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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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JayneS I can't believe the level of my lonliness
  • replies: 3

It has lead a very private person to spilling her guts online as she has no one left in her life. This is so embarrassing it must be my therapy! I have long term treatment resistant depression and was previously a superwoman caring for 4 others now r... View more

It has lead a very private person to spilling her guts online as she has no one left in her life. This is so embarrassing it must be my therapy! I have long term treatment resistant depression and was previously a superwoman caring for 4 others now reduced to someone who can only get out of bed to pay the bills. At 57 I know I will now remain single as I'm a recluse due to lack of confidence. I don't know what else to say really I wish I could turn my mind off and not feel the painful memories of the past as that's your only company. I wish everyone all the very best, I feel every waking minute of your pain, with love xx

Doofus2505 Depression and Anxiety
  • replies: 5

Hi Everyone, I have been suffering with this since 2012. My boss subjected me to 6 years of systematic bullying ( Abusing me in front of the other employees and general harassment and a lot lot more). This lasted until 2018. In 2016 i was harassed by... View more

Hi Everyone, I have been suffering with this since 2012. My boss subjected me to 6 years of systematic bullying ( Abusing me in front of the other employees and general harassment and a lot lot more). This lasted until 2018. In 2016 i was harassed by the police in a case of mistaken identity which lasted for 3 years. I left my job in 2018 and am in a happier work environment and the Police thing ended this year. I just cannot get my life back on track, I am on Anti-Depressants and they dont seem to work. I get panic attacks and i cant even spend time with my friends as i feel like i am worthless. 2012-2018 destroyed my life and i even had many thoughts on ending my life and more so on how to do it. My wife and kids are the only thing that keep me going. fed up with feeling like this. just dont know what to do

felix mendelssohn why hello hello hello pls help
  • replies: 19

Hi everyone, I'm only just working up the courage to say what I'm dealing with. Having read lots of posts over the last few days from people in much worse situations I can't help but feel like a whinging brat, but at the same time I am very tired of ... View more

Hi everyone, I'm only just working up the courage to say what I'm dealing with. Having read lots of posts over the last few days from people in much worse situations I can't help but feel like a whinging brat, but at the same time I am very tired of keeping everything to myself and things don't seem to be getting better. I'm a 20yo old uni student, living away from home, completing an arts degree in music performance. I come from a stable and supportive family, no traumatic events, decent friendships from an early age that I still maintain. Hell, I don't even have to work during my degree thanks to scholarships and money from my parents. Objectively quite an enviable life. So what's the issue? Pretty much everything + depression. Oh, I also have T1DM which sucks. I'm very homesick and miss my family - but if I stay at home nothing improves, I stagnate. I have lots of acquaintances, very few friends, and at the moment I'd say no close friends. I feel that the more people know me, the less they come to like me. So I'll just keep it brief and say I struggle with forming intimate connections with people, and I blame no one but myself for that. I generally have a pessimistic world view. Not so much that we're all doomed, but rather that we are powerless to dismantle the structures that perpetuate injustices, and that in order to do so would cause even more harm in the short term. Moreover, I see so many smart and politically engaged people with absolutely no interest in understanding the other side of the debate. Everyone is polarised. I see no meaning in life on an existential level. I am not religious and my life philosophy is probably one of hedonism at the moment. Yet at the same time my depression and social ineptitude mean that I cannot even explore that. As for uni, whilst I find playing and listening to music enormously helpful, the highly competitive environment and heavy practical workload is not healthy for me. I feel mediocre at best in comparison to my peers, and despite lots of focused effort to better myself the progress feels negligible. Of late, I have come to drink a LOT of alcohol. Binge drinking several times a week, normally on my own. I don't fully understand why, but I feel it 'dumbs me down' to a point where I can actually relate with other people (and oh yes I know how pretentious that sounds and hate myself for it!). Alcohol, music, and my cat at home, are the only things that I feel bring me genuine pleasure. Out of characters F

Adriene So overwhelmed!!
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I feel so overwhelmed. Well that word would really describe how I have been feeling most of my life. I am 43, Mum of three boys. Married. I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for over 20 years. I feel so alone with it. I hav... View more

Hi everyone, I feel so overwhelmed. Well that word would really describe how I have been feeling most of my life. I am 43, Mum of three boys. Married. I have been suffering from anxiety and depression for over 20 years. I feel so alone with it. I have stopped seeing a psychologist years ago. With my husband working almost all the time, huge financial worries, home learning, marriage problems, kids fighting, I have all my family in Europe - so no family support here, having a hard time finding work, my husband basically blames my anxiety for our marriage problems and I ought to get it fixed - that is the support I am getting from him. I have been wanting to get help for a while. I just don't know where to turn to under the current circumstances & I cannot afford expensive treatment. I am so confused, I don't know where to start and I am so tired of feeling overwhelmed. You would think at 43 one would have their shit together. I have been on medication for years now. Well it is obviously not really working. Feeling so useless. My poor boys! If you have any suggestions of where to start - I would be very appreciative. Thanks!

last_legs rayola
  • replies: 2

About to undergo my second series of electro convulsive therapy after 10 rounds at the start of the year. Also looking to changing my anti psychotic and depression medication to ones with less side effects, tried to work out but was followed by 2 pys... View more

About to undergo my second series of electro convulsive therapy after 10 rounds at the start of the year. Also looking to changing my anti psychotic and depression medication to ones with less side effects, tried to work out but was followed by 2 pysch nurses a social worker and a security guard. The psychiatrist has sectioned me for 3 weeks while I undergo treatment. The biggest hassle was telling my boss not to send me any more shifts till I'm out. I was off my medication and feeling awful and on the verge of something bad ,so I'm glad I'm in a position to improve and change for the better ,the shopping centre attack in wa is a prime example of having to continue with medication and keep mental health issues. I am in the hcu ,high care unit, wish me luck.

