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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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goodlifeseeker Where to start?
  • replies: 7

Hi Just wondering do beyond blue have places to go talk to people or do you get referred to other places? Been in and out of depression and anxiety since 2007 and feeling at an extremely unfamiliar low point right now and am looking for help not just... View more

Hi Just wondering do beyond blue have places to go talk to people or do you get referred to other places? Been in and out of depression and anxiety since 2007 and feeling at an extremely unfamiliar low point right now and am looking for help not just a pill. Thanks in advance to those who reply

menopausal Is it menopause or depression?
  • replies: 3

Hi, i have only just joined up on this forum, just wondering if i am alone, I am 52 so i think i am menopausal but i have just started a new job and moved to a new town a long way from my grown up children, i am feeling very lonely and depressed, I'm... View more

Hi, i have only just joined up on this forum, just wondering if i am alone, I am 52 so i think i am menopausal but i have just started a new job and moved to a new town a long way from my grown up children, i am feeling very lonely and depressed, I'm not sure that i am coping very well at work, i am missing my kids very much and every time i am alone all i want to do is cry or sleep, i hide this from everyone around me so no one really knows what i am feeling. I feel like i am empty on the inside, I am tired all the time, some nights i am awake half the night, i feel stupid at work and i feel that i am burdening my workmates because i can't do my job well. I have this voice in my head, that really hates me and at times just tells me that its probably not worth the trouble (I'm not suicidal, but sometimes it does seem and easy way out). I know that none of this makes sense but is there anyone out there that has these feelings too, is it menopause or depression?

Vanessa Struggling
  • replies: 4

Hi, im not sure what's going on. I've always "just got on with things" but for some reason I'm struggling at the moment. i constantly feel that I'm not good enough. I Feel awkward and uncomfortable around people and that they are judging me (ironical... View more

Hi, im not sure what's going on. I've always "just got on with things" but for some reason I'm struggling at the moment. i constantly feel that I'm not good enough. I Feel awkward and uncomfortable around people and that they are judging me (ironically the more that happens the more I start judging people in my head). I'm starting to isolate myself socially as I feel out of my depth. I never know what to say and have often gotten myself in trouble saying the wrong thing. i have primary aged children who I adore (and are the highlight of my life). I'm trying to hide my issues from them but just feel so alone and sad.

Emily_Grace GUILTY AS CHARGED!!!
  • replies: 13

This is the first time for me so please excuse any mistakes or even if I have the wrong forum. I have suffered deep depression and high anxiety for over 60 years (completely hidden for over 45 of them), and I don't think I have ever been so down as I... View more

This is the first time for me so please excuse any mistakes or even if I have the wrong forum. I have suffered deep depression and high anxiety for over 60 years (completely hidden for over 45 of them), and I don't think I have ever been so down as I am at the moment. This is just all too hard for me to deal with. I have just had to admit my husband to a nursing home as I could not deal with the stress of his illness anymore. He has Parkinson's disease and, as he aged, the more it progressed. I promised him years ago that I would look after him until the day he died but, unfortunately, I have had to break that promise. Now I live with the extreme guilt of that decision. It just breaks my heart to visit him and tell him he can't come home. It has been four weeks now and the pain is still there and nothing I do will make it stop. My brain is racing with all the thoughts that come with the fact that I have let him down. Everybody keeps telling me I have done the right thing and I have to think about my own health. That is cold comfort when he was the very person who was there for me through many suicide attempts. I couldn't even do that right as I stuffed them all up and alienated my children who just could not handle a mentally ill mother. I still deeply love each one of them, but the mother child relationship is broken and I don't know how to fix that. At first, my anxiety took over and I was too hyper to be depressed, but I knew it was there. The blackness was still underneath me awaiting my fall. When I did crash, bed was my only comfort and, most days, that is where you will find me living on powdered milk and apples. I am not a suicide risk at the moment as my husband needs me and I think I have to live to keep punishing myself for what I have done. Oh, will the pain from my actions ever stop? This is one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with and I know he would never have done this to me. He is a beautiful, gentle man who deserves better. Thanks for listening.

