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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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Sadman I’m so depressed
  • replies: 2

I’m a 40 year old man with a wife and daughter. I’ve been depressed since I was a teenager and have a lot of anxiety also.a couple months back I had to stop going to my workplace of over 10 years because the workload became overwhelming and on top of... View more

I’m a 40 year old man with a wife and daughter. I’ve been depressed since I was a teenager and have a lot of anxiety also.a couple months back I had to stop going to my workplace of over 10 years because the workload became overwhelming and on top of that i had to work closer with the company director who walked around like a tyrant constantly criticising, abusing and threatening jobs.i made a complaint to HR and logged a claim with work cover due to a psychological injury. (I have worked my whole adult life with depression and anxiety but still managed) my workplace dismissed all my complaints and work cover rejected my claim as nobody backed up my account of events. (This hurt as a number of us were going through the same thing and I saw one of my work mates come into work in tears) I work in a field that doesn’t have a lot of jobs out there. I have no confidence in my ability’s to learn anything new and make enough money to support my family. I’m so miserable and don’t want to be alive anymore. I don’t know what to do because everything feels hopeless and despite my wife being very supportive I feel like a burden to my family. I’ve been seeing a psychologist since I stopped working which helps in some ways but everything still feels so hopeless. I don’t enjoy any of my hobbies, I don’t want to see anyone, I’m not a fun father anymore. I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel and I don’t know what to do. I don’t think anyone can help me

dr4maqueen Feeling Alone and Helpless
  • replies: 1

Hey guys, I've never done something like this before. I don't really know what to say. But I have been struggling with depressed and suicidal thoughts for as long as I can remember. I am 19 and am getting really tired and exhausted by all of this. It... View more

Hey guys, I've never done something like this before. I don't really know what to say. But I have been struggling with depressed and suicidal thoughts for as long as I can remember. I am 19 and am getting really tired and exhausted by all of this. It just never gets better and the thoughts always come back. It gets so bad to the point I can't even get out of bed. It really affects my grades and my relationships as I don't have the energy to go out or even text back. I don't really know what to do anymore. I can't afford things like therapy and I don't know how to open up to people. I've never even told anyone any of my problems, mainly because I don't want to dump so much of my trauma on them, it feels so unfair to do that to someone. I mean how do you even tell your friends you have suicidal thoughts. But idk. I really want to get better, like so bad. All I want is to be happy and to just be normal and be able to get up everyday and to feel happy and want to be alive. I'm currently on uni break right now so I feel so alone too. All my friends are travelling and doing stuff whilst I'm stuck working full time alone. I'm just really struggling to see the point in going on right now but I just want to try one last thing. Because I rly do want to get better, I just don't know how. Sorry abt this crazy vent but idk, idk what I'm supposed to say on this thing. But I thought it would be good to maybe talk to people who think the same way, who would understand what I'm going through.

dubrovnik Dubrovnik
  • replies: 2

HelloI have written on these posts previously, it has been some time since I last wrote on Beyond Blue.Thank you to everyone who read my posts and for all of your support and kindness in the past.Unfortunately both of my parents passed away in 2024. ... View more

HelloI have written on these posts previously, it has been some time since I last wrote on Beyond Blue.Thank you to everyone who read my posts and for all of your support and kindness in the past.Unfortunately both of my parents passed away in 2024. Firstly my mother passed away in June 2024 then a few months later my father passed away in October 2024.They passed away overseas.it was a very hard time.Myself and my siblings were overseas I had to go overseas urgently when Mum was sick but unfortunately didn’t get to say goodbye to her, I was devastated.Previously I had written about the issues I had with my sister, for awhile things were good, we were united as a family during a very hard time.Unfortunately things have not been good lately, we have a very up and down relationship.My sister likes to take over in conversations and it’s very disheartening at times.i have had many arguments with her about that, she said that it’s not her fault that i don’t talk very much’ I said to her ‘it’s very hard to talk when you take over and not let others speak’i bumped into a mutual friend of ours and she even said to me ‘you are a nice person’ thought you were stuck up’. I said to her it’s very hard to talk when people talk over you so that’s why I kept quiet’i am a reserved person but I am very open once I get to know people but I do have severe trust issues and am very guarded due to being hurt and betrayed by former friends and relationships.i feel like I am going around in circles, I have walked out of family events because my sister put me down, yet I am seen as the one with the problem.i don’t know what to do.i am going to start therapy soon.thank you very much for reading this.

