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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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Guest_10343 Does anyone else experience the "Functional Freeze"?
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone,I’ve been reading through the posts here, and it helps to know I’m not the only one feeling this way. I wanted to see if anyone else relates to a specific feeling I’ve been having lately.I call it the "functional freeze."On the outside, I... View more

Hi everyone,I’ve been reading through the posts here, and it helps to know I’m not the only one feeling this way. I wanted to see if anyone else relates to a specific feeling I’ve been having lately.I call it the "functional freeze."On the outside, I look like I’m coping. I manage to get up, go to work, and maybe even reply to a few texts. But internally, I feel completely paralyzed. The moment I don't have to do something, I just freeze.I’ll sit on the couch and stare at the wall for an hour, or I'll know I need to make dinner or have a shower, but the physical effort required just feels like trying to run underwater. I’m exhausted, but I haven't actually done anything. It’s so frustrating because people around me think I’m doing fine, but they don't see the massive amount of energy it takes just to appear normal.Does anyone else get stuck in this freeze state? If you do, how do you usually break out of it, or do you just have to wait for it to pass?I’m really struggling to push through it this week. Any advice or just knowing others get it would be really comforting.Thanks for listening.

string_cheese big feelings feeling big!
  • replies: 6

Hi BBers, Tonight I am feeling lots of big feelings. I have changed medication recently, so that is probably why. But also, stuff happening in my relationships, family, work life and friendships. I am not great at actually feeling my feelings, or exp... View more

Hi BBers, Tonight I am feeling lots of big feelings. I have changed medication recently, so that is probably why. But also, stuff happening in my relationships, family, work life and friendships. I am not great at actually feeling my feelings, or expressing them. It scares me. My brain starts telling me I am stupid. It is like I don't trust myself. Looking for advice and reassurance?

Meowface Parenting young children with depression
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone,I have had depression since my teens, I’m close to 40 now. I have two small children now and I’m finding that these years are some of the hardest I’ve experienced. They’re not babies (4 & 7) so they’re not oblivious to my ups and downs an... View more

Hi everyone,I have had depression since my teens, I’m close to 40 now. I have two small children now and I’m finding that these years are some of the hardest I’ve experienced. They’re not babies (4 & 7) so they’re not oblivious to my ups and downs anymore. But they’re not old enough to understand that mummy sometimes struggles.The self care that worked before kids, or self cocooning through the worst days just doesn’t fly when you have kids constantly going “mum mum mum”.I would love a practical “dummy’s guide to parenting when you have depression”. Or a resource that I could use. I find it hard to manage my own mental health and be a good parent.

KayKay123 Not sure what to do.
  • replies: 2

Hey,I’m a teenager in high school and I’m not really sure what to do. I’ve been feeling off recently. Kinda sad and depressed. I’ve never been officially diagnosed but I’m fairly sure I have some kind of depression. I want to get help from someone an... View more

Hey,I’m a teenager in high school and I’m not really sure what to do. I’ve been feeling off recently. Kinda sad and depressed. I’ve never been officially diagnosed but I’m fairly sure I have some kind of depression. I want to get help from someone and I don’t really have that kind of relationship with anybody since I’m a bit closed off from others and not that sociable. I’m just not really sure what to do. I have my life planned out the way I want to continue it and I know I have potential, but I’m lacking motivation in anything recently. I will be honest and I have thought of self-harm a lot more times than one but I don’t really want to do it. I just want to find a way to continue my life without going through a constant loop because I feel like it’s just getting worse.. I’m posting this because I feel like it might make help me expressing how I really feel somewhere. Any tips for how I can ask for help?

justagirl Painfully lonely, but all of my desperate attempts at connection are met with silence
  • replies: 4

I've never posted on here before - sorry if this is too long. I'm lonely. I live on a very isolated property with my partner. We moved here 6+ hours away from anyone we knew a few years ago. The small community around us are quite a lot older than me... View more

