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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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XmoonstruckX23 Everything seems wrong with me
  • replies: 1

Hi, this is my first time ever doing something like this. Lately, I have been struggling with what emotion I'm supposed to feel. I cry without knowing why I'm crying or breaking down. I get anxiety tics, I've been getting some really bad intrusive th... View more

Hi, this is my first time ever doing something like this. Lately, I have been struggling with what emotion I'm supposed to feel. I cry without knowing why I'm crying or breaking down. I get anxiety tics, I've been getting some really bad intrusive thoughts and I don't feel normal. Lately I just space out for long periods of time not thinking about anything, just a blank stare on my face.

Soukjane Health anxiety
  • replies: 8

I am finding it hard to regulate my moods with anxiety triggered every time I perceive a pressure physically from a procedure I had recently. Even after having my specialist reassure me that all is normal and ok. I also feel grief at not being able t... View more

I am finding it hard to regulate my moods with anxiety triggered every time I perceive a pressure physically from a procedure I had recently. Even after having my specialist reassure me that all is normal and ok. I also feel grief at not being able to spend time with my young grandson that lives in Sydney. I am not sure whether the two issues are resulting in this awful anxiety and loss of interest in my usual activities. I do exercise and eat a healthy diet. I feel good after swimming but it only lasts a couple of hours. Then the whole dreaded feelings return.I have tried a few psychologists but does not seem to help much. In fact I become more anxious having to talk to them. I am feeling like there does not seem much point in anything. Like I am not useful.Sad Jane

Moose80 Can’t sleep
  • replies: 1

4 years ago I was diagnosed with severe heart disease and had to undergo quintuple bypass surgery at the age of 39. At that time I was terrified that it would take my life or one night I would fall asleep and never wake up. I have a wife and young ch... View more

4 years ago I was diagnosed with severe heart disease and had to undergo quintuple bypass surgery at the age of 39. At that time I was terrified that it would take my life or one night I would fall asleep and never wake up. I have a wife and young child and want to see him grow up to become a man. But over the last 4 years the grind of working full time, being a parent and living with this disease has worn me out to the point where I’m just physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted almost all the time. I was working for a company for many years but in the last year I decided to change jobs which was a hard decision because I had to start all over again with sick leave and annual leave, which is a big safety net for me because of my health condition. Recently I had a mishap at work and it cost me my job. It has literally devastated me, now I’m having to start all over again, again. I have health symptoms that I ignore for fear of having to spend weeks in hospital, I think I have ptsd from that place. I have anxiety about applying for jobs, worried that they’ll hold my condition against me. I find it hard to be happy around my wife and child which affects them. I’m at the point where falling asleep and not waking up doesn’t seem so bad.

elegantlycursed Get it off your chest
  • replies: 2

Hey all! This is my first time doing anything like this but I feel like I’m struggling hard. I’m too scared to go see a GP. I’ve always been the “strong” one in my family. If I talked to them about having possible anxiety attacks they would absolutel... View more

Hey all! This is my first time doing anything like this but I feel like I’m struggling hard. I’m too scared to go see a GP. I’ve always been the “strong” one in my family. If I talked to them about having possible anxiety attacks they would absolutely pity me and never look at me the same way. Just writing this down in text is making my heart pound and chest feel heavy. I’ve been having random “bursts” of discomfort on my chest and slow deep breaths is the only way to move the lump away from my chest.I thought it started when I bought my new car. I thought maybe I was feeling a little anxious about the car repayments or the new commitment I just made, but I keep feeling this stupid lump that makes my mind race to think of stupid scenarios that will never happen or make me overthink the way someone greeted (or didn’t greet) me. I know I’m being irrational but then that small part of me says “are you? are you being irrational or is something really up and you’re just overthinking your overthinking?” It’s a never-ending cycle. And it’s exhausting. I crunched the numbers again and reassured myself that the new car was in the budget and it wouldn’t be a silly investment in the long run so I know I’m not feeling anxious over that anymore. Just thinking about it doesn’t give the lump or make me overthink. For the past two weeks I’ve been feeling this lump, this pressure! And it comes out of no where. I can be in the middle of playing with my kids and I’ll have to stop and go somewhere quiet and take deep breaths. I can be in the middle of cooking dinner, or even in the middle of doing my job which I love! I don’t know why I’m beginning to feel this way but I’m overthinking everything and I’m feeling like I’m going to pass out from my overwhelming feelings. I feel like the room is getting smaller and smaller and my chest gets heavier and heavier and a blackness starts to slowly creep in until I feel like I can’t breath anymore. It stops when I shake myself out of it and take deep breaths and tell myself I’m being an idiot. I feel like I’m not good enough. I need to be a better mum, a better wife. I need to be a better daughter, sister, cousin you name it. I need to work harder at work. Everyone is better than me and I’m not doing enough. I don’t know what I want out of this post. I feel like it needs more context, more something. But I don’t know what. Maybe someone can give me some tips on how to manage not being being the best.

