Young people

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Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies

replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first

replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

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Failing Uni

replies: 3

I started my dream uni course in 2023. After completing a bridging course in 2022 to gain entry into my dream course. I unfortunately failed a subject in my 1st year and had to repeat it in my 2nd year. I once again failed it in my 2nd attempt and was academically excluded from the university. Ever since my mental health has been awful. I feel like such a failure and I have been lying to everyone around me because I’m too embarrassed to say I failed twice. It was my dream course and I did really enjoy the content but I just honestly couldn’t keep up with the workload and had a lot of personal issues going on that affected me mentally. I’m feeling overwhelmed with the fear of what to do next with my life. I’m not sure if I should find another course at another university and try again or if I should look at different options, but I feel like i have wasted the last 3 years of my life working towards my uni goal, just to chuck it away. All of my friends/partner have already graduated and have their life figured out. I’m getting to the point in my life where I’m 23 and I’m worried that starting a new 4-year course will set my whole life plans back and I still won’t have anything figured out by the time I’m 30. I don’t know what to do. I’d love to hear some other people’s stories about finding success and their right path! At the moment I’m feeling like such a failure and cannot see a further for myself..

University stress

replies: 5

So I’m 18 years old and just completed my first semester of university (I was a mid year start due to mental health problems) I have failed one of my topics (it was an option topic) and am currently sitting on a GPA of 4.33. I am really spinning out because initially, the degree I’m in doesn’t really have a set career path. Also I’m not even sure whether I can get my GPA up and do well in my topics. I’m terrified of disappointing my parents further because they are paying for my degree, which I am so thankful for. I don’t know what to do, and I’m terrified that this failure with my gpa will follow me around and permanently impact my career and internship options. I’m really just looking for some advice about what I should be doing. Thank you

I have no friends

replies: 1

Well if you couldn't guess by the title i have no friends, well i have 2 friends. I just finished year 9 and am part of a pretty big friend group, on the last day of school they all went to maccas and i was the only one not invited, they all tried to blame me because 'i left the group chat' but no one tried to tell me, and i left the chat because it was all wildly inappropriate stuff that i just didn't want to deal with. So when i asked someone to add me back and confront them about it they all blamed me for not being in the group chat and it's not like i would win an argument against 15 other people. Then they removed me from the group chat and they were all mocking me and saying 'ding dong the witch is dead' like i was the problem. Then like 4 people private message me and say it to my face. One of the boys Maddox is in another group chat with me and Tessa and he just started ignoring us, and he got mad at me asking about maccas the day of and i got mad at him for making it seem like i knew about it the whole time and chose not to come so i unadded him. Anyways he kept ignoring us and i was like this is like no i am not doing this so tonight when he responeded to something tessa posted i said 'Omg u actually responded,stop pretending that "not having an input" or "reading it too late" is a valid excuse. If you cared even a little, you’d make the effort to engage or at least acknowledge me instead of letting me feel ignored. Saying nothing at all repeatedly just shows you don’t value me or my presence. And now you want to twist it around and say, "this is why I don’t respond"? That’s such a weak excuse. The so-called "backhanded remarks" you’re accusing me of making are just me standing up for myself because of how you’ve treated me. If you’re so quick to cut me out and use that as justification for being removed from the group chat, maybe you should think about why this all happened in the first place. If this is how you define friendship, then no wonder things fell apart.' and then he left the chat apparently after saying some hurtful stuff but i didn't open it because i was ignoring him the same he ignored me. But it was a 3 person group chat and neither tessa or i have any other friends to add to it so it's back to being just us. And tessa is supposed to just be finishing year 8 and my other friend izzy i can't tell anything because she is in yr 10 and severely depressed and i don't want to make it worse so. Sorry about the rant.

I don’t feel like myself at all

replies: 10

I’m 17 years old and all of this has been going on for about a year now. I’m really suffering, no where near as bad as what i used to be but I still struggle horribly everyday. I’ll try my best for this to make sense but I can’t make any promises as I can’t seem to understand all of this myself. So around a year ago I begun hanging out with the ‘stoner’ crowd I suppose and started to smoke myself. The first couple of times were odd for me, I felt very animated, like everything I was saying was dumb, like everything was more so like a dream and I just felt drained and anxious. Most people would stop there if they were feeling that way but I continued to smoke everyday for around 8 months mainly by myself at home even though it made me feel horrible and I knew that deep down. It was more so I liked the act of smoking a cone than the high. Every time I am high I start thinking about all dumb things I have done in my life or during the day and actually have to psychically talk to myself and tell myself to stop thinking about it or I will bury my face in my hands and tell myself I’m stupid, dumb etc. I would cry often and instead of walking fast of my bus, keen to get to school and see people as I always did, I begun to feel anxious about it, which was something I’d never really experienced before. I went from being loud and happy to almost completely quiet and always down. Even my best friend became very foreign to me, I remember specific times he would try to joke with me like we always did but I would always ruin the mood by saying something boring or dumb. Eventually we drifted and nothing is the same between us to this day. I didn’t know what was happening to me, it’s like my mind was completely blank and I never had anything to contribute to a conversation. Fast forward to a year from now, I don’t have a single friend that I used to, in fact I have no friends. I now dread school and when I do go the day drags by, I am lucky if I have two brief conversations with somebody and I spend my spare time in the library just waiting to go home and jump into bed. I stopped smoking about 2 months ago after deciding I can’t continue to live like this. I’m not the same as I used to be, I can’t even comprehend the old me, it just doesn’t make sense to me as to how I used to be able to live in the moment and enjoy social interactions, etc. I just want to feel like me again and know why this all happened.

