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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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Christa1 Desperate to get off the hamster wheel
  • replies: 16

Hi, I am new here. I have lived with depression for decades and have been on medication for the past 15 years. I work in the health industry and have worked in the mental health sector in the past. I am reaching out because I feel I have run out of o... View more

Hi, I am new here. I have lived with depression for decades and have been on medication for the past 15 years. I work in the health industry and have worked in the mental health sector in the past. I am reaching out because I feel I have run out of options. Every single aspect of my life is problematic. My financial situation is stressful, my current work is monotonous, my teen child needs me to be strong as he has both physical & mental health issues, I have no interest in socialising, my partner doesn't understand and isn't really supportive; he also doesn't lift a finger around the house, I am constantly tired. I feel that I need everything to stop so I can just rest. I have had ad hoc time off work this year (and I only work part time) and if I keep it up I won't have a job to go back to. I feel chained to my desk and computer and I clock watch all day until I can get out of that office. To add insult to injury, the commute is over an hour each way. Work will be relocating very soon so that commute will increase to 2 hours each way. Boss is a true workaholic and does not take kindly to people having time off. I have had debt since splitting from my husband almost a decade ago and I need to work to pay it off. I have actually decided to sell my home in order to clear all my debt because I can no longer manage the stress of it. I have applied for a few jobs but have found that I am overlooked these days due to my age, despite the fact I am more than qualified. Truth is, I need time out from work. I have worked in the health sector for more than 30 years and I am completely & utterly worn out. I can't manage any of this anymore but can't afford time out. I don't know what to do. I have seen numerous psychologists in the past but nothing is actually helping me to cope day to day. I have lived with so much stress for so many years but I now feel like I am really buckling under the weight of it all.

keyofreason bipolar type 2 - value of validity
  • replies: 4

so long story short after years of displaying bipolar-like symptoms I saw a doctor who brought up bipolar and who referred me to a psychiatrist who assessed me. at the time I had thought the psych focusing on my gender but later was accidentally give... View more

so long story short after years of displaying bipolar-like symptoms I saw a doctor who brought up bipolar and who referred me to a psychiatrist who assessed me. at the time I had thought the psych focusing on my gender but later was accidentally given a copy of his assessment and found that he had indeed been assessing me for bipolar and had found it very likely that I was ‘in the prodormal stages of a bipolar-like illness’. the symptoms have only increased over the year since then, with hypomanic episodes fairly uncommon at three-six proper ones a year seeming to be my standard, but that’s kind of irrelevant I think. I’m on medication for bipolar but due to an unhelpful accusatory doctor I don’t believe I’m at a therapeutic level yet. without going into too much detail, I was stuck with a very unsupportive shrink for some time who insisted I was an unreliable attention seeker, and now I find myself in the adult world wondering if I’m even supposed to try and have professional validity in the form of actual diagnosis anymore. I feel a crushing need to be able to ‘prove’ what’s wrong with me, and to have the validity to fall back on rather than my current spiral of “nothing is wrong and you’re just being an idiot”. It seems to me that there is overwhelming evidence including a psychiatric assessment pointing to a valid diagnosis being possible but now I’m so turned around by the bad shrink that I just don’t know what to do. I can’t even feel comfortable referring to my hypomanic episodes as such even though that’s exactly what they are, simply because I feel like I need professional validation. What are your takes on this? Is it even worth trying to get this confirmed? Most of the time I don’t even care cause I just feel like trash and expect nothing to matter, but other times I just burn with the need to be able to say “This is what’s causing these behaviours, and I can prove it,”.

Saladdressing Life just feels meaningless.. existential depression?
  • replies: 4

And it’s not like I haven’t tried to or don’t try to create meaning in my life. I’m about to finish my master’s degree, I have a job in my field even before graduating, I have friends and family that care about me but I just see no point to any of it... View more

And it’s not like I haven’t tried to or don’t try to create meaning in my life. I’m about to finish my master’s degree, I have a job in my field even before graduating, I have friends and family that care about me but I just see no point to any of it anymore? I’ve had cyclical bouts of depression all my life but this time around it seems to be the the worst. I got better and discontinued therapy but am finding myself going back to see a counsellor this week it feels neverending. I guess I’m just getting my feelings of my chest cos frankly I don’t think any of my friends understand or can relate. I genuinely think the world is going to shit. There are things that bring me immense joy and I try to submerge myself in them as much as I like for example, astronomy, live music and reading. But on a social level I just feel empty like I cannot connect with anyone and even if I do there are things I may judge them for because they feel like a product of what this world has become. Hookup culture for example, I’m nowhere ready for a serious relationship because I want to heal from past wounds and better manage my depression. But it just makes me sad how people have become disposable. You see how rampant the use of online dating sites is in my age group and it just makes me sad there’s nothing real or of substance anymore. It literally feels like shopping for people, like people are just objects to swipe right or left on, their value and worth based on their appearance. And you give up so easily on somebody because there’ll be 10 others you can find with the tap of your thumb. I guess I’m just rambling. I feel like I have no one to talk to who’ll understand and I don’t want to burden anyone but I need to focus on my assignments for uni so just thought I’d clear my head until it’s time to discuss this more with my counsellor in person. Thank you to anyone who’s read this so far.

