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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 discussions in this section of the Forums have 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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peeka_boo hi
  • replies: 2

earlier this year I was diagnosed with a chronic illness I was super sick depressed and malnourished and I recently got better but the problem now lies in the fact that I can slowly start to feel myself slipping back into depression my family when th... View more

earlier this year I was diagnosed with a chronic illness I was super sick depressed and malnourished and I recently got better but the problem now lies in the fact that I can slowly start to feel myself slipping back into depression my family when they thought it was only a mental illness going on with me treated me quite bad I would get yelled at for it and it would be my fault my sister would even bully me over it some days I couldn't eat or shower but I was just being lazy and when I told my therapist something I didn't want my parents to know they made me stop seeing her 'for the best' and if it happens again I don't know how to help myself I've signed up to this website and others to try and ask other people for help I only just got out of hospital and I don't want to go back they treat me the same as my family.

Bubble44 Is there any way to stop caring?
  • replies: 3

Everyone I meet either hates me so much I'm surprised they don't try to kill me, or they tolerate me at best. This isn't unique to one group of people. It's everyone I meet. I'm apparently an extremely dislikable person. It's not how I view myself, b... View more

Everyone I meet either hates me so much I'm surprised they don't try to kill me, or they tolerate me at best. This isn't unique to one group of people. It's everyone I meet. I'm apparently an extremely dislikable person. It's not how I view myself, but I'd have to be completely delusional to deny that fact. I've already been through the whole 'oh just get more confident and charismatic and you'll eventually get a group good friends!' And I don't just mean I've been through people advising me to do that. I've literally already done that. And all of those so called friends cut me out of their lives because I objected to one of them who was in the wrong. I'm so sick of being hated or ignored. It's not just sadness or depression (which I've had for my whole stupid life) anymore. Something feels... wrong. Broken in a way it wasn't maybe a few years ago, despite struggling with depression at that time. Ever since my closest friends effectively told me I am worthless, something inside me is dead. I can feel it. Now, don't worry this next question is not meant to be some disguised parallel to suicide or something. I have no intention of taking my own life and I'm confident I never will. But the question is; Is there a way to stop caring? Has anyone figured out a way to burn out that last shred of that person inside who wants people to like them? Who wants to fit in? A lot of that has been destroyed inside me, but not enough. Every time I see all the people I work with having drinks and either deliberately excluding me or simply forgetting I exist, it hurts. It really, really hurts and I feel so alone. I know I'll never have an actual group of friends who care about me. I've accepted that is never going to happen. And while that acceptance spares me some of the pain, some of it's still there. And I need to stop feeling it. I broke years ago and I can't take any more pain. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to collapse just from being mentally exhausted.

Egbert97 my depressions & anxiety story
  • replies: 13

I thought I'd try write out my story tonight as I'm really struggling and just need somewhere to vent. The first half of 2020 was perhaps the happiest I had ever been. I've had depression and anxiety since 2012, and although it was stressful, it was ... View more

I thought I'd try write out my story tonight as I'm really struggling and just need somewhere to vent. The first half of 2020 was perhaps the happiest I had ever been. I've had depression and anxiety since 2012, and although it was stressful, it was manageable. I was content with my relationships, my friendship circle was wide, I was working, losing weight, feeling confident - everything was absolutely perfect. Around September I started going into a depression, which I thought I could handle, that eventually collapsed into a lot of health anxiety (you might be able to see my old posts from that time). TL;DR after a dentist appointment I became obsessed that there was something wrong with me and that I'd die or my parents would die. This climaxed into two major panic attacks where I nearly passed out, and several weeks in a disassociated state. I left my job and just tried focusing on myself. I started medication that worked wonders on my overall mood, anxiety and disassociation for a few months and at the start of 2021 I got to move out from my parents place and move in with all my friends, and that was admittedly pretty fun and exciting, though I still struggled within. The medication had stopped my panic attacks, but after a few months the problems came back, and I still struggled in finding joy and peace. I moved out with my partner in May 2021 and endured the lockdowns, which exacerbated my symptoms. I was in a disassociated state for several months, trying to hold down a job and work on our relationship, but this didn't pan out. My partner wasn't very supportive during this period and would put a lot of guilt and blame onto me for my situation. Christmas passed, my birthday passed, my pet passed away and everything moved by me in a blink of an eye with no emotional resonance. Fast forward to today and here I am. I ended things with my partner, I'm not working, I've tapered off my medication with help from my psych and it's much the same. For the last several weeks the disassociation is gone, but I still feel zapped of all life. Nothing makes me especially happy anymore and I've always got a nervous ball of tension being squeezed in my abdomen. Enjoying the moment is really hard; I have brainfog a lot of the time - so much so that any really *deep* or complex conversations make my thoughts really hard to organise, or when I meet new people I struggle to know what to say and do. If I could be half as happy as I was in 2020, just for a day, I'd cry.

Craig22 Lost hope
  • replies: 20

Hi all , new to the forum , the amount of strong people sharing their stories is amazing and makes me realise I'm not alone. I have suffered from depression for a number of years , normally I can manage it that no one even knows. When I leave the hou... View more

Hi all , new to the forum , the amount of strong people sharing their stories is amazing and makes me realise I'm not alone. I have suffered from depression for a number of years , normally I can manage it that no one even knows. When I leave the house i put on my mask and can only be myself when im alone. I just dont know why I am here or what the point of life is ? Like many others I just hope every night that I dont wake up , the torture to finally stop. I use many different tactics such as gym, meditation , healthy eating , music but nothing is helping .... How do you maintain a relationship when im like this ? My partner complains that Im distant , but i cant even get close to myself ? Any help is appreciated..

