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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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Ellie05 Scared, sad and lonely
  • replies: 4

Hello all, It's been a while since I've posted on this forum. I found it to be such a lifeline when I can share my troubles with other likeminded people and not feel judged. This time last year I went through a really bad case of anxiety and depressi... View more

Hello all, It's been a while since I've posted on this forum. I found it to be such a lifeline when I can share my troubles with other likeminded people and not feel judged. This time last year I went through a really bad case of anxiety and depression, which was triggered by job loss. I got a new job and whilst it was stressful it meant complete distraction from my deepest worries and allowed me to forget them and just focus on the day to day. I then decided to take some time out to travel as I was too exhausted from work. The two weeks leading up to my trip were so good and I was really happy, but I noticed I was really tired/lethargic as soon as I got to my first destination. This combined with headaches meant I isolated myself too much and began to dwell on all my deep seated fears and causes of sadness. I'm currently in transit (on my way to my next destination) and am locked in my hotel room crying. I'm so afraid of the anxiety and depression, it just seemed to come out of nowhere and take hold, sending my thoughts into a dark spiral. I just feel as though things are meaningless and I will never be able to lead a truely satisfying life. I feel badly about my appearance, my lack of accomplishments and most of all, my mental health issues, which scares me in that seemingly normal or even positive scenarios (i.e. travel) it just takes a hold and a I can't cope. I'm really reliant on my family as I love them so much and am unable to have a partner/kids of my own as dating is a real trigger. I really fear the ageing process as I don't want to lose them. Anyway, I helps so much to be able to get this of my chest. Is there anyone else out there who just gets completely overwhelmed at times by irrational thinking and the poison of anxiety and depression? If so, is there anything you do to help yourself cope?

Mummykb Again faced with the PND darkness what can I do.
  • replies: 7

So my second child is 10 months old. my oldest is 4 it took me 8 months to acknowledge I had a issue with my first child and the wheels started falling off this pregnancy at 28 weeks gestation. i had been working permanent night shifts and I stopped ... View more

So my second child is 10 months old. my oldest is 4 it took me 8 months to acknowledge I had a issue with my first child and the wheels started falling off this pregnancy at 28 weeks gestation. i had been working permanent night shifts and I stopped sleeping. tried to be proactive seeing Drs from 28 weeks starting antidepressants, stopped working the nights and seeing a Psycologist every 2 weeks but now my baby is 10 months old I am almost ready to raise the white flag and give up. i am on a new antidepressant and that medication is now under control by a psychiatrist. i still have Psycologist I see every two weeks money is now a issue I never get time away from my children as I can't afford to pay for them to be in care. i was due to go back to work but work has changed its mind based on psychiatrist advice that I am not ready yet so I am off until July 2017. i get no help from Centrelink due to husbands income so are sometimes left making the decision of if I go to a dr or not based on do I have the money to pay for more medications and out of pocket consultations when we are currently budgeted to every last cent just paying the mortgage and other debts. what are free coping methods other PND mums use that I am not seeing. i was doing mums and bubs exercise for a while until I had to drop that expense.

Red_Zone Where to from here.
  • replies: 6

Hello, I don't know why I am here or how I got here but I have been told to talk to someone. I have been swimming around in a sea of regret and loss for some years now dealing with each problem as it came by drinking a little more each time. I have b... View more

Hello, I don't know why I am here or how I got here but I have been told to talk to someone. I have been swimming around in a sea of regret and loss for some years now dealing with each problem as it came by drinking a little more each time. I have been aware of my consumption of alcohol but my family wasn't and needless to say it all became apparent recently. I don't know how far my issues go back but I do know when things started to get a little pear shaped. 2010 my father passed away from cancer very rapidly. I had been working shift work at a brewery for twenty years at that stage. At the end of 2011 I took a redundancy and had a knee replacement that I needed and for the next 12 months I recovered and tried to get work which drained most of our redundancy money. I did manage to get a full time job just after that. It didn't pay much but it was money coming in. It also involved heavy lifting and loading and unloading vehicles by hand. I stuck with that job for just over two years and during that time my daughter tried to take her own life which turned our family upside down. After two years my other knee decided that was enough and I had to have surgery on that one too. We decided to sell our house of 14 years on the Gold Coast as we were struggling with repayments and massive credit card debt. We moved to Bribie Island to be near my mother as she was unwell and wasn't taking good care of herself and took our daughter with us to change the environment she was living in also. It all seemed like a plan to help everyone. After a while I started my lawnmowing business as I couldn't get a job. My wife managed to get a full time job but she had to drive an hour each way daily. After six months my daughter decided to go back to the Gold Coast where she got a full time job and also after countless visits to the doctors and hospital my mother come good too. We were there fourteen months when I had a heart attack, we decided then to move back to the Gold Coast to be with the rest of the family and try and start again. We have been here now for six months I have managed to get a part time job at a caravan park and my wife works full time from home. My drinking has slowly escalated over this time to a point where it has cost me and my wife socially. I have a lot of regret for the decisions I made over this time. We are both in our mid 50's have no home have no money other than weekly pays and nothing to show for years of hard work. Alcohol is a great sedative.

