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Depression

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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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Muscular_Tightness Anyone have any information on trapped emotions showing physical Signs in the body?
  • replies: 4

Hi, It's my first time in this forum, I've been scouring the internet for some research on that "heavy heart feeling" I have extreme tightness in my body that I can't seem to shift with exercise, yoga, meditation, stretching or regular massages. (bee... View more

Hi, It's my first time in this forum, I've been scouring the internet for some research on that "heavy heart feeling" I have extreme tightness in my body that I can't seem to shift with exercise, yoga, meditation, stretching or regular massages. (been trying these with a personal trainer since July last year) I'm starting to believe its emotional. Its true that when I've suffered emotional pain I try to block it out, I've felt the feeling of the wind being knocked out of me when going through emotional situations and I have grown into a place where my body feels like its constantly bracing for impact. I can't unwind the tightness, I feel like a wrung cloth and I can't unravel. I have recently been promoted into a more high-pressure role (no pay rise) and I listen to meditation tapes and breathing exercises and I can't seem to shift my energy to a calmer place. Sometimes just trying to take deep breaths sends me into a panic, because my chest is locked tight and when I can't take a full breath the effort sends me into a panic. (shoulders, neck, traps, hip flexes, ribs all tightly locked on) I'm cynical about counselling as my mother is one and I've been to a few I didn't vibe with. (I would seek more professional help if I could to find one that understood what my body is doing to me) It's very hard to afford good mental health care, and even harder to explain what it is I'm feeling. Any techniques I could try or people I could see? Any tips or words of wisdom welcome and encouraged. SOS

Lonelyorhappi I don’t know how to feel
  • replies: 1

Lately I’ve been feeling like I can’t do anything I feel like crying all the time but for no reason I know this is depression but I have nothing to be dressed about I feel like I’m complaining for no reason at all I can’t do any of the things I like ... View more

Lately I’ve been feeling like I can’t do anything I feel like crying all the time but for no reason I know this is depression but I have nothing to be dressed about I feel like I’m complaining for no reason at all I can’t do any of the things I like like reading books or watching anime because it all seems to not interest me at all I feel alone sad depressed but at the same time I don’t know how to feel because of all of the emotions going on I’m 20 years old and I feel lost I feel like I’m not going anywhere in life and that I’m stuck and it makes me sad and I wanna study but I just can’t concentrate on anything I don’t know how to feel or how to stop feeling so sad all the time sometimes I just really want it all to stop

absnih My friends don’t how to deal with my depression.
  • replies: 1

I have had depression for the past 2 years and it has been slowly getting worse. I have panic attacks multiple times a week and cry at least once a day. Generally I keep these things to myself but there are friends that I see every day who experience... View more

I have had depression for the past 2 years and it has been slowly getting worse. I have panic attacks multiple times a week and cry at least once a day. Generally I keep these things to myself but there are friends that I see every day who experience these things with me. Recently they have told me that they don’t know what to do and don’t want to “deal with me anymore”. I know that they care about me but as my depression gets worse, we grow further apart. I feel like I am annoying to deal with and a burden to hang around. We struggle to talk because they don’t experience the same things I do, so they don’t fully understand, and I have trouble communicating what I am really feeling. After having a big fight with my friends in December, we haven’t talked once. I now rarely leave the house apart from a couple of days a week to go to work. I feel as though locking myself up and staying home is making me worse but I also have a panick attack every time i think about leaving the house by myself and without a real purpose of leaving the house to do something other than just get out. I need some advice on trying to manage my attacks and depression and how I can talk to my friends about it. They are extremely important to me as I do not have any close family, but I am unsure of how to approach them.

Evanti Any tips for someone suffering from depression and cannot sleep?
  • replies: 4

Hi there everyone This is my first post on the Beyondblue community forum. So I am a 21 year old male and I have had depression for almost 2 years now and as a result I cannot sleep. I have never had trouble with sleeping throughout my life. It has o... View more

Hi there everyone This is my first post on the Beyondblue community forum. So I am a 21 year old male and I have had depression for almost 2 years now and as a result I cannot sleep. I have never had trouble with sleeping throughout my life. It has only started since I was diagnosed with depression. When I go to bed at night I just simply cannot sleep at all. I will lie there for hours in my bed trying to fall asleep but I just cant. The thoughts in my head caused from the depression seem to keep me awake all the time and I've tried lots of different things and it still doesn't work. I am just curious if anyone else has experienced this and if anyone knows any good advice on the matter. The problem is that because I have a lack of sleep. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to treat my depression and to exercise because I am perpetually exhausted from not getting enough sleep.

