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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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Nathan_drake Unsure and I guess afraid of the answers I will get
  • replies: 5

I have from a early age though I'm not quite " normal " im not making light of it , I just think it helps me deal with it. I find myself having months of endless energy and zest for life & then I hit this moment we're for a few 2/3 months I feel , de... View more

I have from a early age though I'm not quite " normal " im not making light of it , I just think it helps me deal with it. I find myself having months of endless energy and zest for life & then I hit this moment we're for a few 2/3 months I feel , deflated, anxious, annoyed, happy , crying on my own I try to get over it by drinking and socialising , and when I was younger it definitely got " me through".Iam now feeling the low as I never have before and I decide to join this community and seek some ideas and thoughts. I find my behaviour in reflection , can be terrible with drinking, I don't feel like going into that ,but I am sure you all get the picture.I work for organisation who seems to want to help and do the right thing , but I am still afraid of the stigma of seeing one of their health care practitioners, loss of job , competitiveness for promotion Etc. I am great at my job when I'm "away" but now with recent promotion ,I am desk bound I feel so heavy and sick and weighed down . its makes me feel thirsty and bloated and I feel like crying all the time , I know my mother suffered very badly with depression , so I guess I am unsure if it's connected. im always the funny guy at work , the fit one, the guys you can count on for a laugh , so I guess doing / writing this has taken some doing Ppl when I am on top , I'm out of this world , I have a great energy and I want to be in everything and doing everything, but when this ,Black Dog comes around , I'm a shell of myself, a recluse , a drinker , unable to enjoy my love of movies and music , and ppl i sleep around , become just another person , who I actually really dislike ,and I guess the Hardest thing is I go to work and but on a show the " I'm always great show " I hope this makes sense to someone , because it does to me , and I'm 38 now and I want to get it under control ! Lamy thoughts of general feedback would be appreciated

Hopefulalien Overwhelmed and lost
  • replies: 7

This is all quite overwhelming, and I'm not even sure where to start... I'm constantly meditating, listening to guided talks,reading positive gratitude filled quotes and exercising however I continue to feel completely useless, unloved, not important... View more

This is all quite overwhelming, and I'm not even sure where to start... I'm constantly meditating, listening to guided talks,reading positive gratitude filled quotes and exercising however I continue to feel completely useless, unloved, not important. I feel like an absolute alien. I've moved interstate in the last 12 months and am living with my partner of 2 years and I constantly have this waive of crushing feelings come over me, I'm just not good enough. I observe every action of my partner, the way he doesn't kiss me or touch me, or call me or tell me that I'm beautiful or that he loves him... And it eats me, it consumes me, I constantly feel like I'm not important, I'm a horrible person for wanting affection, intimacy and love. I constantly feel like I'm just not good enough. And then I come home to spend time with family and again I feel like I don't belong here. I feel like I don't do enough for them, I have nothing in common with my family anymore, I don't fit in here and I try to make an effort. But I feel dismissed. I don't even know where or how to start to work through this..

hope4joy how to trust that I'll cope?
  • replies: 4

I'm feeling scared. I've noticed how depression has wiped out so much of my self confidence. I've been a bit tired the last couple of days and am worrying about whether another bout of depression will start again soon... I've just come out of six mon... View more

I'm feeling scared. I've noticed how depression has wiped out so much of my self confidence. I've been a bit tired the last couple of days and am worrying about whether another bout of depression will start again soon... I've just come out of six months or so of a difficult low period. I'm about to fly overseas in less than three weeks - for student exchange through my university - and I'm so fearful about whether this is the right decision or not. I've been approved to go for a year. It feels so difficult to leave everything that is familiar - home, house-mate's cat, car, uni, work and the few friends that I have in my city. And everyone I talk to is so excited for me, its hard to air my worry and fear. I have lived overseas before and travelled a lot, but I lack so much confidence in myself these days and feel so much less strong. I think going is worth the risk, well I hope so... but how can I trust that I'll cope? How do you get your confidence back when you've finally accepted that you have life-long mental illness?

wizard1980 UPDATED: Its hard to reach out. Feels like no one would understand.
  • replies: 9

