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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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Hollyy_m Can’t function
  • replies: 5

Honestly idk how these things work but I have a big problem. I can’t function like a normal person like I just can’t get up and go to school every day and answer normal questions and do things and have showers. And listening to that you’d think it’s ... View more

Honestly idk how these things work but I have a big problem. I can’t function like a normal person like I just can’t get up and go to school every day and answer normal questions and do things and have showers. And listening to that you’d think it’s like depression but I’m not sure it is because I don’t feel sad or depressed. I’ve been suicidal before and all that and it’s not like that at all. I ither feel completely numb, like the world is ending or on top of the world and unstoppable. And I don’t have the energy to control the swings so I kind of just sleep and drink my life away. Like I can’t keep focused on one emotion or one subject or anything. I was meant to get my laptop fixed 2 months ago. I was meant to get 2 blood tests a month ago and see a few doctors and I bailed on all of them. I literally haven’t showered in a long time and I havent gone to school in 2 weeks my mum is so disappointed It’s so annoying but I can’t getround to doing things. The week there was mould growing in my room and there still is like what am I doing. And it’s not like I don’t do anything at all I’ll go out and see my mates and get drinks but that’s it. Idk what’s wrong with me at I just super lazy.

G1231 Feeling depressed
  • replies: 3

1. I only get along with my mother and I don't get along with my siblings or father, this is due to him pretty much treating me differently to them all my life and he has had a habit over the years of being nice to me for a while, then saying or doin... View more

1. I only get along with my mother and I don't get along with my siblings or father, this is due to him pretty much treating me differently to them all my life and he has had a habit over the years of being nice to me for a while, then saying or doing something to ruin the relationship and we don't talk for months. Then he will want to act very nice to me again only to turn on me again and say or do something hurtful, and I am really sick of him. I feel he has undermined me time and again by trying to turn me away from education, trying to convince me to stay in a job where I was being mentally abused by toxic management, trying to control who I date and don't date, he even yelled at me because I buy my own groceries and I bought a brand of juice that my brother doesn't like. Another time he screamed abuse at me from the kitchen because I bought a coffee from McDonalds and he didn't like it, I won't repeat what he said. Also he never let me have friends over as a kid and he wouldn't even take me to other friends houses, he told me to walk, so I was a young kid driving on a dangerous highway and could have been hit at any time. Looking back, he has been extremely irresponsible in how I was raised and all of the stupid crap he tried to put into my head, like bragging about how much he likes to fight, sleeping with as many women as possible, how much of a "thug" he was, and because I don't follow in his footsteps and sit around listening to his vulgar talk / porn, I am rejected. 2. I also have had problems with jobs, typically because of management. I am not bragging at all because this has stressed me out to no end, but I seem to attract a lot of negative attention from people because of how hard I work and I typically end up showing some people up, especially in my current job. I want to switch industry to a more office based role instead of retail but I don't have much confidence in myself and I kind of lack soft skills. 3. I also feel that I lack a real purpose in my life. I get home from work and school and I just wish I knew of some kind of project to work on or build but I can't think of anything I really feel passionate about. I wish I had something that really pleased me, like some kind of interest or talent, but I don't know of anything sadly. I feel like I'm wasting my life working and trying to get ahead, but my personal time is wasted and I don't know what to do with myself in my own time.

manicmonkey I'm bipolar, depressed, lonely and isolated from my bipolar friend
  • replies: 16

Hi all, I had no clue where to post this. It covers a few bases. I'm a 50ish male; diagnosed as manic depressive 23 years ago. Been on the usual treatment rollercoaster, but managing, generally successfully, unmedicated for a number of years now. My ... View more

Hi all, I had no clue where to post this. It covers a few bases. I'm a 50ish male; diagnosed as manic depressive 23 years ago. Been on the usual treatment rollercoaster, but managing, generally successfully, unmedicated for a number of years now. My major episodes are pretty much always triggered by personal losses though, and just in the last few years I've lost my sole surviving parent and three friends (two to cancer and one to suicide). My best and closest friend succumbed to cancer after a long, tough battle last year, leaving me with only my partner and one close friend, who is also bipolar, and who I've known almost a decade. I've been in a relationship for a dozen years, but my partner and I have been 'growing apart' for some time. She's retired and living out of town, while I live and work in the suburbs during the week, and drive out to her on weekends. We're really just friends that share a roof two days a week now, and, though she's a warm and caring person, she avoids anything difficult. Like ... bipolar disorder. She jokingly describes both me and my friend as 'Flakey'. My surviving friend has had a very, very tough year. As a result she began socially isolating several months ago, and has been completely ignoring me for a month or two at a time, but, on the (very) rare occasions that she does respond, she still tells me she's pleased to hear from me. She keeps saying "It's not just you", when I ask her not to shut me out, but I know she's still managing to function day to day, and she's found a new boyfriend during the same period she's been 'isolating'. She told me not too long ago that she was "Done with relationships", and I'm very worried that this one isn't going to last very long, and she's going to suffer another big setback. I care for her a great deal, but I'm also feeling very hurt that she's pushed me away while she's obviously able to socialize with relative strangers and begin new relationships. I really want to be 'there' for her, but I also wish she was 'here' for me. I feel so much better when she's around, and she keeps telling me "you're always a laugh". Apart from the fact she's just an adorable human being, it's so good to talk to someone I don't have to explain the BP to. I am not a 'people person'; I don't make friends easily, but when I do bond with someone I tend to go "all in", so this is all extremely difficult and painful for me. With everything stacking up I'm feeling extremely lost and alone.

