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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.

Chris_B Are you looking to support someone else with depression? PLEASE READ before posting
  • replies: 0

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and f... View more

This forum is for people seeking support for their own mental health issues. If you're posting on behalf of someone else with a mental health issue that you're concerned about, please have a look at this section of our forums: Supporting family and friends with a mental health condition It's full of threads from people who have family members and friends going through anxiety, depression or other related conditions. Have a read through the threads there, and feel free to take part in the discussions. Below are also some helpful beyondblue resources you might want to look through first as well: Supporting someone Have the conversation

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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RamblingRose "This RamblingRose is Emotionally Fragile, Almost Broken yet Need to Keep Positve"
  • replies: 2

Hello Everyone on the Beyond Blue Forum & Staff. My Introduction to All. This is my First Post to Beyond Blue though I'm familiar with this Excellent Forum. I have returned to the BB forum for support because I found it helpful so I have decided star... View more

Hello Everyone on the Beyond Blue Forum & Staff. My Introduction to All. This is my First Post to Beyond Blue though I'm familiar with this Excellent Forum. I have returned to the BB forum for support because I found it helpful so I have decided start/join again. Everyone who posted in the past did a great job. So Thank you for having me back Beyond Blue. I haven't much to say due to severe anxiety/depression/post traumatic stress disorder. Am on medication, see health professionals regularly to keep things in check. Beyond Blue Thank you.

sadgirlhours i dont control my thoughts, my thoughts control me
  • replies: 3

i have depression. not very surprising. im pretty much used to it i guess. im used to being in an on and off (mostly on) depressive episode. im so SO tired but oh well, what can i do, right? a lot of my friends know about this and they always tell me... View more

i have depression. not very surprising. im pretty much used to it i guess. im used to being in an on and off (mostly on) depressive episode. im so SO tired but oh well, what can i do, right? a lot of my friends know about this and they always tell me theyre here for me. so i vent to them if i need to. the sad thing is, i think theyre getting sick of me, because theyre giving dry replies, such as "oh damnn" or "idk what to say sorry" or "yikes". and these replies just make me feel 10x worse, so i have decided to isolate myself and be alone with my thoughts. sometimes it becomes too much and i blurt out things i wasnt planning on saying. last week i suddenly said "when will i ever recover from depression??" out loud to my friend. and she said "you wont because youre not even trying." that hurt. so much. i am trying so hard to get better. everyday i wake up and go to school. i hold back my tears as much as i can. i try SO SO HARD not to think dark thoughts but its hard. i feel like my brain and i are separate people, and i cant control my thoughts. my thoughts control me. i really REALLY wish people would understand that. my friend thinks im not trying because i still say depressing things a lot of the time, but i cant help it. i genuinely cannot control my brain. my brain is a bully, and is in charge of all the bad thoughts. i, on the other hand, am trying to block the bad thoughts, but im miserably failing because im not strong enough, my brain is too loud. TOO LOUD. im trying as hard as i can. im just so tired of trying to be louder than the bad thoughts. the bad thoughts are screaming and i have to scream louder than them. im so tired of having to block the bad thoughts. i am so tired. im in highschool which doesnt help cuz the schoolwork is hella overwhelming and that adds to my tiredness. at this point i have given up on school and all my hobbies and idk where i can get my motivation back. (im getting off track lol) anyhoo i just really REALLY wish people would understand one thing: my brain and i are separate people. my brain generates all the bad thoughts, and even though i am supposed to control the bad thoughts, i am incapable of doing that. so they end up controlling me. i dont like it, and theres honestly nothing i can do. I REALLY AM TRYING PLEASE BELIEVE ME PLEASE DONT CALL ME LAZY BECAUSE IM TRYING IM JUST SO TIRED :(((( please help me

StaticRose51 what to do
  • replies: 10

My gran has really bad dementia and sits UP ALL night ,,,,,,any tips to help?

My gran has really bad dementia and sits UP ALL night ,,,,,,any tips to help?

Boodu Confusion
  • replies: 4

Hey, First time posting. Ok, so this is somewhat difficult to explain, I’ve never been to a doctor for mental help but it is on the horizon. I’ve recently opened up to my wife and parents about my mental problems that I’ve been having. I’m currently ... View more

Hey, First time posting. Ok, so this is somewhat difficult to explain, I’ve never been to a doctor for mental help but it is on the horizon. I’ve recently opened up to my wife and parents about my mental problems that I’ve been having. I’m currently having problems with my mind constantly creating scenarios and thinking of the worst possible situation that scenario could be and getting me worked up to the point that I get really angry with what has happened even though the situation isn’t real and possibly won’t become real. Constant negative thoughts. It’s really starting to affect me. It gets me depressed quite regularly and I really need to learn to think of positive situations. Does anyone have any tips on how to switch on a positive mindset? Meditation? Yoga? I do realise that this post quite possibly makes no sense but ask me any questions and I’ll answer as best I can to assist FYI - I’m not into seeing a doctor for medication. Nothing against people who take it, it’s just not something I’m willing to do. Cheers

