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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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SPOONO What do I do when loved ones don't give a toss?????
  • replies: 2

I'm baffled by the way people who know I have depression. I was having a good day, the first for months. I sent my daughter a message letting her know how happy I was. Her response, "Shut up, I'm busy!" I sent a message to my son during a friendly ch... View more

I'm baffled by the way people who know I have depression. I was having a good day, the first for months. I sent my daughter a message letting her know how happy I was. Her response, "Shut up, I'm busy!" I sent a message to my son during a friendly chat about smoking hookah's. I said to him, "I'm going to see my psychologist, hope he doesn't mind me taking mine". His response, "I dont want to know". Seems to me even loved ones could care less about depression and I wonder if anyone out there has strategies for getting around this sort of thing. Should I just cut myself away from them and break my heart, say something to them about depression which obviously they hate or simply carry on as if nothing has happened????

ChunkyTom Motivation: The Gypsy King
  • replies: 2

Hey team, Bit of a different post to some of the once I've been seeing lately on the forum, but I'm here to inject some positivism in. For those who are unfamiliar with the world of professional boxing a man by the name of Tyson Fury fought the dispu... View more

Hey team, Bit of a different post to some of the once I've been seeing lately on the forum, but I'm here to inject some positivism in. For those who are unfamiliar with the world of professional boxing a man by the name of Tyson Fury fought the disputed heavy weigh champion of the world Deontay Wilder. Both men came into the fight undefeated, had an amazing fight and in a controversial decision they had a split decision draw (Fury definitely should have won.) What was special about this fight is Tyson Fury hasn't fought for two an a half years because of severe mental health issues, substance abuse and alcoholism. Despite being the former heavy weight champion on the world he fell into a pit of despair and attempted suicide. For a man to come back from such a dark time in his life and fight a 40-0 world champion, to arguably defeat his is an incredible feat. The most amazing part about it all is Fury is so very open about his battles and recovery. He's making such a profound effort to change the stigma around mental health and help people. His story resonates with me on such a personal level as a former professional athlete that went through a similar situation when I was on the top of my sport and I wanted to share it with you all. I hope his story helps someone the same way it helped me.

Jen27 Remind me there's a rainbow after the storm
  • replies: 4

Hi, Having a real low today. Keep trying to convince myself this will pass, tomorrow will be better. Just finding it difficult to picture the rainbow when surrounded by the dark clouds. Jen

Hi, Having a real low today. Keep trying to convince myself this will pass, tomorrow will be better. Just finding it difficult to picture the rainbow when surrounded by the dark clouds. Jen

Learningcurve Decisions
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, I joined BB a few years ago, but haven’t been on here much at all! I struggle with anxiety/depression. Most of the time I am unmedicated, Ive always felt worse medicated so tend to avoid it unless I get really low. I have a husband and t... View more

Hi everyone, I joined BB a few years ago, but haven’t been on here much at all! I struggle with anxiety/depression. Most of the time I am unmedicated, Ive always felt worse medicated so tend to avoid it unless I get really low. I have a husband and two children 19 &17. Here are my current struggles. JOB: I currently work full time in a job I HATE. I started back at this job 2.5 years ago, I worked there previously, so knew I was going going to hate it, but my job at the time was finishing and we couldn’t afford for me to be unemployed so I took it. I decided a few mths ago to start looking for something else. I have applied for so many jobs that I’m qualified for, but just can’t seem to land one. As you can imagine this constant rejection is not good. It’s so hard to keep getting back up and then rejected. FAMILY: My husband doesn’t know how much I struggle with my depression/anxiety. Previous times I have involved him he does the let’s get this fixed which we go off to the doctor etc and then he never brings it up again. His mother suffered badly with mental health problems so I think his way of coping is to ignore it, until he has no choice but to get involved. So my way of dealing with his non involvement is to suffer on my own. But safe to say I feel so alone in our marriage/family life. FRIENDS: We have a close group of friends, but I constantly feel like the one left out (typing this feels like I should still be 16 & back in school)!! I feel like the only reason I am with them is because everyone likes my husband. He is such an extrovert and fun to be around. None of our friends know about my depression/anxiety, because I don’t feel close enough to talk about it with any of them. I have hit a major cross road, I feel like I would have a better chance of being happier & managing the anxiety/depression if i was on my own, that way I can avoid a lot of the situations that make my anxiety worse (ie:social events where I feel unwanted, family who I can’t talk to etc). I find the hardest part is feeling alone surrounded by so many people. But then I’m concerned that totally isolating myself cannot be good for anyone? At this point there is not one area of my life that feels good/right. I cry every Sunday night starting a new week and the worst day of the year for me is coming around “New Years” that feeling of how am I going to get through another year!! Anyway just needed to get this out of my head and onto paper. Thanks for for reading..

