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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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Mistletoe Unsure what is going on
  • replies: 2

Hi, I’m new here. I’ve recently started taking a new medication for ADHD after a recent diagnosis. I thought the medication was supposed to increase dopamine but I have been highly emotional ever since I started and don’t understand why. I’m not sure... View more

Hi, I’m new here. I’ve recently started taking a new medication for ADHD after a recent diagnosis. I thought the medication was supposed to increase dopamine but I have been highly emotional ever since I started and don’t understand why. I’m not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but I have been under a lot of stress this year (not Covid related) and my anxiety and mental health have taken a hit. But the last week has been really low. Today I was a mess and I could not get suicidal thought out of my head. I was crying uncontrollably and my husband made mention of the fact he thought the new medication was going to make me happier and that my moods bring him down. I’m snappy at my kids and I just feel like an incredible burden on everyone. my husband didn’t sign up to being with someone who is so emotional all the time. He wants someone who is happy and vibrant and laughing all the time despite his own bad moods. im tired, unmotivated, lacking severe energy, eating terribly, can’t exercise because my body won’t allow me to at the moment due to injury so I’ve put on excess weight. I hate the sight of myself in the mirror and I feel like there is no way of pulling myself out of any of it.

sparrowhawk Scared I might have an eating disorder
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, Last year in February I got very sick with a respiratory virus which was never diagnosed. This triggered a sort of reflex in my body and I started regurgitating and vomiting food from time to time. It eventually got bad enough that I was... View more

Hi everyone, Last year in February I got very sick with a respiratory virus which was never diagnosed. This triggered a sort of reflex in my body and I started regurgitating and vomiting food from time to time. It eventually got bad enough that I wasn't keeping any food or liquid down and lost a significant amount of weight. I spent Christmas and New Year in hospital, was diagnosed with a disorder called rumination syndrome, and had a feeding tube placed - I still have it. I had so many comments about my weight loss, all of them negative and out of concern - comments like "Your clothes are falling off", "you look like an ironing board", "you look like you belong in a concentration camp", really awful things. I really disliked the comments so once I was able to stabilise my weight with the feeding tube, I made sure I maintained it. I didn't want any comments on weight gain/weight loss. Now my rumination syndrome is much better and for the past two months I haven't had any vomiting at all. But there is a lot of fear in me about eating and about weight gain, mainly coming from my real dislike of comments and wanting to avoid attention on myself. So I restrict how much I eat and prefer to favour lower-calorie foods. There was so much focus on calories when I was using tube feeding, so it's become a sort of unhealthy behaviour to count calories and make sure I'm only getting a certain amount every day. I also notice I feel guilt when I eat particular foods, or only allow myself to enjoy "unhealthy" foods in secret. When I think about all these things I'm doing, I feel really stupid because I know health is so important, I know I need to gain weight, and I know that everyone's bodies are different. I'm really scared I could have an eating disorder. I do have a psychologist I see fortnightly and she expressed concern an eating disorder could be developing. I really try to fight the behaviours and thoughts but sometimes they win and I just slide into that place of fear and self-protection. I do have anxiety about gaining weight but for me it's even more than that - I have anxiety about people's comments, because I really dislike any attention given to my appearance and just want to avoid that if my life depends on it. So I think all of this is coming from that desire to protect myself. I'm not sure if this makes sense, I'm really just looking for someone who can relate. Sending hugs to all.

MyProfile Insomnia - is calling in sick ok?
  • replies: 7

Hi, it's 5.15am and I've been trying to sleep for 7 hours. Took some medication 4 hours ago with no effect. I often get bouts of insomnia from anxiety and sometimes sleeping aids have no effect My trigger for this episode is a new job. I get extremel... View more

Hi, it's 5.15am and I've been trying to sleep for 7 hours. Took some medication 4 hours ago with no effect. I often get bouts of insomnia from anxiety and sometimes sleeping aids have no effect My trigger for this episode is a new job. I get extremely anxious about work and have veen unemployed for a year. I got offered a casual job 10 - 15 hours a week, starting next week, but the boss asked me to come in tomorrow (now today) for a few hours to familiarise myself with their shop. I am feeling like a failure already to be considering calling in sick on my first day (although not technically). I know it could add to my struggles of anxiety about the job even more, but I really can't force myself to go in, let alone drive there, with no sleep in 24+ hours. Should I be honest? Do I admit that I had a bout of insomnia from anxiety about the job? I know for a fact that it will happen again. I feel so broken and like giving up in myself. I almost want them to say "we're going to replace you" - so I can temporarily avoid working some more - but at the same time I'm terrified of how badly I am feeling about myself lately and admitting defeat.