lost_echo i feel like i dont deserve to be depressed
  • replies: 3

my life right now is great, even amazing. i recently got into my dream uni at usyd, i got a new part time job that pays me well, i dont have to worry about exams and studying about the hsc and i have really loving parents but im depressed. more depre... View more

my life right now is great, even amazing. i recently got into my dream uni at usyd, i got a new part time job that pays me well, i dont have to worry about exams and studying about the hsc and i have really loving parents but im depressed. more depressed than usual. for the past couple months i have been so depressed i feel so unworthy of being so. i know that you dont need a reason to have depression but nonetheless, i still feel like i dont deserve it, particularly in a time where so many people are struggling to get by on basic human needs like a roof over their head, nutritious food and groceries etc. our economy is failing and so many people are harshly affected by it while i get to live comfortably. i know i can feel this way even with a good life but it somewhat makes me feel worse. the thoughts of dying is so loud, my dissociation is getting worse to the point i have big chunks of memories that i dont remember, i go for walks and dissociate and when i come back to my senses, i dont even know where i am. i feel so tired and drained, i feel like i have no energy to do anything, my sleep is irregular and i just dont have the will to live... but i know its wrong. i need to live. i need to do this but its so hard. im high functioning in the way that i can do everything that i need to do - do house chores, go to work, do volunteering, talk with my friends and family, workout and read everyday, take meds and go to therapy but why do i feel so empty? i dont know what more i can do to help myself from going further downhill. i know that if i keep going this way, im going to take my life but i cant do that. i need to live. i will live but it feels like im being kept on earth against my will and it tiring. its tiring without me mentally realising it until recognise the dull sensation in my body, the ongoing thoughts of death in my head and the lack of sleep im getting. i love the people around me but i dont know if living for other people and not yourself is right either...

Herenow Is it me?
  • replies: 8

I don't understand. From the outside I have everything you could want but why do I have nothing? For the third day now I've been trying to have some 'fun time' with my wife but that door gets slammed shut (figoratively). After this mornings attempt w... View more

I don't understand. From the outside I have everything you could want but why do I have nothing? For the third day now I've been trying to have some 'fun time' with my wife but that door gets slammed shut (figoratively). After this mornings attempt was rejected I slammed the door and went to work (at home). Then the younger kid started whinging and carrying on and picking fights with the older kid and then started bothering my wife. She completely lost her shit and has driven off somewhere to calm down.We just got back from holiday overseas. Everything was okayish... but somewhere along the line I had a tiff with my wife. The short of it is that I noticed that I was never being asked to join a photo (just her on her own doing a selfie or her and both kids. I complained that it looked like she was having a holiday on her own without me. I complained that she hugs the kids more than me, that she never tries to hold my hand, and that she hasn't said 'I love you' since I don't know when. I feel like I'm chasing her all the time and although I was getting some intimacy it seems rather one sided.Our youngest kid (10) has definitely got some sort of mental issue going on. Either ADHD or ODD, with some sort of anxiety and impulsiveness thrown in. He's always loud, always annoying, and frankly drives us to the edge every day. He's a brilliant kid - but also intolerable. My wife has been against getting him officially diagnosed although her stance on that has softened over the holiday. The dr just prescribed my wife melatonin just before the holidays and said she has some depression going on. The melatonin ran out on the 30th decebmer and she has not yet had a renewal (not sure if that contributed to this mornings tiff). On occasion in the past (maybe once a year or every two years) she's had a blow up and wanted to leave our 'family'. I'm thinking that may have been undiagnosed depression in light of the recent diagnosis but I don't know. The older kid is the polar opposite. When the younger one is finished with something in 5 minutes - it takes the older one an hour. Take dinner for example - its virtually impossible to eat because the younger one is finished before we start, and then the older one takes an hour after everyone has finished. Just sitting at the dinner table involves stress. And noise and shouting (95% from the younger kid). Up until a few years ago I had a high stress job in my own business and my wife (and other's) worked for me. I feel like in that time in the past I neglected my wife as I was stressed out. At some point in time we seem to have become employer and employee rather than husband and wife. Although that was years ago now, I feel like the effects of that are still ongoing. We still work together. I've been suggesting my wife should go and get a job (so that she gets out of the house and sees something different) but she seems to have lost all self worth and has anxiety about leaving the house and whether she can perform the job. I'm trying to fix this but I can't. I love my wife but not sure if its reciprocal. Does she even love me or is she just exhausted from the kid. Why is everything wrong? Why is life like this? Why am I sitting here crying? What did I do to deserve this?