tim41 anniexty or Depression
  • replies: 3

Hi, I'm posting this because I think I have depression rather than GAD that my psychologist diagnosed a few weeks ago, last night I was in a shipping center buy a b'day present for my girlfriend and I just broke down I keep breaking down for no known... View more

Hi, I'm posting this because I think I have depression rather than GAD that my psychologist diagnosed a few weeks ago, last night I was in a shipping center buy a b'day present for my girlfriend and I just broke down I keep breaking down for no known reason and cant stop crying when I do, is this normal form of depression ?, I have been so down of late and I cant seem to sleep at nights which is not helping either, my mind goes into overdrive, I went to the doctors this morning and he has prescribed another type of anti-depressant, I took some for about 1 month 2 months ago but stopped them as I felt they did not agree with me, the doctor has stated that if I don't get better in time I may need to be admitted to hospital with depression, I'm really down now and I'm find it hard to get the energy to go on, sorry if this is negative thread but its just how I feel, helpless and in a very dark place at the minute, thanks in advance for any works of strength you can give me through this hard time

ReeBecca Exhausted
  • replies: 7

I feel like I don't want to do life anymore. I just feel like I've had enough of myself and I just don't want to do it anymore. From the outside I have an amazing life..I am incredibly lucky and I know I am. I have a wonderful husband who seems to st... View more

I feel like I don't want to do life anymore. I just feel like I've had enough of myself and I just don't want to do it anymore. From the outside I have an amazing life..I am incredibly lucky and I know I am. I have a wonderful husband who seems to still adore me and 2 beautiful children. So why do I still feel like this? Why am I still going through the same thing over and over again? I have tried so many things...Im on medication which helps, I've tried therapy, exercise, eating better..I've even tried exploring my spirituality. What else can I do? I still wake up wanting to go right back to sleep again. I just long for the moment at the end of the day when I can climb into bed and fall asleep. I started a new job about a month ago and leading up to it it was so excited and motivated. I thought Finally I am back working full time since having the children, I will be busy and have a purpose and will feel like a contributing person of society. But to be honest, my job just requires me to sit at my desk all day with really very little to do I am embarrassed to say. I feel so useless..I feel out of place and it makes for a very long and drawn out day. I am struggling with the mundane routine that is getting up, rushing around like crazy trying to get myself and the kids ready before leaving the house, I am always running 10-20 minutes late..drive to school with arguing kids in the back. Drop them off. go to work. do not very much for 7 hours. pick the kids up. bath the kids. cook dinner. clean up. make sure there is clean clothes and lunches for tomorrow. go to bed finally. Alarm goes off and we do it all again until the weekend. then its cleaning the house. washing groceries and we're pretty much back to the beginning. In reality its all so normal and pretty perfect really, I knoe its not as bad as what it feels like at the time and if thats all I have to complain about..how lucky am I?! Why cant I learn to enjoy life for what it is. What is wrong with me? I am so consumed with my own self loathing and I cant snap out of it. I find it hard to be around people and can't even hold a proper conversation.

sigcla New to BB... feeling the pressure build
  • replies: 3

Hi there, This is my first post. I'm a 22yo female, previously diagnosed with GAD, depression, phobia (in 2013). I've managed to overcome a lot of my anxieties, mainly around eating in public and being looked at in general, but the last few months I'... View more