PITA Stress and angry
  • replies: 1

Hi a'll I'll just find out from my doctor that I have a anxiety and I'm really nervous that my wife will leave me I'll been married for 6 years young couple and 2 kids.. I'll been stress at work for a couple month and lately have and argument with my... View more

Hi a'll I'll just find out from my doctor that I have a anxiety and I'm really nervous that my wife will leave me I'll been married for 6 years young couple and 2 kids.. I'll been stress at work for a couple month and lately have and argument with my wife like everyday and I'll lost at her..I'll came home from work really tired and she be home from work too and she be tired too so if we have any argue i cant hold back when I'm angry and I wasn'tlike that before this happen in 2 years and most of the time I'll get angry at her and is not a even a big deal and I just give it to her but I'll never laid my hand on her but she scared when I'm angry and I hated myself for it I'll know that not who I' am I really need a help to save my marriage I really love her and my 2 beautiful kids

Jim2 OCD and Job Interviews
  • replies: 3

Hi All, I need some tips on managing my ocd when it comes to job interviews. I tend to find it hard to look into the interviewers eyes and maintain eye contact without being awkward. I also tend to look down and sometimes if it is a lady interviewer,... View more

Hi All, I need some tips on managing my ocd when it comes to job interviews. I tend to find it hard to look into the interviewers eyes and maintain eye contact without being awkward. I also tend to look down and sometimes if it is a lady interviewer, my mind keeps obsessing over if I looked at her inappropriately. This is my peripheral vision ocd and worried I'm looking at someone's privates. I need help.

Susanna4568 Health anxiety is taking over my life
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone, I almost feel silly typing this as I know it's probably just health anxiety but I have been really struggling recently. For the past few weeks I've had muscle twitches in my legs when lying in bed at night. Although I just want to dismis... View more

Hi everyone, I almost feel silly typing this as I know it's probably just health anxiety but I have been really struggling recently. For the past few weeks I've had muscle twitches in my legs when lying in bed at night. Although I just want to dismiss it as anxiety, I'm worried that it's something more serious like MS or some neurodegenerative disorder; however, I'm too scared to go to the doctor about it in case my worst fears are actually true. I also worry that by going to the doctor I am just reassurance-seeking which will not be helpful for my anxiety in the long-run. I've had some OCD-like behaviours since I was a child and so I end up being stuck in this cycle of worrying, ruminating (googling, checking to see how my body and legs feel), reassurance seeking, and then moving on to my next worry/obsession. It's so hard to find a balance between giving in to my anxiety/OCD and also making sure my physical health is okay. This is definitely one of my worst themes I've had in a while. It's all I can think about. It distracts me from my work and makes it hard to focus. I should also mention that due to my anxiety I've had a pretty stressful few months and I'm hoping to see my psychologist soon, but I might not be able to get in to see them for a while so I have no idea what to do in the mean time. Sorry for this long post, Thank you!

Angsty Anxiety and Income Protection Insurance
  • replies: 9

I have "own occupation" income insurance and have been on claim since 2016 for a depressive disorder and on-going anxiety, that is chronic when I'm under stress. My Psychiatrist has consistently said I cannot yet return to my pre-disability role and ... View more

