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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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Anxious5 Health Anxiety
  • replies: 8

Hi, I am new on here. I have been suffering with anxiety since my teens which has come and gone however in the last year we had some big life changes and my anxiety came back full on. My anxiety always stems to health anxiety in where I am convinced ... View more

Hi, I am new on here. I have been suffering with anxiety since my teens which has come and gone however in the last year we had some big life changes and my anxiety came back full on. My anxiety always stems to health anxiety in where I am convinced I have something horrible and then am just panicked so much that I can't function and so it started about a year ago where I started feeling a bit lightheaded and had to constantly go to the toilet and so I was convinced that I had bowel cancer and so after going to do a colonoscopy and it all came out clear I then developed some other pain or something else and it even developed into agoraphobia and I didn't leave the house for months. I slowly got the courage to go out again and do little everyday things but I haven't had a day where my anxiety has been low. I do not like taking medication and so I opted to do things naturally. I did yoga at home, walking/running on the treadmill which sometimes was my only relief from the adrenaline and meditation which I find really hard. I had also started taking Same which a naturopath suggested but then thought it created more heart palpitations so I stopped that but don't know if it was all created by me to be honest. I have been pushing myself outside of my comfort zone but I am finding no relief and new symptoms which now are really weird start creeping up. I have now for the past couple of months have started getting pins and needles in my feet and hands with sometimes I wake up to my hand completely fallen asleep in the middle of the night and I'm not even lying on it. I get pains in the back of my head and even had like a head zap which freaked me out completely. I get days which I feel really out of balance. I went to see a neurologist and he did a full spine and head MRI which he said came out ok and he suggested a nerve conduction test which I don't want to do as part of me does believe this is anxiety. Can anyone relate to this as I am feeling very alone in this situation.

Guest_5241 keep looking in
  • replies: 3

Greetings. I have generalised anxiety disorder. This was caused by being subjected to horrific physical and emotional child abuse. i had a health scare in 2011, low blood sugar. My mother passed away from cancer in 2014. Previously, my great aunt die... View more

Greetings. I have generalised anxiety disorder. This was caused by being subjected to horrific physical and emotional child abuse. i had a health scare in 2011, low blood sugar. My mother passed away from cancer in 2014. Previously, my great aunt died of cancer, my great uncle died in a motorbike accident, my second cousin committed suicide: I'm only 30 and all this has happened to me but I am putting in the past I am recovering from this mental health issue but I'm wondering if people on here have the same thoughts I do. i am obsessed with my health, avoiding jail, not touching strangers, not having people harm me. i have been looking over and over at moles on my skin, checking them every morning to see if they've changed which is useless because moles change over a period of 3 months or so and I have no family history of skin cancer. does anyone else do things like this? Thanks remember guys and girls we are not unwell, we just think differently to some other people. A lot of us are highly intelligent and such kind people

Gingerninja Do you google your symptoms when you're feeling bad?
  • replies: 2

Does anyone else Google their symptoms when they feel like their anxiety/depression/other disorder is getting worse again after a really good patch? do you find it helps or exacerbates things?

Does anyone else Google their symptoms when they feel like their anxiety/depression/other disorder is getting worse again after a really good patch? do you find it helps or exacerbates things?

lostlookingforlove Sporting nerves
  • replies: 3

This is my first time posting and my first time playing with a team, in over five years. This is due to anxiety. We have our grand final and im starting to feel the nerves kicking in as i dont want to stuff up and ruin it for my team. I know that if ... View more

This is my first time posting and my first time playing with a team, in over five years. This is due to anxiety. We have our grand final and im starting to feel the nerves kicking in as i dont want to stuff up and ruin it for my team. I know that if i do i will be out of sport for another lengthy period of time. I am just unsure on how to deal with the nerves for this game on sunday, does anyone have advice or tips on how to manage this nervousness and anxiety. i really want to enjoy this game without overriding negative thoughts which i know will impact my performance.

Jada89 Derealisation and depersonalisation
  • replies: 6

Hey guys I have been suffering from dp/dr for over 10 years now. I am 26 and have recently found out what it is. I'm happy that I now know I'm not going crazy and many people suffer from this as it's anxiety and trauma related. I just want to get rid... View more

Hey guys I have been suffering from dp/dr for over 10 years now. I am 26 and have recently found out what it is. I'm happy that I now know I'm not going crazy and many people suffer from this as it's anxiety and trauma related. I just want to get rid of this and feel normal again. Would like to talk to people who both suffer from this and who have recovered to try and set me free of this. It restricts me in so many day to day things. Thanks

Jamielee88 Am i normal
  • replies: 16

This is my first post i suffer from sereve anxiety n sevre panic attacks. I cry all the time n question life. Ive got a fear of dying. I dont feel normal anymore. I just wanna feel noral again n do things i use to. I feel useless that i cant do stuff... View more

This is my first post i suffer from sereve anxiety n sevre panic attacks. I cry all the time n question life. Ive got a fear of dying. I dont feel normal anymore. I just wanna feel noral again n do things i use to. I feel useless that i cant do stuff that i use to cause im scared. I just dont know what to do anymore. Its like no one seems to understand. I find when i try go out to shops it feels like everyones just looking at me n judging me. My body is in constant pain both phyiscally n enotionally. Im scared to be left by my self. I just wanna feel good about myself again like i did before. I wake up in tears when i sleep. I have my first phycologist appointment on thursday wich making me more nervous n anxious

