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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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This_is_my_alias Why do I need to control?
  • replies: 3

To cut a long story short, diagnosed with depression and anxiety issues in January. Have been given AD's which helped for a while, I stopped taking them, got worse again, and have been back on them for 1.5 weeks. Not long enough for them to kick in p... View more

To cut a long story short, diagnosed with depression and anxiety issues in January. Have been given AD's which helped for a while, I stopped taking them, got worse again, and have been back on them for 1.5 weeks. Not long enough for them to kick in perhaps, but at least I'm back on them. Have been seeing a psych for the last couple of months - but stopped for a month as I was overseas, and have just had one appointment since. I like talking to her (I don't like breaking down in front of her), but I can't feel myself getting better. Am I expecting too much? She recognises how I talk negatively. She recognises my need to be in total control of everything. What I can't control makes me anxious - and let's face it, that's most things in life. She tells me to practice being mindful, but I just can't see the thoughts to let them drift away. I work in an office. It's not high pressure - there's pressure, but it's bearable. Or should be. I wake each weekday morning with a sense of gloom, despair and sometimes panic. How can I make it through the day? I have no concentration. I start something, and then 5 minutes later, my mind is wondering, and I feel like I can't cope again. I don't feel like being social to people around me. I dread the thought of somebody coming up and talking to me, because I don't feel like carrying out a conversation - I don't think I can do it. I've applied to reduce my working hours to about 5 hours each day, but wonder whether that is really the answer, or just something I have convinced myself will make the work hours bearable, and then I start stressing about how I can reduce our family living expenses to make up for the lost wages. So starts another round of anxiety, which leads to depression about this whole big black hole I'm living in. I can't laugh, I don't smile - there's just nothing amusing in the world. Fortunately, things aren't so bad for me, that I'm having really bad thoughts. I have the unconditional love of my family, which keeps me going through these bad times. But my moods are impacting on them, and I don't like it. Is there any hope, or am I so screwed up, that I am going to be like this for the rest of my life?

Chloekat84 Not having the best day today. Anxiety and depression hit me hard
  • replies: 10

Hello guys i just need to vent. I havent had a good day today which i dont know why as nothing has been out of the usual. I had a joint appointment with my cafhs nurses concerning my health and where to go from here here so slowly making progess, I s... View more

Hello guys i just need to vent. I havent had a good day today which i dont know why as nothing has been out of the usual. I had a joint appointment with my cafhs nurses concerning my health and where to go from here here so slowly making progess, I see my doctor 2moro and i still havent heard from my psychiatrist. Im sick of waiting while i sit and wollow in self pity and just want to go into bed and not come out. It was also hard to not try to cry today as i was talking as well. Really not feeling myself today. Please just make this horrible adrenaline and depressed feeling go away! sorry to be so depressing guys just need to let it out

AboveGreen I can still feel the tendrils of panic and fear when I'm in public
  • replies: 1

I recently moved to the USA for school and work purposes. I've been dealing with social anxiety and depression since my early teens and have tried and been prescribed several different medications that either didn't work or became habit forming. I've... View more

I recently moved to the USA for school and work purposes. I've been dealing with social anxiety and depression since my early teens and have tried and been prescribed several different medications that either didn't work or became habit forming. I've been trying to use meditation, diet, and Taiji to help bring down my anxiety and depression levels and this has helped somewhat but at times I can still feel the tendrils of panic and fear when I'm in public, especially being so far from family and friends.

Charlie04_ Performance anxiety in teenagers
  • replies: 1

Does anyone have any experience or worthwhile contacts regarding managing this in teenagers? Particularly related to school attendance.

Does anyone have any experience or worthwhile contacts regarding managing this in teenagers? Particularly related to school attendance.

Lori32 New to Beyondblue
  • replies: 7

Hi there! Just wanted to say hello to everyone and also have a bit of a vent ! I have suffered from panic disorder with agoraphobia for over 15 years Im having a bad day today not being able to control my thoughts and in turn is making me very anxiou... View more

Hi there! Just wanted to say hello to everyone and also have a bit of a vent ! I have suffered from panic disorder with agoraphobia for over 15 years Im having a bad day today not being able to control my thoughts and in turn is making me very anxious! I have read so many times that the way to beat this nightmare is to 'accept' and not fear it. Has anyone been able to do this? I thought I was accepting it but I think I hate it so much being this way that I don't really accept it at all. And also how can you not fear something that makes you feel so horrible?! Well anyway I'm trying take deep breaths and get through today! Hope you guys are doing well

JJRX2 Morning anxiety. Help please!
  • replies: 7

Hello, I'm a 31 year old mum of 4 and currently having some trouble with anxiety and what I think is some sort of depression. It's the first time I've ever felt like this and I feel so down and disconnected from my children, husband and the world. I ... View more