I have "own occupation" income insurance and have been on claim since 2016 for a depressive disorder and on-going anxiety, that is chronic when I'm under stress. My Psychiatrist has consistently said I cannot yet return to my pre-disability role and my Psychologist has said I should NEVER return to that role due to the stress levels involved. It was however suggested to me that it may be helpful for me to return to some sort of part time work that was relatively stress free to get some routine back into my life. My employer has been very supportive and created a new 'stress free' role for me for 10 hours per week. This is a much "lesser" role than my pre-disability role and not a role I ever wanted to do on a full time basis, it was just intended to get me out of the house and back into some sort of normal life. My insurer is now pushing me to take this new role on for more days/hours, which I do not wish to do. Nobody wants to take a massive down step in their career. I was sold 'own occupation' insurance on the basis that if I couldn't perform my pre-disability role, I wouldn't have to work at all if I wasn't able to perform the duties of my previous role. Now the insurers are trying to tell me, and I quote: "Your Income Protection is essentially own occupation cover as you are protecting your income in the event that you can't perform the duties of that occupation. No matter what occupation you return to when you are medically able, you will always earn income as though you are performing your original occupation. There are no Income Protection policies that will continue to pay full benefits if you are medically capable of returning to work." My interpretation of this, is that if a surgeon could not perform surgery anymore, but could work in a gas station, that he would be forced to work five days a week in a gas station. He would be paid by the insurance company for the difference between his role as a surgeon versus his role as a gas station attendant, but how depressing to go from one role to the other. I have contacted a solicitor and he believes I can't be forced into 'any' occupation if I cannot perform my 'pre-disability' occupation. But I see a legal battle coming. I don't want to be forced into a menial job on a full time basis, when I was sold 'own occupation' insurance (at a much higher premium) on the assurance that if I couldn't perform my pre-disability role I wouldn't be forced to take on a lesser job. Anyone been through this?

Banksy92 Tired and anxious adapting to life after lockdown
  • replies: 5

Not sure if anyone else feels like this, but this week I realised I was really run down. My anxiety has been bubbling away in the background during the week but I've been so busy with social events, a new job and catch up appointments now I've come o... View more

Not sure if anyone else feels like this, but this week I realised I was really run down. My anxiety has been bubbling away in the background during the week but I've been so busy with social events, a new job and catch up appointments now I've come out of lockdown that I haven't really had time to address it. Now it's Sunday I finally have a moment to breathe and I feel awful. I'm exhausted physically and mentally, my thought patterns are more negative/snappy, and my stomach is bloated and sore (stress levels are a big trigger for my IBS). I've also gained a bit of weight in lockdown/over the past year or so and so lots of my clothes aren't fitting and it's getting me down. I was tempted today to just go shopping and get myself some new stuff that's comfortable and fits (which I do need to do) but as I was so tired, I took a moment to tune in and see if that was the best for me. I decided against the shopping spree and instead opted for some self-care at home. I did some journaling to get the anxious thoughts out of my head and practice some self compassion - this is something I've been working on with my psych. I also attempted a guided meditation but I fell asleep, hah. I've booked a few yoga classes this week ahead too. Anyway, I just really wanted to share how I've been feeling to see if anyone else can relate to this post-lockdown fatigue? I'm really grateful to be able to get out and about, so I am trying to take full advantage of it when I'm invited places, but I think it's been a big shock to my system.

Darkshadow9591 Any suggestions?
  • replies: 5

I may have anxiety and depression (I did a lot of online tests that all came out as sever anxiety and depression but am still not 100% sure) but only told a school friend which isn't helping but only making it worse. She doesn't care about me harming... View more

I may have anxiety and depression (I did a lot of online tests that all came out as sever anxiety and depression but am still not 100% sure) but only told a school friend which isn't helping but only making it worse. She doesn't care about me harming my self or my feelings and never asks if I'm ok even when it's obvious I'm not. I was gonna ditch her as she hasn't been the person I expected, but she might tell people things like my depression and anxiety so any ideas, I'm really stuck?

Andromalius Health anxiety about MND and physical symptoms
  • replies: 5

Hi all, This is my first post on the forums. I'm currently a high school student and for the past 2 weeks I've been dealing with what I think is health anxiety. It started with tendonitis in my hand and lower leg from table tennis a month ago, then I... View more

Hi all, This is my first post on the forums. I'm currently a high school student and for the past 2 weeks I've been dealing with what I think is health anxiety. It started with tendonitis in my hand and lower leg from table tennis a month ago, then I made the mistake of googling feelings of weakness in limbs and MND came up. Since then I've been absolutely wrecked, I can't stay focused or get any sleep and everything seems to be exaggerated by my mind. I can't tell what is a real injury and what my mind is making up. Some things include minor twitching on legs and arms, feelings of weakness and in certain muscles which comes and goes and a slight soreness in tendons. Note that all of which started after my spiral into this hole. I saw a physiotherapist and they confirmed it was tendonitis but my brain is still tormenting me with what ifs. I can't sleep or do much of anything, and all the people around me have said it's just stress. Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing? I'm on the verge of having a breakdown and it doesn't help that it's crunch time at exams.