Ehmel OCD Encouragement
  • replies: 5

Hello everyone,I live with GAD, OCD and C-PTSD. My anxiety and OCD are on a serious spiral at the moment, and my mind+body and my family are suffering. I am seeing my psych, on meds etc. My self-care really fell by the wayside this year, so I am begi... View more

Hello everyone,I live with GAD, OCD and C-PTSD. My anxiety and OCD are on a serious spiral at the moment, and my mind+body and my family are suffering. I am seeing my psych, on meds etc. My self-care really fell by the wayside this year, so I am beginning that as much as I can again. (Modified because OCD is ruling my life).Can I have some feel-good encouragement, please - a lot of you understand how I will be feeling, which is nice.Any apps or literally anything that you have used and helped would be amazing too.

strawberryblondie First Job Search
  • replies: 3

I’m 18 and have never worked under employment. In the last few months, I have applied for 50+ positions and heard back from 3 places. But unfortunately, the job locations were not suitable for me. I have always been a bit anxious and sensitive to rej... View more

I’m 18 and have never worked under employment. In the last few months, I have applied for 50+ positions and heard back from 3 places. But unfortunately, the job locations were not suitable for me. I have always been a bit anxious and sensitive to rejection, so this cycle of failure is really starting to depress me. I worked really hard on my resume despite the lack of experience I hold. I don’t really want to reach out to friends who are employed so they can refer me. I would feel pathetic and burdensome to them.

Melancholy Yogini Struggling to remove the mask
  • replies: 4

Hi to all who read this post. Right now I feel like an impostor. There is no doubt in my mind that I am suffering from impostor syndrome as I am struggling to remove that mask and be proud of who I am. I have endured, overcome, and accomplished so mu... View more

Hi to all who read this post. Right now I feel like an impostor. There is no doubt in my mind that I am suffering from impostor syndrome as I am struggling to remove that mask and be proud of who I am. I have endured, overcome, and accomplished so much in my life so why am I anxious and fearful about the next steps? I am weeks away from turning 50; this makes me anxious because my father died at 50 years of age. I have had these feeling for a long time, and now that I am weeks away from finishing a diploma in mental health and a few months away from completed a Bach of Psychological Sciences the thought of finishing is making me fretful. I'm a qualified yoga and Pilates teacher, and work in the counselling world; so I have all the knowledge and techniques to deal with this. I studied in all of these areas to help understand myself yet I don't feel I am any closer. If anything it has just helped me hide who I am better. I help people almost everyday to deal with life. So why can't I help myself? Are my past traumas so deeply entrenched in my psyche that they have me in a constant state of flight? I remind myself over and over what I have accomplished yet I still feel like a fraud. I find myself procrastinating now because I am anxious when thinking about actually finishing my studies. I don't know what the future holds and I should be excited yet here I am worrying about what others are going to expect from me, worrying about what my next steps will be. I feel lost. I welcome any advice or words of wisdom to help me gain a different perspective.

