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Jeriava How do I talk to my doctor?
  • replies: 9

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really ... View more

I’ve been struggling with my life for the past 7-8 years but I finally made an appointment with a doctor. I feel really scared though because I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything, and I havent seen this doctor for so many years that I’m really scared that they’ll judge me or won’t believe anything I say. I’m really anti social so I feel like I won’t be able to say what I wanna say or I’ll say the wrong thing causing them to just dismiss me and move me along without helping. I’m just tired of feeling alone, depressed and just worthless but I’m really scared to talk to them.

Chris_B Are you looking to support someone else with depression? PLEASE READ before posting
  • replies: 1

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and f... View more

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and friends with a mental health condition It's full of threads from people who have family members and friends going through anxiety, depression or other related conditions. Have a read through the threads there, and feel free to take part in the discussions. Below are also some helpful beyondblue resources you might want to look through first as well: Supporting someone Have the conversation

AGrace SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING DEPRESSION
  • replies: 132

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the ... View more

Hi Everyone, Here are some ideas you might like to try for managing symptoms of depression. Of course everyone's different, so let us know what works for you, and please feel free to add to the list... Mindfulness – through breathing or engaging the 5 senses Distress Tolerance – Accepting Emotions and Self Soothing Distraction – Put the thoughts/feelings aside and come back to them when you are ready to deal with them Positive Affirmations – Have some affirmations written down repeat them to yourself daily Sleep/Exercise/Diet – All 3 aspects of our lifestyle can impact the way we think/feel Increasing Pleasurable Activities – Engage in at least one pleasurable activity per day

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BlueArt I have no idea what to do, I'm struggling
  • replies: 2

I'm 26 years old and really struggling. I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for a long time but lately, it feels like it is winning. I've had some rough things happen with my dad being diagnosed with cancer and losing someone close to the f... View more

I'm 26 years old and really struggling. I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for a long time but lately, it feels like it is winning. I've had some rough things happen with my dad being diagnosed with cancer and losing someone close to the family and I feel like I am falling apart. I'm really struggling at work with the level of work but the business is so small there is no one to ask for help or give tasks to. I feel like I just can't bring myself to do anything. I'm not doing the washing, I'm barely doing my job, I'm not cleaning, I'm not eating properly, and I'm just so exhausted and angry. I guess I just don't really know what to do. I'm very lonely and have been single for a long time. I have one close friend but she has severe social anxiety so we barely spend any time together. Does anyone have any advice? I feel like I am barely functioning anymore and no one to turn to.

Ponder An Autistic Complex & Chronic 50+ Case Dealing with Vulnerability
  • replies: 41

SHEDDING THE LABELS AND DELUSION: School & employment are long gone for me and not something I ever really fitted into. In fact, every aspect of society and all it's competitive ideals have only ever disabled & rejected my family & I. [systemic] A pr... View more

SHEDDING THE LABELS AND DELUSION: School & employment are long gone for me and not something I ever really fitted into. In fact, every aspect of society and all it's competitive ideals have only ever disabled & rejected my family & I. [systemic] A prison within in a prison. That said, I give no acknowledgment to the charges or authority yet find myself bound by the many who give tribute to said controls. It is on this level that much exploitation & suffering feeds back into that convey belt system driven by an economic standard that saps the soul. Be thankful? Know they place? Yet more controls? Or just one's reality that can never be fathomed by those who've never navagatid your depth of pain. Yes, definitely the latter. So it is, that advice rarely leads one to water unless discovered for self. Lest all else just revert to instructions, to repeaters, the above atriuters, leading to a dependency on behaviour modification algorithms based on the previously mentioned economic standard; that saps the soul. From point A to point B living in a complex system that designs complex labels for simple beings who see such things. Yet I am not my labels despite being treated as a disease. Vulnerable; YES. LIVING WITH VULNERABILITY: Isolation & exploitation constantly feeling and attracting negative states and traumatic incidents; involving self and others. Becoming a soft target on all levels, all phases and within all aspects of said prison/existence/living. Automated responses from multiple mental health diagnosis/s & or prescription/s less of an issue when contrasted to societal conditioning driven by fear based ideology with said soul sapping economic narratives that dictate the tellings, repeaters and advisers. Once the cosmetic gloss losses it's appeal, you grow older, become less valuable, less desirable. You become more of a target for those who see all of the above, disgruntled in their failings to achieve what the behavioural mods instruct.

Ausdog Never again
  • replies: 3

I said never again I won't need this site. Well apparently i do. But I feel strong enough to do what's required.

I said never again I won't need this site. Well apparently i do. But I feel strong enough to do what's required.

