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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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Artybel It's all too much, Dog & money problems
  • replies: 2

I'm thinking I might have to give up my rescued greyhound after he just had a bad run in with my housemate, he growled and barked at him. After breaking up with my ex earlier this year I was desperate to find somewhere ASAP that would allow for pets.... View more

I'm thinking I might have to give up my rescued greyhound after he just had a bad run in with my housemate, he growled and barked at him. After breaking up with my ex earlier this year I was desperate to find somewhere ASAP that would allow for pets. I found this one thankfully but right from the beginning my rescued greyhound had trouble settling in. He would bark at the smallest sound and run up and jump on the housemates he liked. He broke one my housemates pots the other week which upset the housemate. I've been trying to control my dog but it has been really hard. I'm thinking of giving him up for adoption as it's just too stressful but I really don't want to. I can't afford professional training and I have no energy to learn via YouTube. My dog has been good company for me and having to walk him everyday has helped me to keep exercising, all of which has helped with my depression. It is one of the hardest things to consider, giving up my dog. I have asked my ex if he can take him but he can't until Sunday and that would only be temporary. Top this all off with being in lockdown and only having $40 left after buying groceries and putting money aside for rent. I'm an illustrator and just haven't been up to doing much work (I only get paid when I finish the work). When I heard the government was going to give Melbournians financial support I was relieved, only to here him say that those already getting jobseeker won't get any extra assistance. I take medication and I see a counselor but this is all too much to deal with. I'm really struggling. So now I'm back in bed at 5pm watching YouTube.

Throwaway111111 Does life ever get pleasurable again?
  • replies: 3

Thanks to anybody who responds. I’m struggling with what I believe is to be depression. I’ve been on several antidepressants for nearly a year along with mood stabilisers for what they think is Bipolar. The last month since I’ve got out of jail I’ve ... View more

Thanks to anybody who responds. I’m struggling with what I believe is to be depression. I’ve been on several antidepressants for nearly a year along with mood stabilisers for what they think is Bipolar. The last month since I’ve got out of jail I’ve become severely depressed and anhedonic to the point that sleeping is more pleasurable than anything I can get up to do. I sleep over 16 hours a day and I’m still exhausted. I can’t motivate myself to do anything as nothing is enjoyable. I understand anhedonia is tough to treat. the last time I ever felt pleasure from anything was when I was manic. Learning multiple languages, taking lots of classes, being on top of the world, but ever since I’ve ‘crashed’ I don’t see a point in any of this. Especially since I’ve stopped believing in the afterlife, life has become meaningless. We’re tiny specks in the grand scheme of things and everything we could do is meaningless. We’re all gonna die and be forgotten about in the next hundred years. How do I beat that line of reasoning and get motivated to make the best out of my remaining existence? How do I find meaning in life that is motivating? I’ve tried logotherapy and it didn’t work. I’ve tried CBT, psychotherapy, medication, mindfulness and just about everything and I’m losing hope. It all sounds stupid to me because I have nothing to be really depressed about. I live in a mansion. I have food to eat. I never had a family member die. I’ve been spoiled my whole life. But if it wasn’t for my family, I would have suicide a long time ago.

Niks85 I should be happy
  • replies: 3

For a while I was really happy. We just sold our house and are moving to the country from West Melbs. I miss our house already and all the friendly people I got to know on my daily walks. Feeling so down today I think reality has sunk in. Lockdown in... View more

For a while I was really happy. We just sold our house and are moving to the country from West Melbs. I miss our house already and all the friendly people I got to know on my daily walks. Feeling so down today I think reality has sunk in. Lockdown in Melbourne is not helping. I miss seing my family so does my toddler. I'm trying to think positive but it's just not happening. Currently stuck in an airbnb in a suburb I'm not crazy about because we can't move into our new home until the end of June. Things are just ok with my husband. If it wasn't for my daughter I don't think i would still be alive to be honest. She keeps me going I love her to bits. I don't think my husband understands me it's the worst feeling. Everything changed a year ago just hope this move was the right choice.