Checkthebatteries Learning to be happy in a bad situation
  • replies: 1

I'm feeling really trapped and depressed at work. I have two degrees in fields that are related and am scheduled to finish my part-time postgrad studies next year in a more abstract but somewhat elated field. However, I can never get a job in the are... View more

I'm feeling really trapped and depressed at work. I have two degrees in fields that are related and am scheduled to finish my part-time postgrad studies next year in a more abstract but somewhat elated field. However, I can never get a job in the areas I want, no matter how many qualifications I get. So I take something else, hate it and change jobs. I have a CV containing six of these entry level jobs unrelated to each other or my qualifications. Plus degree assortment that is beoming more unrelated. I never like my jobs because they are in areas I don't find interesting. Now I’m in a part-time job I've had for 4 years and I hate it. I saw a career advisor last year for a small fortune. She reviewed my CV, told me what jobs I should apply for to build my career, how to explain my different jobs ect. So I started looking for work a year ago and I have not got one interview. I spend so much time on so many applications. I saw a second advisor for free at university. They had different ideas on CV writing. Asdid did the next career advisor. And so does every career forum. I applied for jobs that I am overqualified for related to my career interests but still got rejected. I ensured my CV ect. and LinkedIn are updated. Networking was useless plus I have social anxiety. I volunteer lots but that's a dead end. I am really depressed. I cry all the time. I told my therapist but it didn't help. I can't afford my income, I suck at my job, and it's stressful and unfulfilling. I don’t like the people, the work and it's boring, Career development is nil (I am so sick of entry level work that I won't move up in). I avoid my friends because I am sad and my job and the failure to find a new one after so long is embarrassing. What’s worse is any nice people are leaving for other jobs so I feel like a failure and lonely without even one interview. My friends have get better work recently with careers. 5-10 years ago I got interviews for at least 30% of jobs. Now I can’t get one for career starter jobs. I have no experience in the fields I like - just degrees from 5 years ago- and a disjointed career/study history of 14 years that can't be explained away. I'm just unemployable stuck in this depressing job forever. I get no sleep and work makes me ill. But I need the money. My studies suffer too as it feels like a waste to study when I won't be able to get a job. Any advice on how to learnt to be happy in a job you hate but will be doing for the rest of your life?

M_lozone Loneliness
  • replies: 3

Hello, As of 2.5 years ago, I’ve started to feel really down and lonely. I used to work in hospitality and as you can imagine, I’ll be working long hours and mostly on weekends and public holidays too. I never really had the chance to catch up with m... View more

Hello, As of 2.5 years ago, I’ve started to feel really down and lonely. I used to work in hospitality and as you can imagine, I’ll be working long hours and mostly on weekends and public holidays too. I never really had the chance to catch up with my friends outside of work as they all work Monday to Friday 9-5 jobs and they would only ever be available on days that I’m working, however it didn’t bother me as much because I enjoyed working with the colleagues. I ended up leaving my hospitality career and pursued a whole different career in a corporate environment. I found it extremely hard to adapt and make new friends but over time, I got used it. Things have quietened down a lot and the busy lifestyle I had was no longer busy. I was excited at the same time because now it meant that I could see and catch up with all my friends. Over time, I saw my friends less and less and I can appreciate that everyone is probably busy but I always feel lonely. I always find myself asking and reaching out to friends to catch up but at the same time I wish they could make an effort to organise something for once. I feel like if I don’t initiate catch ups, we probably won’t see each other for a good couple of months. On Instagram, I always see stories of them going out with their other friends or their “group” and then I start to question if I mean anything to them at all. I’ve reached out to them and brought it up on several occasions but they all believe I have high expectations of what good/close friends should be. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my alone time and some times I’d much rather stay at home and watch a movie but I cant help but envy people who have a tight group of friends or friends to hang out with in general. I’d start questioning why I can’t have a group of my own etc. I’m certain I’m not alone but how have you dealt with situations or feelings like these? How can you over come feeling so lonely?...

bludge Exhausted is an extreme understatement
  • replies: 1

Hi I am a major introvert and have been feeling depressed for the past 2 years, but I thought it was normal. But I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety towards the end of July 2019. I was prescribed with antidepressants and did get some support ... View more

Hi I am a major introvert and have been feeling depressed for the past 2 years, but I thought it was normal. But I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety towards the end of July 2019. I was prescribed with antidepressants and did get some support from my family, but that was just temporary. I had to put more effort into pretending that I was happy and okay, in order for my mum to stop stressing and worrying about me. My dad is another story, he blames me for overthinking, but is it my fault? For a while after being on meds, I thought, maybe I was getting better, I haven’t felt down in a while. I was never the type to let myself dwell over things, especially things that made me sad, so when something traumatic happened, I never let myself focus the sadness and my emotions. I never gave myself time to come to terms with my problems. I’ve always pushed everything to the back of my mind. I did everything I could to escape reality. I binge read books, I binged watched series, I stopped caring so much about school. A month and a half later, I feel like the medication isn’t working. Am I supposed to be feeling so down? Even before my diagnosis, I don’t remember feeling so emotionally drained. This led to me being too ‘tired’ to do anything, and I don’t think my family fully understands what I’m going through. I think it’s impacting on my relationship with my parents and my siblings. I’m just so done. Everything’s falling apart. I’ve been told by my GP to only take half a pill before bedtime, but there’s been quite a few days where I want to take one whole, just to be able to feel relaxed again. This is what had happened. The first night I got the antidepressants, I accidentally took one tablet instead of half like I was supposed to. I remember feeling drowsy almost immediately and being able to relax for what felt like the first time in forever. I want to feel that again. I’m tired of being so tensed all the time, so anxious about everything when I know I shouldn’t be.