_Nik_ Relapse to disordered eating
  • replies: 31

Hey, I've been going through a lot lately. When I say 'a lot' I mean a lot of change. Last year I was a mess, everything seemed to be going wrong. And I admit that for the first term of school, things weren't any better, and in some cases they were w... View more

Hey, I've been going through a lot lately. When I say 'a lot' I mean a lot of change. Last year I was a mess, everything seemed to be going wrong. And I admit that for the first term of school, things weren't any better, and in some cases they were worse. But one day I was texting my closet friend (cornflakes) about being extremely hungry and wishing I could eat. He encouraged me to eat something, after all I admitted to him that I was hungry. We argued a bit, and the night ended with me eating a small thing in order to 'prove him wrong'. Before this I had tried many times to eat properly, but I'd never last long. This is my longest time that I've managed. But, things are getting really hard right now. Every time I want to eat, it's a battle with my mind. Pros and cons are all I think about. Am I eating too much? Should I be eating? Am I sick enough. Everyday is tiring. But I had an anxiety attack yesterday, and today feels just the same. Like I am going to relapse. Like all of this is for nothing. Like I am not worth enough to eat. How do I get this stupid voice to shut up? I want to be normal again so bad. But it's really hard. I don't know what to do. - Nik

Madale I have decided to take little steps to change my life.
  • replies: 4

I’m going through social anxiety disorder since childhood. I’m 38 now. I stay in the house 24/7.I cannot go out anywhere, buy anything, I cannot drive, I cannot talk to my neighbors, I cannot speak on the phone because of my social anxiety. I was gui... View more

I’m going through social anxiety disorder since childhood. I’m 38 now. I stay in the house 24/7.I cannot go out anywhere, buy anything, I cannot drive, I cannot talk to my neighbors, I cannot speak on the phone because of my social anxiety. I was guilty for not having a job. I was harsh on myself for feeling and behaving weird. I always had negative things to say about myself. I never loved me. I never even looked at me in the mirror. I hated me. I was ashamed of me. I blamed myself for having social anxiety.3 yrs back I took a decision that I wanted to change my life.I started searching for videos on YouTube that could help me. I follow Aaron Doughty, Mel Robbins, Julien Himself, Dr. Julie, Teal Swan, Clark Kegley, Jay Shetty and Brian Scott. I decided to become a better version of myself every day I wake up.It took me 2 years to completely forgive my parents. It wasn’t easy, remembering and acknowledging the mental abuse. It was hard, almost impossible. I just didn’t want to go there, but I had decided to heal myself. I had to explain to myself that it wasn’t my fault. It was their behavior. It was about them. Maybe it’s what their parents did to them, but I have proudly decided I will not be the same to my children or my husband. It’s from me that the chord will be cut!I am learning about myself. I am discovering myself. I have started owning my social anxiety. Throughout the day I tell myself, you got this, I am proud of you, you are so confident around people, the best people come to you, I am rooting for you! Nobody will love you more than me!I make sure I don’t be harsh on myself anymore; I make sure I don’t talk negative about myself. When something goes wrong, my mind immediately start to think bad about myself but I quickly turn it around and talk positive. I have started respecting myself. I look in the mirror and tell myself what you’re going through is not your fault.I could not leave the bed before, now I wake up, have my tea and kneel down and pray to the universe for all the people who are suffering mentally and physically, that’s the least I can do.I have a pen and a notebook now; I’m making plans as to how to get out of the house and all. I am fighting my fears. Not easy. But I have decided that I want to enjoy my life. Let’s see what happens.I thought of sharing, thank you.

Rosanne123 Anti psychotics
  • replies: 4

Hi,I'm on my second attempt to withdraw from an antipsychotic,took it slowly this time.Last time my anxiety all came back and I had to go back on it.Anyone have any luck getting off this?I've been on it for two years and put on weight.It makes me sle... View more

Hi,I'm on my second attempt to withdraw from an antipsychotic,took it slowly this time.Last time my anxiety all came back and I had to go back on it.Anyone have any luck getting off this?I've been on it for two years and put on weight.It makes me sleep too long and I feel like a zombie.You get terrible insomnia coming off this as well.Jyst would like to chat to anyone that has any ideas on how to successfully withdraw from an antipsychotic.Thanks