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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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iamtrying tired
  • replies: 4

hi all, so i too wanted to mention that i suffer depression heavily and it affects me everyday! i don’t feel good enough or worthy of love and almost all the time i feel like i have no real purpose for life or have no idea what i’m doing. im alone an... View more

hi all, so i too wanted to mention that i suffer depression heavily and it affects me everyday! i don’t feel good enough or worthy of love and almost all the time i feel like i have no real purpose for life or have no idea what i’m doing. im alone and have no real friends or support around me and often deal with everything on my own, especially my depression! i cant seem to get it better and it just drags me down everyday. but yeah thanks for listening and i hope everyone else who’s struggling knows they’re not alone and it’ll be okay

Heartness1 Needed to share
  • replies: 3

Hey all I needed a place where I could safely share some of.my writing I have just wrote a new song/poem and wanted to share HURT Everyone’s problems are not mine to bear Everyone’s pain and guilt are not mine to take on I can’t help others if I can’... View more

Hey all I needed a place where I could safely share some of.my writing I have just wrote a new song/poem and wanted to share HURT Everyone’s problems are not mine to bear Everyone’s pain and guilt are not mine to take on I can’t help others if I can’t help myself Asking for help can be hard Trust me I know first hand So much hurt so much pain So much guilt ITS TO MUCH TO TAKE I need to let go I need to be free This big heart of mine needs to beat free and for me Not knowing where to go or look Not knowing what doors to open or closed So I asked you Let me help me before I help you So much hurt so much pain So much guilt ITS TO MUCH TO TAKE I need to let go I need to be free This big heart of mine needs to beat free and for me One day the pain will become too much to bear And you want it all to be over and end Trust me I get that I’ve been there and done that It just passes to all the people who love and care So much hurt so much pain So much guilt ITS TO MUCH TO TAKE I need to let go I need to be free This big heart of mine needs to beat free and for me You might feel like it’s all over And there’s nothing left to live for Look inside you deep inside you And you will see you Trust me thats enough to live for So much hurt so much pain So much guilt ITS TO MUCH TO TAKE I need to let go I need to be free This big heart of mine needs to beat free and for me

coal BIPOLAR - The Good The Bad and The Ugly
  • replies: 2

The Good - crazy good feelings, like a sunny day in the middle of winter and The Beach Boys song - Do It Again, comes on the car radio and BOOM, I turn it up my whole body is beaming and Im wearing a great big scary smile and Im animated singing and ... View more

The Good - crazy good feelings, like a sunny day in the middle of winter and The Beach Boys song - Do It Again, comes on the car radio and BOOM, I turn it up my whole body is beaming and Im wearing a great big scary smile and Im animated singing and then I realise that no one else in the car is on my fantastic bipolar wave length. The Bad - medication cocktails and owning both a fat and a thin waredrobe and actually preferring the type and style of clothes available for bigger people. The Ugly - being arrested for mistaking my birthday suit for my boiler suit, as euphoric as I was I thought the public photographing me were fans who had come to greet me.

LizzieB Living with dysthymia
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, I am new to Beyond Blue. I am 42 and have been living with depression for many years. I had an acute episode of post-natal depression after my first child was born which was not diagnosed until I was having some pretty scary symptoms and... View more

Hi everyone, I am new to Beyond Blue. I am 42 and have been living with depression for many years. I had an acute episode of post-natal depression after my first child was born which was not diagnosed until I was having some pretty scary symptoms and as a result I sought help and was diagnosed with mental illness for the first time. The doctors then put me on medication which settled things down but it's been a roller-coaster ever since. Eventually about 8 years ago I was finally diagnosed with dysthymia and it appears that in reality I have suffered depression since my early teens. My mother says it all makes sense now! LOL. I come from a very good family but emotionally my parents were always a little 'vacant' growing up. I have been on and off anti-depressants since that first acute episode and have now come to grips with the fact I will be on meds forever. Felt like a failure for so long and have had a big battle with myself over that! Rationally, when I look at my life as if someone else is looking in, my life is pretty good; re-married to a great supportive man who I love deeply, four children between us, good job etc.. it just all still feels like a struggle. At times I feel like I'm going to break apart. I have this feeling that if I let even the smallest amount of emotion out, then it will overwhelm me and there'll be no putting it back in. I feel like I'm holding back a huge tide. I tell myself to get control and breathe because if I let it go, I'm afraid I won't be able to get back to myself. Does anyone have these same feelings?? SIMILAR POSTS Does anyone else have dysthymia? Dysthymia - I'm newly diagnosed Doctors and dysthymia Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) I came across dysthymia online yesterday and I think it fits Dysthymia and chronic illness

