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BeyondBlue Hello! Read this if you're not sure how to get started
  • replies: 0

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with Depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for ... View more

Welcome This section of the Beyond Blue Forums is for talking about our experiences with Depression. There are lots of chats about how it makes us feel, what it’s like to live with depression and what has worked to help in these times. Thank you for coming this far, we know it can be really hard to take these steps if depression is in your life - we see you and think this is a great step. To get the most out of this space we have a few tips: Get involved. The Forums work best for you when you get active and post where you can. Now, we know that can be really hard, especially when you are experiencing depression. So, if you can post something supportive to someone else here, that would be an incredible start. Speak from the heart. This community wants to know how YOU feel and what has worked for YOU. We trust that you have something unique to say and we can’t wait to hear it. Check in. Lots of the chats on this Forum having been going for years and they are some of the richest conversations we have. Keep checking in to get new ideas and offer your support. We know it can be tough to start, but when you are ready we want to hear your thoughts. If you need some time to get to know the community, that's okay! Have a look around and see where you want to get involved. Thank you for being here Beyond Blue

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.

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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Hgfddvg Lost in life
  • replies: 7

for some reason I think I hate myself I don’t know why. Feel like I’m wasting my life. Hate working see no way out, I’ve hated every single job don’t see how this will ever change. Waking up getting out of bed is really hard. Don’t stay happy for lon... View more

for some reason I think I hate myself I don’t know why. Feel like I’m wasting my life. Hate working see no way out, I’ve hated every single job don’t see how this will ever change. Waking up getting out of bed is really hard. Don’t stay happy for long. Think about death a lot, suicide. No one likes me. Why my whole life do I have to invite myself to things, I’m never actually wanted. Hate how my friends don’t want to do anything anymore. Hate how I look, I’m ugly Don’t like hair, eyebrows too big, crooked nose, fat chin, smile, teeth aren’t perfect,too hairy, weird arms, un even shoulders, small legs. Hate my personality I wish I was someone different. I wish I had direction, I see no future. Dont know what I’m doing with my life. I hate that I’m 30 everyone else has figured out there life and I haven’t. I still feel like I’m 18. I feel like I’m nothing. I’m scared one day I might self harm

Doolhof How are you coping with your thoughts today?
  • replies: 71

Hi All, Each moment of every day, we have thoughts darting around in our minds. When I stop to consider the ramblings that are occurring, I realise just how much negativity and destruction is sometimes involved in my thought process. If I leave these... View more

Hi All, Each moment of every day, we have thoughts darting around in our minds. When I stop to consider the ramblings that are occurring, I realise just how much negativity and destruction is sometimes involved in my thought process. If I leave these thoughts unchecked, allow them to proceed further, if I don't acknowledge of challenge them, I can soon find myself struggling mentally. How do you proceed once you realise your thoughts and mind are drifting off to a place you would rather not be?

Baileysmells God being lonely sucks.
  • replies: 18

There’s this emptiness I’ve been filled with recently. My life on paper is slowly improving but I feel like I have no substance in my day to day. I don’t find myself letting my guard down around my family. I can’t be ‘me’. So in order to feel connect... View more

There’s this emptiness I’ve been filled with recently. My life on paper is slowly improving but I feel like I have no substance in my day to day. I don’t find myself letting my guard down around my family. I can’t be ‘me’. So in order to feel connection and to be comfortable I search for it in relationships. That’s where the problems start, I actually feel happy when I’m talking to or going on those first few dates with someone and I let my hopes get way out of check. When it doesn’t work out it- devastates me. I am then sent back into depression and self loathing for a few weeks. I used to be okay with isolation, but since I started dating it feels empty. I’m just not sure how to find that sense of comfiness and warmth without a partner and I’m not sure I can. How can I cope/work on this? It’s weird, I’m way more confident when it’s a 1-1 conversation with anyone but add another to the mix and I’m reserved af, making meaningful friendships is hard for me. Making friends in general sounds pretty terrifying to me now that I think about it. I’ve stopped talking to my old friends since I moved to a small town.