Lilith16 I am sinking
  • replies: 16

I have so much to write but I am so exhausted and dumbed down by the depression. I couldn’t take my 5 year old to school today, I just kinda broke. I was supposed to help out in her class for the first time. I’m such a shit Mum. My husband came home ... View more

I have so much to write but I am so exhausted and dumbed down by the depression. I couldn’t take my 5 year old to school today, I just kinda broke. I was supposed to help out in her class for the first time. I’m such a shit Mum. My husband came home from work and took her late but you could tell that he was disgusted in me. He’d deny that, but it was pretty obvious. Mental illness is ok as long as I’m not effecting everyone else too badly I guess. im waiting until the 15th so I can go inpatient for over 3 weeks to get TMS. It helped last year but I have to leave my 5 and 3 year old. I’m a stay at home Mum. My 5 yo girl is showing signs of it affecting her, my 3 year old doesn’t understand yet but he’s a mummy’s boy. iwishthis was more articulate. I hate myself. I’m in bed. Look like something the cat dragged in and just don’t care. Husband is now working from home and I just feel disgusting around him. he tries to pep talk me. It makes me want to scream. Then that doesn’t work so he ignores me.

scat How do I help my daughter
  • replies: 5

My daughter is 27 years old. She is a very attractive woman who has never had a relationship with anyone. She seems oblivious to the looks she gets from men who notice her beauty. She has very few friends and shares a flat with a girl a few years old... View more

My daughter is 27 years old. She is a very attractive woman who has never had a relationship with anyone. She seems oblivious to the looks she gets from men who notice her beauty. She has very few friends and shares a flat with a girl a few years older than her. Her flatmate has a boyfriend who lives elsewhere. I have been told by a former flatmate that they are very toxic and negative about life. I wish my daughter would move back home to get away from her. Despite studying acting for 3 years, my daughter works in a dead end retail job. She is so negative about her abilities despite being approach by an agent who saw her on stage once and offered to represent her. She closes up in social situations and becomes anxious, even around family. She escapes into her world of video games all the time. Her job is at EB games which does not help. She suffered a complete breakdown last year when we took her to visit her grandfather for his birthday. Even though she has been in his home on many occasions she freaked out completely and wanted to leave straight away. Her grandmother died 9 years ago from pancreatic cancer and she has not been back there since then. She told us she felt no connection to any of us and informed us that she was only staying alive as a courtesy to us and would kill herself when we die. Her grandfather died in April and she had another breakdown when we went to his funeral. Tonight she is staying at home with us and this subject was raised by her again. I am trying to deal with the death of my father and now I have the worry of my daughter who wants to kill herself. She is so negative about the whole world and sees no future. I know she hates her job but because she has $100000 HECS debt from her previous studies she will not pursue any other education to improve her job prospects. I want to live to be 150 just so I can ruin her suicide plans. I talked to my doctor about getting help for her and he gave me tips on how to approach the subject but she completely shut down and threatened to never see us again if we kept talking about it. Her flatmate just uses the excuse that that is the way she is and we should learn to accept it. Well I refuse to do that and I am desperate for help

Draven_J INFORMATIVE SUPERORITY
  • replies: 4

"Not Everybody Is In the Same Boat" Either Due to, Ethnicity, Age, Direction, Acceptance from Society & Peer's, Nationality, Personal Intelligence, Stress Competence, Generation, Sociable Esteem, Support or Isolated Reality, Mental Health or NOT - Th... View more

"Not Everybody Is In the Same Boat" Either Due to, Ethnicity, Age, Direction, Acceptance from Society & Peer's, Nationality, Personal Intelligence, Stress Competence, Generation, Sociable Esteem, Support or Isolated Reality, Mental Health or NOT - There's many Area's where Life Isn't Fair with Diversity of Personality and Situational In - different Suffering Than their Is Societal Thinking, which differs In each Country, Plus Government Vast Legislation and Regulation and Rules Creative Personality's and Especially Musician's and Comedian's are more likely to have Depression and Suicidal Tendencies because, Creative People, are more likely to Suicide because their Smarter, Their more Introspective and Reflective, Their more likely to Hold & Grasp Minority Capacity and Possibility, Their not Interested In Conventional Regularity and Ordinary Direction, Their Sensitive, and bothered By their Own Over thinking and By the Mess of Society, Their not Weird People, Their Socially Selective, Not Socially Doomed, They Find Ordinary People Boring for Conversation and Relation to Intellect or Recreational Hobbies and Personality, Their Often Good Hearted, and Find Society Irrational and Stupid, Individuality and Meaning and Identity, not Just with Personal Selective Occupation, Over Second to Last Choice Liability Mundane Slavery. Image and Opinion's and Nature and Expression, Mean's more to Transparent Creative's, They can't Associate with the Average Joe, as their Dismissive and Vain and Vague and Dis Belief from Related Concept's, Their not only within Sub Culture possibility, But their 100% Misfit's from either Generic Masculinity Value's and Virtue's or at least Interest's and Ideologic Thinking, Resentful towards Status Quo or Social Norm's , Their Highly Detailed with Articulation and Aspiration's and Everything get's In the Way with People and Challenge's and Limited Time and Energy and Needing Money at Some Point. They can get Depression because Often Small Talk Is 85% of Society, and Philosophical or Meaningful Discussion about Conspiracy or anything Interesting Is never Shared on the Average. Creativity Is Therapeutic and Besides Creativity and Technology and Fashion and maybe Spirituality or Religion, Everything seems DULL and Depleting of Interest or Attraction. And anyone wither Creative or Academic, can be Mistaken as Autistic or Asperger's, Modern Society, Is Narcissitic and Superiority of Opinion.