Guest_598 Withdrawn and non-committal due to depression?
  • replies: 3

Hello All, I am hoping that you can help me with a bit of advice. My partner is currently going through delayed post-marriage breakdown grief. He is the one who ended it but after months and months of distraction, he is now facing the full front of p... View more

Hello All, I am hoping that you can help me with a bit of advice. My partner is currently going through delayed post-marriage breakdown grief. He is the one who ended it but after months and months of distraction, he is now facing the full front of pain and emotional confusion. We are keeping a distance because he has asked me for time and space. We have been absolutely wonderful together, so I am happy to do whatever is necessary and useful for his recovery. We do see each other regularly due to work arrangements and we do have a lot of nice times with a bit of a laugh and a few small touches or warm smiles here and there. I know he is not going well but we do not talk much other than work, so I cannot gauge the progress. I have noticed that he is currently fairly withdrawn on any emotional topic and that even when we spend some time alone, he is strangely pulled back or non-committal. Then again, we kiss occasionally when the opportunity permits and it is always as beautiful as always. But then again, in other moments, he is definitely not as warm and inclusive as he used to be before he started the grieving. I would be absolutely ok with it if I knew that it is the grief "talking", so I thought I would reach out to see whether these behaviours are somewhat linked to depression and grief. It makes sense to me that he would dial everything back to the bare minimum because he cannot cope with his emotions and the confusion and chaos. Is that what is likely happening right now? He told me he is not going well and that his head is going crazy. And I know he is looking forward to a long weekend alone soon. We had nothing negative between us and laugh together. He was very much drawn to me and I believe he was in love. Now everything is cooled down and friend-like sometimes. Then the next time, we flirt and he gets excited. It is up and down and strangely non-committal sometimes. I would just like to understand whether I need to be worried about him losing interest out of a sudden or whether it is because he is trying his best to cope with the difficult life situation. If the latter, I am happy to give him all the time and space in the world. Do you think after the grief, normal feelings return? Before the break he said it is only a see you later, not a goodbye. He felt very strongly and positively about us. At the moment, I am completely confused by this man's behaviour but I love him deeply and want to be there for him until he gets out the other end.

bear41 angry, sad and confused person
  • replies: 16

Hi, I am a single Mum who is not coping with a lot of things. I am angry all the time and I don't know why, but then I don't want to be around people at all, I get sad and I have a lot of regret from when I was 19 and made a decision that has wrecked... View more

Hi, I am a single Mum who is not coping with a lot of things. I am angry all the time and I don't know why, but then I don't want to be around people at all, I get sad and I have a lot of regret from when I was 19 and made a decision that has wrecked me. I am also confused about my feelings toward a friend. I am seeing a psychologist but I find it hard to talk about things in person and I am apparently afraid of my emotions and don't let them out. Thank you

insertaname What strategies or things do you employ during your bipolar episodes - both manic and depressive
  • replies: 14

Hi everyone, Today I'm struggling to find something to pre-occupy me. Legally I'm supposed to have a carer watch over me due to my strong medications. I have a lot of interests but today it feels like one of those days where you start something and t... View more

Hi everyone, Today I'm struggling to find something to pre-occupy me. Legally I'm supposed to have a carer watch over me due to my strong medications. I have a lot of interests but today it feels like one of those days where you start something and then move on and do something else. When I'm manic (based on memory) Impulse buy Eat Act like I'm high on drugs Talk to people of the opposite sex Sex on the brain Speak at a million miles per hour Demand a skipping rope the tv and music are too stimulating and so is watching the road as a front passeger, Based on depression: I was rather manic and deranged I was singing sad songs I was wanting to stay away from a girl called M... she was another person with bipolar going with ECT. She was always sorta in my face. Strategies: Manic: art, music (567 songs and still counting), comics, knitting, cleaning (I'm a messy person) but I really did tidy up the house in just a few days my SO was shocked... usually when I clean I make a mess, walk the dog if i can stay calm Depressed: I do as above but i dont feel like doing it. I don't have any motivation or energy. I wake up in a house that's empty. Well I'm also here on forums wanting to find someone or people who can relate to this. There are days where I question who I am, is it me or not me and question whether I said the wrong thing? This is my first time being alone on recovery. So I've been in psych wards twice. And my last two episodes were voluntary and hypo... my meds are high risk the psych said if i need a higher dosage i'd have to be hospitalised.