BB Social Zone

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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 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!

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, 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!

The BB cafe

replies: 20591

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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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

replies: 19

Hi everyone. I am wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Happiness can mean something different to every person, and sometimes we need to look for that happiness in the blur, the haze or the fog of our days. Happiness came to me yesterday when a couple of my clients were concerned for my health and well being. Happiness came to me when I returned home absolutely exhausted and my husband had set the table ready for our guests and had brought in the washing! Happiness was being able to go to bed and cry for two hours due to my exhaustion and to know if our guests arrived and I hadn't made fancy salads, it did not matter. Happiness was knowing our friends wanted to spend the evening with us, even their two daughters who could have been with boyfriends/friends instead! Happiness was knowing our friends know of my mental health struggles and they still came to be with us! Happiness was a wonderful evening appreciating each other's company and being able to laugh. Happiness this morning is knowing that despite the tears that are about to fall down my face due to my exhaustion/depression/stress and feeling so overwhelmed by life, I am alive! Happiness is knowing I have hope for the future. I have plans I want to fulfil. I have people I want to visit and spend time with. I have a marriage I want to improve. I have a garden I want to spend time in. I have craft projects I am wanting to start and others I want to complete. I have a book I want to finish writing and hope to write a children's story as well. HAPPINESS! Sometimes it seems so illusive, sometimes it is there and we take it for granted, and sometimes we don't realise it is with in us. I hope you all find Happiness. Love and cyber hugs from Mrs. Dools

Let's have a conversation!

replies: 1

BB is a place where you can share stories, ask for help or express how you feel. But sometimes it can help just by having normal conversations and making people laugh. Share some funny stories or something to make someone smile. I'll start of: Today, we were running late for school so my mum shouted at me to hurry up and get in the car. I put my school bags in the boot of the car and my mum drove off. It wasn't until she got to my school and told me to get out that she realised I wasn't there. HAHAHA. I found this story on a website so this didn't happen to me. But its very funny! LOL! Now it's your turn! Share a funny story you found or a funny experience of your own!

my computer won't let me reply to anybody

replies: 1

I have had so much trouble to get to this point because for the past 5 hours all I have got is SYSTEM ERROR, because the first reply was back to Mary Life is not Good but it didn't go through, sorry Mary, so I really hope that this does get posted, s... View more

Something I have written I want to share

replies: 6

You don't see my hurt, It hides behind a smile!, you don't feel my fear, it's hidden by a joke I tell,! you don't see my tears, because I choak them back and swallow them! You don't see me cry, because I cry in the shower and no one can hear! My heart races but you can't feel it! My palms they sweat but you don't feel it! My body gets hot but you wouldn't know as it's cold as ice outside! I feel sick, I continue to smile Do you really know what I feel ? Probably not because I'm good at hiding the pain hurt anxiety I feel! I don't want to feel this way, so I push through each day, hoping those feelings will one day fade away!!!!

Hospital Admission for Medication Change

replies: 17

Hi Everyone, Just wanted to let you know I'm heading into hospital on Tuesday. It's just for a medication change, so I'm hopeful that this will go smoothly. I should only be in for a week. I may have limited time to respond to posts during this period. On the other hand I may end up bored, and missing you all!! I will try to keep in touch as often as I can. I'll also try to keep you updated on my progress. If nothing else I'm looking forward to a week without housework;) I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. You can certainly tell that Spring is just around the corner. AGrace

Very Depressed - Islamic Terrorism

replies: 19

I am very depressed and concerned by what is happening in our world thanks to Islamic terror groups and Wahhabism. I am extremely alarmed at what I see happening in Iraq with regards to ISIS.What is occurring in our world today is unacceptable and it saddens me deeply. Tears in my eyes when I look at my 2 year old daughter. It upsets me to think of what her generation might inherit in her world. It breaks my heart to watch the news.The worlds people must unite and stop this immensely anti-social and in humane belief system which is robbing humanity of freedom and diginity.I am troubled, concerned and worried. Sadness consumes me daily. I keep thinking of the quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." I haven't seen any good men yet.

Back from holidays

replies: 6

Hi Everyone, I know I had mentioned to a number of you that I was going away for a bit, so I thought I'd let you know I'm back. My partner and I spent 9 days in Langkawi (Malaysia). A must see destination if you're thinking of travelling somewhere where you can relax and recooperate. The weather was fantastic, around 30deg each day with about 80% humidity. It was good to finally shed those winter clothes for a while. Each day we did something touristic from riding the cable car, to island hopping on a speed boat, shopping, visiting mosques, and enjoying the wonderful wildlife. We spent a lot of time sipping pineapple juice by the pool, and I indulged in plenty of spa treatments. The people on the island, and those who came to visit were extremely friendly, and the food was incredible with so many different influences from all across Asia. I'm glad to be back home, and I'm already planning our next holiday. It's great to see so many new people on the forums, and it's great that so many of the regular community members have been supporting others. I've spent a lot of time over the weekend trying to catch up with some of the posts that have been coming through, and look forward to reading more of your experiences over the coming weeks. Hope you all had a lovely weekend. AGrace

