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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

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kodadoo a ramble
  • replies: 2

I don't know if I'll end up regretting this as I got to sleep tonight but I need to get stuff off my chest I guess? And I've always felt like a burden turning to my friends and complaining so I turned to this as it's probably better than something li... View more

I don't know if I'll end up regretting this as I got to sleep tonight but I need to get stuff off my chest I guess? And I've always felt like a burden turning to my friends and complaining so I turned to this as it's probably better than something like reddit. Currently I'm 17F going into year 12 and although undiagnosed by a mental health person and just my gp mentally ill?? sorta? backstory nearing the end of year 9 I started to get bad anxiety, which only ended up getting worse, from what I remember when I went to see the gp, and after getting tests done even though I already thought it was anxiety, was told I most likely have some sort of phobia anxiety related to emetophobia, this was all year 10, and I have for a while been too scared to see a psychiatrist. I don't think 'scared' is the right word, but more so avoidant, it would be nice to be diagnosed with something that tells me why I struggled to even leave the house let alone be home without feeling nauseous (specifically after eating food, thats where the emetophobia comes in) and has led to lasting affects in my life both in general but socially. This avoidance mainly comes from the fact my younger brother struggles mentally, he has autism, adhd and anxiety as well and my parents have had their hands full, although high functioning hes struggled going to school for a while and I didn't want to add more burden onto my parents. I know theres going to be the "oh you're not a burden" and I get that, but there's still that nagging part of me that kind of doesnt believe that. Only recently have I realised that maybe I should see someone, although I'm getting better I still struggle, and have a feeling its not the only thing I struggle with. I use to be incredibly insecure, especially in year 5 where god I was lowkey suicidal but at the same time it's all jumbled up so I'm not entirely sure (my memory is shocking). This ties into the other potentials, not to self diagnose, but I'm a chronic day dreamer, I think 80% of my day is me daydreaming, not as bad at school but still there, it's a habit I've done since I was little, plus some other mental health concerns, my lack of motivation and constant feeling of fogginess, that everything is dream like. And because of this being my final year of high school, I've felt the need to maybe get stuff checked out, unfortunately it wasn't as warmly received which I think in the back of my mind i expected.wrapping up im running out of characters but ty if listening

blue_whale feeling kinda hopeless rn
  • replies: 2

hi recently ive felt that my mental health has kinda taken the wrong turn. this started when i was around 13... and now im 16, its been cumulating over the past few years and i thought that i could ignore it but its gotten to a point where i can't an... View more

hi recently ive felt that my mental health has kinda taken the wrong turn. this started when i was around 13... and now im 16, its been cumulating over the past few years and i thought that i could ignore it but its gotten to a point where i can't anymore. i've recently had so many deaths in the family, this year i had 2 back to back ones which has made me dread my own future now that death is so close to me now. and my family life has kind of crumbled apart, the discussion of divorce keeps seeping into every conversation, my parents have talked about it too, which just kind of puts more salt into the wound... and i feel like my cousins don't really like me... we just don't click i guess, because they have their own separate gc w e/o and have no problem talking to eachother... and i'm just kind of awkwardly sitting on the edge listening. its not just my family too, my relationships with my friends also have taken a wrong turn. i found out long ago that my friends from primary school have decided to hang out with eachother... excluding me... which felt like such a stab to the back considering i had a falling out w one of them which makes me think i'm the problem??? idk it makes me sad knowing they probably talk smack behind my back. i've come to terms with it now but it doesn't stop hurting. and i've now kind of dreaded hanging out with all of my friends, i feel bad that im clinging onto one of them when i should be talking w/ the others, but honestly theres been so many problems, dramas that i can't see some of them normally anymore. i'm also not the most attractive person ever, im 150cm with a chronic baby face which makes me look like a child compared to the people around me, one time my friend commented that her auntie thought i was in kindergarten, while laughing, which made me feel like digging myself a hole. i've turned to my studies as a way to distance myself from these issues, but my academic life is also a source of stress, it always is. i tell myself constantly that i don't have to be perfect, but i keep spewing out near-to-perfect scores which places alot of weight and anxiety on my shoulders. i don't mean to be a perfect student, i never was, and i feel like more and more people are getting annoyed when i keep telling them... its true... al of this has kind of ruined my motivation... i find myself forgetting to clean the house sometimes which causes my mum to do it for me and complain how i lie about cleaning it... i do sometimes, i just don't deep clean it like how she expects me to... idk, im just floating around between feelings of hopelessness and loneliness and its taken a turn for the worse. sorry if this is long, i've never really processed any of these feelings before and this felt like the only way for now.