Hi For a majority of my life I have felt so isolated and hard to reach out to express how I actually feel. I have thought about seeing a GP which I did a few years back. Now the feeling is back and feels like its smacked me in the face 10 times over.... View more

Hi For a majority of my life I have felt so isolated and hard to reach out to express how I actually feel. I have thought about seeing a GP which I did a few years back. Now the feeling is back and feels like its smacked me in the face 10 times over. I want to go back to a GP but having to go back over everything hurts more inside & somehow I talk myself out of it. I have very little if any self confidence. Growing up I was never given encouragement & receiving any encouragement as an adult is hard to accept and not sure how to take it let alone respond to it. Feeling like this has made me so strong to the point I hate it at the same time. I have no family support. I only have a brother but he lives a few hours away and he suffers the same as I do. My relationship with my parents is toxic.Terrible childhood (no violence as such) more emotional abuse. I cant keep friends because they cant understand, yet at the same time I cant explain it to a point anyone cant understand. I can no longer trust anyone nor do I want to get close to anyone in the fear of being hurt or I hurt them from having so many emotions. I get to a point I apologise to everyone every morning that I wake up as I feel I have let them down by just waking up. I have wondered if I would ever be missed. I promise you I have never tried to end my life in anyway & I don't intend to. Its just that I feel like a burden to everyone. The isolation feeling gets me so emotional and I feel so low. I need to learn a new way to open up. I need sleep & my diet is poor yet I run my own business. I burn myself out every few months and just feel like I'm in a dark hole. I need to learn new ways to reach out without the fear of being judged or feel embarrassed. Without breaking down would be great too. I'm so confused inside I need a way to get it all out. Its so lonely. I wake up alone, I work alone, I go to bed at night alone. my fear is that I too will one day die alone & no one would know. Thank you for listening.

Solosombra Been told I don't suit asking for help! Did I isolate myself?
  • replies: 3

I recently had a bad slip into depression as things started pilling up on me. and for the first time in a long time I reached out to someone I've known for awhile in a moment of desperation needing support. This person then turned to me and said with... View more

I recently had a bad slip into depression as things started pilling up on me. and for the first time in a long time I reached out to someone I've known for awhile in a moment of desperation needing support. This person then turned to me and said with a bewildered look 'wow you really don't suit asking for help" I knew what they meant even if it was poorly worded but I started thinking! Did my unwillingness to accept other peoples help and do everything on my own isolate me further from people in a negative way or am I over thinking and has this ever happened to anyone else?

sociallyawks Am I depressed or is something else going on?
  • replies: 16

Hi Folks, This past year or so I feel like I have been struggling. When I say struggling what I mean is that I often feel like I have no energy or drive. By the time the weekend comes I don't want to see anyone or do anything and would rather have qu... View more

Hi Folks, This past year or so I feel like I have been struggling. When I say struggling what I mean is that I often feel like I have no energy or drive. By the time the weekend comes I don't want to see anyone or do anything and would rather have quiet time. I find being around people draining and in my job of 7 years, I'm in a senior role and manage about 25 people so when I get home from work I want to do nothing. If I end up having a busy weekend I feel like I need to balance out the rest of the week to catch up and the next weekend do nothing. I don't like the thought of a night out during the week because then it feels like theres no downtime before the next day. When it comes to work I wake up and dread the thought of it and count down till 5:30 to get out of there. I've been getting the early rain because I want to get a seat but that means i'm at work at 7:20am. Lately about 3-4 people have asked if I am ok because they had noticed I seemed different. I hadn't really noticed until they said something. i do feel lately thought when people ask how I am I dont have anything positive to say - I just feel like saying Im "ok" More lately I find I cant be bothered cooking because I dont have the energy but that often means the wrong food choices too. I used to love cooking but its just too much hassle now. I've always struggled with weight, its never stable and I feel exhausted from 2 years of being healthy and now the weight is coming back. Physically I feel about 20 years older than I am which cant be great. I avoid social situations unless I am really familiar with the person/s. But to the point where recently I bailed on going to a friends birthday because I didnt know anyone. Years ago i would have gone and enjoyed meeting people but now Id rather not. I am positive I have a form of social anxiety too. I believe I am a probably very much on the introverted end. Just dont know what to do - sick of feeling blah about everything, and want to enjoy life a bit more.