Hello, I'm a 31 year old mum of 4 and currently having some trouble with anxiety and what I think is some sort of depression. It's the first time I've ever felt like this and I feel so down and disconnected from my children, husband and the world. I have been to see a GP who told me to contact Anglicare and arrange to see a Counselor. My appointment with them isn't until Friday and while I wait I'm having some major problems with sleep. I am very tired and fall asleep quite early most nights. I then find I'm awake from 3am and have extreme anxiety and do not go back to sleep. I simply lay in bed very panicked and think very negative thoughts about life until I have to force myself to get up for my children. I then drag myself around until my mood lifts a little some time after lunch. I was really hoping to get a little advice to help me get through the night. It's a horrible feeling and really can't handle feeling so down. I have tried going for walks and also tried some breathing techniques but nothing is making me feel any better. I just want to feel happy again, happy about life, happy about the future.

dorothy cant get you outta my head
  • replies: 7

Hi all Started medication day 2 today took 2days off sick leave have to return back tomorrow feeling anxious++ spaced out a little still not sleeping. All that keeps repeating in my head; what if I freak out, what if I have panic attacks what if I ge... View more

Hi all Started medication day 2 today took 2days off sick leave have to return back tomorrow feeling anxious++ spaced out a little still not sleeping. All that keeps repeating in my head; what if I freak out, what if I have panic attacks what if I get dizzy, how the hell am I going to cope and hide how I am feeling. I know it's the anxiety speaking and I try so hard not to think negative thoughts but its just like that song. I know it's only early days restarting my meds I just feel so alone and frightened. I honestly don't know what is worse my depression or anxiety.

Lookingforpeace How do I control my panic??
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone this is similar to a previous post of mine. last time I was talking about how pulling over to pick up a lost dog and return it to it's owner left me in an anxious mess for the rest of the week. would you believe it has happened again !! A... View more

Hi everyone this is similar to a previous post of mine. last time I was talking about how pulling over to pick up a lost dog and return it to it's owner left me in an anxious mess for the rest of the week. would you believe it has happened again !! Again I saw a dog running down the side of a busy road and out of a whole line of traffic not one person stopped but me. I managed to catch the dog and return it to it's owner. (I think I must be a lost dog magnet!!) Again I can't stop thinking about what if I wasn't there, what if it got hit by a car, what if what if... and to make matters worse, I just found out my brother was in a serious car accident and his cars written off. He is ok thankfully but I am a total mess. I keep thinking about how one day u could be totally fine and the next day, minute, second... Ur whole life can be turned upside down. This scares me. ontop of this I'm dealing with a bully at work and just feeling so deflated, anxious, demotivated, tired. Any words of comfort or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

pizzaking Evil Thoughts
  • replies: 2

I have many anxiety attacks, and since I've been getting them, I have been having very evil thoughts in my head. I want to be a good person, and I know I am, it's just that I want these thoughts to go away. I don't want to be a bad person. I'm just w... View more

I have many anxiety attacks, and since I've been getting them, I have been having very evil thoughts in my head. I want to be a good person, and I know I am, it's just that I want these thoughts to go away. I don't want to be a bad person. I'm just worried about not getting help, and letting these thoughts control me. The thoughts that I have are very, very bad. Sometimes they scare me. Most of the time they are about heinous doings and Satan. I am seeing a psychologist's, but I am afraid to open up to them. What should I do?

Lookingforpeace Anxious about things that haven't happened
  • replies: 4

Hi all I'm new to this forum and looking for some short-term relief before I seek professional help. I have an over-active imagination and coupled with my anxiety, I tend to imagine horrible things that haven't/may never happen. For example, the othe... View more

Hi all I'm new to this forum and looking for some short-term relief before I seek professional help. I have an over-active imagination and coupled with my anxiety, I tend to imagine horrible things that haven't/may never happen. For example, the other day I was driving on a busy road, there was a bus coming in the opposite lane and a dog ran across the road. Me and the bus both missed the dog (not really that close) and I subsequently pulled over, chased the dog down and then called the owner to come and collect him. Despite knowing that the dog was safe, I could not stop thinking about it for the next two days. What if I had hit it? I could never live with that. What if I had seen it get hit? I would never get that image out of my mind. What if I wasn't there at the right time/place, would someone else have pulled over? And it just goes on and on and on. This is just one example, but I'm like that with everything. I make sure all major electrical items are off before I leave the house because what if one of them sparks causing a fire. What if I accidentally lock myself in a room at home and would have to wait hours for someone to find me? It would be funny if it wasn't so disruptive to my life/mental health. Inevitably, these anxious thoughts always lead to what I call a "depression hangover". It's a vicious cycle. Can anyone relate and how do you deal with it?