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
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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. Remeber, this is anonymous and the Beyond Blue team are here to help if you need it This section is for people who are experiencing anixiety 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 you 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 worthile 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

All discussions

kaniva sleeplessness
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Another sleeplessness night worrying about all the things I have done wrong and all the things I have to remember to do. I am new to BB and am not sure what to expect. I exist day to day hiding my anxiety from my family. I don’t have to hide it from ... View more

Another sleeplessness night worrying about all the things I have done wrong and all the things I have to remember to do. I am new to BB and am not sure what to expect. I exist day to day hiding my anxiety from my family. I don’t have to hide it from my friends because I don’t have any. I volunteer at a day respite centre 2 days a week and am trying to find a job in this industry. I manage to hide by doing the absolute necessary things and that’s all. I am lost and don’t know how to get out of the labyrinth of my mind.

Steph Anxiety/depression stemming from parenting...or lack of
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The other day I had a lightbulb moment and thought I would write in my journal about my life, starting from when I was a baby. I thought of doing this because I wanted to see where my anxiety and depression stemmed from....all I can say is wow....I d... View more

The other day I had a lightbulb moment and thought I would write in my journal about my life, starting from when I was a baby. I thought of doing this because I wanted to see where my anxiety and depression stemmed from....all I can say is wow....I didn't realise how angry I was until I started writing!!! I haven't finished writing yet, I only got up to 6th grade. I realised I hold a lot of anger and resentment towards all of my parents (inc. step parents) for their lack of parenting, rejection, selfishness and instability. I know you get to a point where you need to take responsibility for yourself, but what I want to know is how you move on from the anger and resentment. In no way can I talk to my parents about it, they are not people you can just sit down and have a civilised conversation with. I believe my parents failed me and my siblings in so many ways. My mother and step-father turned us against our father, allowed very very 'untrustworthy' adults into our lives, kicked us out on our own when we were young, when they met new 'partners' they would just up and leave, told especially me that I was going to fail in life and that I wasn't very bright....the list goes on and on and on. Is there anyone out there who experienced this? What did you do to move on from it (if you have)? I would appreciate any input, because I dont want to bring children into the world if I am just going to repeat what my parents did. I feel so jealous when I see people who have amazing parents who do anything for them....I have never ever had that. While it has made me a stronger person for it and independant, it has also caused a great deal of anxiety and depression. I will get back to writing my memoirs in the hopes at least I can address the issues...but any advice would be welcome Thanks for reading!

bdr health anxiety
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Does anyone else have this problem? it's driving me crazy cause i'm living with a lot of fear. I hope someone can help or know someone who can help me.

Does anyone else have this problem? it's driving me crazy cause i'm living with a lot of fear. I hope someone can help or know someone who can help me.

Scotty2013 That Impending doom just lingers
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Hi BBr's Anyone ever had that feeling of impending doom?, what next?, what is around the corner now that will happen (bad) of course. Id say for a good 5yrs now I've felt that, for various reasons, something always or i interpret to be negative will ... View more

Hi BBr's Anyone ever had that feeling of impending doom?, what next?, what is around the corner now that will happen (bad) of course. Id say for a good 5yrs now I've felt that, for various reasons, something always or i interpret to be negative will happen. Will i get something bad in the Mail?, Will i get bad news?, will this news be something i can recover from?. Will it be so bad that it taints me for another 5yrs..sorry if its a bit cryptic its just the best way i know how to explain it thanks TC

jim Not dealing very well..
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ok so i have been suffering with anxiety for the past 7 or 8 years i have been abale to pull myself out of it every time i go through this only this time its different i am on anti anxiety meds and there just not working i have been back to see my do... View more

ok so i have been suffering with anxiety for the past 7 or 8 years i have been abale to pull myself out of it every time i go through this only this time its different i am on anti anxiety meds and there just not working i have been back to see my doctor about this but he just says give it time! i have started a new job and my anxiety is killing me to the point where i want to call in sick everyday but i push myself to go cause i need this job i really am not coping at the moment and i am lost i dont know how to get past this i am seeing a shrink and they give me breathing excersizes witch arnt working any more if anyone could offer some advice on how to handle my anxiety a little bit better that would be great... thanks

Marley I'm so tired of living like this
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I'm totally fed up living like a prisoner in my own mind. I can't control my feelings or thoughts no matter how hard I try. I take sleeping tablets sometimes and even then I have the weirdest dreams and wake up tired. surely there has to be something... View more

