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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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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.

Bennyone Feeling lower than ever at the moment
  • replies: 1

To whoever is reading, I’m a 24 Yr old male, pretty big history of mental illness and had ongoing issues with depression and anxiety. I am feeling lower than ever at the moment after coming out of a long term relationship. I feel super alone at the m... View more

To whoever is reading, I’m a 24 Yr old male, pretty big history of mental illness and had ongoing issues with depression and anxiety. I am feeling lower than ever at the moment after coming out of a long term relationship. I feel super alone at the moment as now I am coming home to an empty apartment every day and being surrounded by my own thoughts. I have friends but they don’t really understand and even if they do, I shut everyone out because I hate talking about what’s going on in my head. This is the first time I’ve ever posted on a forum or done this because I feel so hopeless. Just constantly breaking down in tears and feeling like there’s no point anymore doing this day in and day out. I’ve seen doctors and been medicated for Major Depressive Disorder and anxiety for the past 10 years, and just don’t have the motivation anymore to go talk to someone or see doctors again. Come from a broken home and only really have a relationship with my mum but she is going through a lot and as I said I just, I can’t even explain it, it’s like I know how toxic this is to deal with this on my own and not talk about it or do anything but I can’t bring myself to open up to anyone anymore and get help. In my relationships I’ve had partners be very upset because they think that one day they would lose me because of my mental illness, and that breaks my heart, but at the same time I also feel like I don’t see any other future for myself except to do this day by day until one day I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know how to help myself when it’s like I don’t want to be helped anymore??

Hiraeth24 just wanting to sleep all day and night - no spark or joy from anything
  • replies: 2

Hi all, just seeking some comfort/advice i think. i have a psych, im on medication, i know the things i want to do. I'm not afraid to be alone but seem to seek validation of love from relationships because ive come to realise the trauma's and experie... View more

Hi all, just seeking some comfort/advice i think. i have a psych, im on medication, i know the things i want to do. I'm not afraid to be alone but seem to seek validation of love from relationships because ive come to realise the trauma's and experiences over the past few years have left me without an ounce of self-worth or self-esteem. i've just had a recent breakup from someone who was always hot/cold and on/off for a few months, but now im wondering was it because i didn't love myself and came across too needy that this is why the relationship ended. i don't get any enjoyment or spark from anything anymore. All my family is in victoria and i am in brisbane and with COVID - as well as my mum who is my closest person i want to speak to (getting too upset and stressed in my times of need because of her own trauma as well as being super healthy and now having to retire after multiple strokes. i feel exhausted, i feel empty. it feels like the road ahead is just unatainable. i have been filling voids with unescessary spending which just makes things worse as i have a large outstanding debt from exes and paying for everything that's going nowhere despite having a good job. most recently, i felt so low that i just wanted to not wake up. i hadn't been able to go to work for 3 nights and couldn't move from bed or eat anything. i suffer from anxiety too and i just feel like im constantly running a race with all this adrenaline built up. i feel like i've always been the stepping stone for past relationships- the empath who loves them wholeheartedly despite any flaws and then they up and leave and find their forever. that's hard. as that's something i've always wanted and i feel i deserve. is it just i'm not attracting the right people because i have so much work to do? i feel lost, i feel alone, and i feel frustrated.

John_E_S Recovering from depression
  • replies: 9

Hi all, I hope you all are doing well. I have been actively trying to improve my outlook on life lately. It is really hard but I feel I am very slowly improving. The part I am finding the most challenging are the peaks and dips. I have periods where ... View more

Hi all, I hope you all are doing well. I have been actively trying to improve my outlook on life lately. It is really hard but I feel I am very slowly improving. The part I am finding the most challenging are the peaks and dips. I have periods where I feel ok, even happy, but they are split by periods where I feel horrible and can only see catastrophe. These bad periods seem to be more common in the morning I have people I talk to but I feel I have been leaning heavily on them and really just usy re hashing the same comments again and again. Does anyone have anything that has been successful for them in getting through these troughs...

Sarlia Struggling a Bit
  • replies: 5

So this is my first time posting anything like this, and I’ve been putting it off for a while because it just felt wrong but here goes. I don’t even know if this comes under this thread honestly. I am a 24 year old female. I had a bit of a difficult ... View more

So this is my first time posting anything like this, and I’ve been putting it off for a while because it just felt wrong but here goes. I don’t even know if this comes under this thread honestly. I am a 24 year old female. I had a bit of a difficult life late primary school and most of high school, nothing too bad but a lot of issues in regards to fitting in, being bullied, anxiety in going to school, panic attacks, self harm and attempted suicide. I honestly put my mum and sister through hell with the amount of worry I gave them. I just couldn’t help it. I tried therapy with two ladies, both made me uncomfortable so I’ve avoided trying again since then. I just don’t know what to do. I’m struggling to cope with anything and everything. I feel like crying all the time, I don’t have motivation to do anything, I constantly feel like a failure that isn’t improving. I work at Woolworths for a measly 3-9 hour week, and I’m currently studying veterinary nursing, which is overdue due to my cowardly self not being able to have enough courage to record the videos required of me. I’ve been stuck on my Ls for 3 years now because I’m scared of failing, which is also holding me back. I don’t really know what it is but, I have a really bad feeling, sort of anxiety I guess, in regards to being in a place I can’t escape. Planes, buses, coaches, boats, roller coasters, sometimes work, sometimes the shops. I just think, think, think of all of the potential negatives that might happen and it makes my heart race, makes me feel dizzy, makes me scared, nauseous, stomach cramps, the constant feeling of panic. Sometimes the only way to zone out of it is to just lean back and try to zone out of any thought and cool down but they only works a good 5% of the time. This feeling has made me vomit a few times and usually always gives me diarrhoea. This also makes me worry on the future, what if I get pregnant and have an attack like this? Will it kill the child? Will I ever feel normal? How do I learn to not freak out? I feel like I’m stuck on a forever loop of feeling useless, helpless, scared, stressed.. I don’t even know where to start. If anyone has any ideas, I’d greatly appreciate it. Or at least tell me they feel the same or have at some point. I just feel so alone I’m how I feel and I’m just.. scared.

displayname8 A personal win?
  • replies: 3

Today I bought tickets for the Dog Lovers Show... which is significant because I hate wasting money - and therefore I have to continue existing until at least until the 8th of August so that my tickets don't go to waste. I'm going with my mum, who is... View more

Today I bought tickets for the Dog Lovers Show... which is significant because I hate wasting money - and therefore I have to continue existing until at least until the 8th of August so that my tickets don't go to waste. I'm going with my mum, who is not the biggest fan of dogs, but I didn't want to go alone. I'm thankful that she's agreed to come along with me. I don't know if this will stimulate discussion or anything but I just wanted to share it somewhere anonymously without anyone I know in real life being able to judge me for it. I've been afraid to even think about anything beyond my organ donation day (becoming an organ donor) - so it seemed so silly to book anything beyond it.. but now that the tickets are booked, that's somewhat of a personal win, right? I wonder whether it's the right choice... I suddenly feel alot heavier with the burden of having to continue to exist - things just seemed so much lighter when I could the see the end of the tunnel.

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