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Sophie_M Big Blue Table - Right here on the Forums!
  • replies: 8

Hello to our wonderful forums community! We have decided to run an ongoing Big Blue Table thread ‘Forums Edition’ until the end of October! What is a Big Blue Table? Big Blue Table is Beyond Blue's signature event held during October, Mental Health M... View more

Hello to our wonderful forums community! We have decided to run an ongoing Big Blue Table thread ‘Forums Edition’ until the end of October! What is a Big Blue Table? Big Blue Table is Beyond Blue's signature event held during October, Mental Health Month. Big Blue Table encourages people host a meal with their friends, family or colleagues while fighting the stigma that surrounds mental health. So why are we running one here? The reason we are doing this is so people have an opportunity to connect with others and have the experience of sharing their thoughts and feelings over a meal, no matter where they are in Australia. We know Mental Health Month can be a vulnerable time for many and believe this thread could be a safe space for people to be heard and learn from others’ experiences. Our community champions will be here to support you along the way, and our moderation team will be around to answer any questions you may have, as well as to ensure the thread remains respectful and safe for everyone. We encourage you to choose from the following questions to start a conversation: What do you do to look after your mental health? Are you comfortable sharing your feelings and emotions? If not, why? What are you passionate about, and why? Who would be your dream Big Blue Table guest, and why? After you have shared your answers, we would love to hear about what you are eating or bringing to the table. You can even tell us a little bit about your setup and what you can see around you to really immerse us into your world. This is your opportunity to be as creative as you’d like! But remember, there is no pressure or ‘right’ response, whatever you bring to the table will be more than enough. We hope this thread allows you to feel connected, supported, and a part of the Big Blue Table initiative. Now… get cooking!

Sophie_M Welcome to the BB Social Zone - guidelines for posting in this section
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, This section of the forum is a little different to the others, as you may have noticed in looking around the threads. Elsewhere on the forums, we discuss some pretty heavy topics: mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, trauma, abuse,... View more

Hi everyone, This section of the forum is a little different to the others, as you may have noticed in looking around the threads. Elsewhere on the forums, we discuss some pretty heavy topics: mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, trauma, abuse, relationship breakdowns. Here is the place to come to get away from that and have a bit of fun. Distraction can be an important tool to draw on if you're finding yourself overwhelmed by distressing thoughts and feelings. As this is a section for respite from difficult topics, we will remove posts made in this section that attempt to discuss personal issues. Please use a support thread in the appropriate section for these discussions. Happy posting!

Kazzl The BB cafe
  • replies: 20597

The BB cafe is open for business! Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum. The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a ... View more

The BB cafe is open for business! Welcome all to a new chill and chat place for everyone on the forum. The BB cafe is whatever you want it to be. There are comfy sofas, tables and chairs, coffee machines, a kitchen stocked with everything. There's a pool outside, a bbq area, an annexe with comfy beds for a quiet sleep, tv, dvd, books and whatever else you would like to have here. Most of all, it's a place to meet friends and fellow travellers for a bit of company. Talk over problems, tell jokes, share your day, escape into a world of your making. Grab a coffee and pull up a chair ... So, with a nod to the wonderful Carole King (Hard Rock Cafe) ... Now if you're feeling just a little bit lonely Don't sit at home just mopin' Come on down to where the friendship flows freely You know the door is always open At the BB cafe Come to the BB cafe They will help keep your blues at bay At the BB cafe Important Message from ModSupport: The main intention of the BB Cafe is to encourage light conversation. Please look after your fellow community members by nuturing the BB Cafe as a place to escape some of the more pressing issues in life and save those conversations for personal threads.

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CECA0001 Seeking any Groups of Male depression / anxiety sufferers that meet regularly
  • replies: 4

I am 53 year old male that has battled with depression/ anxiety disorder for many years. I am very lucky to have great support from my wife - 3 daughters - all my family and close long term friends. I also have very good support from my various profe... View more

I am 53 year old male that has battled with depression/ anxiety disorder for many years. I am very lucky to have great support from my wife - 3 daughters - all my family and close long term friends. I also have very good support from my various professional doctors. I operated a very successful business for 20 years but I did close my business 3 years ago as I was unable to continue to operate same due to my condition. I have my good and bad periods / but it is always a battle. I am trying to formulate a plan for 2023 to help me deal better with my situation and was looking to see if there are any support groups of men around my age that meet regularly (say once a month) to discuss their issues. I live in Queensland. I would really appreciate to know if these types of groups do exist and if someone could point me in contact with such groups if they exist.

quirkywords What is one positive thing that happened to you or you learnt in 2022?
  • replies: 8

Many say how 2022 has been full of bad and negative things. I know I have had many sad things happen this year. Also there have been happy positive things happen in our lives and was hoping you could share one or two.They can be small or bug, or some... View more

Many say how 2022 has been full of bad and negative things. I know I have had many sad things happen this year. Also there have been happy positive things happen in our lives and was hoping you could share one or two.They can be small or bug, or something that was important to you. For me , I went in a plane In first quarter of year , which was Horst time in 4 years.I was nervous but I went. Your turn share something positive from your life in 2022.

