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Anxiety

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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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El1990 Brain Fog Anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, This is my 1st time posting on a forum. I'm so stuck and I just don't know how to help myself. I have had GAD for the best part of 9 years managed with therapy and medication. For the last year I have been struggling with a constant brainfo... View more

Hey guys, This is my 1st time posting on a forum. I'm so stuck and I just don't know how to help myself. I have had GAD for the best part of 9 years managed with therapy and medication. For the last year I have been struggling with a constant brainfog I have been given the all clear by my doctor yet it just doesn't feel right. I can't focus or concentrate, I can't read a book and memorise it. I find it hard to get my words out or even find them in the 1st place Im spaced out and feel cloudy my anxiety has latched on to this so hard. I also struggle with health based anxiety, I feel low in mood and I think I might be a bit depressed. I haven't been on medication for the last 5 months but I'm thinking of going back on. This brain fog is very constant and I just don't know what else to do. I had my bloods, thyroid, Mri, inflam markers. and they all came back fine 🤷‍ Any tips or advice would be much appreciated. I just want to be my best self for my kids and for me.

Guest_206 I want to eat but I can't
  • replies: 8

Hi there, I have an eating disorder history and am currently struggling so much with trying to feed myself regularly. I want to eat, but I'm just not eating as much as I should be. It's like I am just so incredibly picky and fussy that I will go hung... View more

Hi there, I have an eating disorder history and am currently struggling so much with trying to feed myself regularly. I want to eat, but I'm just not eating as much as I should be. It's like I am just so incredibly picky and fussy that I will go hungry rather than eat if I am not fully tempted by it. Does anyone else experience this? Like I have some food in the house now, but I'm not tempted or craving it, so I've just gone hungry. I know this is bad. As I'm writing this, I feel like my ED must be in the driver's seat.

TheBigBlue Nothing left
  • replies: 3

I don’t even know what to call this thread…. Today was a bad day. It’s my 4th week back in a full time job after about 2 years of working casual hours. I feel so dumb & like I’m making too many mistakes. If the manager asks me something, I panic & my... View more

I don’t even know what to call this thread…. Today was a bad day. It’s my 4th week back in a full time job after about 2 years of working casual hours. I feel so dumb & like I’m making too many mistakes. If the manager asks me something, I panic & my mind goes blank & I just stand there like a mute idiot. The manager also seems to have high anxiety, which then seems to feed off on me & make me feel incredibly uncomfortable. so today I awoke at 0530 in a panic. I just couldn’t bring myself to go to work today. But I had no reasonable excuse as to why I couldn’t work. So I fell back into my old routine of avoidance. I avoided going to work i avoided calling in sick i avoided answering any phones from concerned colleagues i avoided listening to any messages or replying to any text messages i now feel so much shame & embarrassment. I can never show my face there ever again. I have let so many people down. I’ve let my partner down, I’ve let myself down. I can’t even get an appointment with my psychologist until early Dec. plus I don’t even know if I can express myself to her anyway. For those of you who remember my issue with her when she broke my trust, I can’t be completely open with her anymore. Because I fear she will put me in hospital. I’m afraid to go to hospital due to some serious medical conditions & that they may take my meds, medical equipment, or management of my illness away from me. Why is ist so hard to live a “normal” life. WTF is wrong with me? im rostered to work Sat, Sun, Mon but guess I will be a no show for all of them…. God I hate myself

44Max44 I'm really bad at socializing and hate myself because of it. Effecting my work life.
  • replies: 4

As the title says, I'm really bad at socializing, like really really bad. For as long as I can remember I've just not known how to interact with other people. I can interact fine with people over text or online but as soon as I'm face to face with th... View more

As the title says, I'm really bad at socializing, like really really bad. For as long as I can remember I've just not known how to interact with other people. I can interact fine with people over text or online but as soon as I'm face to face with them I just freeze up and go silent. My coping mechanism has always been to just be super withdrawn and try to interact with people as little as possible because as soon as I do interact with people I say or do something stupid which makes me super embarrassed, but that's a double-edged sword because it also means I never get any actual experience in socializing with people so when I'm forced to I'm completely and utterly inept. It really sucks because I have a lot to talk about but I just don't talk about anything. I've worked at a new job for something like 4 months now and I've seriously not even had a single proper conversation with anyone there in that entire time. I keep on thinking that my co-workers think I'm really weird or something for never talking to them or maybe think that I don't like them, but that's not the case at all, I think all of the people there are great people but I just can't express that to them properly. We're having a Christmas party later this month and I just said I couldn't go because I can't bare the thought of having to interact with them and possibly making myself look bad. I also think that if I just started being really chatty tomorrow that they'd think I'm even weirder because of the super drastic change. I don't know what to do. I hate myself for not being able to interact with people and make connections with them. Every time I do something I think is weird in a social interaction I find myself replaying the scene in my head over and over and beating myself up because of it and it makes me very depressed. One time I even cried after getting home because of how embarrassed I was with myself because I froze up from a simple question that someone had asked me. I just can't get the thought out of my head that everyone thinks I'm super weird or rude or cold to people. I'm actually a very friendly person. If someone asks for help I'm the first one to offer a hand. I just really don't know how to express myself or how to socialize. It sucks. I fear I won't be able to make any friends or find a girlfriend because of this. I fear that my work life will suffer because of this. I'm a full grown adult and I can't even hold a simple conversation. I feel like a failure.

