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Anxiety and depression aren’t the only mental health conditions. Share what’s affecting you and learn more about managing your mental health.

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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.

sheebah28 Anxiety symptoms
  • replies: 0

Hello, 1st time posting, i am 66 years old, Female, and atm my worst symptom is lightheadedness and blurry and dry eyes, every day is a struggle, i am waiting for my new glasses, fingers crossed this will help some, i have had anxiety for most of my ... View more

Hello, 1st time posting, i am 66 years old, Female, and atm my worst symptom is lightheadedness and blurry and dry eyes, every day is a struggle, i am waiting for my new glasses, fingers crossed this will help some, i have had anxiety for most of my life due to abuse( childhood)sexual and psychical, i have also lost 2 children.I use to get a lump in my throat, grind ny teeth,( got dentures now) nail biting, only ever had two anxiety attacks, shaking hands, buzzing in body, a lot of them have settled, but the lightheadedness and blurry eyes remain.Thank you for your time

Guest_25827336 Anxiety symptoms - feels like tension and nerves?
  • replies: 1

Hello - my name is Scott and I am 51 - I have GAD and Agrophobia but generally in control until last year - tried to get off medication, but after several months of horrific side effects went back on - however still suffering anxiety - my question is... View more

Hello - my name is Scott and I am 51 - I have GAD and Agrophobia but generally in control until last year - tried to get off medication, but after several months of horrific side effects went back on - however still suffering anxiety - my question is if other people feel it in the same way - for me it is a feeling of tension in my head, a little like pressure in the back of my head, like I have had way too much caffeine. I get dizzy and need to twitch sometimes to relieve the tension in the back of my head - does this sound familiar to anyone at all? Any replies appreciated. Scott...

ABC01 Your best strategy for anxiety in the moment. Lots of answers please.
  • replies: 0

Dear All, I am asking for how you deal with an active panic/anxiety moment. What is your technique, and can you explain it for me, so I may replicate it when I am in need. They can be at home, but I am also interested in techniques for when I am outs... View more

Dear All, I am asking for how you deal with an active panic/anxiety moment. What is your technique, and can you explain it for me, so I may replicate it when I am in need. They can be at home, but I am also interested in techniques for when I am outside and in public places.I would like as many answers as possible.I appreciate any and all of your experience and advice. Thank you,ABC01

Depression

Depression affects people in Australia every day. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with depression.

gshdnnr Feels like the world is against me
  • replies: 1

Recently, I've been crying a lot over things, and it's hard trying to be open about my feelings to people who I am close with, especially family since they always shut me down because I'm the "youngest." It actually sucks being the youngest because e... View more

Recently, I've been crying a lot over things, and it's hard trying to be open about my feelings to people who I am close with, especially family since they always shut me down because I'm the "youngest." It actually sucks being the youngest because everything I say gets undermined. First and foremost, I have been diagnosed with depression before by my GP but after a while, things improved only because people knew about my condition but, they eventually brushed it off like it was nothing. My two siblings, mental health means the world to only them, well only theirs, because recently my sister has gotten back from her psychiatrist who tells her she's got ADHD and is telling my brother to go as well since he has signs due to hyperactivity. My parents value that. But for me? I just feel like, yes, I get stuff I need that my parents would consider, "We do everything for you to make you happy," but it feels like there's no consideration of my feelings anyway. I had an exam last week, and the morning I woke up before it, I felt worried. I was trying to eat breakfast and chose to eat leftovers from dinner, but I don't see the reason why my sister just had to comment on everything I do? Then proceed to get away with it because she's older than me. I told her to stop commenting on my diet but she yells out to my mom who begins to yell at me for acting like I'm older. So all I heard that day was yelling so instinctively I said shut up because the yelling already worsened the fact that I was annoyed. Also, it feels like my sister has the been the primary driver of getting everyone against me. I know she talks behind my back to my parents because she does so with my brother since she feels like she's the responsible sibling. I play games with a friend online and we call. Our house is an open space, and I sit next to my sister. She studies, and apparently she's been complaining to my mom that I get too loud and she can't study. I retaliated whenever I do study, she also gets loud when she talks and I don't complain and my mom tries to say that I'm too loud in a way to cover up my feelings and the conversation ends. Again, my mom came out and told me off for the same reason, however, my sister was NOT even studying or working when I has called my friend and the complain was that I talked too loud when she was working... I told my mom she wasn't even doinf that and my mom knew she had nothing to say to that and proceeded to say that she didn't wanna hear from me again.