Sleeper Does it ever get better?
  • replies: 2

Hello, this may be long. My family has a history of generational trauma and my parents grew up in a time where domestic violence was widely common and accepted. As a result my parents weren't really good with the whole parenting aspect of life. In my... View more

Hello, this may be long. My family has a history of generational trauma and my parents grew up in a time where domestic violence was widely common and accepted. As a result my parents weren't really good with the whole parenting aspect of life. In my early years of being a kid, I have a lot of memories of my parents constantly yelling and trashing the house. It gradually stopped over the years once the police got involved. However the following years were rough, my mum was especially stressed due to many reasons and often took it out on her kids growing up. She was verbally abusive, threatened us a lot, would priorities everything else over her own kids, including her reputation, and would keep us in the house because the outside is too dangerous. She would gatekeep us from seeing certain friends or family that she did not like but would force us to act friendly with her friends to make her look better. Growing up with this treatment, I didn't realise it was "wrong" because it was all I knew and eventually I broke down in my senior year of high school because I could not take it anymore. I was diagnosed with depression at the time but they suspect I probably had it for a longer period. My relationship with her is a lot better now but I have an extreme one-sided love/hate relationship with her. I struggle with severe flashbacks and nightmares that keep me up at night and on these days, my hatred for her is obvious in daily life and sometimes I can't handle seeing her. The flashback has been recently difficult the last few weeks and I'm teary everyday, its difficult to get out of bed, I'm constantly tire and nauseous, I oversleep to avoid dealing with real life and I forget things that I did a few seconds ago. I have just started a full time job and that has been the main reason forcing me to get out of bed and be active. However I have been making a lot of mistakes at work and that has weighing on my shoulders and have been making me spiral into self-doubt and feeling worthless, just like my mum did when she was raising me. I have resorted to hurting myself discreetly as a way to cope and I know its not healthy but its the only way I know off that keeps my calm. The point is, I feel like I haven't made any progress since back then and its been difficult for me to get up everyday knowing that I will be exhausting myself fighting and suppressing against these negative thoughts and feelings.

JustMehere Supportive psychiatrist / psychologist recommendation.
  • replies: 2

Hello.I'm hoping that I may be able to tap into some of the collective wisdom and life experiences of the good people here. Please excuse any mistakes I may make.I need to find a good psychiatrist and /or clinical psychologist { can be private} a.s.a... View more

Hello.I'm hoping that I may be able to tap into some of the collective wisdom and life experiences of the good people here. Please excuse any mistakes I may make.I need to find a good psychiatrist and /or clinical psychologist { can be private} a.s.a.p. - I know I probably wont be able to get in to see them immediately.By supportive I mean that they will actually LISTEN to me. - my issue is a disability / insurance one but I'm not applying for the disability pension { not yet at any rate...hopefully I can avoid that}.I'm fairly desperate and would greatly appreciate ANY help.Thank you and Best wishes. God Bless

sparrowhawk Self esteem and work
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, I was offered a job the other day, a job I had really wanted. I accepted it and start next week. Family is so happy for me and really excited, but I'm feeling so anxious about the whole thing. I have anorexia and some depressive/anxiety ... View more

Hi everyone, I was offered a job the other day, a job I had really wanted. I accepted it and start next week. Family is so happy for me and really excited, but I'm feeling so anxious about the whole thing. I have anorexia and some depressive/anxiety issues, so this is a pretty big step. I just honestly feel like I'm going to let the team down. I have to work hard to be confident and social, but I'm such an awkward person really. I keep thinking, "if they really knew me, they wouldn't have hired me". Someone was asking me about superannuation and I got so anxious. I've become so ambivalent about the future - and to be honest, sometimes I don't feel like I'm going to live that long anyway. I don't know if I'm looking so much for advice as for a space to vent.

Echtis I feel so incredibly alone.
  • replies: 3

I'm in my mid-20s. My life isn't over by any means, but I can't help thinking "Why do I even try?". I'm trying to make friends at University, I've joined a couple of Uni clubs, but I feel so out of touch and rejected. Maybe times have changed, but I'... View more