Luke89 Battling depression for 12 months
  • replies: 4

Hi This is my first post on here so not really sure of what to write or whether I am posting in the right forum. From what I have read amongst the forums there are a lot of people a lot worse of than me but just feel so alone and miserable 99% of the... View more

Hi This is my first post on here so not really sure of what to write or whether I am posting in the right forum. From what I have read amongst the forums there are a lot of people a lot worse of than me but just feel so alone and miserable 99% of the time. Im 27, an electrician and run marathons for fun so would call myself a bit of a high achiever, which probably doesn't help my situation. It all started back when ex gf started working FIFO 12 months ago, (we had been together 6 months when she decided to start that .) Ever since I have just felt so alone and as though i am watching my family and friends live there lives happily and I am watching it all through a window and feeling like I am just treading water going nowhere. i know the relationship ending has had a big effect on my self esteem and feeling more alone that usual, but I have had these feelings a lot throughout my life and am just tired of the constant struggle. I think being a high achiever sort of person nothing I do ever feels satisfying or good enough to me - like a day spent around the house watching movies etc feels like a waste of a day. Guess the question I want to ask can anyone else out there relate to this???

patchie Self doubt after seeking help?
  • replies: 8

So I ended up reaching out to friends: telling them how I haven't been coping, feeling sick all the time and generally being destructive towards everything. It felt like I started something. But as soon as that time passed where I was honest I starte... View more

So I ended up reaching out to friends: telling them how I haven't been coping, feeling sick all the time and generally being destructive towards everything. It felt like I started something. But as soon as that time passed where I was honest I started regretting it? All I could think of was the troubles my friends are going through and how it's now my fault they're worried about me on top of everything else... I started bottling everything again and just telling everyone I was fine but that relief I had for a while was gone. Regardless I kept it up and sorted myself out to see a GP last week, was sent off for blood tests and given the mental health survey to do before my next app this Friday. I feel better for knowing I'm getting everything sorted. And obviously there is something wrong as my blood test results have come back with issues. But now it's just brought up more self doubt? I've had this constant weight on my chest since last week, and for two days after my appointment I just felt on edge about everything. On the weekend I was freaking out over a party, even tried to self sabotage and get out of it but my friends insisted and even helped me get ready and made me look amazing and for the first time in a while I had fun going out? I felt ok about things, even though little moments still unnerved me but generally I was ok... I even had some freelance work enquiries the last couple of days that have continued that moment of being ok. I suppose what I'm trying to get across is there times when you do feel ok? But there's like a shadow or something in the corner of your mind that is a reminder? I feel so confused about everything. I keep feeling on edge and worried that I'm just weak? That my months of feeling horrible about everything and crying or being self destructive are all just me being weak and stupid and just failing at life and adulthood... Am I lying to myself reaching out? Do I even deserve the help? I'm even more confused right now as I feel like I'm in this balancing act of saying I'm ok but then I'm worrying about this and getting upset? I know I need to talk about this with my GP and I know it will be a discussion this Friday but right now all I can keep thinking of is do I deserve this help and if I'm slightly ok for a little while does that mean I'm just being stupid about everything... But if I leave it or turn back now will I just make it all worse...

sparkvark It feels too hard to do anything
  • replies: 11

Everything seems stressful at the moment. Getting out of bed, buying groceries, preparing food, doing dishes, being at work, looking at anything factual, going to bed... Any time I have to expend any effort, it's like a giant wave of "please no, I ca... View more