Guest_92765654 I don’t know what to do
  • replies: 2

I saw my dad for the first time in 4 years 1 week and ever since I’ve felt lost and scared when I’m alone. (Bit of a backstory he abused for most of my life.) I’ve been suffering ever since I was younger because it it but since seeing him I just feel... View more

I saw my dad for the first time in 4 years 1 week and ever since I’ve felt lost and scared when I’m alone. (Bit of a backstory he abused for most of my life.) I’ve been suffering ever since I was younger because it it but since seeing him I just feel this sufofocating presence when I’m by myself and my brain Jsut stops. I don’t know what to do

ConnorIsFunni 16, 175cm and 100-110kg
  • replies: 4

Hello, My name is Connor. I’m 16 and I play basketball. I’m pretty gifted athletically (I think so anyway) as I am pretty fast for a fat guy (24km/h), but it’s not enough. I was separated from my mum due to physical abuse when I was 12 and ever since... View more

Hello, My name is Connor. I’m 16 and I play basketball. I’m pretty gifted athletically (I think so anyway) as I am pretty fast for a fat guy (24km/h), but it’s not enough. I was separated from my mum due to physical abuse when I was 12 and ever since then I’ve stayed with my nana. I was also fat since I was born, so yeah, that’s nice. In the recent years, I’ve been told I’ve become bitter, everytime I’ve tried to connect with my mum, it always ends terribly, as of writing this, just a few hours ago, I got into a physical altercation with her. I am now safe, but not mentally. My mum had called me fat and a loser all my life, ever since I was 10 ‘when I should be properly be able to take care of myself’ she always made fun of the fact I couldn’t run halfway don’t the street when I tried to run away one day. I constantly compare myself to other people at school, a lot of the boys I talk to are close to/are dunking, and basketball is everything to me, it’s how I made friends, how people respect me and I can’t get near dunking, because I’m fat. I’ve tried working out, I was 5 months consistent with just sheer forcing myself, but I can’t do it anymore. I had a knee injury and it got too hot (I live in South Australia) and I can’t even get out of my bed sometimes. People keep making me the punchline of their jokes, like the usual ‘pretend there is a earthquake when he is running’ then comparing me to popular fat people and fat fictional characters. I also have been rejected by girls for being fat, people talk down on me for my weight and height. It’s exhausting, I feel angry 24/7, I tried boxing, but my body couldn’t handle the output of my exertion because I was heavy, I try too hard when playing sports leading to injuries because of how heavy I am. I wear baggy shirts and pants 24/7, not matter the weather. My dad is nonexistent, he lives away from me in Northern Territory, and my nana just says ‘I used to be like this etc.’ when I ask for help.

Waterbotol Mental not great kinda at breaking point
  • replies: 2

I dont know where to start but like im kinda cooked?? Im 16M about to begin year 12 and literally a week ago lost two (lets say one is S (female) and the other is A (male) of my 3 (lets call the remaining one K) close friends. I lost S because im a b... View more