Florin1 Where do you go when you’ve tried everything?
  • replies: 3

Here in middle age I realise that I’ve been depressed, on and off but always lingering somewhere in the background, for more than 30 years. I have been able to access psychologists, psychiatrists, councillors, CBT courses etc not just here in Austral... View more

Here in middle age I realise that I’ve been depressed, on and off but always lingering somewhere in the background, for more than 30 years. I have been able to access psychologists, psychiatrists, councillors, CBT courses etc not just here in Australia but also in big teaching hospitals in the US and Canada while I was working there, and also in Western Europe at various times. Whatever help has been available I’ve tried. I’ve been on various antidepressants for many of those years. Here I still am, unable to see how to make life bearable despite having an amazing job that allows me a huge amount of creative freedom, a very loving and supportive partner who would do anything to help me feel better, no money worries, a beautiful house etc I have grown to hate the adverts and campaigns to ask for help, because for me it just hasn’t helped, so when I see those I feel like I’m beyond hope. My GP is great but having sent me to 3 or 4 different specialists (psychs etc) I feel that I’m exhausting possibilities. I go to each one so hopeful, so ready to try damn well anything to feel better. I never do. I do know that depression runs in my family. And it’s a curse. And I feel that mine is getting worse as I get older. I just feel broken.

FigTree Hopeless and exhausted
  • replies: 3

How do you keep going when you feel completely directionless, alone, and exhausted by everything going on in life? No self-care strategy is working, and no professionals I've spoken to have actually been helpful. I often feel like my mental health is... View more

How do you keep going when you feel completely directionless, alone, and exhausted by everything going on in life? No self-care strategy is working, and no professionals I've spoken to have actually been helpful. I often feel like my mental health is so complex, that no professional is really equipped to properly support me - currently waiting for an appointment with a psychiatrist, but any tips welcome (that are unlikely to have already been tried) xo

Darkedawn Depression symtpons
  • replies: 2

Is it possible to have all the symptoms (or most) of depression and not have it?

Is it possible to have all the symptoms (or most) of depression and not have it?

mmads1 I don't know what to do anymore
  • replies: 1

I feel as if I'm turning into the person I've always feared. One who feels as if they cannot ever be the best version of themselves. All I feel like I'm doing is hurting the one I love because I become so insecure. My flaws create me to become so def... View more

I feel as if I'm turning into the person I've always feared. One who feels as if they cannot ever be the best version of themselves. All I feel like I'm doing is hurting the one I love because I become so insecure. My flaws create me to become so defensive, so defensive that I begin to take out my anger on others with vocally. I want to be better, there's no doubt about that. I want to not lose my temper. I just keep crying at night, hating myself for who I am and what I can become. I always try to be helpful to my friends and be kind, but there's always this hidden part of me that can come out and I want it to go away. I need help and advice on how to change. I don't want to be the person who lets there insecurities hurt others. I need to find out ways that I can better myself and not get sad, angry and jealous in a romantic relationship. I just want to find ways to also feel a greater amount of self love and to learn how to handle more situations calmly in the moment, rather than exploding. Thank you for reading.

Laz19 Help
  • replies: 8

I don’t know what to do anymore, I can’t make friends or relationships. Everyday it is becoming harder to go to work and the gym because I don’t know what I’m doing it for. Im finding it hard to enjoy things anymore and struggle to leave the house. I... View more

I don’t know what to do anymore, I can’t make friends or relationships. Everyday it is becoming harder to go to work and the gym because I don’t know what I’m doing it for. Im finding it hard to enjoy things anymore and struggle to leave the house. I wish someone would just show me what to do to feel good again.

Laz19 Help me please
  • replies: 7

I sit at home and play video games all day or go to the gym or walk the dogs. I do nothing else, not by choice. All my friends never have time for me, never invite me to things. Im terrible at social connections now, even with people I call my friend... View more

I sit at home and play video games all day or go to the gym or walk the dogs. I do nothing else, not by choice. All my friends never have time for me, never invite me to things. Im terrible at social connections now, even with people I call my friends I never feel like I can connect. Im depressed, everything I try and do be it friends, relationship or work blows up in my face. I don’t see why I bother anymore and maybe that’s why I don’t try anymore. im a disappointment to my parents, I’ve achieved nothing in the time since I left school and things have only gotten worse since then. Now nothing makes me happy, I have no one to talk too. I don’t know what to do anymore, it’s been so long and im just tired of it all.

Mayfreed Ashamed, middle aged, feeling at rock bottom
  • replies: 11

I am 46 and have long dealt with depression and anxiety, I have been separated for 2 and a half years now and have been managing well, I have a good job I enjoy although am quite a bit older than my colleagues, and although they are lovely this can f... View more

I am 46 and have long dealt with depression and anxiety, I have been separated for 2 and a half years now and have been managing well, I have a good job I enjoy although am quite a bit older than my colleagues, and although they are lovely this can feel very isolating at times. I thought I was doing better after my separation and have been on a couple of dating sites but remove myself shortly afterwards because it is a blow to my self esteem. Last night I went out with some drinks with a friend and ended up inviting a man in his 20s who I had been chatting to on a dating site to my apartment. I thought it was flattering for someone to tell me I am sexy. I ended up having sex with this much younger person who I don’t even know, which is out of character for me, my little apartment has been my sanctuary since my separation and I don’t let many people in here, which is why I feel so ridiculous and bereft. I know this person is not unsafe and have respectfully asked that he does not contact me again. I feel like a pathetic, middle age woman and I am so ashamed and embarrassed. I don’t want to leave my apartment today, I don’t want the world to see my face. I feel so alone, I thought I was doing well but this feels like an absolute low point that I am not sure how to move on from. I have managed to shower and absolutely had to put fresh sheets on my bed. I know I need to avoid alcohol, I think I’d be too ashamed to even tell this to my counsellor. Does this happen to other people?