I'm totally fed up living like a prisoner in my own mind. I can't control my feelings or thoughts no matter how hard I try. I take sleeping tablets sometimes and even then I have the weirdest dreams and wake up tired. surely there has to be something to control these thoughts and feeli ha of depression and anxiety. My life just feels like a misery. I feel like I live from day to day with I joy. I feel like I shouldn't have far kids, they drive me insane with their issues and not wanting to do school work. I feel like every damn thing I do is a friggin battle. Why the heck can't things just go smoothly, why can't my kids just do stuff instead of being awkward with homework school etc. i wonder do I just stress too much???? I wish I could just be a laid back oh well who cares, whatever will happen, you just deal with it? Any suggestions? i feel like I have no one to talk to. I feel like am complaining all the time and other parents don't seem to whinge about their kids like I want to. I'm sick of trying so hard to he a good mother, it doesn't seem to work. I just want to be me again and I don't know where me went....

Curls92 Didn't Think it Would Happen to Me.
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My life has been a journey, like everyone's, I've had struggles and successes and have made it passed them with lessons learnt. I've recently turned 21, and up till now, my life has kept on improving and building upwards. My life is a million times b... View more

My life has been a journey, like everyone's, I've had struggles and successes and have made it passed them with lessons learnt. I've recently turned 21, and up till now, my life has kept on improving and building upwards. My life is a million times better than it was a year or four years ago. But alongside that, I have felt like I have been constantly battling some emotional barriers that have kept me from being content with the things I have right now. I know things are never perfect, but for a long time I have felt that I'm not happy with what I have, despite how far I have come in life. For that past year I have been dating an amazing and beautiful guy who I just cannot love enough of. He is everything to me and I am completely in love with him. But since we have started to become serious about our life together, another side of me is just not happy with anything. He is the complete opposite to my ex-boyfriend who was abusive at times, I was only 17 then, and didn't know any better. My partner now is wonderful. He treats me with respect and kindness and with nothing but love. But I have come to the realisation that I have been blaming him for the things my ex had done to me. I started to feel jealously, resentment, anger, frustration, all these negative feelings towards my partner. I accuse him of things that he hasn't done and it has put strane on our relationship. I'm always alert when other girls are around and watch him to see if he looks at them. I'm always on my toes, never relaxed, and cant enjoy my present life. Just a couple days ago, my partner and I were at a shopping center and I thought I saw him look at another girl. Instantly, I became so frustrated and angry I just walked away from him. As I was walking I saw one beautiful girl after another walk passed him and thought the same exact thoughts as before. I became so consumed in my thoughts that I started to breathe quicker and heavier, my hands started to become irritant, I couldn't keep still, I was walking quickly, and my head was just spinning dizzily out of control. I had to walk all the way back to the car just to breathe normally again. It had never happened to me before... Nothing like that anyway. I started to research about it, and found that constant events can bring on anxiety. The constant event is me thinking my partner is always looking at other women, always thinking of other women, always trying to hide things from me... Exactly how my ex treated me. I don't know how to stop these beliefs. I don't want to believe them. I know my partner is nothing like my ex. Sometimes, I think that I will never be able to have a life long relationship because of the trust issues I have. My partner and I have talked about my issues and we have started to develop ways to overcome them. I know one day I will get through this. I want to spend the rest of my life with this man, and I can feel it in my heart that I will do everything to overcome it. I am seeking professional help to get through this. It's the fight within myself I have to use to get passed this negativity. People dont deserve to be punished for something someone else did to you, and I don't understand why we hurt the ones we love the most? I dont understand why we cant believe something when we know it's true? Maybe we just have to be children again and learn without question and teach without certainty to find truth through our choices? Maybe I just need a blank canvas ready for new beliefs?

myffy anxiety tips
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hey all i have been dianogsed just over a year now with anxiety and its horrible ive been on so many tablets just trying to find the right one im on a good one now that seems to b working but still get attacks which i take a short acting ant anxiety ... View more

hey all i have been dianogsed just over a year now with anxiety and its horrible ive been on so many tablets just trying to find the right one im on a good one now that seems to b working but still get attacks which i take a short acting ant anxiety medication for when i get them just wondering how others deal with them after some ideas on what i can do to relieve it other then resorting to the short acting relaxing medication. thanks

claudia unsure of anxiety
  • replies: 1

I was put on a medication for anxiety about a year ago when I was 16 i take it every day and its a continuous routine. The psychiatrist never told me why I should go on it. I don't even know why i'm on it, I think i'm depressed rather than anxious. O... View more