I've never posted on here before - sorry if this is too long. I'm lonely. I live on a very isolated property with my partner. We moved here 6+ hours away from anyone we knew a few years ago. The small community around us are quite a lot older than me (40-50 years older) or very young with children. I don't have children and have found that my friendships with these people fizzle out or there is less time for me in their lives because they involve themselves with other parents etc. which makes total sense. My partner works out of the house for 12+ hours a day. I am alone all day and rarely see friends and family in person. I was able to socialise with a small group of people at work but I lost my job and those people ("friends") never contacted me again. I've been working very hard on making myself available and communicating strongly though social media etc. to be able to keep connections alive with people in my life - however, I'm finding that everyone (including my partner) are too busy to reply to me. My family is narcissistic and will only speak to me to complain about their lives, I've tried to foster a meaningful connection but they have their own problems. My partner is busy at work and I often won't hear from them all day until 5/6pm. My texts or an interesting video that I'll send go unanswered even though I can see they're active. My friends all have other friends that are physically part of their daily lives so it makes sense that I'm the last one they get back to but all the same, I'm very very very lonely. All I've ever wanted was connection after a childhood of neglect. A lot of advice says to look into myself and be better friends with myself, find hobbies etc but I've done that - it's all I do - what I'm craving is connection with other people and it can't be filled with a substitute hobby. I feel so tired and heavy all the time and just thinking about how lonely I am and how I can't seem to be able to fix it puts a weight on my chest.Has anyone been in this situation and found a solution?

zaynixey life still sucks
  • replies: 2

hey, i am really struggling right now, it's so hard to explain to make it understandable. i guess the hardest things just keep happening to me. like first, i had to make the hardest decision of putting down my baby boy (cat) almost 2 years ago. one o... View more

hey, i am really struggling right now, it's so hard to explain to make it understandable. i guess the hardest things just keep happening to me. like first, i had to make the hardest decision of putting down my baby boy (cat) almost 2 years ago. one of the hardest things ever. basically, since then, my mental health got worse and worse. my dad was involved in a car accident several months after, and nearly lost him. he's alive and doing well now, but stuff really went down for my family since that day. about a few weeks after he arrived back home (so roughly under a month after his accident) we had to put his cat down, after a sudden heart failure accrued. a few months later, his dog died. we knew she wasn't well and the hardest thing was, we couldn't support that. then i was having a hard time with my boyfriend, as he was manipulative, controlling, and just so many other things that made it harder. he was my first relationship (primary school personally, doesn't count) he would try change me to become what his needs were like... 1. becoming christian 2. change my personality and there's so much around this i don't need to get into. but we hate him, we hate the whole situation! anyway, let's just move onto the present. my mum's dog has be diagnosed with a disease, and we have to make a decision. my ex and i have been in another situationship. ive been distant from my best friend because.. 1. my mental health is really bad 2. shes not the same 3. im js starting to see her differently (don't know how/why) im overwhelmed with school. im overwhelmed with dance. im struggling to feel put. i dont have a job. i dont have money. i dont have a licence. i dont have a clear head. i dont stick to any routine. but i really need one. im so lost. im so tired. i want it to end. but ive lost so much hope. (im so sorry for the huge as yap)

Sunflower23 I feel like a failure
  • replies: 4

I feel like a failure because I should have my life figured out by now but I don’t. I feel like I’m failing uni because I’m so behind everyone in my cohort and not sure if I’ll even complete my degree because my confidence has been shaken and my life... View more

I feel like a failure because I should have my life figured out by now but I don’t. I feel like I’m failing uni because I’m so behind everyone in my cohort and not sure if I’ll even complete my degree because my confidence has been shaken and my life tipped outside down. I feel like I’ve taken a step backwards in not being able to get out of bed or do grocery shopping or get out of the house. I cancelled two appointments with my psych due to experiencing depression and not being able to leave the house on those days and now I’m back on the waitlist. I regret my decision to cancel now.In this moment I don’t feel like I will experience joy again. I feel so isolated and alone. I don’t feel like anyone truely understands what I’m going through and how difficult it is to keep on going. I find it hard to confide in others because I feel like a burden. I tend to mask how I truely feel around others because it’s easier to say “I’m ok”rather than be honest and say that “I’m not ok”. To this end I’ve been avoiding seeing people which is not the norm for me even though I know it would be good that I do… i just find it really hard to explain how I’m going and have small talk. I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced anything similar so that I feel less alone. 🫶

Reminiscent_sky The trail persists but alas my mind has lacerated my legs.
  • replies: 2

Hello people of this forum. It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve been severely distressed and searching down other avenues and such, trying to find a way out of this debilitating mental pain. My unwavering fear of death has kept me from suicid... View more