Ares Depression Diagnosis
  • replies: 3

I think I have depression. It hasn't been diagnosed yet though. And I was just wondering if there are any places where a fourteen-year-old can go get it diagnosed without their parent's knowledge. I will, of course, tell my mom that I have depression... View more

I think I have depression. It hasn't been diagnosed yet though. And I was just wondering if there are any places where a fourteen-year-old can go get it diagnosed without their parent's knowledge. I will, of course, tell my mom that I have depression if it is diagnosed but I don't want to cause my mom any stress and then not end up having depression. So if anyone knows what I can do, please reply. Thanks xx

Bec2014 All-consuming guilt
  • replies: 7

I am struggling with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. I feel sad for my husband for having a wife with mental struggles, and I feel sorry for my baby girl that she has me as her mum. Today I also got dates mixed up for a new friend’s birthday celebr... View more

I am struggling with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. I feel sad for my husband for having a wife with mental struggles, and I feel sorry for my baby girl that she has me as her mum. Today I also got dates mixed up for a new friend’s birthday celebrations so I missed the party and feel so awful. I am always in a state of feeling like a pain/nuisance/burden/inadequate. Are there any other people out there who feel this same way regularly? What steps to you take to feel differently? I’m currently seeing a psych every two weeks but when I experience bad periods in between, it’s hard to cope.

Jen27 Do you smoke cigarettes as a coping mechanisms?
  • replies: 5

Hi Everyone, I was interested to see if anyone else could relate to this. I've been a smoker since I was 16 and I have tried everything to quit over the years with no success. I have come to the conclusion that in part I am using this to self medicat... View more

Hi Everyone, I was interested to see if anyone else could relate to this. I've been a smoker since I was 16 and I have tried everything to quit over the years with no success. I have come to the conclusion that in part I am using this to self medicate for my depression/anxiety. My entire adult life I have had only one coping strategy for stress - smoke a cigarette. You could almost say that cigarettes are similar to a security blanket for me. I feel like if I was to face stress without them I would crumble to dust and be blown away. I was wondering if anyone felt this way or perhaps did in the past and was able to change. I look forward to hearing you feedback. Jen

SoftSnowflake Sorry for being negative..
  • replies: 6

hey.. sorry but uhm im not in a great state of mind right now. sorry if i posted this in the wrong thread or whatever.. i graduated high school. it's been like two months ever since then. i feel like im wasting my life away. i want to do something th... View more

hey.. sorry but uhm im not in a great state of mind right now. sorry if i posted this in the wrong thread or whatever.. i graduated high school. it's been like two months ever since then. i feel like im wasting my life away. i want to do something that genuinely makes me happy.. but nothing makes me happy really besides talking to my online best friend who is ages away. my online best friend is the only one who listens. im just tired.. of everything. im tired of the way i am. i hate myself for being an introvert. i hate myself for not being able to draw correctly. i hate myself for not getting into university. i hate myself because no one wants to hire a depressed, sad, pathetic 18 year old girl in a country town. im tired of not being good enough. im tired of never being the first priority. i bother everyone and i hate myself so much. im just tired. i feel numb all the time. why cant people get excited when they see me? why am i always the one who is excluded, left out, behind.. i just want to give up. i've given up on trying to get happier. ive tried therapy it doesnt work. medication doesnt work, my doctor wont let me go on a higher dose. im also 18, and female if that helps. i just.. dont see the purpose of me being alive. im just a waste of space. im tired of everything, yknow? my mum doesnt bother to understand me, even though ive explained thousands of times. she just doesn't get it. ive had depression ever since i was a child. i never ever thought i was going to live to the age i am now. so now i feel like im wasting my life away. i dont expect to grow up older. i dont see myself living. i never did. and this.. girls.. voice in my head wont go. this girl's voice is the voice of my ex best friend. she bullied me, made me insecure, and she knew i would cling to her because she was the only one i knew. i keep hearing voices in my head from my depression and anxiety.. yelling i need to stop being so goddamn lazy but i just cant be bothered. i just.. im giving up. someone please help me before i lose myself.

