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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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GC-435_m I Lost My Job - Appreciate Advice
  • replies: 3

Hello, I am new to the forum and to asking for help and advice. I lost my job a month ago. I spent nearly 3 years there, it had its ups and downs as there was a toxic undercurrent within the company and the older team that surfaced every now and then... View more

Hello, I am new to the forum and to asking for help and advice. I lost my job a month ago. I spent nearly 3 years there, it had its ups and downs as there was a toxic undercurrent within the company and the older team that surfaced every now and then. Progression of new things was slow due to higher up management. I realized early on that the negativity could affect me greatly as I am empathic and introvert (bottle things up), and that my supervisor was the main contributor to the issues and anger at work, but I was confident I could deal with it and was enticed to stay as my manager had plans to make the farm stand out and evolve with the old team eventually retiring in the next few years.Unfortunately due to a variety of things in and out of work I became very stressed and showing signs of anxiety. Didn't know it at the time, but having time now to analyze things, I realize that that is what happened. I stopped looking after myself, bottled everything up and kept absorbing the negativity other people were carrying. I was in a fog, going through the motions, zooming everywhere and not being able to stop and realize what was happening even though I was living it. I got sick and had tight gut feelings even thinking about work, and stopped eating properly. I felt alone, and when I was at work especially around others I felt I was walking on eggshells, while trying to figure out what I was doing to upset them.I didn't know how to quit my job, nor how to help myself or ask for it. I know I'm not entirely responsible for what happened and I am upset that they didn't own up to their part in it and that I wasn't supported, especially since some of them were supposedly my friends, I was a great worker and they are a 'well being' company. I spent the last few weeks on and off stressing about getting an job and my stress and anxiety following me. I am making some progress as I have been trying out what I've been researching - how to manage them in different ways, it is a struggle though. Smiling feels strange too. I'd appreciate any advice on what you use or what tricks you have created to help deal with stress and anxiety, or in building confidence or even how to heal from what I just went through. How can I start a job while dealing with this?Thank you for your time

Jade20 Binge eating/anxiety
  • replies: 4

TRIGGERLatley when my boyfriend goes to work in brisbane and I am left home alone I have been constantly eating. I know and understand that I am full but I just want more and more, I really need support with this. I honestly don’t know how to help it... View more

TRIGGERLatley when my boyfriend goes to work in brisbane and I am left home alone I have been constantly eating. I know and understand that I am full but I just want more and more, I really need support with this. I honestly don’t know how to help it, I understand that it may be for comfort but it doesn’t stop me from overeating. I’ve been looking in the mirror latley and I honestly am disgusted with how much weight I have put on. help if you can.

Nicky01 Trigger for my anxiety
  • replies: 2

I have realised that my supervisor at work is a major trigger. My supervisor says she’s supportive (and I do know she is) but her actions are completely different. Part of my struggle is that she also doesn’t understand how anxiety can affect people.... View more

I have realised that my supervisor at work is a major trigger. My supervisor says she’s supportive (and I do know she is) but her actions are completely different. Part of my struggle is that she also doesn’t understand how anxiety can affect people. Some of how I deal with my anxiety are being completely misunderstood. Any suggestions on how can I get though this

Natalie22 Anxiety and discomfort with doctors.
  • replies: 2

Hi. My gp has been raising my mental health since the start of 2021 but has not really guided me I guess. It is my fault as I did not reaction well to antidepressants at the start of 2021 and made my feelings clear. I have rejected 2 MHTP just before... View more

Hi. My gp has been raising my mental health since the start of 2021 but has not really guided me I guess. It is my fault as I did not reaction well to antidepressants at the start of 2021 and made my feelings clear. I have rejected 2 MHTP just before they were due to be done. I did start seeing a mental health social worker last year but I felt worse after each appt. I started seeing a psychologist in Feb and I do actually like him but not sure if it is helping or I am just not putting enough work in with his plans. Eg progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, sleep schedule and recently induced vomiting.I saw my neurologist in Feb and the appointment did not go well . I think I was withdrawn and a bit all over the place at the same time. Pretty sure he wrote about my mental health and after that 2 random gps questioned me about my MH. The last time I saw my normal GP I told him about the 2 queries and he was just happy that they had read the notes. I told him that 'I know that I am stressed and I am an overthinker but my mental health was fine'. He said that it must be annoying yo be asked all the time and of course I said yes. I have not told him that I am seeing a psychologist as I fear the judgement but I may be making my situation worse by not mentioning it. I am afraid that he thinks that I don't have insight as I avoid the topic but I am fully aware of my short comings. I just don't know how to talk about it as drs make me nervous.An inquest was done into my dads death and the findings came back in Jan and I think this has made it worse. I have my next appt with my normal gp at the start of July. I feel that I need to address my mental health and the fact that I am seeking help but I am afraid that I will be dismissed, pitied . I know my fears are probably irrational but I can't help it.Sorry that this has been a bit disjointed and rambling but I have no one I can discuss it with.Thank you for your time.