Ree85 Recent anxiety attack
  • replies: 15

4 weeks ago I had my first massive anxiety attack. I have always worried and over thought about things but this particular time really hit me hard. i was wondering what are some way that everyone copes with anxiety. I'm also looking for ppl who are g... View more

4 weeks ago I had my first massive anxiety attack. I have always worried and over thought about things but this particular time really hit me hard. i was wondering what are some way that everyone copes with anxiety. I'm also looking for ppl who are going through a similar thing to talk to more often I'm seeing a therapist which I'm due for my second apt this week. Some days are great where others days are just horrible. My husband doesn't understand at all

Reaperbird Anxiety share-space
  • replies: 11

Hey guys I wanted to start a thread where we can all share and vent out any quirks, habits, routines and/or feelings we have when faced with anxiety or panic-attacks. I feel it might be a positive way to share our experiences amongst ourselves and ga... View more

Hey guys I wanted to start a thread where we can all share and vent out any quirks, habits, routines and/or feelings we have when faced with anxiety or panic-attacks. I feel it might be a positive way to share our experiences amongst ourselves and gain some comfort in knowing we aren't alone in this. Well I'll start with a few of mine, and if you like, feel free to add your own in the comments! ^_^ - Mentally repeating to myself what I'm going to say to the shop cashier while waiting in line. - Keeping all doors/windows closed and locked. Re-checking in case I missed one. - Occasionally covering household mirrors with sheets/towels so no one can 'watch' me. - Spacing out when around large crowds of people, or when there's a lot of noise. - Replying 'you too' when people ask 'how are you?' - Needing to know every tiny detail about what's going on before I can relax. Always having a plan B. - Vaguely answering any questions about myself or my interests. - Asking friends/family if they can order for me. - Using the self-serve or shopping online to avoid contact with other people. - Getting awkward and embarrassed when complimented. - Sometimes letting phone calls go to message-bank instead of answering. - Never changing my fashion/hair style so I don't draw attention to myself. - Getting myself lost during a panic-attack, then getting in to more of a panic about being lost. - Either answering people too quickly, or too late. - Using body language and gestures instead of speaking because I stutter a lot.

Robert29 Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing?
  • replies: 3

Hi all, Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing? Everything I read online and even on here describes OCD as intrusive disturbing thoughts about sex, violence etc. I have intrusive thoughts but they are not disturbing. I just analyze sp... View more

Hi all, Can you have OCD without the thoughts being disturbing? Everything I read online and even on here describes OCD as intrusive disturbing thoughts about sex, violence etc. I have intrusive thoughts but they are not disturbing. I just analyze specific topics to the point of almost making myself crazy. The reason I think it is OCD is when I am obsessing about a specific topic my mind thinks SO strongly that if I can just find the right answer or description online my obsession will go away. and it does work but only temporarily. For example I recently thought I needed to grow up in certain areas of my life and because I started obsessing about this I researched exactly what growing up means online for literally months until I found an answer that would satisfy my brain. I would find an article or description that would make me happy for a few days max and then I would start doubting again. I never found an answer that lasted the only reason I ever stopped obsessing about what growing up means and how I can grow up myself is because I started obsessing about a different topic. And so the pain restarts. Right now my obsession is wether I have, depression, anxiety or OCD. My brain thinks if I found out which one I have it will be ok I just need to know which one it is. I understand it could be all 3 but my mind doesn't want to know that it wants a specific answer. I can get on with normal life most days but I have this constant over analysing going on in my head constantly. I can distract myself temporarily but it always comes back. Sometimes I go to bed feeling completely fine and then I wake up the next day and BANG back to square one. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rob

OCD_Me OCD and Intrusive Thoughts
  • replies: 37

Hi All ~ this is my 1st post *eek* So, my background is... As a small child I used to repeat sayings over and over in my head to make sure 'bad things' didn't happen, they would always have to be repeated a certain number of times etc etc. I had on a... View more

Hi All ~ this is my 1st post *eek* So, my background is... As a small child I used to repeat sayings over and over in my head to make sure 'bad things' didn't happen, they would always have to be repeated a certain number of times etc etc. I had on and off periods of anxiety over the coming years and was finally diagnosed 17 years ago, at the age of 20 with OCD and GAD, this was after being house bound for around 3 months with debilitating panic attacks. I was prescribed a medication that got me out and about and back to 'normal'. I still take this today. Over the past 17 years I have functioned quite well and the majority of people would see me as a well adjusted, happy, carefree woman (if they only knew!). Anxiety and OCD have always been there just bubbling away under the surface. 6 months ago after being under some stress I started having palpitations and a handful of panic attacks. I haven't really been myself since then. I have a great GP who has referred my to a psychologist, but I can't see her for another fortnight. And also a psychiatrist to confirm the original diagnosis from 17 years ago to make sure we are undertaking the right treatment. I can cope ok with the anxiety and no longer truly fear panic attacks which seems to keep them at bay. What I truly struggle with and it breaks my heart, are the intrusive thoughts. They are violent and are directed toward the person that means the most to me, my son. Logically I understand all about intrusive thoughts... I understand that they are automatic, that they mean nothing, that anxiety picks on the ones we love the most etc. But they still hurt and frighten me so much. I know that I should just ignore them and let them be, but being a true Obsessive that little thought is always in the background saying 'What if" What if you are truly capable of this. What if you snap and lose your mind. What if, what if, what if. It's at the point where I don't feel comfortable being too close to my son even though I know that's exactly what I should be doing to let my mind know that I have no fear of these annoying, upsetting thoughts. Thanks for letting me share my story and vent my worries