I'm in my mid-20s. My life isn't over by any means, but I can't help thinking "Why do I even try?". I'm trying to make friends at University, I've joined a couple of Uni clubs, but I feel so out of touch and rejected. Maybe times have changed, but I'm constantly made fun of for my word choice, my actions, and every interaction feels like some kind of point scoring event against me. I get that I'm older than most of these people, and I'm out of touch socially, but it feels like people are literally making up social rules to belittle me. An example of this: people were joking about how they were undateable. One person said, "I'm pretty sure everyone here is some kind of alcohol." "Or mentally ill." Another says "Or autistic." I add, and there is silence like I've said some kind of slur. People berate me about how the correct term is person with autism, and I have to apologise. Should be noted I was diagnosed with this when I was 15, and it is, like the other things people joked about, a medical condition. A few months later, one person is talking about how if someone called them a slur which I'm not going to type based on their identity, they will react with "Hell yeah I am" or something like that. I ask isn't that a bad word, as I've always known it to be. Everyone looks at me and explains that it's about 'taking back and owning' the word. I've just gotten so tired of listening to everyone else talk to try and learn social rules that bend themselves backwards in various hipocritical and bigoted ways, whilst all the while they mock me. I really like this club's hobby, and I don't want to leave because of that. But I cannot help but feel unwanted and even hated, every time I open my mouth it ends with half a dozen people telling me to get stuffed in various ways. It isn't just this club either. I just cannot seem to have positive interactions with anyone at any social club, or follow any of the social rules I didn't learn the last 4 years. I feel so alone as every attempt to make friends just ends in misery, rejection, or ridicule. How am I meant to learn the rules when everyone uses me as a punching bag? I just want to be accepted, I'm not trying to hurt or upset anyone, but I'm treated as an antagonist.

stacey27587 How to talk about how you feel to your partner who already has depression
  • replies: 3

Hey everyone! I’ve been really struggling mentally lately, I’ve got a lot going on and I’m just the the point where I’m exhausted all the time that I don’t have the strength or energy to look after myself; I’m not showering, eating much, I sleep but ... View more

Hey everyone! I’ve been really struggling mentally lately, I’ve got a lot going on and I’m just the the point where I’m exhausted all the time that I don’t have the strength or energy to look after myself; I’m not showering, eating much, I sleep but wake up feeling the exact same I’m just going through the motions each day. It has put a big toll on our relationship My partner has always suffered from mental health and I feel like if I talk to him about it I will burden him more and make his worsewhat do I do?

sowbad How can I reconnect with my friends after isolating myself due to depression/anxiety for months.
  • replies: 3

At the beginning of the year my depression was extremely bad. I completely stopped going to school and lost all motivation to do anything. I stopped talking to my friends and they stopped talking to me. Over the past few months it’s gotten better, Iv... View more

At the beginning of the year my depression was extremely bad. I completely stopped going to school and lost all motivation to do anything. I stopped talking to my friends and they stopped talking to me. Over the past few months it’s gotten better, Ive got a girlfriend who has helped me massively. I’ve started going to therapy, taking meds and now doing online school. I need advise on how to reconnect with my friend group. Since I’ve stopped going to school none of them have attempted to message me to ask where or how I’ve been. My anxiety is telling me they don’t really care as none of them have really talked to me for months. Every night I see them online. playing games and talking together and I miss that. They don’t know I’m doing online school now or that I’ve been struggling with a multitude of mental and physical illnesses. I want to have friends again but I’m to scared to talk to any of them.

Baileysmells Becoming so tired, feelings of isolation and emptiness loom over when my mind isn’t busy
  • replies: 5

My battle against mental illness has lasted since 2019, while I can say I’ve improved, it’s still not enough to feel like progress has been made. I’m in a new town, I’ve distanced myself from my friends back home. This is the first time in my life I ... View more

My battle against mental illness has lasted since 2019, while I can say I’ve improved, it’s still not enough to feel like progress has been made. I’m in a new town, I’ve distanced myself from my friends back home. This is the first time in my life I can say I’m truly alone. With no one to share my day with, as an introvert this is weirdly foreign to me; yet my anxiety stops me from creating connections at University. I get home and I realise that this is it, just sitting at home, wishing I could at least pick up my hobbies again. I guess it feels as if there is no substance in my life, it doesn’t feel meaningful. I am essentially on house arrest due to the car dependency of my new town, I’m currently waiting until my sister is ‘allowed’ to teach me. Does anyone else just have this overwhelming feeling of *sigh*? That days are just passing by? How do you cope with this? I just feel lost in this world, I’m deeply unsatisfied with the way world works systematically, I used to reject the idea of participating at all. Now I am attempting to shoo away that existential dread as I become a part of society again.Thank you for reading, just a conversation helps honestly:’)