Hi there, This is my first post. I'm a 22yo female, previously diagnosed with GAD, depression, phobia (in 2013). I've managed to overcome a lot of my anxieties, mainly around eating in public and being looked at in general, but the last few months I've been feeling the depression come back. I work full time with children with special needs, I'm studying full time and have just changed institutions to do masters of teaching which now looks like a two year set back. No clue whether I'll enjoy high school teaching. I'm engaged to someone with their own depression and chronic pain/overstimulated pain sensors. I'm always there to listen and to cop his anger over his life, yet I have no one to tell that I'm struggling to make sense of what I want in life and feeling. I don't want to add more to his troubles. I'm trying to find a psychologist in Adelaide, eastern suburbs. I just feel like I'm in a constant fog. I've recently started getting healthy and losing weight, which makes me happy but its never enough in my mind. I just don't want to be sad anymore. Thanks x

Lollie45 Always exhausted
  • replies: 18

I am always bone tired, no energy to do anthing that I like doing or need to do. All my good energy gets used up at work being kind, caring and 'happy'. The well is dry by the time I get home. My kids are suffering from me being disengaged and are la... View more

I am always bone tired, no energy to do anthing that I like doing or need to do. All my good energy gets used up at work being kind, caring and 'happy'. The well is dry by the time I get home. My kids are suffering from me being disengaged and are lazy and unhelpful because why shouldn't they be, what kind of role model am I? My housework is suffering and it just makes me more dispondent. I have all these good intentions and ideas going around in my head but I am just so tired. Blood tests are all normal. I am on medication but it doesn't help, never has. I have had depression to various degrees for 13 years. I used to be so organised, houseproud, go getter and enthusiastic about life. Now I just exist. I have done cognitive therapy and meditate sometimes and write in a journal sometimes too. I just can't seem to get out of this fatigued funk.

anonymous175 Lacking direction
  • replies: 13

I have felt myself slipping for sometime now. Unfortunately this is part of the course of suffering from Bipolar. A few things have triggered this slip: relationship troubles with family members and friends, a sense of loss & being alone and lacking ... View more

I have felt myself slipping for sometime now. Unfortunately this is part of the course of suffering from Bipolar. A few things have triggered this slip: relationship troubles with family members and friends, a sense of loss & being alone and lacking direction in my life. Today I feel really sad and can't seem to get out of bed even to do my beloved daily walk. I just want some respite from toxic relationships, negative feelings and some direction. Any constructive advice would be welcome.

Sharny No room for this illness
  • replies: 7

Hi, I'm prompted to write due to a recent disclosure I made to a friend regarding my illness. Just over three weeks ago I decided to let a friend in on my anguish just by discussions over lunch. My intentions have always been clear, hiding my illness... View more

Hi, I'm prompted to write due to a recent disclosure I made to a friend regarding my illness. Just over three weeks ago I decided to let a friend in on my anguish just by discussions over lunch. My intentions have always been clear, hiding my illness and people pleasing to cover up. Not so long ago I noticed a decline in my mental health and I've made some changes necessary to help myself. I feel hurt, confused and let down to say the least because I let a friend in on my illness and it has not been received very well. I've always hidden beneath appearances ( not proud of it) when out with people I appear well dressed and my house is always kept well and styled beautifully. I mix in a circle of middle class Melbourne women most of which have husbands like mine in well paid careers. I don't know if there is room for my illness? Like it or not, I have it. I revealed my illness because I was telling a friend I need to slow things down for my health. She asked why? I don't know why I let her in on it but I really regret it because I feel she lacked any basic understanding or compassion, horrible experience. Cutting a long story short, I feel this illness and any mental illness not just bipolar, is cruel and misunderstood. The ignorance shown by my friend has left me gutted. This is a woman who not so long ago commended me on my achievements, always came around with her kids for a swim, long BBQ's in summer by the pool offering compliments on my knack of entertaining and cooking. One week after I told her my history and that I've let some of my own care slide, she hops on social media insinuating via different memes etc about my particular illness. Childish, cruel, ignorant behaviour I was not expecting left me feel cold, isolated and confused. I hope she has not shared what I disclosed. Ok, so a bit of a fall out, I'm a grown woman why does this bother me? It bothers me because no one with mental illness should have to hide, it's the worst outcome. How can a person go from being in my life for so long to just treating me like nothing? Thank you for listening. Sharny.

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