I was put on a medication for anxiety about a year ago when I was 16 i take it every day and its a continuous routine. The psychiatrist never told me why I should go on it. I don't even know why i'm on it, I think i'm depressed rather than anxious. Or maybe both. I dont know weather I'm just feeling sorry for myself or not. I feel selfish when I realise that other's lives are in a much worst state than my own. I don't know many people that feel a similar sense of what I'm feeling. Going through my half Yearly yr 12 exams at the moment, I feel worthless and cant really be bothered to sit down and study. I get upset easily my the smallest things. I'm over sensitive and my friends call me a drama queen. My mother doesn't understand me even though she says she does. I quite often seek attention as my parents are always directing it towards my other siblings. I know a minimal number of people that know how I'm feeling. I've stopped seeing my psychologist for about 2 months now as I found her too challenging and questioned my logic, also not understanding me. I don;t believe in paying a stranger $100 an hr to be paid to listen to how you feel when they're probably living mediocre lives. The doctors think that medicine solves everything.

SharonBV I thought I was stupid and weird
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Until I was diagnosed a few years ago with social phobia, severe anxiety disorder and clinical depression, which I've had my whole life (I'm now mid 40's). The diagnosis only came because I had moved to the city to live with my partner and get a bett... View more

Until I was diagnosed a few years ago with social phobia, severe anxiety disorder and clinical depression, which I've had my whole life (I'm now mid 40's). The diagnosis only came because I had moved to the city to live with my partner and get a better job after living in the country all my life, and living/working in suburbia caused things to spiral completely out of control. Finding out I wasn't stupid, weird and weak was a relief, and knowing what was wrong helped me understand my life up to that point. The diagnosis also only came after I was able to talk to my partner and admit something was wrong, and with his support, sought help from a GP, and was then referred to a mental health nurse. There are many reasons I am this way, I'm quiet and shy by nature, was socially isolated apart from family, until I started school, my dad died when I was 6 (I didn't talk for days after, and made many 'wills' as a child among other things, so it had an effect). We don't show affection, feelings or encouragement in my family, sarcasm and teasing are our form of 'affection', feelings are weak and should be bottled up and you never hear praise. I love my family, I know they love me, we just don't say it or show it. I tried my hardest in school, at work and during a 16 year relationship which resembled the way my family is, no praise or encouragement, and shows of emotion are weak and embarrassing. I allowed myself to be treated as doormat and whipping post (not literally) until I couldn't stand it any longer and plucked up the resolve and courage to end the relationship. I had absolutely no self esteem, no confidence and no idea what was wrong with me. I met my partner a few years later and moved to the city, I tried hard to get used to it, he is a wonderful and supportive man, I had a job I liked well enough with people who liked me (I continue to find that amazing), but I couldn't cope and slowly crumbled. It became dangerous for me to drive, I was physically ill with fear if I had to go out, I ate little, slept badly, was unable to work and some days could barely function. Even with medication and sessions with a mental health nurse over 18 months, things got worse and I was told I had little hope of recovery whilst living in suburbia, and moved back to the country, I was assisted with applying for a disability pension and pretty much left to my own devices because I'm not able to drive far enough to see a mental health professional. The only help out here is your GP, and the first 6 - 12 months were hard, I bought a pup to have something to make me get out of bed and getting on with life. He has been better than all the medication, and can make me smile and laugh and feel loved even on the worst day. I discovered a talent for painting, which also helps fulfill my need to achieve something and have a purpose, and my best days are ones spent with a brush or pencil in my hand. They're also the ones I feel hungry and sleep well. I manage the depression fairly well now, I've also started believing that I am a good and worthwhile person, and I deserve to be liked and loved. I still shake and sweat and feel like I'm going to throw up on my shoes when I have to go out every few weeks to do shopping, but I do it anyway and try and make it as positive experience as I can. I speak to people I know and ones I don't know, and no-one gets angry or makes fun of me, even if my mind goes blank and I stammer out something that makes no sense. It's a far longer process than I ever imagined it would be, but every step takes me that bit further, and when I look back now, I've come a long, long way from where I was. Don't give up, ask for help, accept help, and know that you aren't alone.