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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 chats on this Forum having 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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Bananie1234 i feel ISOLATED
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, I'm 23 and I'm new here. I first moved from NZ for Uni. Before then, i never had difficulties with social life or with myself. I was really enjoying Aus, i was making friends everywhere. But, I also experienced heartbreaks and fall outs wit... View more

Hey guys, I'm 23 and I'm new here. I first moved from NZ for Uni. Before then, i never had difficulties with social life or with myself. I was really enjoying Aus, i was making friends everywhere. But, I also experienced heartbreaks and fall outs with friends and that's when everything started going downhill . Although I've dated more guys since then, i felt like i was just a toy and till this day, i never felt like i was ever in a relationship, it definitely made me start to question myself. Over the past few years, my social circle shrunk but I was not bothered by it, as long as i still had my closest friends. It was when I started questioning the loyalty of my friends that made me depressed and lonely. For instance, I often feel like if i never spoke with my friends they'll never msg me. I've had my closest friends who just don't reply my messages. I admit i'm lousy at it as well, but not replying at all when i'm asking a question is plain rude to me. As a result, I feel overly sensitive which i hate. I became afraid to open up to people, worried that they'll think i'm being needy. i'm afraid to msg people because i'm afraid of rejection. I started cutting those who made me feel negative out of my life and realised i end up having very few friends. We are all full time workers now so it's hard for us to meet up especially when some of them have got partners. Being a full time worker, i think i'm losing more friends than i'm making so i feel ISOLATED. I'm seeking therapy but i have trouble opening up because i feel like what i'm going through isn't a big deal and there are people out there who are going through much worse so i should just get over my own troubles. I really want to regain my confidence and learn to love myself again but i'm struggling to do so and would really like to hear how some of you coped with this. sorry for such a long post

team_nobody Self esteem
  • replies: 2

I don't feel like there is anything special about me to give. I just don't know what to do anymore, nothing is working and I am driving people away with this even though there has been a recent surge of suicide rates in my area, and I take openly abo... View more

I don't feel like there is anything special about me to give. I just don't know what to do anymore, nothing is working and I am driving people away with this even though there has been a recent surge of suicide rates in my area, and I take openly about my problems. sometimes I feel like even though I am not dead; im just another living dead casualty. Nobody cares unless your offering them something and they can only fain for so long before they just want me to get lost or find a replacement. Woman are the worst, whatever I conjure that makes me feel better they take away, steal it copy it from boyfriends put me down they copy everything from my style to jokes, even though they put them down. Everyone is always trying to change me while telling me how special awesome I am, its all LIES. im so sick of the same kind of vultures in my life. I feel worthless, unsexy, replaceable. Nobody ever acknowledges me and some people completely forget me. I have a trail of bad exe's who will follow me to the grave trying to use me again, they're the only constant in my life. The point is happiness and self worth are novelties, they never last. The heights I reach often determine the lows I will inevitably experience there after but I can't just stay in the middle it makes me exhausted and scared to bother trying anymore. The moment I feel slightly better someone comes along and takes it off me, I never get to be in the moment long. I have tried to feel better so many ways. Even the other week. got my hair done and it just looks horrible, my boyfriend didn't even notice but I kind of needed him to. Lately I feel like he wants me to be something im not criticising the way I dress and telling me I should sex myself up. its not me, I don't feel sexy at all. I have looked at myself, listened to myself and the only reply I get in my head is confirming, im a nothing and my life is a waste. I have a relationship but it seems to be revolving around sex and again I am worried about being replaceable, im just a novelty to men and woman just abuse me for power. I just want to be at home, a child again not knowing any of this s. I just wish I didn't care like everyone else.

DownBlue Hoping that writing it down will help
  • replies: 2

Hi, first time poster. I run my own small business and have been told that I have a form of Bipolar called Cychlothymia (probably not spelt right). Ultimately it means I have highs and lows. The lows have become more frequent and last longer. I have ... View more

Hi, first time poster. I run my own small business and have been told that I have a form of Bipolar called Cychlothymia (probably not spelt right). Ultimately it means I have highs and lows. The lows have become more frequent and last longer. I have no energy and just want to sleep all the time, I can't remember things and have trouble conducting conversations. When I do sleep, I have very vivid anxiety driven dreams and wake up feeling like I have had no rest. A lot of mornings, the idea of getting out of bed and going to work makes me feel sick and makes my heart race. When I am at work I have trouble making decisions, all of which increases my anxiety and spirals me deeper as I feel like I am not achieving anything. I am on medication but it doesn't seem to do anything, but I have an appt with a psychiatrist next week to review the medication. I know that medication is not the only answer but I see a psychologist, which has been good but in my low lows I struggle to access the tools she has taught me. If anyone has any suggestions, I welcome them, I also thought that just writing it all down might help.

