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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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randomguy81 i don't want to live but afraid to die
  • replies: 4

im scare to admit this to anyone in real life, im always lost and confused i feel ashamed to be here, i been taking sleeping tablets to help with the pain but lately they haven't been working am i alone in this feeling?

im scare to admit this to anyone in real life, im always lost and confused i feel ashamed to be here, i been taking sleeping tablets to help with the pain but lately they haven't been working am i alone in this feeling?

Sarah0209 Financial burden
  • replies: 4

Hi there, im not sure where else to do here and thought someone in here might now. 2 weeks ago I was admitted into a mental health facility and have had the last two weeks off work. So at the moment I am 3 weeks out of work. I have no sick or annual ... View more

Hi there, im not sure where else to do here and thought someone in here might now. 2 weeks ago I was admitted into a mental health facility and have had the last two weeks off work. So at the moment I am 3 weeks out of work. I have no sick or annual leave left and today my dr said I need at least 4-6 more weeks off. I have seen diagnosed with BPD, ADHD & an Eating disorder and we are still in the process of sorting out medication as well as me struggling to eat and not pass out etc.. My question is, does any of know of any type of government payment or financial support I can use to help us get by? My husband works full time but we have 4 children and bills are really creeping up on us & it is causing more harm than good while I’m struggling to get my mental health in check. know this could last up to 6 more weeks is giving me a lot of stress & anxiety!! I have also tried to access my super on hardship but I am had no success would love some advice please!!

Succulent Queen Alcohol/ self-medicating/ sobriety
  • replies: 8

Hi BB friends, Hope you're all travelling okay. Would like to ask if others experiencing depression have used alcohol or any other drug or vice to self medicate and what life is like for you after giving up. I drank an ocean of wine to medicate my fe... View more

Hi BB friends, Hope you're all travelling okay. Would like to ask if others experiencing depression have used alcohol or any other drug or vice to self medicate and what life is like for you after giving up. I drank an ocean of wine to medicate my feelings which of course didnt work long term. I gave up drinking 7 years ago at 38 and whilst life is more manageable, I still feel all the feelings. I see a psych but lack community and friends and wonder i f this is the antj depressant I need. Am finding that community and friendship are not easy to develop as an adult. Lately Ive been drinking alot of alcohol free beer and just discovered a good sauv blanc. Am finding I use these to cope in the same wah I used alcohol only the consequences arent there. They dont satisfy me and a cravin g for the real deal has been creeping up. I never did the AA steps but questioning if I need to. What's your experience with self-medicating? How did you stop and what is uour life like now that you've stopped? Cheers(no pun intended).

Tempest1609 Struggling
  • replies: 2

6 months ago I was at my absolute lowest, I was fully addicted to pills and convinced that I was going to kill myself. So then I have moved towns and got on top of my mental health or so I thought. The last couple of weeks have been really hard I’ve ... View more

6 months ago I was at my absolute lowest, I was fully addicted to pills and convinced that I was going to kill myself. So then I have moved towns and got on top of my mental health or so I thought. The last couple of weeks have been really hard I’ve been extremely lonely and I can’t seem to break the cycle of risky potentially dangerous behaviour if it’s not drugs or self harm then it’s sex. I can’t seem to break the cycle of self destructive behaviour and my feelings towards myself are not very kind at the moment. I have a good job and a safe place to live so why do I insist on harming myself. I just keep chasing that feeling I guess. I’m really not coping with having no friends and nobody to talk to my only friend back home just tried to kill them self and I’m doing everything I can to support them because we both dug ourselves into the same hole together. But it’s really, really hard, I thought a couple of months and I’d be perfect again but no I feel like this struggle is never gonna end, and I’ll always be chasing some variation of a high. Life is really hard especially when you thought that you were not gonna make it to this point and it feels strange to just go to work and come home and have dinner. I’m just not sure what to do at this point in my life I feel like I’ve wasted time but I continue to piss it away I feel grateful that I’m here but at the same time resentful because I could have just ended it all and saved myself the pain I want to help my friend but I’m a world away and I don’t know how to help him. I’m struggling lonely and confused and tbh I thought If I fixed the major issues in my life I’d be back good as new. But this is the hardest part of my life so far, and I genuinely don’t understand that.