RedDragon Better of dead
  • replies: 1

Why do I feel I am better off grad I am forgotten by family I feel amine in relationship I am bullied at work my daughter is about to have a baby and I will only let her down by not being there for her. I can’t see with out my glasses, I have antidep... View more

Why do I feel I am better off grad I am forgotten by family I feel amine in relationship I am bullied at work my daughter is about to have a baby and I will only let her down by not being there for her. I can’t see with out my glasses, I have antidepressant and the local here think it’s bad but it keeps me alive

Guest_63420675 Self worth and imposter syndrome
  • replies: 1

How do you cultivate a sense of worthiness when everything valuable about you is taken away? I have put a lot of self worth in my work, which I enjoy and find meaningful, but after a very long specialisation process (2 university degrees and 10 years... View more

How do you cultivate a sense of worthiness when everything valuable about you is taken away? I have put a lot of self worth in my work, which I enjoy and find meaningful, but after a very long specialisation process (2 university degrees and 10 years of postgraduate training) I have almost completed my training but now find myself soon to be unemployed. Employers who I worked with while training and who encouraged me to apply with them when I had completed training have employed others instead. I have applied at other employers in several states and been unsuccessful so far. I will be unemployed in 3 weeks time. I don't have any hobbies as I had to give up many things for the demands of my work and training. I have to leave my rental shortly as it was sold, and don't feel I can take on a new lease without some kind of work that will enable me to pay rent. I am not close to my family (my parents consider me an embarassing disappointment for various reasons). I've moved too many times for work to keep many friends, I never had a lot of close friends anyway. A lot of my identity and meaning in life came from my job, which I have dedicated and sacrificed for, and now it feels like that industry is rejecting me without a second thought. A lot of online sources suggest spending time with friends (which I don't really have) or hobbies (which I don't have and can't afford as I'm about to be unemployed and need to save money however I can given the current cost of living). And I need to get rid of all of my stuff that won't fit in the car very soon anyway. I've always struggled with imposter syndrome but usually managed to put it back in its box, but events really seem to show me up as an imposter - otherwise surely someone would employ me. Not sure what to do next.

Guest_11304567 Child exploitation material
  • replies: 1

My son was charged with drug use and child exploitation material in 2023. He has served his sentence and was released Monday 29/12/25. I have supported him financially in prison and visited him. Much to the dismay of family members especially my daug... View more

My son was charged with drug use and child exploitation material in 2023. He has served his sentence and was released Monday 29/12/25. I have supported him financially in prison and visited him. Much to the dismay of family members especially my daughter. I completely understand why they are not happy as neither am I with what he has done, but I thought maybe supporting him would help. He’s now out and has accommodation for 3 months through accord west. He needs to work on his addiction and address the other charge. Does anyone know or can suggest boundaries I can put in place?

PastaTime Feeling like I'll never be good enough
  • replies: 1

I've been trying to get my life in order and do things that make me happy, but it just feels like I put in so much effort to get very little results. I want to make my art into a business but because of how I function with adhd and other commitments,... View more

I've been trying to get my life in order and do things that make me happy, but it just feels like I put in so much effort to get very little results. I want to make my art into a business but because of how I function with adhd and other commitments, it feels like I'll have to give up that career because I don't make much money from it and I don't have a large enough audience.But when I think of having to take on other work to survive, it just makes me depressed because I'm not good at anything else and the only work that pays well would make me unhappy. I feel stuck and that I'll never get achieve my goals and that I've wasted my whole life up to this point, it makes me wish I didn't have to live in this world because I'd be unhappy no matter what choice I have to make.I wish I was able to change, but after 30+ years change feel impossible at this point

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