Canada - other highlights (the last one, I promise :)

replies: 17

I think I could write forever about this time away, but I might wrap it up here; although another thing that I did that I didn’t think I’d ever do was to go zip-lining and that was FUN! Firstly with my daughter up at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver; and the 2nd time on the cruise with both son and daughter at a little place called Skagway, in amongst a huge pine forest. That’s pretty much the major tree over there – pines. And zip-lining is awesome fun. Other highlights In Kelowna, we got to hire a speed boat (250 horsepower engine) and boy oh boy, that was some awesome fun. Driving a speed boat out on a massive lake was just AWE-some. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do and is also on a list of things that I’d like to own in my future and to do some fishing, etc. What a buzz that was. And in Ketchikan (Alaska) we took a tour off our cruise ship and boarded a float plane. The float plane business in Alaska and Vancouver is massive and we saw so many of them taking off etc, that we thought, we really should do this. So in the plane there was room for 7, including the pilot and that’s another incredible experience that’s really hard to describe. We flew over some great scenery near Ketchikan, mountains, streams and many lakes. Even landed on a lake and we got to stand out on the float of the plane for a little while, with gigantic mountains rising up all around us. It was peaceful beyond words. In Banff, we also were able to hire a little boat with a small-ish outboard motor and took it out on a lake and the kids were able to operate that one, which was a big thrill for them. Alaska and Canada, over and out. Neil

WRITING HELPS ME SO MUCH< I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE <

replies: 2

WHO ARE? You visit without warning, Who are you that visits? You visit in the depths of the night, sending chills throughout my body, Who are you that visits? You visit as day breaks, Who are you that visits? You stay although you are not welcome, Who are you that visits? You clutter my mind, you consume my every thought, Who are you that visits? How come you have chosen me, what makes me so special that you want to be with me? Who are you that visits? You trap me in a dark place not wanting to venture out Who are you that visits? You make the light of day seem like the darkness of night! Who are you that visits? You feed off my tears, my fears, my fright, and you push me into darkness, that feels like a deep pit There seems no end to this bottomless pit Try as you might, I won’t let you beat me no I won’t Who are you that visits without an invite? Yes I now know just who you are Well guess what? DEPRESSION IS OUT!!!!! `��f

Canada - holiday experience (whale watching) Part 3

replies: 3

We went on a whale watching tour which was one of the best things that I’ve ever done. We got out to see a group of about 10-12 humpback whales and they were feeding at the time on small fish (herring, if I remember rightly) – it’s called Bubble feeding and the tour guide told us that only a very small amount of people in the world ever get to see this phenomenon. A quick rundown of it: What you see are a stack of seagulls circling around and then when you see the seagulls zoom down to the water that means that the whales are about to explode out of the water. You see, as underneath the water, the whales are creating bubbles (thousands of bubbles) and they create the bubbles in a circle – and the bubbles trap the fish. The whales then move up toward the surface and the fish swim to the surface (seemingly trapped by the bubbles) – and that’s what has the interest of the seagulls because moments before the whales appear, you fleetingly see the fish jumping up out of the water and some of the seagulls are lucky enough to score a fish. It is THEN that the whales appear in a rush out of the water travelling straight up with their mouths open and hundreds of litres (gallons) of water enter their mouths and they come out of the water – how far out of the water is hard to say, but it would have to have been around several metres; they then turn and glide along the top of the water and jet out massive sprays of water out of their blowholes and the sound is something else and they do this for about a minute and just before they dive again to try for another bout of feeding, this is when they kind of arch their back (hence their name of humpback) and you see their enormous tail arch up into the air and then slide back into the water. They are a huge huge mammal and it’s something that I’ll remember forever. On that particular evening, we also saw two Orcas – amazing because our guide told us that it’s not an often thing to see them. Then as we were heading back, we went past a giant water bouy and just lazing in on it, we saw 6 sea lions, just sunning themselves. At that particular time it was 7:30pm. Sunset over there was on average sometime after 9pm, and sunrises (never saw any of them) were around 4:30am. We also saw salmon spawning up some tiny creeks, masses of salmon jumping in the waters of the inside passage, heaps of sea otters, seals.

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

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

The BB cafe replies: 20591

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE replies: 19

Let's have a conversation! replies: 1

my computer won't let me reply to anybody replies: 1

Something I have written I want to share replies: 6

Hospital Admission for Medication Change replies: 17

Very Depressed - Islamic Terrorism replies: 19

Back from holidays replies: 6

Canada - other highlights (the last one, I promise :) replies: 17

WRITING HELPS ME SO MUCH< I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE < replies: 2

Canada - holiday experience (whale watching) Part 3 replies: 3