Wild_ Loneliness and Depression
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I can feel a depressive episode has been bubbling along in the background of my mind for a while, but things have been more or less, okay so it hasn’t fully shown itself yet. An incident at work yesterday has triggered something and I can’t s... View more

Hi all, I can feel a depressive episode has been bubbling along in the background of my mind for a while, but things have been more or less, okay so it hasn’t fully shown itself yet. An incident at work yesterday has triggered something and I can’t seem to shake it. But to the topic of the forum - I’m finding it really really difficult to get myself into a good space when there has been increased research and knowledge on the effects of loneliness on mental health. Relationships are the most crucial thing to a healthy life, so we are told. I’m someone who is quite socially awkward, don’t trust people due to a past trauma and don’t make friends easily (for a number of reasons). Knowing these two things, I feel like I’m doomed - how am I supposed to be healthy and well when I can’t do what is most important for my health? Does anyone else feel like that? How can we tackle this? I’m scared that if I can’t figure it out, another depressive episode will come and hang around, The last one lasted years. Thanks all.

mateypotatey Feeling of hopelessness
  • replies: 8

Hi all, I've done online tests (and once years ago with a GP) to see if I'm depressed and generally I get results that say it's mild to moderate. I guess I have been able to hold down a job, relationship and friendship circle so things are manageable... View more

Hi all, I've done online tests (and once years ago with a GP) to see if I'm depressed and generally I get results that say it's mild to moderate. I guess I have been able to hold down a job, relationship and friendship circle so things are manageable and I thought I was just being a hypochondriac or mopey. But over the past year, I've struggled with losing feelings. Good feelings subside and I can only seem to have negative feelings penetrate. Or worse still nothing gets through. I had to postpone my wedding due to COVID and I just couldn't feel the sadness or stress about it all, I was just empty. Same with other areas of my life that should make me happy or excited or angry, I just feel empty. Right now, my relationship seems to be over and I'm just so tired of either feeling hopeless about the future and life in general. Things that made me feel happy before like travel, video games, movies and exercise just seem like so much work now. And I'm tired of the only feelings I have that seem to stick being negative ones like anxiety or stress. I know a GP or online tests are still going to say I'm not severely depressed or anxious but I feel like things are getting slowly worse over time, not better. I have friends that get so excited over life milestones like buying a house or even just for a movie coming out and I just feel myself slipping slowly away from sharing those feelings. I don't know what I'm asking for here and I'll read through the forums tonight, but I guess I just wanted a place to share as I've told nobody how I feel. For ten years I was in a relationship looking after someone with depression and it was exhausting and ultimately failed (prior to current partner) but I didn't think I would start to find myself in the same boat. I hated that she seemed to find comfort in depression or made excuses of why she in particular couldn't exercise or make friends but now I find myself feeling an awful sense of comfort in this place I'm in, even though I hate it. Thanks for listening.

Curl Bipolar depression
  • replies: 3

Hello, this is my first post to this site. I was sitting here again in the "AM" hours, feeling lost. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2, 18 years ago; since then I have lived a life full of highs and lows, but for the past 2 years I have lived with the s... View more

Hello, this is my first post to this site. I was sitting here again in the "AM" hours, feeling lost. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2, 18 years ago; since then I have lived a life full of highs and lows, but for the past 2 years I have lived with the symptoms of severe depression. I am on antidepressants, but I can't see any hope. I sleep most days and am awake half the night. Sleeping is my only escape from my feeling of emptiness. I don't feel like my life is of any benefit to anyone. I don't enjoy a sunny day, or a walk in fresh air...nothing brings me joy. In the past I might feel like this for a few weeks, but we are talking years now. I have a psychiatrist and psychologist, but I can't feel any improvement. I have thought of suicide, but I promised my 17 year old son, I would never leave him. My head tells me to read or go for a walk etc, but I can't move. I am stuck in a way I have never been stuck before. I don't want to see people. I hide away, hoping that one day I will wake up and the clouds would have moved. I have been on a dozen different antidepressants over the years. Has anyone ever had any success with ECT? The longer I am like this, the more unlikely I feel that my life will improve. I know many will tell me to exercise, go to sleep early...I just can't move. I go days without showering and just eat junk when I am awake. Not sure if my rambling makes any sense. I am just lost. Love yourself, I hear people say. I don't even know where to begin. Thanks for listening.

pinktulip Depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • replies: 2

Hi there, Just wondering if there's anyone who had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a young person and then got depressed due to something else ie grief of a friend... Or had a form of Chronic Fatigue that wasn't like visible like felt tired outside schoo... View more

Hi there, Just wondering if there's anyone who had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a young person and then got depressed due to something else ie grief of a friend... Or had a form of Chronic Fatigue that wasn't like visible like felt tired outside school hours, affected homework... Or had to repeat a year level due to being unwell or do a three year senior...

Mazp Anxiety forever alone. Single girl depression
  • replies: 5

Feeling down and undesired,unattractive,unworthy ,useless and a failure. Age 32 never married no kids

Feeling down and undesired,unattractive,unworthy ,useless and a failure. Age 32 never married no kids

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