peach14 Alternatives to CBT?
  • replies: 4

I've seen 3 psychologists and 1, maybe 2, psychiatrists. The only thing so far that has worked for me for my anxiety is medication, and that's really only to an extent. I think i need some variation of "talk therapy" in addition to medication, but CB... View more

I've seen 3 psychologists and 1, maybe 2, psychiatrists. The only thing so far that has worked for me for my anxiety is medication, and that's really only to an extent. I think i need some variation of "talk therapy" in addition to medication, but CBT hasn't worked and I'm not sure what other options to seek (and how to)?

KG07 Teacher anxiety
  • replies: 7

Hello, I am a teacher and before every lesson, I have anxiety about the class. Anxiety about not being able to control the students, anxiety that I won't know everything that they ask of me, anxiety that I won't be liked and/or respected. And what is... View more

Hello, I am a teacher and before every lesson, I have anxiety about the class. Anxiety about not being able to control the students, anxiety that I won't know everything that they ask of me, anxiety that I won't be liked and/or respected. And what is so frustrating is that I feel like I am two different people. My rational side can have an answer for all of those fears and worries I have and yet, I still come back to having those same anxieties. I'm also really hard on myself and if I think I've 'lost' my students. I beat myself up about it for the next couple of hours. I really love teaching but also hate it because of the anxiety. I feel like I am the only teacher who feels this way and it is so isolating - every other teacher looks so confident and like they don't care. There are probably some teachers who would think the same as me as I act confident. I'm just wondering if I am the only one.

Scarlett06 Anxiety for travel
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone I’m being extra paranoid. I have to go home to another state to grab the rest of my things to bring back to my partners home. I’ll be gone for 3 weeks give or take as I have to home qurantine for 14 days. I don’t think this is something h... View more

Hi everyone I’m being extra paranoid. I have to go home to another state to grab the rest of my things to bring back to my partners home. I’ll be gone for 3 weeks give or take as I have to home qurantine for 14 days. I don’t think this is something he’d do, but I’m worried that if we fight and I’ve left majority of my stuff at his house, he won’t want to give ir back. Example; my PC. Once again I know I’m just paranoid, but is there a way to help me feel certain he won’t be able to hold on to it? (I can’t take my pc back with me as I’m flying and it will 100% get damaged and that’s just less room for me on the way back to pack stuff, I’ve also thought about posting but that wouldn’t work either.) im also worried about when I should leave, if I leave at the end of November I do have to qurantine but if I leave the end of December I don’t. I don’t know who I want to spend Christmas with, (my family or his) and I’m worried I’ll be unsafe by myself back at my family home for three weeks. Another con to going in December is I don’t have to stay for as long. But I do want to see my bird Louis. She’s my emotional support animal and I miss her like crazy, I don’t know how to get her down here either. Im sorry if this post was all over the place, I’ve got so many thoughts rushing through my head right now and I know beyond blue always helps me out. Thanking you, Scar.

PsychedelicFur Feeling really disconnected from myself
  • replies: 6

Hello everyone. First and foremost I have very high functioning autism. And lately, for most of this year I have been working on survivor mode and autopilot. I feel incredibly disconnected from myself. Each day I barely get dressed properly. I take t... View more