HopeDream Going through a difficult time
  • replies: 20

Lately, I've been feeling like nothing really matters, like there is no point to keep going. It might sound cliché but it's the best way I can express it. I'm constantly irritable and numb, and everything feels like an effort. I have trouble falling ... View more

Lately, I've been feeling like nothing really matters, like there is no point to keep going. It might sound cliché but it's the best way I can express it. I'm constantly irritable and numb, and everything feels like an effort. I have trouble falling asleep at night even though I'm tired. My interactions with others feel empty and I don't feel like myself. And the worst part is that I don't know who I can talk to about this, because I don't know who will understand. I can't talk to my parents about this, because they'll just tell me to get over myself, that other people have it worse. I don't know if my mum even cares about how I feel, because we barely talk and she acts like I'm a burden whenever I show my emotions. I can't talk to my dad about it because I've tried before and it only ended up in me feeling worse about my situation. And I don't feel like I can seek professional help because I don't even know what I'd say. I just know that I feel frustrated and angry all the time and I don't know why. It's like I have everything I could ever need, but it feels like I have nothing. I miss feeling loved. I miss being able to laugh, like genuinely laugh. I miss feeling things. I miss doing things because I enjoy them, not because they distract me from my thoughts. I miss sleeping peacefully. I miss feeling like a good person to be around. I miss seeing the world in colour. I miss being able to smile, like actually smile. I miss not feeling like a burden on others. And I just wish that one day, I'll be able to actually live, not just survive.

Faithh Suggestions on how I can make my birthday week a happy one
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone!Been having a tricky week with my anxiety/depression slowly creeping in. It's my birthday week and I'm struggling to do basic things like clean my apartment or go to the post office etc! but I want to turn it around and so I've come here ... View more

Hi everyone!Been having a tricky week with my anxiety/depression slowly creeping in. It's my birthday week and I'm struggling to do basic things like clean my apartment or go to the post office etc! but I want to turn it around and so I've come here to ask for your opinion and suggestions - perhaps you have an idea of something I could do to lift my spirits? Eg: like a day out for myself - but I'm feeling like I dont know where to start! Would really appreciate your any suggestions to help me start to feel better.I know action creates motivation but I'm struggling to make the first step.Thank you!

Comatose Depression, loneliness, social anxiety, poor diet and sleep
  • replies: 6

Hi, I'm 19 years old and this is my first thread. I'd like to talk a bit about my life and a few issues I seem to face on a daily basis. I'm open to any opinions about my situation. I will try to keep this as short as it needs to be, and for warning,... View more

Hi, I'm 19 years old and this is my first thread. I'd like to talk a bit about my life and a few issues I seem to face on a daily basis. I'm open to any opinions about my situation. I will try to keep this as short as it needs to be, and for warning, I'm not so good at formulating my sentences. depression and loneliness.I experience depression, particularly at night. I feel a drastic change in my mood even when I was happy 2 hours ago, to the point I stay up late to delay tomorrow. I feel hollow, I listen to music and sometimes stay up until 2-3 am even when I have work that day. I can't really describe in depth why I stay up late in an act to avoid tomorrow but I would say it's a matter of not wanting to deal with the stress of tomorrow, and not having a purpose in my life. I feel like I've already lived enough, I've seen what life is like. I find myself hanging out with my friends, having a good time and just dying in a sense. I fall numb, stuck in my head, stuck with the thoughts of how lonely I really am and how pointless life is. Sure, life has all these amazing things but I just don't feel like I want it anymore. I mostly fake my happiness just to seem normal. Don't get it wrong, I'm not suicidal... at least anymore. I just wish that I could be in a coma most days. social anxiety? shyness?I don't know. I am actively socially avoidant. I hide away when my family has friends over, and I sit in my car and eat lunch while others are socialising at work. I have a fear of talking to new people and even people I don't know that well. I'd just rather not stress and be by myself. I keep to myself but if I really bring myself to it I can manage, but as said I'd rather not. Poor diet and sleep.Due to these things I have poor sleep because I get stuck in my mind trying to answer a million questions I don't have the answers to. I tend to stay up late and even when I try to go to bed early it's just impossible. I don't really have the answer to why I have such a poor diet. I just don't eat much, I don't have the appetite, and even when I'm hungry I just can't be bothered to have to eat. I usually skip breakfast and most days lunch as well. This has all been occurring for about 4 years, sorry if I didn't articulate it very well.

Fiatlux I can't stop crying
  • replies: 2

I can't stop crying at the moment. The depression has been awful over the winter months but now I feel even worse and cry about everything. I feel so overwhelmed. I am moving all my belongings from my escape apartment back to my old house, where I li... View more

I can't stop crying at the moment. The depression has been awful over the winter months but now I feel even worse and cry about everything. I feel so overwhelmed. I am moving all my belongings from my escape apartment back to my old house, where I live with a son and my pretty awful husband. I have spent the past 2 weekends packing up and moving boxes back to the house. It's exhausting. (my eldest son will move into my apartment so I will leave behind all the furniture and white goods) I moved to the apartment just over 3 years ago to escape an abusive husband and it's depressing that I am moving back to that again. Our marriage is just a marriage of convenience. I stayed and suffered for the 'sake of the children' who have all grown up with this illusion of a happy family. The 'husband' does not change. He controls his anger most of the time, but the 'marriage' is dead. I have absolutely no Love for him at all. The entire situation is sickening and pathetic. It makes me cry all the time. Thank you for listening.