kran Frustrated with the cycle - AGAIN
  • replies: 8

So I'm new here. I'm feeling super frustrated with this life of working my way through episodes - depression, anxiety, life's good - repeat. I know there are so many of us out here from all walks of life fighting the same battles. Mine is the truly l... View more

So I'm new here. I'm feeling super frustrated with this life of working my way through episodes - depression, anxiety, life's good - repeat. I know there are so many of us out here from all walks of life fighting the same battles. Mine is the truly lucky type of life (the one I remind myself I deserve as I've learned to do over the years) Wonderful family, friends, home, lifestyle and a great psychiatrist I've been seeing for nearly 20 who has literally been a life saver...I just wish this illness would go away forever. It's been a tough few weeks on and off. Really great days and REALLY rough days. I've been cycling a bit after coming out of hard lockdown. Being social again has been great but at the same time so very very challenging. It's exhausting. I hate feeling so low. I hate not having energy. I hate knowing what I need to do to help myself but just not wanting to do it right now. I hate not enjoying anything. I hate the negative thoughts that just won't go away. I hate that it impacts my husband. I REALLY hate that it impacts my kids. I just hate... I'll get through it. I always do. I just wish getting through it didn't mean "going" through it over and over and I wish it hadn't ruined my confidence in my ability to do life. I wish I never want to talk to people when I feel like this, just hide away, so this a bit of a win I'm hiding and talking without talking... Thank you for being a place to just be

Toughavocado33 Moving for uni, feeling lonely, adult things, depression and lots of sleeping
  • replies: 3

Hi there! I'm kinda struggling a lot. I moved states to attend uni to focus on my dream goal of doing art as a living. I moved into a sharehouse/boarding house almost and we live our own lives with little interaction. I sleep through the days, skippi... View more

Hi there! I'm kinda struggling a lot. I moved states to attend uni to focus on my dream goal of doing art as a living. I moved into a sharehouse/boarding house almost and we live our own lives with little interaction. I sleep through the days, skipping uni classes and have racked up a heavy amount of work to catch up on. I've missed one deadline - my first assignment. I don't know what to do. I don't have any motivation to do anything. At first I did. I went to the library and got out a mass amount of books related to my units and was so keen to get started. But everything went down hill. I don't have any family here and didn't move with any friends so I have no support network. I'm sorry angry with myself. I was a pretty successful high school student that that excelled in my studies but obviously with the change everything is messed up. I don't know if I should move back home, stick it out... I've missed the time where we can say we don't wish to continue uni anymore for the semester so I've already got a small debt waiting for me anyway. Everything is just a stupid mess. Thank you!

spaceyogurt Feeling down + anxious lately
  • replies: 2

Hi My first post here so kinda nervous. I have been feeling really down and anxious lately. I also noticed that I have been socially isolating myself for a while now. Its been affecting my studies as I cant concentrate much anymore.I feel tired all t... View more

Hi My first post here so kinda nervous. I have been feeling really down and anxious lately. I also noticed that I have been socially isolating myself for a while now. Its been affecting my studies as I cant concentrate much anymore.I feel tired all the time, and have no motivation to do anything. I'm not getting enough sleep as anxiety keeps me up till late, and I have to wakeup early in the mornings. I'm an introvert, and i also have social anxiety, which has prevented me from making close friends at university, all the friendships i've made here are very superficial, therefore im not comfortable talking to someone about my mental health. Most of the time I just feel like nobody cares. Im doing a psychiatry module at medical school right now, and its really hard for me as everything I learn makes me feel like its talking about me. And as someone who witnessed Domestic violence as a kid, it makes me really uncomfortable (get chills, cant focus) in the classes if DV is being talked about. I've tried doing some CBT worksheets from online, but I cant keep on track as I have zero motivation on most days,and exhausted at the end of the day. I have also been meditating lately, it helps a little on anxiety, but not my mood. I just wanted to vent a bit here as I am really overwhelmed by my emotions.

lise63 Struggling to make friends and uni + feeling depressed
  • replies: 3

Hi, so I am in my first year of uni and a university that none of my high school friends are going to. I basically know no one here and have not made any friends so far. I feel awkward and don’t know what to do in between classes so I usually end up ... View more