Hello people of this forum. It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve been severely distressed and searching down other avenues and such, trying to find a way out of this debilitating mental pain. My unwavering fear of death has kept me from suicide, comedic in a dark way being too cowardly to take “the cowards way out”. But outside of the grim and hopeless the only option shown to me is getting some sort of counsellor. But I’ll be frank. That is such a huge mental gulf that it just feels impossible without help, and even with assistance it feels too far out of reach. nobody in my family has enough expendable funds for me to claim I need it. Even then, I’m sure you’d call me stupid for saying this but it’s so deeply rooted in my subconscious that I’m steadfast in this belief. I’m don’t feel like I’m worth all that time, that effort to repair. I’ve fallen apart before and each time after picking up my pieces I just fall apart again. Things don’t get better just… Back to the status quo. I’ll never learn or break away from my restrictions so why even pick up the sand like shards of my mind and heart? the people who’ve taken up the task of performing litter cleanup on my soul with me have all left me. because I assume they too know it’s futile. So why should I be so bold as to claim their efforts were too shoddy and that’s why I’m not healed? I’m right where I deserve to be. I’ve made my bed and now I’ll lay in it till the frame rots. so… I’m not sure what to do. I hate feeling like this. But I won’t pull myself out, it’s under my belief that this is my sentencing for my transgressions in life. I have nobody in my life that seems to care enough to disprove me anyway. I have no friends and my family has been spending more time judging me it seems. I don’t know. Nobody checks on me anymore. It’s like I’m not even here sometimes. I know nobody outside these walls is thinking about me right now for example. I feel translucent. I’m doomed aren’t I? This is unsolvable, I’m just meant to suffer for now till the non-existent future. I’m sorry reader if this has been a confusing journey. I can’t control the spiral, if you felt this was a waste of your time I hope your day gets better than what it could be.

Hendo Suicidal thoughts
  • replies: 2

Hey, I've been battling anxiety for around 6 years which turned into having chronic depression with episodes lasting weeks to months at a time but to be honest it feels like I've been stuck in a depressing episode for years. It's got to the point whe... View more

Hey, I've been battling anxiety for around 6 years which turned into having chronic depression with episodes lasting weeks to months at a time but to be honest it feels like I've been stuck in a depressing episode for years. It's got to the point where it's like finding a needles in a haystack for my good days, I honestly can't remember the last happy day I had. My therapist helps when I see him but as soon as I leave and the day progresses my depression comes back, the thing is I have nothing to be depressed about. My darkest days are clouded with thoughts of suicide, my therapist says that I am strong and that I need to find stuff that motivates me but I have not motivation and my negative mind calls myself a coward. I know that I will never do it but I can't see a future for myself like this. One days

44Max44 I'm so tired, 9 years of seeking treatment and it feels like I've gotten nothing done
  • replies: 3

For the past 9 years I've been seeking treatment for whatsoever is wrong with me (since I turned 18 and could start seeking treatment on my own), for years my doctors just said I had anxiety and depression, prescribed me some anti-depressants, and di... View more

For the past 9 years I've been seeking treatment for whatsoever is wrong with me (since I turned 18 and could start seeking treatment on my own), for years my doctors just said I had anxiety and depression, prescribed me some anti-depressants, and didn't think of looking any further into it. I've been suffering my whole life and never knew why, pretty much always anxious and depressed, so I thought the doctor's were right. But only very recently was I diagnosed for Autism, as well as ADHD a couple of years before that. After getting diagnosed I thought "great, I will finally get the support I need and can actually start do something with my life", but it's just been more of the same, more going around in circles, more huge wait times and appointments I can't afford.I'm unable to work because of these reasons, so I've been trying to get on a disability pension through centerlink (for the past 7 years actually, for different reasons), but Centerlink won't grant me the disability payment because (according to the Centerlink employee that talked to me) "haven't tried enough treatments yet"......... you'd imagine how that made me feel after 9 years of treatment. What else do they want me to do? To seek treatment, I need money.... and to get money, I need the disability pension, because I can't work...... like seriously, what am I meant to do? It really feels like I've been taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back through this entire process. I just want to get this pension so I can focus on improving myself. I'm so sick and tired of going in circles. You'd think after spending multiple thousands of dollars on seeking diagnoses for ASD/ADHD that it would go smoothly. How many more thousands of dollars do I need to spend? How else can I possibly convince them that I am need of this payment? I have been literally rotting at home for close to a decade. I can't take it much longer.

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