navybeanie planning to quit work but worried about my reputation
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for a few years ago, and I'll admit that I haven't taken the time to really address it. Covid happened during the last two years of my specialist training, which did not help things. Truth... View more

Hi everyone, I've been struggling with anxiety and depression for a few years ago, and I'll admit that I haven't taken the time to really address it. Covid happened during the last two years of my specialist training, which did not help things. Truth be told, I was struggling at the start of 2020 already, but I hung on for another two years. I definitely burnt out many times, and even now I feel like I still haven't had a chance to breathe. I started a new job a few weeks, just two days a week but this has been adding to my stress and anxiety. The workplace would be great for the right person, but I feel like I'm not in the right mindset to be working right now. I'm 90% sure that I will quit today but I'm not sure if I can do it - I'm very worried that my reputation will be tarnished in a fairly small world of professionals. I just don't know what's the right thing to do, but I feel like I need to put myself first even if it does mean that word will spread that I didn't last a month at this work place. Thank you for taking to the time to read this. I usually don't write about my feelings.

Trying_Optimist Help with fiancé leaving as they need to work through childhood trauma
  • replies: 11

Hi, after reading a lot of posts here, I thought I’d join and reach out myself. My partner and I (39 and 34) have been together for 8 yrs, engaged for 3. We have lived together for 7.5 yrs, moved countries multiple times, supported each other through... View more

Hi, after reading a lot of posts here, I thought I’d join and reach out myself. My partner and I (39 and 34) have been together for 8 yrs, engaged for 3. We have lived together for 7.5 yrs, moved countries multiple times, supported each other through career training/exams, family deaths etc.In the middle of May he told me that ‘things weren’t great’ which caught me out of the blue. He proceeded to tell me he felt suffocated, pressured to propose at the time and that he wasn’t attracted to me anymore. In his words however, he called this a speed bump.We both started our own counselling (my self-esteem plummeted with weight gain and I was jealous of new friends he had made at a new job), and he said he had to work on figuring out who he was as he felt lost. We attended one couples counselling together where we said we both wanted to try. At the end of June he requested 5 days alone to have space to think (at our parting he hugged and kissed me, said I love you and that we were going to work on this). On reuniting he told me it was over. No trying/counselling/nothing. I was distraught. I asked why, and he said that he has to deal with ‘big stuff’, didn’t want my support, and didn’t love me anymore. I asked for a trial separation to have time to process, which he agreed to, but then 3 days later said no. We have remained living together for the past 3 months (we don’t have friends/family here). There have been some very ugly moments from both of us, but then some incredibly sad conversations where he looks shattered and talks about wanting the ground to open and swallow him up. He has continued to confide in me regarding work and worries about sickness in his family. I have reason to believe that the ‘big stuff’ is to do with his childhood and after a few comments this week, suspect there was abuse at a significant level. I am moving out on Sunday, without anything being sorted house/possessions wise. I'm so sad. I feel so deeply for the pain he must be going through, but I'm also hurt about how quickly he threw us away, and didn't want to let me help him.I suppose my questions are:1) should I let him know that I didn't realise that there was something so significant in his past and that it doesn't change my love for him? That I’ll always be on his team, his support through thick and thin?2) am I stupid to think that there is a way back for us?

Oct Depressed Mood and needing some advice to get through it
  • replies: 2

Hello BB,My mood has become very depressed due to some family issues ( I say depressed mood as I am not diagnosed, and it had only begun fairly receny). For some additional information, these family issues don't involve me directly, but stuff is happ... View more

Hello BB,My mood has become very depressed due to some family issues ( I say depressed mood as I am not diagnosed, and it had only begun fairly receny). For some additional information, these family issues don't involve me directly, but stuff is happening with other family members. We are close knit and love each other dearly, so it made me stress out so badly from worry and not being able to help them when life gives them the sh*t end of the stick. The uncertainty of how it may turn out in the future is the main culprit. I ended up crying the whole night. Woke up the next day feeling better, but noticed that I had absolutely zero appetite, nausea, a continuous bad feeling in my stomach, needing to lie down or nap as much as possible, zero motivation, difficulty focusing (when reading manga/comics) and little enjoyment from my usual day to day pass times. Also, extra emotionally sensitive. The last time I had these same feelings and physical experiences was with my first break up - had a hard time getting out of bed for months, taking care of myself and being functional (work, school, social) was an absolute chore. I was fortunate the feelings didn't reoccur for a long time, until now. Do you guys have any simple tips or advice to share to help get through this a bit easier?Maybe something I can try doing to get myself out of bed easier, or some easy foods/snacks to eat through out the day that won't come up as easily? Vomited out a couple of my meals and very little appetite. I'm seeing a psychologist for separate, anxiety issues, so I can ask them for help with this at my next appointment, but I would like to hear from people who have had same or similar experiences - what are some little things that may have helped you (in hindsight or currently)?