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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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Bbygrl2022 what's wrong with me? part 1 (because apparently 2489>2500)
  • replies: 3

Hello everyone i hope everyone is okay today if not thats okay too we will get through thisthis is my situation: i turn 20 in two weeks, and i dont know if ill make it this year.. every year when my birthday comes around she visits, the part of me th... View more

Hello everyone i hope everyone is okay today if not thats okay too we will get through thisthis is my situation: i turn 20 in two weeks, and i dont know if ill make it this year.. every year when my birthday comes around she visits, the part of me that was all i had looking after me back in 2016. When my dad was on his deathbed, my mum so distraught she couldn't even look after herself and my siblings were to young to understand what was going on. that part of me matured overnight from a scared 12 year old to a stand in parent that looked after her siblings and stood strong next to her mother to keep the family together. that part of me that started to ask god to take her instead, and when he wouldn't respond she tried to take the matter into her own hands. she didn't succeed but her dad did get better and after time i got her to leave and things were normal for a time. 9 months later dad was back in hospital and guess who came back? yeap, she was hardened now after being sent away so she was more insistent and yet gentle with me so the inflictions gave me peace... for a time and much like drugs you never get that good a kick as the first time so her ideas weren't as scary and nauseating as they were to start with. but i delayed once more until dad got better but she wouldn't leave a second time, so she changed her ways.

JustAnYtka Am I a bad person?
  • replies: 6

Tonight I was just sitting on the couch with my mum and my dog when I suddenly had thoughts about harming them. I'm so disturbed with my own brain because I would never hurt anyone or anything. Is that who I really am? I had to go to my room because ... View more

Tonight I was just sitting on the couch with my mum and my dog when I suddenly had thoughts about harming them. I'm so disturbed with my own brain because I would never hurt anyone or anything. Is that who I really am? I had to go to my room because I couldn't stand the thought of hurting someone that I love so much. I'm disgusted by myself

Jay bird Really scared and alone
  • replies: 2

I am 45, 5 kids who are now all older and 3 have moved out….I rarely hear from them unless they want something and I reach out and it goes ignored. I thought I was a good mum. Now I feel lost and rejected.I have other family too who I am simply invis... View more

I am 45, 5 kids who are now all older and 3 have moved out….I rarely hear from them unless they want something and I reach out and it goes ignored. I thought I was a good mum. Now I feel lost and rejected.I have other family too who I am simply invisible to and I have reached a point now I am done.I want to disappear…I feel so hurt and I can’t tell anyone this because that’s manipulative and they don’t need to listen to my bullshit.how do I live a life when everyone around you allows you to be nothing?I don’t know what to do, how to escape this feeling…i have absolutely no one I would tell how Iam feeling so I pretend each day. I am about to break. Inside i already am

KellyEFL PostNatal Depression
  • replies: 5

Hi all, I have a 9 week old baby and have finally accepted that I’m suffering with post natal depression Ive had a pretty direct conversation with my husband this morning as it’s having a hugely negative impact on him, our baby and our overall relati... View more

Hi all, I have a 9 week old baby and have finally accepted that I’m suffering with post natal depression Ive had a pretty direct conversation with my husband this morning as it’s having a hugely negative impact on him, our baby and our overall relationship I was diagnosed this week and have a history of depression and anxiety so hasn’t really come as a shock but I’ve still had trouble accepting it I don’t want to feel like this and fully acknowledge the illness I need to take first steps and have a doctors appointment tomorrow where I am going to ask to be medicated, in addition, I have a number to call to make a counselling appointment Im desperate to fix myself and mend my strained relationship. Terrified of losing my husband please any tips would be much appreciated I know it’s not a quick fix but anything that will potentially help I am game to try

Baileysmells Don’t know what to do
  • replies: 8

Just got prescribed yet another medication and now I take 4 a day. I’m so close to running out of energy, nothing seems to actually improve. All I experience now is loneliness and emptiness, I just wish I could be who I wanted to be without anxiety g... View more

Just got prescribed yet another medication and now I take 4 a day. I’m so close to running out of energy, nothing seems to actually improve. All I experience now is loneliness and emptiness, I just wish I could be who I wanted to be without anxiety getting in the way. Instead I stay home and smoke while I feel sorry about myself. i just struggle so much to see a reason to fight through life, I wish there were an easy way out. I feel betrayed to have been born.

javalava13 Cycles of lashing out and immense guilt
  • replies: 3

Something I've always struggled with through my life (for a while at least - I'm 24 now) is constant cycles of lashing out at someone or saying something that comes across a bit strong to someone when they do something that upsets me and then feeling... View more