Brokenandbruised Broken and Bruised
  • replies: 5

I was here a few years ago.. back again & feeling very depressed. I have a physical illness now too this started about 9 months ago. I have a new bf too been with him about 2 years now. The thing is it’s been hard to get treatment for my illness & ve... View more

I was here a few years ago.. back again & feeling very depressed. I have a physical illness now too this started about 9 months ago. I have a new bf too been with him about 2 years now. The thing is it’s been hard to get treatment for my illness & very hard to go anywhere I am housebound. I need to get to my gp but too sick. He my bf, just told me I obviously don’t want to get better. .. he doedn’t understand. No one does.. I can’t cope., I don’t know what to do.. I feel like each day is a struggle to just exist.. why is this happening to me?

JRRL Running out of option in life and work
  • replies: 1

I am currently struggling in life, admittedly I have been very careless with my finances. I have never been unemployed ever since 2005 then I have been retrenched recently and found a job almost immediately, however the job proves to be beyond my cap... View more

I am currently struggling in life, admittedly I have been very careless with my finances. I have never been unemployed ever since 2005 then I have been retrenched recently and found a job almost immediately, however the job proves to be beyond my capability. I am in everyday struggle and in constant state of anxiety. I want to quit and find a more suitable job however all the work I applied didn't contact me back. The thought of being in another job interview gives me severe anxiety attacks. and I can't afford to be jobless :(. I'm running out of hope and options.

Now Struggling with depressive symptons
  • replies: 8

How do you cope with symptoms that just hang around? They used to come and go and I'd feel not too bad. I have been working through a lot of issues with my psychologist, so maybe that is why they seem so persistent. Maybe I'm actually dealing with th... View more

How do you cope with symptoms that just hang around? They used to come and go and I'd feel not too bad. I have been working through a lot of issues with my psychologist, so maybe that is why they seem so persistent. Maybe I'm actually dealing with them ? I try to do mindfulness and breathing techniques but even this is hard at the moment. I seem quite agitated and I am so tired I just want to lie down. At a medication review by 2 different psychiatrists I have been told my depression and anxiety are due to my environment, my husband and mother in law, so I have been trying to be assertive and speak up in order to get my needs met, but this isnt really working. I'm told it is my issue, get over it or I hang onto things, things have been like this for years, but I feel I have got to the point where I have nothing left to give. I think about if I left and it feels like a weight is lifting. I just don't know how much more work I can do on trying to be assertive with my husband, mid June it worried me so much that my psychologist and I discussed not looking at the issue for 3 mths, but this hasn't settled me very well, it is constantly on my mind. Deep down I feel nothing is going to change, my marriage is my husband and I and his mother. Maybe I need to address this sooner and talk to my psychologist . I think the thought that I am keeping myself the way I am by staying in my marriage has got to me as well & it is making me feel down. It is hard as I have no family support and a son I need to consider. What if I leave and I make a mistake? To me my marriage was everything good and bad, I've done a lot of giving for 15 yrs and had to support myself with my depression and anxiety, pretend everything was good when I have been unwell. I am confused, overwhelmed and just want things to settle so I can think straight.

a8vision downward spiral
  • replies: 4

For the last few years i have been battling with depression and anxiety problem which have had in impact on me, For a long time i let it run me but after seeking help i managed to get it under control at the start of this year I enjoy cycling which w... View more