TommoNovak Depression and anxiety taking over my life
  • replies: 1

Hi all, I am a 20 year old male who has been struggling with social anxiety and very low confidence which began sometime between the age of 15 and 16. I believe that my condition is also linked to the fact that I have matured at a slower rate, which ... View more

Hi all, I am a 20 year old male who has been struggling with social anxiety and very low confidence which began sometime between the age of 15 and 16. I believe that my condition is also linked to the fact that I have matured at a slower rate, which has made me feel like I’m lagging behind what was expected at the particular time in educational and academic terms and socially, due to not displaying generic forms of behaviour matching the majority of people around me (not engaging in partying, drinking, smoking or visibly blending in to pop culture). The frustration of being caught in the clutches of this miserable condition is also not being able to pinpoint as to which extent is it due to my genetic makeup or social expectations that a person should behave in a certain way in order to be accepted. This condition has stopped me from progressing in to finding a direction as to which path I should follow career wise and has made me socially very isolated. The fact that the digital age has made it so readily available to observe the success and progress of others also doesn’t help. I find it very difficult to approach girls, as the fear of rejection and not knowing what to say or running out of things to say is stronger than need for human connection. I find myself always on the outside observing others having fun and having intimate relationships, which only amplifies and encourages my decline of confidence and sends me spiralling in to entrapment of this vicious circle. Another huge contributor to the position I find myself in at this time is the fact that I did not have a constant male role model in my life. I was unfortunately a kid who essentially grew up with an absent father and as years progressed, the connection with my dad became more fragmented due to highly complex set of events. It is very difficult to talk about details on here but I would really appreciate if anybody here could suggest a psychologist they have personally benefited from or have known other people who have found help and resolution to their problems. I know there are many options available however I would be grateful for a point of reference from someone who has had good success in finding their way out of darkness. Thanks.

Billie123 Lost & I don’t know what to do
  • replies: 2

Around 18 months ago my husband & I separated. He decided to leave the state with our children. And at this point in time I wasn’t in any position mentally or financially to fight it. It’s be tough being so far away from my kids so I made the tough d... View more

Around 18 months ago my husband & I separated. He decided to leave the state with our children. And at this point in time I wasn’t in any position mentally or financially to fight it. It’s be tough being so far away from my kids so I made the tough decision to move closer to them. I managed to secure a good job & friends offered for me to stay with them whilst I got set up. A month ago the move happened & I’ve been struggling ever since & I’ve sunk in to a massive depression which resulted in me isolating myself today & not being able to go to work. I’m struggling with my job & I feel like I’m not getting it - I spoke with my boss & he is happy with where I’m at so obviously it’s all in my head. I haven’t been able to find decent affordable accommodation & my friends are sick of me staying with them so asked me to leave. So now I’m staying in a caravan park whilst I try to find something permanent. In the last 4 months the contact with my children has lessened & over the weekend my eldest treated me so poorly & I am feeling so hurt. I don’t think they want me around in their life. And I’ve found out my ex has a girlfriend & I’m so scared my kids won’t want me around any more. That she will take my place as their mother or she will be a better mother than me. I can’t dven talk to my kids st the moment - I’m so hurt & isolated. I feel ao overwhelmed & lost. I don’t know what to do next. I can’t afford to keep staying in the caravan park. I can’t sleep. I’m not hungry. I cry all the time. I feel like I’m letting everyone down. I just want to go to sleep & never wake up.