I dont know where to start but like im kinda cooked?? Im 16M about to begin year 12 and literally a week ago lost two (lets say one is S (female) and the other is A (male) of my 3 (lets call the remaining one K) close friends. I lost S because im a bit of a dumb one, i like had a hugeee crush on her for the past 5 years and like its been a cycle of us getting close me confessing then her rejecting me and we distance and it restarts like this is already the 4th iteration of such an occurance. This time i was hoping to actually stop it by acknowledging that its probably not great for either of us for me to keep doing this and then keeping my distance from her (oh yeahh also i have very bad anxious attachment which i suspect came from 2023 when she lowk like lead me on for half a year then ghosted me for another half year but like we ignore that). I lost A because i found out what he has been doing. He has been going around and hitting on girls (borderline harrassment imo) and also he sent someone a suicide note in order to get her number???? I tried to like get him to understand that he shouldnt be doing these things but he kept deflecting and keeps saying hes being misunderstood and that hes not harrassing girls even when he sends them videos saying their hair looks really nice and when he gets left on seen he keeps going. I dont know, also sorry if this like rant thing is disorganised its 3 am ive been lying in bed with a sensation of my heart being twisted for the past 4 hours i dont know bruh. Anyways i should get back on track, so thats why i lost him. Why this is important though is that each of my close friends had a role within my life, like S would be who i talked with normally and A would be who i ranted with about my love life, but after both of them are gone i havent got any role fillers... tbh ive just been asking chatgpt for help and i dont think thats too good so thats why im here. This alone wouldnt be that bad thooo, its the fact that im worried about my physical health (my family has a history of like gout diabetes brain issues), my love life (its been pretty difficult getting over S while im anxiously attached and shes currently in a talking stage atm) and the fact that im starting year 12 (bio, chem, physics, methods ,english language and my parents wont pay for university if i get anything less than a 95 atar... oh yeah im also moving sometime near the middle of the year and im horribly lonely.again im sorry for the disorganisation

Noons13 Hopelessness & Self - Hatred
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone, I've had really bad anxiety for almost 3 to 4 years, particularly social anxiety, which began around the end of high school. Whilst, I have struggled with this for a while, I feel that recently this has contributed to me feeling depresse... View more

Hi everyone, I've had really bad anxiety for almost 3 to 4 years, particularly social anxiety, which began around the end of high school. Whilst, I have struggled with this for a while, I feel that recently this has contributed to me feeling depressed. Despite my anxiety during high school, I still had optimism about the future and my life after high school. Since finishing, however, I've lost all hope whatsoever and I just feel worthless. I haven't made any new friends, have become a borderline alcoholic, sleep in almost everyday until 1pm, spending most of my time watching tv or listening to music to distract myself from how bad I feel. My anxiety more recently has also forced me to take a break from uni, as I would either skip classes or have a complete mental breakdown from being around so many new people. Whilst I felt I had to take a break from uni because I wasn't coping, I feel that this has actually made me more depressed as I have become more isolated. I now have developed a sense of hopelessness, where I genuinely don't believe that I'm every going to meet any new people or not worry about things constantly to the point of mental exhaustion because of my anxiety. Without my best friend, who is pretty much the only good thing in my life and my family, I think I would have already ended it all. Would love to hear from anyone,Noons

Karioshi Tired Of Life
  • replies: 6

Hello, my name is Steven im 24 & on the cusp about seeing life for what it is or just the old aww your just depressed so & so as most individuals would probably go along with just to put a label on you. Everyday when i wake up, the first thought's th... View more