LJpd81 How to prepare for my 1st psychologist appointment
  • replies: 8

I made the scary, daunting point of asking my doctor for a referral for a psychologist. Now I have one. I'm scared wondering what to expect of my first appointment and how to prepare? I'm feeling so daunted and scared. Barely dealing. Thanks . View more

I made the scary, daunting point of asking my doctor for a referral for a psychologist. Now I have one. I'm scared wondering what to expect of my first appointment and how to prepare? I'm feeling so daunted and scared. Barely dealing. Thanks .

BabySteps The World Is a BULLY on INTELLIGENCE
  • replies: 1

Society Is a narcissistic authotarian, beneath tall poppy syndrome and bigotism Baby Boomer's, have changed mentally to large degree's with all the conventional modernism thinking and societal peer acceptance I also find the Internet was far more tru... View more

Society Is a narcissistic authotarian, beneath tall poppy syndrome and bigotism Baby Boomer's, have changed mentally to large degree's with all the conventional modernism thinking and societal peer acceptance I also find the Internet was far more truthful, since 2013, far before "Donald Trump", was addressing fake new's, I could always google daily new's on the Internet, and I could see not Just by the title's, picture's, and article Information, without being crazy, that most of what I'm reading Is deceptive reporting, because 3 year's before that everything was far genuine, and I could gradually see that It would start from a few to a high portion of fake spread media I also now am seeing Immensity of horrible truth, that google Is reporting Informative fiction, not genuine fact's to society, and that their manipulating, feeding you under Intelligence with "SPELLING", like how they are saying GREATFUL, Is spelt GRATEFUL, or how AMATURE, Is now told It's spelt as AMATEUR, Their dumbing you down, and Intentionally lowering IQ, and society believes In IQ Test's, When their not genuine and actually discriminative, or maybe that Is spelt descriminative, can't remember now. They are always bullying you as not having a Degree or being a Psychologist to retain and regard your Intellect MODERNISM, and U.S.A., Is making everyone over worked and pagan, Modern values and virtues are changed, everyone Is TOXIC and Isolating and feeling alone wither alone or with other's also

HamSolo01 New start and new approach to this year
  • replies: 131

The last time I made a post in these forums was in 2017. Back then I was probably in the darkest moment of my life since I can remember. I thought that I was beyond help and there was no hope for me going forward. Here I am in 2021 and I have a job (... View more

The last time I made a post in these forums was in 2017. Back then I was probably in the darkest moment of my life since I can remember. I thought that I was beyond help and there was no hope for me going forward. Here I am in 2021 and I have a job (even though I want to leave to something else), been on a couple of dates, travelled, finished my degree and also made some new friends. I guess these days my woes are different. I've spent a lot of time looking into my past and trying to see if I can get an explanation or reveal some home truths about myself and my experiences. I have spent time in a psych ward, I've been on differing meds, I've spoken to psychologists and psychiatrists. I've spent some time with mental health charities working with them. These days I want some new challenges and new things in life - it's hard. I have desires to get a new job and to also go back and study again. Today has been a quiet australia day - I would've liked to have done something social but that's been hard because i have lost some friends, struggled to make new ones, but on balance I have been trying to re establish contact with other friends from the past. I dunno what I want in life and I have more questions than answers. But I guess I am here still I will see my psychologist soon for the first session of the year now that I have a new Mental health care plan. I am trying to do my best and I get the feeling that it isn't enough maybe. Yesterday I was very depressed. It's a hard time. That's all.