Anna84 Severe depression every month 1 wk before period
  • replies: 6

I'm not sure where I should post this. It's a women's issue I guess. I am on antidepressants and have been for quite a long time. I have social anxiety which causes my depression and anxiety but I do feel that I have my dossage right at the moment. T... View more

I'm not sure where I should post this. It's a women's issue I guess. I am on antidepressants and have been for quite a long time. I have social anxiety which causes my depression and anxiety but I do feel that I have my dossage right at the moment. The problem is that I go through this same cycle every month. I track my period on an app and every month 1 week before my period is due I fall into a deep depression where I feel hopeless and sad and that I want to run away from my life. I have spoken to a gp about it but they haven't got any solutions for me. I have two small children and I hate myself that I can't pull myself out of it. I just want to sleep and I can't cope with everyday things that comee with being a mother and wife like fighting between the children and having to organise everyone. I cried so much today that my eyes are so sore. I just feel so tired and wish I could leave and sleep for a week. I feel like my family would be better off without me sometimes. Does anyone else feel like this each month? I feel like there must be something I can do. It can't be normal to constantly go through this cycle and even though I try not to let it show it definitely affects my family. My husband says my emotionals are like a roller coaster. I can be really happy but then each month I am having these extreme lows.

katcha96 Hey
  • replies: 2

Hey, I'm sort of new to this. I've been suffering from depression since I was in school, and tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, both of my parents suffer different degrees of depression, as well as one of my brothers. Over the past 2 years, I've trie... View more

Hey, I'm sort of new to this. I've been suffering from depression since I was in school, and tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, both of my parents suffer different degrees of depression, as well as one of my brothers. Over the past 2 years, I've tried to get it under control, but as I started to seek help, I entered into my first relationship, and we use to get into fights, all the time. Him telling me to stop going from happy to upset all the time, and that I wasn't suffering depression; that it was all just stupid nonsense. He told me to go off my medication (which I only just started taking three months before we started dating). At the end of last year, after we broke up, I entered the worst state I have ever been in. It had gotten to the point of wanting to do some "stupid" things, and my family started to worry. A family friend, who has been through a lot in her younger years, finally dragged me back to the doctors to get back onto medication. It started to work, five months of feeling better than I have even been. But lately I started to sink again, entering those bad thoughts. I am kind of stuck at them moment, not knowing what to do. Some people tell me to get help, but I just feel like my problems are just a pebble in the ocean; that others have it worst. I can't talk to someone face to face, and I promised someone I would talk to someone... So here I am... trying something different, and hopefully finding a direction. Thanks, I guess.

nearlythere Please advise: I don’t want to be a loner anymore.
  • replies: 4

Ok long story short... I have always been a loner at heart. I desperately want this to change. Since primary school I have always felt distant from others. Now in my mid-thirties I have a large group of friends; a handful of close friends; socialisin... View more

Ok long story short... I have always been a loner at heart. I desperately want this to change. Since primary school I have always felt distant from others. Now in my mid-thirties I have a large group of friends; a handful of close friends; socialising is not a problem. I am not shy, happy to talk to anyone. I have an active and busy social life however my loner tendencies still haunt me. I moved to Australia a few years ago from Europe, started over. Most of my family has passed away. I am single. Childless. Desperately lonely. Prone to depression. I feel like on some level I must be pushing people away. Is my loner-ism psychological? Is it spiritual? It seems that on some level I cannot sustain relationships. I have seen counsellors and therapists. I’m honestly at the end of my tether. I’d appreciate any/all suggestions. Many thanks for your time.

Diaz99 I just want someone to help me.
  • replies: 4

I feel so bad and guilty when I see so many new threads starting on this discussion board. i started this intending to explain my situation but I’m so apathetic I can’t even. I’m hoping that posting this much will get me started. I just want someone ... View more

I feel so bad and guilty when I see so many new threads starting on this discussion board. i started this intending to explain my situation but I’m so apathetic I can’t even. I’m hoping that posting this much will get me started. I just want someone to genuinely help me.

love_of_baking Hard to control my emotions
  • replies: 1

I always just thought l was an emotional person which l didnt really see as much of a problem, l liked caring and having a heart. But now l feel its getting too much, if anything is a slight letdown or disappointment it affects me badly and l get so ... View more

I always just thought l was an emotional person which l didnt really see as much of a problem, l liked caring and having a heart. But now l feel its getting too much, if anything is a slight letdown or disappointment it affects me badly and l get so emotional and sometimes angry but I'm not angry I'm hurt, it just seems to come out as anger which is frustrating at times because l dont want to hurt the people around me. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was seeing a psychologist for a few months bit l stopped going when l felt she knew too much and l started to feel judged. I was also on medication for about a year bit stopped that not long ago because l became pregnant. I don't know what I'm asking for and know no one can help me only l can do that. I guess I'm just looking for someone to listen and to get the strength to do something about the way I'm feeling again. I just want to be content with life. Thanks for reading