Lilac1 Hidden Depression
  • replies: 2

I’m not sue where to exactly start, or what to exactly say, but I need to express my feelings and emotions. I’m lost, and feel stuck. I’m “happy” one day and extremely down another day. I don’t feel I’m truly happy with myself or my life, everyone is... View more

I’m not sue where to exactly start, or what to exactly say, but I need to express my feelings and emotions. I’m lost, and feel stuck. I’m “happy” one day and extremely down another day. I don’t feel I’m truly happy with myself or my life, everyone is living and I feel stuck. I want to enjoy life, find my passion, love the relationships in my life but I just can’t. I want to achieve things, be truly happy. I want that more than anything. I just am stuck, I don’t see any jobs that truly is what I can do, my anxiety plays a part but it doesn’t fully control me. I want to succeed, get a job, find true friends, live a life of me being truly happy within myself but I don’t know how. My anxiety hurts me when I need to recharge after lots of social interaction even with my partner, which he doesn’t understand because he is the opposite he can’t be alone. I have my passions that keep me going which is art, poetry and basketball but I feel my feelings have even affected those things. I am one of those people who just want to make everyone happy, because it makes me happy so when I am having a down day I just hide it because there is really nothing they can do, and me seeing them happy instead of worried is helps me more. I just feel lost and you reading this can probably tell I’m all over the place. I’m just sad, down about a lot of things and I’m trying to find my way out. Thank you for reading my confusing mess and I hope if anyone feels similar you are not alone

arrgent Pretending I was never depressed?
  • replies: 2

I was just wondering if anyone had experience with this... I don't really have much of a support network. I have BPD and PTSD and regularly have mood swings that take me from extreme highs to lows. It's usually pretty situational, but lately I've bee... View more

I was just wondering if anyone had experience with this... I don't really have much of a support network. I have BPD and PTSD and regularly have mood swings that take me from extreme highs to lows. It's usually pretty situational, but lately I've been having lows regardless of what's happening and then just coming out of them. But, what happens when I come out of my lows it feels like they never happened. It's almost like a switch was turned on and I can see clearly again. I'll be laying on my couch, feeling like my world is ending, then almost instantly I sit up and feel like I can conquer the world again? There doesn't seem to be a trigger to this, but does anyone have experience with this and can offer me some advice? I feel like it makes me look like I'm faking.

Dodooo Lost in the mist
  • replies: 2

Hi, I was raised in the society for which the word depression is just a fancy way of doctor taking Fee from a patient and nothing else. I am living among people with same mindset. I am blessed in many ways as I got parents who love me most and would ... View more

Hi, I was raised in the society for which the word depression is just a fancy way of doctor taking Fee from a patient and nothing else. I am living among people with same mindset. I am blessed in many ways as I got parents who love me most and would do anything in world to keep me happy and safe but I can’t say anything to them or show them a face which isn’t smiling as they are so far away and old , that this will become unbearable for them. I have a beautiful little girl who loves me a lot but since loss of my first baby due to negligence of people in my life, I have been left feeling every single day for past 7 years that why it was him and not me who was put in that grave. I don’t know how to cope with my situation. I passed 4 initial years by drowning myself in work 24/7 but for last 3 years I have left job to raise my girl and day by day I am making my life more miserable. When she is around me I work like a person whose sole purpose is to raise her and keep her happy but when she isn’t around I feel blank. I feel like I have been put in a box where there is silence and no one can hear me scream.