Doolhof Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. All the best for 2022
  • replies: 19

Hi Everyone, Not sure if there is already a thread like this, if so my apologies for duplicating. I know a lot of people don't celebrate Christmas, some people do, or maybe you celebrate something entirely different this time of year. It would be int... View more

Hi Everyone, Not sure if there is already a thread like this, if so my apologies for duplicating. I know a lot of people don't celebrate Christmas, some people do, or maybe you celebrate something entirely different this time of year. It would be interesting to know of different customs and festivities held this time of year. Maybe you have some family traditions you might like to share regarding your celebrations. For those of you who recognise Christmas, and New Year's I wish you all the best of peace, acceptance, care and comfort. Season's greetings to you all from Dools

Gabs_ COVID Lockdown Scavenger Hunt
  • replies: 1

Hi all, Happy Friday! I was chatting with some friends the other day in a group text and we were talking about funny things we see on our daily lockdown walks.... Then we had a fab idea to do daily scavenger hunts on our walks and share the photos of... View more

Hi all, Happy Friday! I was chatting with some friends the other day in a group text and we were talking about funny things we see on our daily lockdown walks.... Then we had a fab idea to do daily scavenger hunts on our walks and share the photos of it. Obviously, we can't share photos on here, but I thought it might be a bit of a different activity for those States in lockdown. On today's walk we have to find: A street sign with someone's name that we've dated; A staffy (gets you down to the dog park regardless - which makes anyone smile when you see the doggos playing) A red door A child's drawing in the window of a house (bonus points if contains a rainbow) Anyone keen to play? It gets you out and about, as well as being mindful of your surroundings (and who doesn't love a bit of mindfulness). Happy to take suggestions for other stuff we can look out for!

Delectable A-Z Towns/ Villages/ Cities visited.
  • replies: 175

A is for Annecy, a gorgeous village in South Eastern France, gorgeous pastel buildings, a beautiful lac, with canals winding through the village as well as cobbled streets, a village that has everything, reachable on the TGV from Paris, or from Genev... View more

A is for Annecy, a gorgeous village in South Eastern France, gorgeous pastel buildings, a beautiful lac, with canals winding through the village as well as cobbled streets, a village that has everything, reachable on the TGV from Paris, or from Geneva (Switzerland).

smallwolf Acrostics
  • replies: 26

An acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase. The word or phrase can be a name, a thing, or whatever you like. Usually, the first letter of each line is capitalized. This makes it easier to see the word spe... View more

An acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of each line spell out a word or phrase. The word or phrase can be a name, a thing, or whatever you like. Usually, the first letter of each line is capitalized. This makes it easier to see the word spelled out vertically down the page. Acrostics are easy to write because they don’t need to rhyme, and you don’t need to worry about the rhythm of the lines. Each line can be as long or as short as you want it to be. For example, LOVE becomes ... Life OptimismValuableEverlasting Just to make it a little more interesting here, I would suggest the word or phrase be something positive - words like BELIEVE, VALUABLE, UNIQUE etc. And while I have used individual words, each line could be phase or sentence.

Willow Jude Celebrities who’ve shared mental health experiences
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone! With Summer Rose’s great question last month about who we would bring to our virtual Big Blue Table, as well as recent coverage of Selena Gomez’s struggle with Bipolar Disorder, I was inspired to see if there are any celebrities or publi... View more

Hi everyone! With Summer Rose’s great question last month about who we would bring to our virtual Big Blue Table, as well as recent coverage of Selena Gomez’s struggle with Bipolar Disorder, I was inspired to see if there are any celebrities or public figures whose discussion of their own mental health issues has brought you comfort, inspiration, someone to identify with, etc, either though them sharing your particular diagnosis or experiences, or just being a visible figure who has experienced mental illness in general. My main two, both of whom have helped me feel not alone in my diagnoses, have been Bill Hader who has shared his journey with anxiety, and Pete Davidson who has discussed his struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder. While some of the people who could fit this category may be polarising/not everyone’s cup of tea (one of my examples included!) or may have made some poor decisions in the past, hopefully we can appreciate their sharing of their mental health experiences with the understanding that that doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with all of their choices. I’m looking forward to hearing other members’ perspectives on this! - WJ

Gruffudd Random Compliments
  • replies: 15

This is the theory part: Give a compliment to the person who posted last... Can include positive things about them you have learned, something about their avatar, or you just like their creative forum name... Given no one is above me, I'll just give ... View more

This is the theory part: Give a compliment to the person who posted last... Can include positive things about them you have learned, something about their avatar, or you just like their creative forum name... Given no one is above me, I'll just give myself a random compliment. ^^^ is fantastic at terrible dad jokes.

Jazminaa How are you feeling today?
  • replies: 5

It is always good to check in with people to see how they are going... Ask someone how they are feeling today & post how you are feeling today. I am feeling okay today, I have a lot to be grateful for and I'm trying to remain positive.

It is always good to check in with people to see how they are going... Ask someone how they are feeling today & post how you are feeling today. I am feeling okay today, I have a lot to be grateful for and I'm trying to remain positive.

MaddieT 53 and sad
  • replies: 8

Hi - This is odd to me but I have been commenting on other people's posts and thought it was wrong to not share myself.2020 was the year from Hell for me. I lost my Aunt who considered me her daughter as we were so alike. I had waited until I was 42 ... View more

Hi - This is odd to me but I have been commenting on other people's posts and thought it was wrong to not share myself.2020 was the year from Hell for me. I lost my Aunt who considered me her daughter as we were so alike. I had waited until I was 42 to find my perfect partner but after two years of marriage, he opted out and I still don't know why. I borrowed money so I could live where we were because I loved the area and thought I could get a job there. Was rebuilding my life and working in Victoria and then COVID struck. Everything stopped. I lost my job, all of my social network and still had to go through all of the bits and pieces that come with a divorce without any friends or family. I ended up (after 8 months of lockdowns) having to apply through the government to return to South Australia to be with my family, it took three applications for them to let me go home.It was all very confronting as I had just turned 50 and was going through menopause (Yay life!).I haven't healed yet. Still depressed, still very lonely and now mildly agoraphobic and unemployed.Anyway - that's me