Hi, so I am in my first year of uni and a university that none of my high school friends are going to. I basically know no one here and have not made any friends so far. I feel awkward and don’t know what to do in between classes so I usually end up sitting in the library by myself and studying. I’m at the point where I’m even too nervous to go and get food by myself despite being on campus for 8 hours, so I am not eating. I try to talk to people in my classes but it seems like everyone already has their own friends and are not interested in me. I am feeling so incredibly lonely right now and my high school friendships are drifting aswell, as they are at different unis or working full time and never reach out to me. Lately I have been feeling sad all the time and the only thing I ever look forward to is going to sleep because I can escape my miserable life. I cant keep going on like this I feel so lonely and useless at uni and even at home. It doesn’t help when I ask my parents how they made friends in uni because they tell me not to worry and that it will happen naturally but since being here for 4 weeks I have not made a single friend. I have been feeling like my life is pointless and I want to go back to high school so badly because I was actually happy then.

Peppersgreen I really hate myself... i know its not right
  • replies: 9

Hello all, Thank you for reading this. I am so depressed all the time and I dont know how to stop it. I am not happy with anything, even though some people around me wouldn't agree with it. My life is not too bad compared to many people's out there. ... View more

Hello all, Thank you for reading this. I am so depressed all the time and I dont know how to stop it. I am not happy with anything, even though some people around me wouldn't agree with it. My life is not too bad compared to many people's out there. However I just feel lonely, negative, exhausted all the time. Seriously My chest always feels so tight, and I can feel the heat inside it. Sometimes I can't even breath... I dont know where to start... but I feel like I am such a horrible person to my family. I bring them stresses and worries and headaches and burdens. It's reallh hard to make my family understand me, everytime I try to talk about it, my husband and I end up in arguments.. and I am just speechless. I have nothing to say and feel like im back in the corner again. My husband isn't abusive by the way. It's me who has the problem. I dont know... I am just lost and very very very tired... i feel like giving. You know that feeling when you walk outside, you have to be positive, happy, energetic.. be a go getter one... Just so you can survive.. to blend in this world. once I get home.. I just hatred my real self...

sleepy_eye Seeking help, venting
  • replies: 2

Hi, sorry this isn't the right place for this. I was hoping to get some advice on seeking professional help. For the past week I've been feeling depressed and have been falling behind at work. I thought it might pass after the weekend but today it fe... View more

Hi, sorry this isn't the right place for this. I was hoping to get some advice on seeking professional help. For the past week I've been feeling depressed and have been falling behind at work. I thought it might pass after the weekend but today it felt so much worse. I took the afternoon off and have spent the whole day in bed. I feel frustrated because I don't know why I am feeling like this. And I especially feel guilty for not being able to do my work. Being a junior at my job, I've been struggling consistently with getting work done. But I've been getting better as I learn, so as long as I'm making progress it's fine. But recently it's been more an issue of motivation and focus. And when I start falling behind i just feel even more worse. Anyway I wanted to ask when should I decide to go see a doctor, or if there are any other options for me. I was thinking if giving it another week or so to see if I bounce back. In the past few years there have been several times I seriously considered seeking professional help. I guess I'm not really that surprised I'm feeling this way right now. But I never made the decision in the end. Somehow I managed to carry on, even if i was having the occasional breakdown. But now that I have a full time job, I realize I can't keep functioning like this. There's not a lot of people in my life right now I can reach out to. I've just moved to a new town too. I've also always struggled opening up to others about these kinds if things. So then, how long should I wait and try to get through everything before I should decide to go see a GP or therapist? And should my first point of contact be a GP? Sorry I'm really not sure why I'm asking any of this, I'm sure there's heaps of resources answering my questions. What I really want to say is I've never told anyone in the past few years I've struggled with on and off depression. Just knowing someone will read this is the closest I've come to having my feelings understood. I'm writing this now because I'm scared I'm going to just carry on once again without addressing any of my problems. I know otherwise I will just keep everything to myself. I don't know what any of this ended up being. Was mostly just a rant in the end. But I feel a little better getting it out like this. Thank you for listening.

theawkwardsensei_514 Hi:)
  • replies: 9

Hi! My name's Ainslie and this is my fist time on this platform. For the past 6 years I've been suffering from depression and in 2015 my best friend passed away when I was in primary school. Its been so tough for me to forget about the past. I miss m... View more

Hi! My name's Ainslie and this is my fist time on this platform. For the past 6 years I've been suffering from depression and in 2015 my best friend passed away when I was in primary school. Its been so tough for me to forget about the past. I miss my friend and its been so hard to heal even though I'm 17 right now. There are those times where I even get triggered of the smallest things during school and I hate showing my emotions. Even though I'm with a group of friends, I still feel empty and lonely and when someone tries to help, they don't understand how I feel. I'm sorry if I sound a bit selfish, but I came here to not feel alone:) (I'm an introvert) Thankyou so much for reading this:))