I don't know what to do

replies: 4

Hi, I usually don't speak up about things that I'm struggling with because I feel like they are small problems and I don't have any reason to feel sad or anxious because my life is pretty good. I don't like feeling vulnerable. I am really struggling with my body image and self esteem lately and I don't know what to do. I am 93kg at 16 and its really effecting my mental health, I don't eat processed foods, I eat veggies and fruits regularly but I just can't seem to loose weight. Its always "I'll start a diet tomorrow" but I never do it, I am not motivated and it scares me. I feel like I'm neglecting my body and I'm letting it go to waste, for example I'm not brushing my teeth as much because I can't be bothered, I won't shower because I can't be bothered, I wont exercise because I can't be bothered, I won't do skin care because I'm tired and can't be bothered, and I'm always on my phone at night till 12:00 because I cant sleep even though I'm always tired, I feel disgusting and like I'm rotting away and I don't know what to do. On another note I hate my personality, I'm shy and awkward and I don't feel like I'm interesting at all, I don't want to smoke or drink which most of my friends are doing at the moment, they don't invite me to things because I'm pretty sure they think I'm boring and I just hate myself for being like this, why can't I be outgoing and speak to boys, be funny, actually talk to people. I'm sorry if this is silly I just feel like I'm ranting and none of this is a reason to be anxious or depressed about, but it has just been building up. I am also struggling with things changing so fast and growing up. I'm moving schools for year 11 and 12 and so are my friends, I'm scared I will never speak to them again because that's what happened when moving from primary school to high school. I'm also nervous for the school year and ATAR and I feel like my motivation will get worse as I will be stressed out a lot more next year. I don't want to grow up. Things are moving so fast and I want them to slow down. I don't want to start thinking about what UNI's I want to go to, I don't want to start thinking about whether I have enough money to survive in my own. Reality is hitting hard and fast. I am pretty sure I'm over thinking it but I just want to know If I am alone in feeling like this? Am I stupid for thinking like this? If anyone has similar stories or tips to help me out please let me know, I just want to stop feeling like this.

Wow, attachment issues

replies: 2

I always got attached to people before I even knew them properly, give me the slightest attention and I immediately grasp onto that like it's my lifeline. I've avoided most of my friends nowadays in fear that I'll probably get too close and just lose them, which actually -in my opinion- worked a bit, after I moved countries, all of my friends had started ignoring my messages, but didn't affect me much.Though, it's really hard not to meet someone new and hope they'll stay with me. My new school is full of friendly people, pretty good, but that meant they were just as friendly to everyone else, and it's hard to find someone I could really trust, or talk to. I've been telling myself to venture outside my comfort zone for years now, find new friends, don't just constantly stick to one person like a leech. But it's difficult to do that without making the new friend the victim of my persistent attachment. I've been so lonely at home (it's not even a home considering how empty it is), the only reason why I would actually go to school is just to be near people, and have at least somewhat a place I call welcoming. Still, I'm attached to my best friend (who is a 9 hour flight away and it's not as easy to talk with the time zone differences) and a new friend I met at school who is sooner or later going to another school, and I'm sure that's when that friendship will end. When I meet someone, I give them a small glance, and decide whether I like them or not, I change opinions really quickly, but eventually it's either I become friends with them or not. If they do become my friend, I'd probably try my best to keep them as my friend, or even make them into my best friend, where then chaos ensues, because I automatically pour my heart out to them. People have always kindly listened, I'm grateful for that, but then they just go and I feel like I've made a big mistake, even though nothing bad would happen, I still think I've made bad choices when talking about my problems to someone. Not saying the internet is better for talking, but it gives you the anonymous kinda thing, so you feel a little safer talking (or technically, typing and posting). Thank you if you've read this whole thing, and have a nice day!