Rhu Feeling worthless and lost
  • replies: 6

Hi all, For the past year my mood has been pretty bad. After graduating and starting my first full time job, things just haven't been going well. I struggled with the job in my first workplace, and was eventually asked to leave. I managed to find a p... View more

Hi all, For the past year my mood has been pretty bad. After graduating and starting my first full time job, things just haven't been going well. I struggled with the job in my first workplace, and was eventually asked to leave. I managed to find a position elsewhere, but things haven't been going much better there, and now I'm very much at risk of losing this current position as well. For some reason I struggle to perform the necessary tasks, and both my past boss and current one feel that I'm not making any improvement. I find it hard to focus, and I feel tired and unmotivated all the time though I get plenty of sleep at night. This has triggered some anxiety issues, which I thought I had overcome prior to starting the job. I had severe anxiety issues several years back due to some deaths/illnesses in the family, which slowly went away, and then came back in the middle of last year. Now I keep getting these moments when I feel completely useless and worthless, and I'm convinced that everyone would be much better off without me. I compare myself with my relatives and friends and think of how successful they are while I'm struggling just to hold down a job. My late granddad was a greatly successful man and though I know he loved me, I keep getting these thoughts that he was ashamed of me for not being as smart and confident as his other grandchildren. At times I think that my parents are constantly disappointed in me for not achieving anything in my life. Sometimes I feel like breaking down completely and at times I can cry for no apparent reason when I think about my life. I feel like I'm going nowhere and I just want to leave everything behind and hide away in a corner indefinitely. I haven't been officially diagnosed with anything, and I'm just terrified that if I see my GP she'll tell me I have depression or GAD. Can someone pls talk me through this? I'm too embarassed to talk to my friends/family and I don't know how long I can keep on going like this. Thanks in advance.

Hmin Depression and work and relatives
  • replies: 1

hi, i am new, I have been in my job for well over 20 years but my bosses are coming down heavily on me because as many will know job environments have changed over time where bosses are now more focused on rules, red tape and bureaucracy than actual ... View more

hi, i am new, I have been in my job for well over 20 years but my bosses are coming down heavily on me because as many will know job environments have changed over time where bosses are now more focused on rules, red tape and bureaucracy than actual results. The bosses say my work is "wonderful" but are critical because I don't appear "UP" and I am "late" (it is the public service it 's supposed to about flexi time) all that aside the atmosphere now is very tense and I feel paranoia and more depressed than I already have been for many many years ....(I am 51 years old) I have problem relatives also. I wonder whether I should try harder to get the sack or resign....I know I should see a doctor..but I have before and taken anti-depressants that didn't work. If i go back to a doctor to try and help me get out of work it will involve many trips will become costly? I can't afford it I don't know what to should I just run away?

white knight Workplace absenteeism
  • replies: 13

Depression is one of the major contributors to mounting sick days. Its as if, we will get better, then we wont take so much time off. But its short lived. The ramifications are big. Your boss increases his frustration whether you know it or not, it w... View more

Depression is one of the major contributors to mounting sick days. Its as if, we will get better, then we wont take so much time off. But its short lived. The ramifications are big. Your boss increases his frustration whether you know it or not, it will be there. As 80% of people have little empathy for mental illness, you might regret exposing your reasons for time off. The whole saga gets worse over time. What are your options? Drop full time work- consider casual or part time. In some situations your boss might agree with this concept. A friend of mine had a boss that actually preferred a 4 hour shift 11am to 3pm at a call centre to cover full time workers lunch break.. If you can secure a couple of part time jobs you will have more variety and sometimes more total income but less security. Another tactic to rise in the morning is baby steps. When I worked in my own business I had to rise at 3am then drive 1-3 hours to my workplace. When first waking up to the alarm if I thought about the drain of the next 3 hours I'd stay in bed. My method was to focus just in getting into the shower. Hot water stimulates you, helps you wake up. Remember breakfast. Confidentiality - your workmates will judge you negatively. You owe them nothing. I always go on a "need to know" basis. "Just personal problems" as a reply to gossipers covers a lot of possibles. Let them guess. Trust one colleague and rumours will flow. Holidays- make them count. Being idle or working at another job is not taking a break. Google Topic: holidays- beyondblue Topic: cheap recovery idea, camping- beyondblue Following many sick days off you might have to take a punt and disclose to your boss your predicament which means telling him/her about your illness amd how you have battled with it. This happened to my friend that worked in retail. His travel time was one hour by train and a 15 minute bus. His boss had a wife with depression and sympathized. He arranged a transfer to a store closer to home. It was the answer. Taking sick days isnt ideal. Discuss medication and sleep patterns with your doctor. Restructure your life, consider all options and limit your guilty feelings. And try one step at a time starting with a long shower. Tony WK