably had scheduled over 120 interviews. I attended the first interview 18 months ago and it was a horrible experience ever since then the time leading up to interview is filled with anxiety. I don't sleep, spend my time driving to the interview and talking myself out of it by the time I get to the interview I've worked myself up so bad I am too scared and anxious to go in. I am scared I can't answer the question, in scared I'll make a fool if myself and be embarrassed. I'm scared they won't like me. That is just one component of my anxiety. I also find it hard to talk to guys. I met a man that I really like 2 years ago we were both working in the same hospital. He kept wanting to meet up with me but I couldn't do it. I would cancel on him minutes before I was due to meet him. I was worried we wouldn't have anything to talk about, or that he would think I'm a bad kisser or he won't like me. It sends me into anxiety and I tell myself I physically can't do it. I cancelled on him about 8 times in 12 months. I eventually worked up the courage to meet him somehow, I still don't know how I did it! I just want to live a normal life where I am confident and I can go about my day like everyone else without worrying about everything

ExtremelyAnxious2015 Incessant fear of world events and impact on my children
  • replies: 11

Hi there, I am new to this forum so I apologise if this has already been covered by someone else. I have a beautiful 6 year old daughter and am currently 5 months pregnant with my second. Over the years I have battled anxiety but right now I feel lik... View more

Hi there, I am new to this forum so I apologise if this has already been covered by someone else. I have a beautiful 6 year old daughter and am currently 5 months pregnant with my second. Over the years I have battled anxiety but right now I feel like it is the worst it has ever been. It started with an innocent enough post on facebook about Nostradamus and his prophecies on WW3. I have never read about N before nor would I typically believe in 'seers' as such. But this lead me to think about current events, ISIL, Russian and US tensions, Israel & Palestine, global warming etc. To me, in my current irrational mind, WW3 isn't such a silly prospect at the moment. I am constantly worried about something bad happening to my daughter and my expectant child. I think of the most horrible scenarios. It causes me to break down at least 2-3 times a day. I know I cannot control world events and I know that I should only focus on those things that I can control. But with all the uncertainty in the world I don't feel as though my fears are unfounded. I am really scared for my children and not being able to protect them. I know pregnancy hormones and all that fun stuff, can cause anxiety and irrational thoughts but I don't ever remember it being this bad. It's effecting my work, my relationship, my life. I could really use some perspective and some help. I appreciate any advice. Thank you so much.

JimmyB Terrified of going overseas, but I'm married to a foreigner...
  • replies: 1

Hi, I'm 25 and have been married for less than a year, and my wife is Vietnamese. We love each other and have a fantastic relationship, I've never been happier in this respect (in fact I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would end up with suc... View more

Hi, I'm 25 and have been married for less than a year, and my wife is Vietnamese. We love each other and have a fantastic relationship, I've never been happier in this respect (in fact I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would end up with such an amazing girl). I've never left Australia however, she has been here for 4 years at uni and that's how I met her. We leave in 2 days to go to Vietnam to meet her family and spend 2 weeks there during the Chinese NY period. The trip has me stressed to the eyeballs, the anxiety is so bad i'm extremely agitated and jumpy, I have this sense of impending doom (like I'm due to go to prison tomorrow) and I kind of feel like my life is coming to an end. I'm not in any way afraid of flying, I used to be in the Air Force! I've simply never had any interest in travel and since I've had to travel to so much of Australia so often for my jobs I've always pictured airports and suitcases as just a hassle. Travel is chaos and I just can't understand why anyone would seek it out and pay good money for it unless it's totally unavoidable or work related. In addition to this I will be meeting my parents-in-law for the first time.. and we don't share a language. My wife speaks fluent English of course and will be there to translate, but I honestly don't now how I'll in anyway meaningfully communicate with them or how they'll possibly get to know me. It's not like you have a casual conversation through a translator. I'll be living in their house for 2 whole weeks, and there will be a day when they will have 20+ relatives visiting for the holiday, I doubt I'll be able to speak to many of them. I guess the main thing is I'm highly unlikely to have any idea what they really think of me. I've also just started a small business this year, and leaving my store in the hands of a friend of 14 days while I'm away is an extremely stressful thought. I've never been so anxious about something, getting married was way less intimidating than this. Practicing engine failures in a helicopter is less intimidating than this. My main worry at this point is that I won't cope well with having no comfort zone, I'll go quiet, get depressed, more and more agitated, and after a day or 2 I'll be really unpleasant to be around. I don't want to spoil my wife's first trip home in a year or have my new family think I'm horrible to be around. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

HelenM FEAR - any advice please?
  • replies: 20

For many years I have been dealing with depression and anxiety. The first bout 13 years ago was traumatic. For the third time in 6 months an overwhelming fear of going back there has come to me, despite my depression being very mild. This time it's m... View more

For many years I have been dealing with depression and anxiety. The first bout 13 years ago was traumatic. For the third time in 6 months an overwhelming fear of going back there has come to me, despite my depression being very mild. This time it's much worse owing to a return of a particular symptom. I am having major problems with my sleep. Not sleeping I can cope with but I'm having highly distressing symptoms of anxiety - palpitations and a lurching of my stomach (really horrible) as I'm dropping off, and so waking me up. Eventually, back then, I found I didn't want to sleep because of the symptoms. The high alert my mind is on stops sleeping tablets working.I have been working on my breathing. I keep reminding myself that I was very ill then and although this is happening it is only one part of that episode. My fear seems to override these things. All those years ago the problem went as soon as I began to respond to anti depressants. So I have to live with this. Two very good friends assure me that the fear that sneaked in for no reason will go again as I continue to get on with my life, which I can manage even with very poor sleep. I don't think I've levelled out with my sleeping problem yet and I wonder if that is making my fear worse.I go to see my gp on Tues. This is 99% association is it not? In Scotland it's dark and wet. It was the same time then that these symptoms were worst. I wonder if it would be just as bad if it were Summer. Perhaps everyone has their own demons in their illness and I guess we're all different. This is one of mine. I don't think there are any answers on this but if anyone could advise me as a way I could see this without getting so scared I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, Helen

Nelly88 Anxiety is pushing my partner away
  • replies: 4

Hi there, okay here goes, I am in a wonderful relationship, now engaged to my fiancé, he love and supports me and my daughter. I couldn't have asked for a more caring man. My issues of past a certain past relationship have made me completely undatabl... View more

Hi there, okay here goes, I am in a wonderful relationship, now engaged to my fiancé, he love and supports me and my daughter. I couldn't have asked for a more caring man. My issues of past a certain past relationship have made me completely undatable until I met DF. That it was all going well until I moved my whole life to a new town. Where I don't know anyone. But I did it because I love him very much. Okay so I guess right now my issue is I don't trust him, well I do deep down bit my anxiety likes to play scenarios of him cheating in my head, i get obsessed and go through his phone constantly, check his clothes his car, my anxiety consumes me and I go on a frenzy that I can not control or stop, until we have a fight and he calls me crazy. At first I never had any issues or worries but now they are taking control, these frenzies need to stop, they get me worked up and I feel sickened at how far I go to prove my own imagination. Sorry mite be a bit long, but i have no one to talk to.

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