StaticGhost Does anyone else feel the way I do? What’s happening?
  • replies: 3

Does anyone else get the feeling that there is someone else living inside them? I feel like my brain isn't me half the time and that it's someone else, in these moments I feel as if I can't control my thoughts and actions, like there's someone else c... View more

Does anyone else get the feeling that there is someone else living inside them? I feel like my brain isn't me half the time and that it's someone else, in these moments I feel as if I can't control my thoughts and actions, like there's someone else controlling me. I feel like I've lost myself as a person and that I'm trying to be someone I'm not. My mind is so focused on being part of one aesthetic, that I can't like anything except the things that fall into that category. I'm always comparing myself to other people and asking myself why I'm not exactly like them, then I try to replicate myself to be exactly like that person. I feel so lost in this body of mine. Nothing feels real anymore. I constantly have moments where I don’t feel like I’m inside my own body, I feel like I’m seeing myself from someone else’s perspective, like I’m not really there. I feel as if nothing around me is real, like everything is fake. This has been happening a lot and I just want to know what it is and why it is happening.

sas27 Depression symptoms. I don’t feel sad, just numb.
  • replies: 11

Hi all im trying to understand my symptoms. I have PTSD and go through stages of hyper vigilance then fatigue. After leaving a violent relationship of 13 years, followed by another 3 years of court and continued harassment. it has been 6 years since ... View more

Hi all im trying to understand my symptoms. I have PTSD and go through stages of hyper vigilance then fatigue. After leaving a violent relationship of 13 years, followed by another 3 years of court and continued harassment. it has been 6 years since I left. However I recently had to move because he brought a house in the same street. I stopped walking everyday and exercising. iv found after moving, the hyper vigilant/fatigue stage (which doesn’t last as long as time goes by) that I’m completely lacking in any form of motivation whatsoever. These are my symptoms. No motivation. I’m still working full time, but apart from that I’m struggling to get things done. Increase appetite. I have no motivation to cook so I eat what ever is easy...which isn’t anything healthy usually. Weight gain. My weight always goes up and down and I usually manage it, but iv lost complete control.Lost interest in thing I usually enjoy. Can’t be bothered with people. what I’m confused about is I don’t feel sad or teary. I just feel numb....like bla whatever. When I’m not at work I just want to sit on my ass. I argue with myself to get up and do some exercise or to get out and about but it’s not happening. Doctor proscribed medication, which I haven’t taken yet. would like to know peoples thoughts, does depression mean you have to feel sad?

Loligiggles Opinion needed and maybe vent?
  • replies: 8

Hey, I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong category (I think that's the word) I would like someone else's opinion on what's going on. As some preface, I've been seeing a psychologist since I was 15, a psychiatrist since 18 (I'm 22 now) and have a s... View more

Hey, I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong category (I think that's the word) I would like someone else's opinion on what's going on. As some preface, I've been seeing a psychologist since I was 15, a psychiatrist since 18 (I'm 22 now) and have a small immidiate support group of 4 people, with others less close as well. I have GAD, depression and ADHD. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist tomorrow to discuss meds and other stuff. So things will get better, I'm just exhausted and I wanna go back to the old me. Basically, back in early March a friend revealed something really bad about themselves and I had to cut off contact with them as much as possible, thus I entered a major depressive episode (that's what I think it is) at the betrayal. It's been a long journey so far, but I still haven't recovered despite it being over 2 months at least, maybe even 3. Before this happened, I joined an online community and I was making lots of friends/acquaintances, constantly chatting, interacting with no problem, but after this thing I haven't been able to do it anymore. We do the intro, but when it comes to actual convos, I just blank. I can't banter, joke, nothing and when I do try something, it's always incredibly awkward (I think) It's not out of fear I know that, but I just don't know what to say. I'm pretty sure I've ruined a lot of budding relationships on there because of this. I'm also much more unable to reach out and make new connections in the community. A lot of them have been waiting for replies for a very long time. I miss the days when I could talk to everyone normally and not be like this. I'm also unable to draw, I can't draw anything I want and I can't seem to draw anything new or learn any new techniques (I was doing pretty good with learning new stuff before this) so no matter how hard I try I always draw the same thing. This is probably explained by my depression and anxiety but I hate it. I just wanna draw. I noticed that going on anti anxiety meds helped immensely but due to some stuff I'm doing probably the exact same without them. Thank you to those who've read this far, and would you be willing to give an opinion on what to do? Or whats going on? I'm getting tired of this and I just wanna return to normal.