Something I've always struggled with through my life (for a while at least - I'm 24 now) is constant cycles of lashing out at someone or saying something that comes across a bit strong to someone when they do something that upsets me and then feeling incredible guilt and beating myself up so much for it. this repeats (maybe because i hate myself and am so mean to myself so i self-sabotage all my relationships) and i just feel so stuck in this cycle. I know this sounds natural and like i should feel guilty for being mean to anyone (and this is also what i think because it makes me hate myself even more everytime i am remotely mean to anyone) but for some reason i just can't control myself in the moment. I also think the house i live in is with very sensitive people (including myself) so what i consider as a huge lash out is definitely something that others may just consider a comment or point of discussion but because of (probably) a combination of the reaction i get and the criticism of myself to be this 100% perfectly nice, non-conflict person all the time, i beat myself up. I didn't actually know which topic to put this post in because I never know which of my actions or behaviours are from my anxiety and which are from my depression (and which may be from undiagnosed/other issues). i have sometimes thought just considering how much of a different person i feel like i am in these two states of mind (lashing out vs guilty) that i could have something like multiple personality disorder. but i just i guess wanted to hear if anyone else has these feelings or if this guilt would actually go away if i was a genuinely nice person and maybe THAT's the actual issue - that i truly am awful to people around me and the guilt is deserved. i really struggle with this concept of being a good person. i have SUCH a strong inner critic that is constantly hating me (which i know is a very common issue) and i just never know whether to/how much to actually believe this critic because i am genuinely a bad person and how much to go against it. and i know being a good person is probably quite a normal concern for people to have but the amount of hesitation I had to bring this up in case it then made people believe i am a terrible person makes me think i truly am because maybe i'm scared to hear the truth?

rhombusslope I need a release!
  • replies: 12

Hi, I have been feeling depressed and I’m not sure who to talk to. I was in therapy for 5 years but haven’t been for about 3 years. Felt everything was good and healthy for such a long time, but started to dip back into depressive thoughts about 2 mo... View more

Hi, I have been feeling depressed and I’m not sure who to talk to. I was in therapy for 5 years but haven’t been for about 3 years. Felt everything was good and healthy for such a long time, but started to dip back into depressive thoughts about 2 months ago. I’ve become mean and irritable at work, which makes me feel worse and more anxious. I hate complaining because, on paper, my life is good. I’ve stopped talking to my friends, and when they reach out, I act bored and uninterested which isn’t a great incentive for them to keep wanting to talk to me. I seem to purposefully isolate myself which makes me angrier and more depressed. I feel like my lack of social skills and low energy and impatience with other humans is a curse - how can I navigate through work and my goals if I can’t face others without feeling like I’m being awful and rude? Sometimes I feel like having introverted traits isn’t adaptive in our society, where the focus is on friends and connections and talking and laughing. I find conversation hard, and if I’m not being entertaining, no one seems to have an interest in me. I’m about to turn 30 and all my friends are single and still seem to be having fun. I’ve got a lovely partner, and just bought a house, but it feels like this made everything worse and none of myfriends seem to have much in common with me anymore (ie, not going out, having to penny pinch, doing renovations and working extra hours). I’m not sure what I need but would be nice to hear from others transitioning from 20s to 30s or older people who’ve been through this already. Right now, it seems like life is all work and no fun!

Niqko S.O.S. (You're Not Alone)
  • replies: 4

A song I wrote to help lift your spirits can be found here :- https://youtu.be/ysmGAn_ufuA (link no longer active) Hang on in there champs.

A song I wrote to help lift your spirits can be found here :- https://youtu.be/ysmGAn_ufuA (link no longer active) Hang on in there champs.

Waffle- Anyone else watching "Old People's Home For Teenagers"?
  • replies: 5

There's a show on ABC/iview about old people and teenagers doing activities together and getting to know each other. It has a heavy emphasis on loneliness and how that affects both age groups. I'm not elderly or a teenager, but watching the show has ... View more

There's a show on ABC/iview about old people and teenagers doing activities together and getting to know each other. It has a heavy emphasis on loneliness and how that affects both age groups. I'm not elderly or a teenager, but watching the show has had a big impact on me. I've only watched the first 2 episodes but both of them made me cry. I relate to the struggles of the participants and it's made me reflect on my own feelings of isolation. Is anyone else watching the show? I'd be really interested to hear other people's thoughts on it. (I wasn't sure where to post this, so I apologize if this is in the wrong place. Feels too heavy for the social section and too lighthearted for the depression section...)

Distractedbug Incongruence
  • replies: 5

Hi Everyone,I'm just wondering if anyone else has the same experience as I do in that sometimes I feel so bad about being angry that my kids aren't listening to me, or if I can't do something even when I'm trying my hardest, that I feel like they, al... View more

Hi Everyone,I'm just wondering if anyone else has the same experience as I do in that sometimes I feel so bad about being angry that my kids aren't listening to me, or if I can't do something even when I'm trying my hardest, that I feel like they, along with my wife would be better off without me. It's like as if that one bad part about me is so bad that the rest of me becomes worthless. I can't see any value in the other parts. It feels so intense in the moment.

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