Sometimes you just gotta lay down and not do anything

replies: 8

The title is literally me for the past.. how many weeks? It could have even been months, no idea. I feel like a zombie, yes, I'm alive, yes, I'm still walking; but, so?I have ambitions, I've lost interest in practically everything, I have two friends and one of them is a 9 hour flight away and is constantly busy, and I'm not exactly that close with my other friend. I've already lost everyone else, my sibling is busy enough with adult life, I haven't seen my cousins for 5 years and I can't contact them, my parents are completely absent from my life other than feeding me and giving me a house to live in. Home? I got nothing. Right now, I'm not laying down, but I'm sitting in a chair listening to a playlist that's literally just pop funk beats to keep my brain occupied and not think too much, unfortunately, it's not very effective. I commonly tell myself "Hey! You! Yes you! You sluggish and absurdly contradicting idiot! Stop grouching already and make some friends!!", but then I just go "Nope, waking up already drained all my social energy" Extremely funny, I used be super social, but of course teenage years and hormones came in, smashed all my previous thoughts and cut off all my dopamine sources and my neurotransmitters are in permanent sleep mode, so I'm just "hhhhhhhhhhh" every day, no thoughts, and if I do have thoughts, the only thought that comes to mind is "I wonder how much time I have left" not in the "I'm super scared and anxious" way but just in the curious and wonderous way. Ever since I learnt people will die one day, I've been thinking about how I want to live my life, and I've been hearing a clock tick at the back of my head. UGH. The stupid little thing pesters me every day with "Uh oh! Look! You made a mistake!" or "Time is running out!! Do something! Quick!". Oh how I hate that little thing, I imagine smashing it against the wall but I can't, I'll just have to listen to my brain incoherent rambling every day for the next hundreds of years. Either ways, thank you for reading this, and I hope everyone has a wonderfully nice day even though that might not happen.

Identity Crisis

replies: 2

I feel like a few months ago I really hit a wall with my current relationship, and now recently I’ve been suffering from anxiety and stress because of an identity crisis I’m having.Back story, I have been with this person about 7 years, I moved with them to a new city because of their job (which involves them going away a lot for it) and we even have a young one together. Their last stint I feel we really drifted and I was convinced it was over, and it was for about a week when they returned. I told them I just felt really lost and confused because I didn’t know what I wanted and didn’t know who I was outside of a relationship, and that I’m sick of waiting for change. But it seems that didn’t last, and we thought since we’ve come this far we should work it out and work on it together. Now recently I’ve been having those feelings again but even more intense. But I don’t know who I am without this person and I feel like I’ve become so dependent on them that the thought of leaving is terrifying to me. I think I could definitely manage to a point, but the unknown just has me second guessing the decision to leave constantly. I’m not sure how to approach the situation and I feel it’s harder since there is a child involved

School Stress

replies: 2

I just turned 15 and I'm in year 9. I have been missing school for around a term and a half now, and it's affecting me really badly. I get so stressed about going to school and I have panic attacks every time I think about it. I suffer from depression, anxiety and an eating disorder and it's really hard for me to be in social situations. I have some really close friends at school and I don't want to loose them but I find it so difficult to be at school. I get so stressed just being around people and thinking about people judging me and my body. I have missed so much school that I am really behind now, which makes it even harder to go. I struggle a lot with Maths and I feel really hopeless right now and like I will never catch up. I am really worried that because I have missed so much school I won't ever catch up and that this is ruining my future for me. I feel so depressed constantly and I am really beginning to hate myself. I find that I am just lying in bed constantly feeling so empty and like I am worthless. My parents are really supportive and my school is trying to help me get there, and somehow that makes me hate myself more because even with all this support I can't even manage to get to school. I'm so scared that missing this much school will have a horrible impact on my future and that I will feel this way for the rest of my life. I moved schools a year ago and since doing that I have been too socially anxious to join any extra curriculars, sports or anything outside of school. I feel really alone and like everyone in the world is doing better than me, and I don't know what to do. I don't want to ruin my future but I find it so difficult to do anything.

I really hate myself

replies: 5

Hi,I just needed to tell anyone that i really hate myself so much. I eat right (don't eat sugar/processed foods, eat fruit,veggies,protein, etc.) but have never lost any weight, I'm just ugly in general, my personality is horrible and I pretty much just hate myself, both how i look and act.I also don't have any close friends and am not allowed to see the school counsellor (my parents don't 'believe' in mental health issues), but i think i ended up with depression. I end up alone at school a bunch, my parents pretty much don't notice me until i do something wrong, and just really don't like my life.Sorry to rant, just needed to say this.

Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies replies: 51

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first replies: 0

Failing Uni replies: 3

University stress replies: 5

I have no friends replies: 1

I don’t feel like myself at all replies: 10

I don't know what to do replies: 4

Wow, attachment issues replies: 2

Sometimes you just gotta lay down and not do anything replies: 8

Identity Crisis replies: 2

School Stress replies: 2

I really hate myself replies: 5