Poochlover I Hate My Fat Body
  • replies: 2

HiI am really struggling. I have packed on the kilos and feel so fat, ugly and worthless. I feel constantly unwell and I know that my lifestyle is to blame. The biggest problem is that I feel out of control over my life. I have so many stressful thin... View more

HiI am really struggling. I have packed on the kilos and feel so fat, ugly and worthless. I feel constantly unwell and I know that my lifestyle is to blame. The biggest problem is that I feel out of control over my life. I have so many stressful things going on and nothing positive to balance it out. I drink and eat far too much as it is a comfort...but then I see myself in the mirror and I want to die. I was underweight for a great deal of my life....verging on an eating disorder. I always thought people would not like me if I was not thin. I started packing it on when I left my awful husband in 2007. Had to start a new life with a two year old and no help from anyone. The latest debacle is my son is now 18 and causes me no end of worry. He sleeps all day and games all night. Works the bare minimum and does nothing to help around the place. Also my beloved rescue dog who I adopted 6 months ago has been diagnosed with terminal lymphoma. So every day is a struggle....sorting my son out...looking after my sweet beautiful dog....I have no social life whatsoever. I have started a part time job to pay for my darling dog's huge vet fees and this is a physical role that is causing me a great deal of pain with my shoulders. I feel I have nothing else in life except food and alcohol Because I don't. I am totally finished. I have tried everything...for my son...for myself..for my darling dog. Spent over $10k in one year on same. Now I am just old, fat, washed up and done. I know my pooch will not survive for much longer...that is killing me in itself. I worry sick about my son....I just do not know what to do anymore. It is all a big ugly mess and I am so distraught. Thanks for reading.

JJacob Support group for depression in Canberra
  • replies: 2

Hi, I am a mental health worker and i am supporting a young man who is struggling with depression. Just wondering if anyone knows any support groups running in Canberra to help him to get better.

Hi, I am a mental health worker and i am supporting a young man who is struggling with depression. Just wondering if anyone knows any support groups running in Canberra to help him to get better.

Mari_0533 Just moved house, feeling desolated
  • replies: 1

My parents and I just moved house a couple of days ago. As we were preparing to move, I felt indifferent and I just wanted to get it all over with, but for the past couple of days, I haven't been able to stop crying. I feel the same way I felt at sch... View more

My parents and I just moved house a couple of days ago. As we were preparing to move, I felt indifferent and I just wanted to get it all over with, but for the past couple of days, I haven't been able to stop crying. I feel the same way I felt at school camps or when staying the night at my parent's friend's place when I was little or when my parents and I went on holiday a few years ago, but I can't make peace with the fact that this is not a holiday, I can never go back. I miss everything. I spent my entire life in that unit and now it's just a stranger's halfway house. I just want to go back.

danielrvo Any support groups I can join?
  • replies: 2

I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for 20 years now. Most of the time I have it under control, but my situation has changed since last august 2022 (3 months ago) when I moved to a one bedroom apartment. I felt ok at first but now I feel ... View more

I have been dealing with depression and anxiety for 20 years now. Most of the time I have it under control, but my situation has changed since last august 2022 (3 months ago) when I moved to a one bedroom apartment. I felt ok at first but now I feel lonely. I had some health issues but when I saw my gp and examined me, she didn’t find anything. I am always scared that I could have a serious disease and the check ups I have are normal. My whole family is overseas and I’m terrified no one would be by my side if I become severely ill. I’m going to see a specialist this Wednesday but I was wondering if there are any support groups that I can join and share my experience with other people. It’s so hard to be like this. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one suffering of this. Thank you.

Trebor13 Trebor13
  • replies: 6

Morning all, I'm new to reaching out. I'm a 48 yr old male that is struggling atm especially to reveal my weaknesses. I have been finding life hard in the last 5 years after losing my brother to suicide I'm still angry and upset and thought this woul... View more

Morning all, I'm new to reaching out. I'm a 48 yr old male that is struggling atm especially to reveal my weaknesses. I have been finding life hard in the last 5 years after losing my brother to suicide I'm still angry and upset and thought this would have become easier, my mother passed away this morning and I'm falling very confused with my life, I have a loving partner that I'm pushing away and she can't understand why ( nor do i) any help at this stage would be appreciated.

Rubix The ramblings of a pathetic fool
  • replies: 2

Another familiar night of struggling to sleep. Goodness knows what this is doing to my neurological health long term. I thought coming back here after so long might help tire me out. This is a rant. So I've really achieved nothing in the few years si... View more

Another familiar night of struggling to sleep. Goodness knows what this is doing to my neurological health long term. I thought coming back here after so long might help tire me out. This is a rant. So I've really achieved nothing in the few years since last posting. I still live with my aging parents, having separated from my wife over 9 years ago. It's nice being close to my kids (who are up the road) but it does nothing for my feelings of inadequacy. I avoid catching up with old school friends because I'm too embarrassed to admit all my failures and my current situation. Early this year my oldest son attempted the unthinkable. Though he had been acting erratically the previous six months it caught all of us by surprise. The year has been full of therapy, trying to get him back to school (which we changed) and in turn trying to make life easier for his siblings. It's been incredibly stressful. Progress, if it's there, is incredibly slow. It's another sign of failure (a parent asleep at the wheel). It saddens me to think I may never own a home of my own. Never enjoy sitting down to a nice family dinner with my kids. At least not one that I was responsible for creating. I worry that with my attitude towards 'life', that it might make me a target for redundancy. I threw away a chance to be happy with someone from work two years ago because it felt like running away from my kids. Now I'm just a sad, lonely individual with a severe inferiority complex. Sleep take 2