MisterM I should be feeling happy and excited
  • replies: 39

I got accepted into uni, I was excited when I applied, when I got an email to say I got accepted I felt enormous dread. I am feeling very down at the moment. I can't understand why.

I got accepted into uni, I was excited when I applied, when I got an email to say I got accepted I felt enormous dread. I am feeling very down at the moment. I can't understand why.

bonnylass Bad Night
  • replies: 2

Really bad night last night came home from work and I was fine and then became really shaky my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode nothing made me feel better tried to relax and watch TV the more I tried the worse I got l was ... View more

Really bad night last night came home from work and I was fine and then became really shaky my heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode nothing made me feel better tried to relax and watch TV the more I tried the worse I got l was in bed by 5 pm must have relaxed then and slept till 2 feel a lot better now but very drained I am going to the doctors I was really scared how I felt last night I nearly called an ambulance . Hope my new friends on here are all ok today I feel so much better knowing I am not alone xx

bonnylass My First Post
  • replies: 5

As I lie here in my bed after another sleepless night playing stupid games on my I pad, tomorrow it will not come to bed with me That is an easy problem to solve, but getting up and facing the world is another, I think I may be a functioning depresse... View more

As I lie here in my bed after another sleepless night playing stupid games on my I pad, tomorrow it will not come to bed with me That is an easy problem to solve, but getting up and facing the world is another, I think I may be a functioning depressed person I work full time and hold down a stressful job, I get up and go everyday, I talk and laugh with my work mates inside I am dying more every day. I have let my children destroy me financially and mentally and do not know to stop it. i am 62 and live alone which I do not mind,but I feel so hopeless pathetic and useless, thank you for reading x

poida1 getting better, staying positive... then- relapse
  • replies: 2

Hi my name's Pete, I work as a seasonal adventure guide. My job lets me see the world and meet the amazing people that make it spin. It requires me to be outgoing, friendly, switched on and most importantly of all, happy! let me explain to you my sit... View more

Hi my name's Pete, I work as a seasonal adventure guide. My job lets me see the world and meet the amazing people that make it spin. It requires me to be outgoing, friendly, switched on and most importantly of all, happy! let me explain to you my situation. I've suffered from depression and anxiety for about 3 years now, it's been like roller coaster. One week I think I'm good, then the next I'm not. my way of dealing with it has been either to to block my negative thoughts out by taking my mind off of them (gym, hiking, general adventures), to move to the next place and job or, the worst of the options, resort to drugs and alcohol. These ways of dealing with my condition worked only temporarily and my depression and anxieties have since spiraled out of control and mutated into some kind of snarling beast. I have made the decision to take a full season off from work and return home to my parents place in Adelaide so I can face these problems head on instead of running away from them or ignoring them. It was not an easy decision to make as I have not lived at home or in Australia in 6 years, I had the opportunity to work as a guide in the tropics and continue my lifestyle. As much as I have been dreading settling back into 'normal life', I feel as if it was the right decision. No matter how good your current situation is, how happy people must think you are because of it; if you are depressed and anxious all the time, life just plain sucks. All you end up doing is perpetuating the cycle until it forms a life of its own, which is what ive done. I cannot believe i let it get so bad before I threw the towel in, it just goes to show how stubborn i am. Anyway, Since moving home a few weeks ago, I have thrown myself into the healthy lifestyle I had promised myself. I am at the gym everyday, eating and sleeping well, reading a lot, haven't had a drink in a month, am meditating everyday and am about to see a therapist starting this week. I was feeling GREAT until the weekend came along. It felt like all of my hard work just came unraveled so easily, I woke up feeling utterly depressed and hopeless.. How can I go from feeling so strong to so weak in 2 days? How can i remain hopeful when I relapse so easily? When will I ever start to feel good again? I know i have the strength to pick the pieces up and start again but not the motivation. I have been so emotionally beaten up over the years I just dont know how Im going to get up and keep going.. I feel exhausted

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