Hello everyone. First and foremost I have very high functioning autism. And lately, for most of this year I have been working on survivor mode and autopilot. I feel incredibly disconnected from myself. Each day I barely get dressed properly. I take two showers a day. I feel completely overwhelmed. I am flying through university, as I am an overachiever. However, with every spare second I get to myself I just feel so utterly drained and emotionally exhausted. Unfortunately, I have to mask myself for my university classes. I have to do a one year pathway in order to get into the degree that I want. The pathway is heavily sports orientated. And I am flying through it. Even though I am certainly not a sports person! I have roughly under six weeks left and then I can get my Diploma. I’ve been masking for YEARS. And I had never realised it. I mask my autistic traits so some of the Neuro typical people, around me in my course, don’t feel so uncomfortable. It’s frustrating. Working in groups to complete assessments can be utterly debilitating and taxing, on my psychological health too. I find that - conversing with unfamiliar people can make me really want to step away and become even more reserved. More specifically, if they don’t react in a positive light. I’m actively working on this trait of mine though. I just feel so disconnected from my body, soul and spirit. I feel drained. I enjoy my university work, of course. As it temporarily distracts my mind of my mundane thoughts.Or somewhat at least. I love actually creating the work. And I am successfully passing, so that is amazing!! Consequently though, when I don’t have online classes or it’s the weekend - I just feel so deprived of sometimes sleep, energy and motivation. I know it will all be so worth it in the long run though. I can feel it. I just feel so mentally frustrated and drained at the moment. I am hoping that it will all pass soon though ... PF.

44Max44 Am I developing (or do I already have) a eating disorder?
  • replies: 5

Hi, So last year wasn't a great one for me. My confidence was at an all-time low because I had gained a whole lot of weight and didn't like how I was looking at all. I didn't really notice myself eating more than usual, but I guess I most likely was ... View more

Hi, So last year wasn't a great one for me. My confidence was at an all-time low because I had gained a whole lot of weight and didn't like how I was looking at all. I didn't really notice myself eating more than usual, but I guess I most likely was because I'm not sure how else I'd have gained so much weight otherwise. Anyways, so this year swung around and like most people do I had a new years' resolution to lose weight and get fit again. At first for around the first 2 or 3 months I was in the gym, but that didn't really make me lose any weight at all and if anything just made me gain muscle while still keeping all the same fat (and maybe even gaining some more). Then something clicked in my head, I thought 'if I just stop eating as much, I'll lose weight.' so I did. I stopped eating. Whenever I felt that usual hunger pang in my stomach, I didn't reach straight for some food to satisfy it. I just let myself starve. It's gotten to a point where I eat only 2 meals a day and some snacks here and there. I find myself going to work feeling super hungry a lot of the time, and it's not unusual for me to feel very hungry most days but just ignore the urge to eat. I've dropped weight now so I am back within my 'healthy' BMI but I'm worried that if I continue like this I'll continue to lose weight and maybe even become underweight. Food isn't repulsive to me or anything, I can still eat it whenever I feel hungry no problems, it's just that I don't want to eat a lot of the time because I really don't want to become overweight again and stoop back into the depression I had last year because of my weight issues. I find myself feeling really hungry for hours and hours most days, usually to the point where I just stop feeling hungry because my body realizes I'm not going to eat. It's not very pleasant but I don't really know of any other way to lose weight, and I'm worried that if I go back to my usual 3 meals a day routine that I'll just pack on all that extra weight that I've lost this year. I don't know what to think. Does anyone have any advice? Thank you if you've read this far, I appreciate you.

Cloudyblue Panic attacks triggered by PPE at work
  • replies: 6

I work in healthcare and since the onset of Covid have struggled with the constant need for wearing masks for entire shifts at work. I have struggled, mostly silently, but have also been socially isolating myself as as a way to avoid masks wearing an... View more

I work in healthcare and since the onset of Covid have struggled with the constant need for wearing masks for entire shifts at work. I have struggled, mostly silently, but have also been socially isolating myself as as a way to avoid masks wearing any more than absolutely necessary. I have always been somewhat claustrophobic but masks have become very triggering for a crappy incident in the past that I had (so I thought) effectively buried. More recently with the increase need at work for full PPE and now having to always wear a N95 instead of the slightly less restrictive surgical masks, with minimal opportunity for breaks to remove the masks, my distress has increased. Firstly nightmares and worsening depression and mild (mostly controllable) panic attacks until more recently I had a major panic attack during work and was unable to carry on working. It was very distressing and embarrassing for me and now I'm almost having panic attacks about having another panic attack at work. My anxiety about going to work has increased dramatically. I am mentally exhausted from living on edge for such a long time and physically drained from ongoing palpitations whenever my anxiety gets on top of me. Mindfulness and meditations in the past have helped me, but don't seem to have the same effect anymore. Focussed breathing techniques have been my go to previously, but when in N95 masks and wearing all the associated PPE it feels near impossible to get a breath in let alone focussed deep breathing. All this PPE is here to stay for the foreseeable future given my job and I just can't seem to see a way out from where I am. Until now I have avoided medication, hoping therapy would help me through, but the anxiety is now crippling and in turn my depression has reached new lows. I'm not sure what I'm after...I guess I'm wanting to know if there are other healthcare workers who have similar issues and how they are managing to continue working under these circumstances. Working in an area without PPE is simply not an option for me, so I have to find a way to make it work. Thanks for any thoughts.