Caite Feeling like I’m going backwards
  • replies: 15

Hi all, Me again, I’ve recently discovered that my anxiety has been sky rocketed and it cannot come down naturally no matter how hard I try, if anyone has seen my posts before you’d know my dr cold Turkey me off anti depressants in February and went ... View more

Hi all, Me again, I’ve recently discovered that my anxiety has been sky rocketed and it cannot come down naturally no matter how hard I try, if anyone has seen my posts before you’d know my dr cold Turkey me off anti depressants in February and went through a really scary withdrawal with no support or supervision, my new dr wants to trial me on small doses of another anti depressant and start psychology, I guess I’m scared and defeated I have to start again and knowing that when I’m ready to come off my mind goes to what if it happens again….if that makes sense

kaityo1 Graduate feeling stuck
  • replies: 3

Hi all, I recently graduated from my teaching degree, which I felt proud of accomplishing. During my study I felt optimistic about the career as I enjoyed the topics and felt achievement whenever I passed a unit/placement. However, now in hindsight I... View more

Hi all, I recently graduated from my teaching degree, which I felt proud of accomplishing. During my study I felt optimistic about the career as I enjoyed the topics and felt achievement whenever I passed a unit/placement. However, now in hindsight I feel like it was more so about feeling accomplishment rather than feeling passion for the career itself. This is because now that it comes to going for a job I feel debilitating anxiety to the point where I feel unmotivated and dread to even try the industry. I am medicated for anxiety and depression already and struggle a lot with life transitions, so it makes it feel almost impossible to try the profession. I am quite comfortable in my current job as I feel I am good at it so this makes it harder too. I feel a lot of anxiety around the guilt of not entering the profession and have been struggling with very low mood and lack of motivation. Any advice is appreciated.

girlonsafari Help me manage my anxiety around cooking!
  • replies: 11

Hello! I have recently come home from inpatient treatment for anxiety, depression and disordered eating (bingeing). One thing I am supposed to be doing more of in my recovery is cooking (rather than letting my partner do it). I don't enjoy cooking, a... View more

Hello! I have recently come home from inpatient treatment for anxiety, depression and disordered eating (bingeing). One thing I am supposed to be doing more of in my recovery is cooking (rather than letting my partner do it). I don't enjoy cooking, and since I've also had to quit sugar (treatment of IBS), I am finding it even less enjoyable. But since I've come home I seem to be feeling even more anxious than usual about it. I get overwhelmed about having to cook, overwhelmed about planning what we are eating and overwhelmed about shopping. What's going on? Do other people experience extreme anxiety about cooking? How have you overcome it? What are some strategies to manage it so that we can eat a normal dinner without it becoming a catastrophic event?

Flop Going through an Anxiety relapse and having a psyche appointment in 2 days.
  • replies: 2

Hi all, It's been awhile since I've used this forum. Many months. Last I posted was about a driving instructor appointment and summoning the willpower to both book one and go to it. (I was suffering with panic attacks at the time) I still worry about... View more

Hi all, It's been awhile since I've used this forum. Many months. Last I posted was about a driving instructor appointment and summoning the willpower to both book one and go to it. (I was suffering with panic attacks at the time) I still worry about panic attacks, but much less so then the last time I posted here. So for anyone else struggling, you can beat it, it's a slow burn that I'm not even completely through, but we'll beat it in the end. On to the topic at hand, I did actually go to my driving instructor appointment, but she was very controlling and it made me lose a lot of confidence in my driving and that has led me to pretty much stop driving all together (I think I went once a month ago) and consume all my motivation, since then I haven't really done much of anything. I know the instructor was just doing her job but a lot of situations she intervened in I could handle. Obviously given it's our first appointment, she couldn't have known that.Because I've not had the motivation to do anything, I've been feeling really bad about myself in a multitude of ways, which has made me pretty depressed and anxiety hasn't been awful since I haven't focused on anything, but when I think of life... I get very anxious. It's probably the best time to go to a psychologist given how I'm feeling, but our first appointment (which was 3 months ago, haven't had one since(they're very hard to get into)) was more just like a chat? Talked about ex partners, parents and similar things to that. I did bring up my actual issues but they didn't net any real emphasis from her.Because of ALL of this, I'm feeling like I won't gain much from going and it's also gonna be really hard to go in general. Last time I went, it was helpful because I didn't think I could bear even sitting in and talking with someone. Any advice is welcomed, your journey with a psychologist, if you can relate with the slump I'm in, or anything else you can think of, and of course kind words are always appreciated. Thank you for reading. I hope everyone is well.

seanwild Pyrrole Disorder
  • replies: 4

HI I have GAD and have been taking SSRI and SNRI regularly over the last 20 years, every time I feel like I am on track my anxiety level can get to a point where I feel overwhelmed and can get symptoms of not being anlbe to think clearly impacting my... View more

HI I have GAD and have been taking SSRI and SNRI regularly over the last 20 years, every time I feel like I am on track my anxiety level can get to a point where I feel overwhelmed and can get symptoms of not being anlbe to think clearly impacting my ability to work and eventually withdrawing from work, social connection and even family and friends. This happens to me on different strength levels of medication. If have a learnt CBT techniques, deep breathing and relaxtion to stillness meditation and walk regularly as my bag of tricks. My wife suggested I consult a Natrapath, undergo some tests and tame supplemts to compliment the medication. THe Natrapath would like me tested for Pyrrole disorder. Has anyone had success in taking supplements whilst taking SNRI or SSRI - Sean

Shadows-mum new experiences
  • replies: 3

hi, I have recently been diagnosed with anxiety, and am slowly going through a few different feelings and sensations with the first weel of taking my medication. I am struggling with feelings of disbelief and am beating myself up thinking, this isn't... View more

hi, I have recently been diagnosed with anxiety, and am slowly going through a few different feelings and sensations with the first weel of taking my medication. I am struggling with feelings of disbelief and am beating myself up thinking, this isn't me! I have always been " stong" so am having a hard time of it, so is this a normal reaction? I know it takes a while for the meds to kick in, but these " side effects" are worrying me. I am told that they will pass, so I need to be patient with myself, but it's not easy. I would value any thoughts, thanks