t..c i've nearly made it, but tell me what i should do
  • replies: 3

I'm 16, finally entering my final year of school after probably one of the worst years of my life. Me and my ex-boyfriend (i'll call him S) just mutually broke up and we were together for 15 months. There is another guy but that is not the reason me ... View more

I'm 16, finally entering my final year of school after probably one of the worst years of my life. Me and my ex-boyfriend (i'll call him S) just mutually broke up and we were together for 15 months. There is another guy but that is not the reason me and S broke up, he never really put in enough effort to see me and he was always making excuses and it made me feel like absolute crap (this has been going on for like at least 6-8 month), but i mean he didn't want to see me or risk it cos of covid and i didn't see him for 4 months minimum, he hates calling and Face-timing so i barely talked to him and it put me in a very bad mental state and i think the only reason i stayed with him was because during lockdown i needed someone. Now when we broke up i also i needed to focus more on myself because next year i can't even describe how busy I will be. I have been working on myself lately, I've been going to the gym and trying to eat better but i was told last Thursday by a dietician that i have an eating disorder, because for example today i've had basically nothing and i just had dinner but i didn't want to eat it and now i feel sick from eating it. There are just some days i have the biggest mood swings. This other guy (i'll call him M), i met him at the start of the year in my maths class, he is the nicest guy i've met and he has been so helpful and we haven't stopped talking for the last like month. We went and saw a movie last week and he bought me a ring and i haven't taken it off. I was and still am so happy. We aren't together because me and S broke up not too long ago but man i really don't know what i am feeling. S would also tell me if i told him i have depression and/or anxiety that it is just a phase and it'll pass, I WAS LITERALLY HOSPITALISED, and M picks up the moment i feel slightly bad and he makes sure i'm okay. My questions are; Am i falling in love too quickly? I have already been diagnosed with depression/anxiety but is it getting worse? Or is this just my anxiety overthinking everything?

Chynapage Hygiene Help
  • replies: 2

Dear All, I am struggling with having a shower and washing my hair at the moment. Does anyone know of any services of places that are willing to wash your hair for you?

Dear All, I am struggling with having a shower and washing my hair at the moment. Does anyone know of any services of places that are willing to wash your hair for you?

airymoods Coming off medication
  • replies: 1

Recently and under strict guidance from my doctors I have stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder management. Unfortunately I don’t know anybody in my life that has gone through something similar and I have no one to relate to regarding this. ... View more

Recently and under strict guidance from my doctors I have stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder management. Unfortunately I don’t know anybody in my life that has gone through something similar and I have no one to relate to regarding this. Has anyone else gone through this? Did you feel any differently? What were some strategies to help with avoiding relapse? Any help would be appreciated.

Timmaye Need help, also want to help.
  • replies: 1

Hey new to this forum. Lived with one form of depression or another (depending on which doctor you ask on which day) since I was twelve. Was unfortunate enough to instill a core belief at 15 that there were many more cons than pro's to living and I s... View more

Hey new to this forum. Lived with one form of depression or another (depending on which doctor you ask on which day) since I was twelve. Was unfortunate enough to instill a core belief at 15 that there were many more cons than pro's to living and I should kill myself. I still can't shake that and battle it daily. I'm 32 now and have many coping strategies and alerts for how to fight the dark, that has kept me safe and for the most part sane-ish. I would like to help if I can. My most beneficial times in my life were not in a classroom but learning true torment and horror in places like a locked ward. I was blessed to visit such a place for a few weeks after a very close suicide attempt. Seeing how the mind can be turned into a true torture device humbled me as my condition's worst case was simply death, fairly mild in comparison to some people I met and befriended. I spent my time helping those around me in a way the staff could never have. I have survived some very bad times in my life and would like to find out if there is something I can do from what I've learnt that can help people feeling truly hopeless. Though I often leave not hope for myself, I challenge anyone to sit and have a conversation about the black hopeless despair with me and not feel at least a little more light at the end.

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