For the last few years i have been battling with depression and anxiety problem which have had in impact on me, For a long time i let it run me but after seeking help i managed to get it under control at the start of this year I enjoy cycling which was a good outlet , punishing my body making me feel something else The biggest thing was my job history , have scattered employment of only casual work , a few months here and a few months there . I felt useless a burden to society( useless good for nothing dole bludger , get a job ya lazy bastard) I got some employment in a company which i thought was going to be a long term thing going by their promises , in this time i had my two dogs pass away , one i had to put down due to a tumor the other had a bad heart , they were 14 and 16 so had a good life , but they were my rock i came home to them they were always there to greet me a few weeks ago i lost my job due to a downturn in work , me and 15others got put off , i thought great here we go again , i should be used to it by now , but now came the hurdles of trying to get back onto newstart , which i am still waiting for payments. I was gutted a massive kick in the guts My dad has been suffering with a lot of health problems for a number of years , over the last 18months he was in hospital more frequently, this year he went into hospital in June and never came out , he died a week ago , the last 3 weeks of his life he was in a nursing home a friend of mine who said they were my best friend , wasn't really too concerned , all she cared about was whether i could feed her cats while she went away for the weekend I am trying to stay strong for my mum , I don't want her seeing my breaking , my brother and sister live 2 hours away The other night i went out for a ride on the bike , as in bicycle , I was ready to break down the only thing that kept me grounded was that i came across a pack of kangaroos

Steve_p1 Having to put up with the whole thing with feeling burdened and just struggling with feeling depressed, stressed and this cyber bullying getting to me
  • replies: 1

Just being fairly annoying the cyber bully yep yeah and just completely bothering me to the very core of like just what I am as a person. Like I just cant handle it for any longer just without posting like just anything on here to be completely fair ... View more

Just being fairly annoying the cyber bully yep yeah and just completely bothering me to the very core of like just what I am as a person. Like I just cant handle it for any longer just without posting like just anything on here to be completely fair yep yeah. And also just feeling burdened by the physical health side of things and the depression, stress with like just the effect that has had on my life just for the moment to be completely fair yep yeah

theinbetweener having (and hiding) depression and anxiety in the military
  • replies: 3

To start, I havent been professionally diagnosed with anything, but I strongly suspect that I have major depression + anxiety disorder. The main problem I have is that I feel unable to seek help for these problems, and I feel like I have to explain w... View more

To start, I havent been professionally diagnosed with anything, but I strongly suspect that I have major depression + anxiety disorder. The main problem I have is that I feel unable to seek help for these problems, and I feel like I have to explain what it is like experiencing mental illness in the military. Mental illness is incredibly stigmatised in the military. I’ve been in the navy for about 4 years, and while we are given briefs from senior officers about mental health services that are available and what to do if your experience a mental health crisis, in my experience the military “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk”. The majority of psychologists they hire are organisational psychs, not clinical psychs, which is something they don’t advertise. I have been to military psychologists, sometimes by my own volition, and other times I’ve been ordered to by superiors. Both experiences resulted in me feeling incredibly judged and paranoid and like I’d been tricked. The worst part is that I every time I have sought help I have felt like my job was at stake. And so now I don’t see how I can seek help without sacrificing my income and the way I live. if you do nominate yourself in the military as someone with mental health issues, you also automatically get posted to a unit with literally zero job satisfaction. You are “non deployable”, even if you experience something as simple as just having to take a pill once per day, which is what I suspect I have, a hereditary illness. I have wanted to join the navy since I was 14. I have served overseas, I have spent 2 years posted to a warship, I have sacrificed months of my life away from home, sacrificed familial and friend relationships, sacrificed a romantic life, in order to serve and protect. And yet I am utterly alone. I have no one. no one who understands or cares, that I find it hard enough to function each day without wanting to die. I want help, but it’s so stigmatised, particularly in the junior sailor community, that I feel utterly stuck, lost and helpless.