Everything seems stressful at the moment. Getting out of bed, buying groceries, preparing food, doing dishes, being at work, looking at anything factual, going to bed... Any time I have to expend any effort, it's like a giant wave of "please no, I can't". I haven't been getting enough sleep thanks to the effort of going to bed, but I have been doing some exercise tied in with going to/from work. Right now I should be making dinner with the groceries that it took me 2 days to go out and get, but it feels impossible even though the kitchen is just a few metres away. I'm not sure if this is a depression or anxiety thing or what. I just really need to get a handle on it. It's not worth going to the GP and getting a psych referral, because I've heard that all before and know what I need to be doing but it's just too hard right now.

shagz all alone
  • replies: 23

Hi. Just popped onto the web chat but they must be busy. I have no one to talk to. Sorry guys. I have had a bad GP apointment today. I just want someone to know I'm here. I'm fighting. I'm really sick today and its just difficult on your own sometime... View more

Hi. Just popped onto the web chat but they must be busy. I have no one to talk to. Sorry guys. I have had a bad GP apointment today. I just want someone to know I'm here. I'm fighting. I'm really sick today and its just difficult on your own sometimes. I may be unwanted, discarded, up against more than I can handle alone but I'm still here for now and I just want someone to know I'm doing my best. Really sorry about wasting time on here. Sure there's more important threads than this

Wandercharm What helps keep dreams alive?
  • replies: 3

A procedure I use to try and get my head in the right place to be more productive, is to spend time using life planning tools to analyse my values, strengths, and opportunities to help me come up with long and short-term goals for the future. As I ge... View more

A procedure I use to try and get my head in the right place to be more productive, is to spend time using life planning tools to analyse my values, strengths, and opportunities to help me come up with long and short-term goals for the future. As I get older these reassessments come to more and more of the same conclusions. My motivation has been very poor for quite some time. Despite the logic established behind following my life paths I am quite unproductive because I cannot believe with sufficient force that my goals are worthwhile, or that they are achievable. What are some skills you use, or logic you follow to fight Depression and believe in your dreams? Wandercharm.

willow89 Reality is hard.
  • replies: 3

I dont know what to say. I guess I feel uneasy in life. For years my moods have been all over the place; from overly happily and excited to ignorant, distant and cold. I have anxiety about communicating with people or what people think of me. I get s... View more

I dont know what to say. I guess I feel uneasy in life. For years my moods have been all over the place; from overly happily and excited to ignorant, distant and cold. I have anxiety about communicating with people or what people think of me. I get stressed when people invite me to events that I know I will have to attend or 'should' attend and then the whole time leading up to it Im stressed, anxious and distant that it effects my work. I have been sent home, called in sick, and managed to gain a group of haters because of my moods and "depressingness".. The worst part is I am fully aware of all my potential and how great I am at my job, but I am soo unmotivated with EVERYTHING in life that I just don't apply myself. Nothing seems important enough to try. Im not motivated by money and although I like my job I still would rather lay in bed all day instead. I struggle to focus my thoughts on the good in the world when my perspective only sees hate. Things like war, poverty, animal cruelty, technology, government deception. Things like this cross my mind everyday and I wish for death away from this place of hate and greed. I feel trapped in a society/culture that I don't agree with. This makes it hard to fit in and feel accepted. Having noone to speak to, noone to turn to, noone who thinks like me, I turn to myself and unfortunately I am a horrible person. I have nothing nice to say about myself, I always judge myself and think the worst and sometimes I think I hear people talking about me when I know they are not.. that sounds weird but its really Fkd-up. I have kept a diary for a very long time and before that in my teen years I wrote letter. This does help but I dont do it as often and all I ever seem to write is miserable stuff. I have companions whom I love. I have always had some type of substance in my life. At one point it was meth, ectasy, alcohol, and marijuana. Currently I smoke weed and have found this to be the most stabilizing of them all but i dont promote it at all, infact I would reccommend otherwise. Unfortunately for me it helps me feel less. Which is my way of coping at the moment.I will refuse medications or pharmaceuticals and the doctors as they have been nothing but failures to me in my past experiences. My beliefs apose this industry and the community rules apose me for speaking in depth on this. Any ideas for feeling importance in life for daily activities? Or how to want to get out of bed each day.