Supermum Something needs to change
  • replies: 7

It’s been a long time since I posted on the BB forums. I would like to think it’s because I was cured and no longer had the issues I had before and in my defence I was starting to feel more I control of my life and my head. Alas life threw me another... View more

It’s been a long time since I posted on the BB forums. I would like to think it’s because I was cured and no longer had the issues I had before and in my defence I was starting to feel more I control of my life and my head. Alas life threw me another curve ball that I wasn’t expecting and now I’m left with chaos. I’ve hit 50 and I just feel more lost, more isolated, more alone and more confused than I did when I was 18. I go to work and function as I should, I look after my home and my children as I should but inside it’s not as it should be. I am afraid that if I let just the smallest part of what’s inside out then chaos would be unleashed . The anger, bitterness, emptiness and hurt and pain would be like a black hole enveloping everything around me that I still love and cherish. That I wouldn’t be able to control that emotion, that tsunami of everything I hold inside to mask how I feel would engulf all in its path. What would I be left with ? Someone I truely didn’t like, that I despised , that people didn’t want to know ? But it’s coming , I feel it I am just a ticking time bomb going through the motions of a high functioning life. I make reckless decisions, I step out into the road without looking, I don’t care if I get caught speeding or doing something wrong. I just don’t care anymore. I don’t know what this message will achieve or why I am even writing it …

Scared Motive check
  • replies: 4

Im not doing well.My meds are not working and Im at times worried i am going out of my mind. I pathetically check beyond blue forums all day waiting for a notification. Anything to stop the madness in my head.I was replying to a serious post and then... View more

Im not doing well.My meds are not working and Im at times worried i am going out of my mind. I pathetically check beyond blue forums all day waiting for a notification. Anything to stop the madness in my head.I was replying to a serious post and then deleted it because I felt Im using their pain as a way to stop my own. I suddenly felt dirty when I thought of the Authors post and the seriousness of what they are going thru. I realised I had nothing new to add to help this particular person so I deleted and made a new post.Posts on here are not written for my distraction but for serious input to which I had none. Thats how I feel. I dont know how to get betterIm glad there is some decency left in me because there isnt much else.

PTSD and trauma

A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

Buu79 Domestic violence trauma
  • replies: 1

Hi not sure how to start this story as it's quite difficult I come from a background of F&DV and Child sexual abuse, my father used to assault my mum nearly everyday he used to physically assault me and my brother's and my dad was messed up badly on ... View more

Hi not sure how to start this story as it's quite difficult I come from a background of F&DV and Child sexual abuse, my father used to assault my mum nearly everyday he used to physically assault me and my brother's and my dad was messed up badly on drugs, once we got older we left home my parents divorced and my brother went with mum I went my own way I had a job where I thought one of the workers there was quite good looking but apparently he had a family anyway we ended up catching up and we fell in love he was charming and bought me jewelry and flowers and treated me special, then I got pregnant to him and everything changed he threatened to physically harm me while pregnant, this should have been my first red flag, but next time I seen him and mentioned it he said sorry he was joking but I had noticed his demeanor had changed and he was happier than usual, then just before our daughter turned one he told us get ready he was going to take us out for lunch we got ready waited..3 yrs went by before he stuck his head back into our happy lived, again I let him back into our lives not knowing that he was a full blown drug addict, I had been clean since he left. he was very cruel person even to our daughter and dog, boxing Day 2009 after he had collected his drugs and introduced me to the chick he was cheating on me with he decided to badly assault me in the car. you have no idea how many times I wanted to run the car into the barrier on his side, I was looking for police on motorbikes but nothing..... It's been 12 years now but we are still in hiding because he's threaten to kidnap me or my daughter and torture us for 3 years he spent in jail... Does anyone else have this kind of daily worry

Laney-BB1234 idk
  • replies: 1

Ok so i have a lot to sayFirstly im lesbian, have been since last year, and my parents went through my phone a few months ago, found chats where i was s3xually explicit with girls and they were PISSED. They are very religious and very very homophobic... View more