Hello, my name is Steven im 24 & on the cusp about seeing life for what it is or just the old aww your just depressed so & so as most individuals would probably go along with just to put a label on you. Everyday when i wake up, the first thought's that come to mind are "oh great another pointless day again" gotta get ready, gotta hygienise myself, gotta eat/drink, gotta play dress up, gotta drive all the way to work & when I get to work, i gotta pretend that im a yes man to work in order to keep it, & make constant small talk all the time to avoid being excluded & risk of job loss. Seriously why are we forced to jump thru so many hoops just to have a decent simple life, life just is but not to sound biased tho it seems humans just make it more harder. i always hear people constantly boasting on radio, on billboards, on television, in groups, sign's of saying "look up & live" look up to the future. I just get so sick & fed up of acting like all of this is normal & aww thats just life so quit complaing & deal with it, like what so wrong with saying life today is not okay when it isnt. Yes we might have the sky, the clouds, the oceans, nature, wildlife, food & water, make life for what you make of it as ive been told thru out my life, but are we really living? Is going to a job you hate everyday just to make ends meet living or just surviving as usual, as thats what kind of seems to be with the majority & if you dont want to participate you get threatened of not having income & a way of means of not providing for yourself. All im saying is life could be better for all, instead alot of folks just wanna extract & reap resources for themselves while the others live with scraps & get paid penny's on the dollar, worrying all the time how am I gonna pay for my mortgage or rent, or utilities, provide for my offspring. As negative as this sounds which probably does depending on the person, how else am I supposed to explain without hurting anybody's feelings, i can't just keep on tiptoeing for the rest of my life pretending everything's okay all the time because its not. If everybody was so content & thankful for their roles, then why are they still unhappy, then they want to bring somebody here & have them go thru the same thing just to keep them company & not have a care in the world what he or she would experience in this life because as long as they're getting what they want, to hell with them. For instance i hear parents saying i want to give my young ones a brighter future, I dont them to suffer like I did. Please make it make sense, because not of this really does.

Guest_07716142 How do you cope with the worry of never being able to buy your own home or live without a housemate?
  • replies: 3

My lease ends in the new year and I've been trying so save as much as I can to get a house deposit with my partner, but no matter how much I save the price keeps going up and now I may need to find a new rental as well because they could be selling. ... View more

My lease ends in the new year and I've been trying so save as much as I can to get a house deposit with my partner, but no matter how much I save the price keeps going up and now I may need to find a new rental as well because they could be selling. I'm just feeling very overwhelmed and stressed that I'll never get to that next chapter in my life and that i could possibly be bringing my partner down too due to my income.

kittyclaws23 wanting to cut off a friendship
  • replies: 5

Hi,I am turning 17 this year, and I have a best friend who we can call M. M is the same age as me and we have been friends for 6 years at this point. But recently the start of the year, I feel as though I don't want to be as close friends with her. T... View more

Hi,I am turning 17 this year, and I have a best friend who we can call M. M is the same age as me and we have been friends for 6 years at this point. But recently the start of the year, I feel as though I don't want to be as close friends with her. This is due to three main reasons. 1. She had a habit since we were in year 7 to copy off me. This escalated into her straight up asking me to make her cheatsheets in math instead of helping and submitting my english homework as her own. 2. I understand she is going through a hard time currently and struggling with her mental health. I don't know if she means to be hurtful to me but sometimes it feels as though she is trying to embarrass me. She vents a lot and I vented to, and we have never told anyone what we told each other which I appreciate and respect. She genuinely just doesn't listen to advice I give her sometimes, I would tell her that she should try a different approach or maybe be wary of this person.3. She invites herself to plans I make with others. It genuinely has reached a point where I don't want to tell her I hung out with other friends because she'll jokingly asked why she wasn't invited and whatnot and make a deal out of it, or if she does invite herself, she changes the plans to match what she has in mind.BUT I am no better. While some situations I have communicated that she should stop doing this, it takes another three times for her to actually listen. I think I brought up stepping back slightly in our friendship in the past, but that never really changed anything. I'm tired of communicating, and I will acknowledge that makes me a bad friend because if I really cared about this friendship I would communicate. I also am friends with somebody who I told M I was mad at because this friend ignored me but apologised and now we are friends again, which is fake of me. I also vented to a friend about this (I will call them E), I was crying over the phone. The whole reason I started venting is because E off-handedly said that M was talking to her and said "Oh trust me you don't want (me) in your english class." Then followed up with a joke reason. I don't know why I started crying but I told E that I helped M so much in english it hurt to hear that. But I still shouldn't have vented because Iooking back I feel like I have no right to vent because I am just as bad as M.I really need advice on what to do because I have a year of highschool with M left and am wondering if its worth worrying over.