aus2082 Need help/advice
  • replies: 2

I don't know if anyone can help me or give me advice, I just needed to get this off my chest. This is where im at. Long story short, my depression is back, which would explain why I have been so distant, quiet, grumpy all of the time lately. It’s bee... View more

I don't know if anyone can help me or give me advice, I just needed to get this off my chest. This is where im at. Long story short, my depression is back, which would explain why I have been so distant, quiet, grumpy all of the time lately. It’s been building these last few months and it’s reached a tipping point. I have been crying at random points throughout the days and most nights. Im not happy in just about everything in my life, I eat more than I used to, I get hardly any sleep which isn’t helping as im up all night thinking about this. I know what’s causing it but im too afraid to speak about it as it means my family will be ruined for good. Ive been married for 7 years now, I love my wife, but not in the way she loves me. She is a wonderful person and a great mother but I just don’t feel anything for her anymore, not the way I should anyway. That 2 years we spent apart ruined it for us, me working in the city while she lived in the country with her family. The travel alone was a killer but the distance put a wedge there that’s just grown each week ever since. Sad isn’t it, took me two years to really miss her and my two kids to make them move back with me. My wife and I have nothing in common, the only thing I feel we have in common is we are married, have two kids and share a bed. I love her but I don’t love her. I love her like a friend and that’s not how a couple should be. Im at that point with this depression that I have zero patience for my two kids. I know it’s cruel to think and feel like this, but that’s where im at. I want my wife to take our kids and go back to her parents in the country. I want them to stay there and enjoy there life in the country once again. I never wanted to be a father, it hurts to say that but that’s just how ive always felt. I don’t regret it one bit as I love them so much. What father falls out of love with his kids. I never wanted to get married, I don’t want to be a husband anymore as I feel nothing for her anymore. How the hell do I tell her this as it will crush her the instant I start talking. Whenever im with them I just want them to go away and leave me alone. I need to be alone or else im going to go crazy or snap or both. Im always yelling at them for nothing as my guilt and shame for feeling this way is making me push them away even further. Some nights I don’t want to come home from work. I just wanna stay in the car and shout and scream at myself. How do I tell them. How do I tell my wife.

Raisin_Toast Extra! Extra! Read all about my problems!
  • replies: 8

Hello, I've read quite a few posts on this forum and finally decided to make my own. I'm not really sure how to start this so why not here? I've struggled with depression and social anxiety for over 3 years now. I've seen therapists for about a year ... View more

Hello, I've read quite a few posts on this forum and finally decided to make my own. I'm not really sure how to start this so why not here? I've struggled with depression and social anxiety for over 3 years now. I've seen therapists for about a year and a half which have helped make things more bearable but, I still feel terrible mentally every day and it's been getting worse over the past months. I'm onto my fourth antidepressant now with little hope for the current one. Over the past few weeks, I've added onto this with nearly constant gender dysphoria. I've tried to do new things like writing, photography, competitive games and hanging out with friends- nothing really interests me anymore though. I barely leave the house anymore and do very little with my time which I can't imagine helps. I'm enrolled for uni next year to do an interesting course but I can't seem to care at all. I don't see the point in going on like this or how to get past this, I've beaten self-harm and suicidal urges in the past which I barely think about now. The only reason that I haven't killed myself in the past is that I still have hope for the future and don't want to waste a chance or devastate my family. I have lovely people around me but I still feel incredibly alone. I'm not sure what I think will happen by posting here but it can't hurt to try.