Ok so i have a lot to sayFirstly im lesbian, have been since last year, and my parents went through my phone a few months ago, found chats where i was s3xually explicit with girls and they were PISSED. They are very religious and very very homophobic :((( that rlly damaged my mental health and they still make remarks about it and i currently have a gf and i dont know how to hide her from them and i dont want to break up either, even though ik safety wise itd be better for meSecondly, last year i was r@ ped by someone. i dont want to go into too many details but it shattered my mental health and caused me to s3lf h@r m quite frequently. I havent told anyone except for my friend and my gf (both of who were very understanding and compassionate) but im terrified ill be too scared for intimacy or the trauma will plague me forever and i just dont knowI want to talk to our school based youth therapist about both things but will they tell my parents anything??? i dont know how confidential it is, they (parents) dont know about the @ssault/h @rming cause i know them well enough to know theyd just blame me and say i deserved it.I dont like my parents at all omg.I think thats basically all i wanted to say, if anyone has advice or comforting words or their own experiences i would deeply appreciate it 🙂 Laney.

Ell91 Not sure how to tell my family (rape)
  • replies: 2

When I was 11, my virginity was taken by a man from rape in my home.I never told anyone in my family, and after a few months I told some friends at school and they shamed me, accusing me of making up lies and that I didn't realise what I was saying a... View more

When I was 11, my virginity was taken by a man from rape in my home.I never told anyone in my family, and after a few months I told some friends at school and they shamed me, accusing me of making up lies and that I didn't realise what I was saying as rape is a serious accusation. I learnt to keep my mouth shut and as I grew older, I started to feel safe to share with some people that "my virginity was taken non-conconsensually", as this felt not as serious as using the word rape. For me, it removed the weight of the experience and this was reflected in how people responded to it. "Oh, that sucks!". I started self-harming when I was 13. I stopped and started over the next 2 decades and was in and out of therapy.I am now 33, in therapy with a fantastic therapist (finally), recently diagnosed with PTSD and everything is bubbling to the surface. Certain friends know, I'm claiming that I was raped and being clear about it. My partner knows but for some reason I feel that I want my family to know. It happened while they were home, only a door between me, my rapist and them. I don't know exactly why I want to tell them, maybe to explain away my mental health history? And for some other reason I feel the words get trapped in my throat just at the thought of approaching the conversation. How would I even start it? How could I explain my reasons for wanting to share? What's the point? Is it self-serving to relieve myself of the desire to tell them and burden them with the knowing? Why now? So many questions. It would be helpful to receive reflections, your own personal experience with sharing with important figures in your life, even advice. Thank you for this space.

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

This space discusses suicide and self-harm. Consider limiting the time you spend here. To use the section safely, read the pinned discussion.

Guest_46773713 Break up
  • replies: 0

My partner and I recently broke up and I’m really struggling with it. We have decided to stay friends and keep in contact but I’m still grieving our future together as partners and I don’t know what our friendship will now look like. I feel at risk o... View more

My partner and I recently broke up and I’m really struggling with it. We have decided to stay friends and keep in contact but I’m still grieving our future together as partners and I don’t know what our friendship will now look like. I feel at risk of doing something and I feel like I can’t turn to anyone, not even him. I want to be with him again but I don’t think my family will like that because of the circumstances that happened before we broke up. I never thought this day would come as I planned on having him in my life forever and saw myself getting married to him. I also can’t see myself with anyone else and the thought of it makes me feel sick. I’m struggling to eat and with basic cognitive functioning.

Guest_2608 I don’t know anymore
  • replies: 1

It’s interesting how our minds work. We can be so accepting and nonjudgmental towards others but as soon as we think of ourselves there’s nothing but negative thoughts. This is what I have been told anyways. But the thing is.. it isn’t just that simp... View more

It’s interesting how our minds work. We can be so accepting and nonjudgmental towards others but as soon as we think of ourselves there’s nothing but negative thoughts. This is what I have been told anyways. But the thing is.. it isn’t just that simple. People ask me what my plans are for the future but I can never answer that because I don’t see one. I’m tired of feeling worthless all the time and the thing is when you have no friends all you do in your spare time is think… and thinking is my downfall. Because that’s when I realise that I have no one, that’s when I realise that I’ve messed things up, it’s also when I realise that it will just be easier if I wasn’t here because what am I leaving behind anyways besides feeling like shit all the time?

Guest_10005 hi guys
  • replies: 6

i am new so like yeah i have been thoeugh a lot ithink of just killing mh self sometimes

i am new so like yeah i have been thoeugh a lot ithink of just killing mh self sometimes