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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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Brenten 44 year old lost male
  • replies: 3

Hi all, i am a 44 year old male that has visited this site for the first time. Not diagnosed by any professional doctor but suffer from a mild form of anxiety and ocd. Married with 2 teenage kids and our own business plus a 5 acre property to manage ... View more

Hi all, i am a 44 year old male that has visited this site for the first time. Not diagnosed by any professional doctor but suffer from a mild form of anxiety and ocd. Married with 2 teenage kids and our own business plus a 5 acre property to manage on weekends. I am told that when you are in your 40's its the hardest and worst time of your life. Dealing with teenagers, career, aging parents, mortgage etc. I spend most of my day thinking about how great life was a long time ago in my 20's and 30's. Spend most of my day feeling inadequate in life, to my kids and my wife. Take various herbal or vitamin stress tablets which helps to a degree. Just want to see if i am not alone and there are other middle aged married men like me out there. I am constantly told its just midlife crisis and it will go away. If i knew that was true then i probably could put up with it.

AspyGirl Just a vent- no answer required
  • replies: 5

I just want the pain to stop. I am almost being bullied by my team leader and manager. They seem to know just when to stop short and always do it in private. I cry most nights. After a comment this afternoon, I left work a bit early, barely keeping t... View more

I just want the pain to stop. I am almost being bullied by my team leader and manager. They seem to know just when to stop short and always do it in private. I cry most nights. After a comment this afternoon, I left work a bit early, barely keeping the tears back. Now, I can't stop the flood. I have no friends I can speak to - I am Aspy as well so don't really do social interactions. I got so worked up the other night that I yelled at my poor partner and 7 year old, then cried for three hours straight. They said they couldn't calm me, they could only watch. My partner said just being there, watching my pain was agonising for him too. I just want to be happy but I don't know how. Been through so many psychs etc. I just don't think they take me seriously.

marcus_c The nights are the worst
  • replies: 11

Once the sun goes down, that's when I find it hardest to hold out hope. The waves of loneliness, despair, humiliation. I try to push myself to go out, but it's a struggle just looking at all the other happy couples around me, groups of friends, havin... View more

Once the sun goes down, that's when I find it hardest to hold out hope. The waves of loneliness, despair, humiliation. I try to push myself to go out, but it's a struggle just looking at all the other happy couples around me, groups of friends, having fun. It's better than staying home by myself, though, and the hours seem to pass a little quicker with distraction. It always seems to be lurking there, waiting to come back again.

Dmm I need help
  • replies: 3

Hello, I've been struggling with depression for about 10 years or so and haven't sought any professional help yet! I feel I'm a step closer to the actual help I need by telling my problems here first. I've hit a low that I just can't shake. For the l... View more

Hello, I've been struggling with depression for about 10 years or so and haven't sought any professional help yet! I feel I'm a step closer to the actual help I need by telling my problems here first. I've hit a low that I just can't shake. For the last few weeks I've been extremely down, some days not even going in to work. The days I do go in, I feel really anxious and nervouse sweaty palms, heart pounding, a million thoughts running through my mind. Then the days I have off I get my children ready for school drop them off and come home and just lay down or sit down in silence and think about everything.... I've had to set an alarm to snap me out of my thoughts and go and pick my children up from school. When they're home I go back to being 'normal'. Ive been getting overwhelming feelings of worthlessness, for some reason I feel like I'm being selfish feeling this way. When I know it's not. I've had some terrible things happen to me in the past which is a major factor in the depressing states I get into sometimes. My children are the reason I'm trying to get help. I don't want them to see the mum broken down all the time. Thank you

white knight How natural is depression?
  • replies: 4

Why does mental illness exist? One answer could be it is a form of natural selection. All animals evolve. But I wonder sometimes if our ills or parts of them might not have come from our traumatised childhood caused by bad people or genetics. One the... View more

Why does mental illness exist? One answer could be it is a form of natural selection. All animals evolve. But I wonder sometimes if our ills or parts of them might not have come from our traumatised childhood caused by bad people or genetics. One theory was that man used to protect his family from other people or predators. While stirring his broth, if he was more alert that what was a common level of alertness, he would be more likely to be aware of another caveman sneaking up behind him to steal his stew or hurt his family. This ultra alert frame of mind developed into ADHD as we know it. Depression with its very high percentage of people suffering it, has eluded the medical profession. However one could argue- in the many hundreds of thousands of years that man has roamed the earth, stress of modern life, diets including soft drinks and high sugar, lack of bonding of people within communities and the almighty dollar that forces us to perform more than ever before, has evolved only within the last few generations…the computer a major contributor only in the last generation alone!! Yet we hop onto that computer train or be left behind. Stress can be a major contributor. Stress- meaning- “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.” Which in my language, how I feel about it is burnout from taking on activities in excess of what I can cope with. Is that natural? I think it is. We are born with limits…we cant all cope with life. We have our limits and then that's it! Some have high limits, some not so high. Narcissists is another example. The need for power over others might have developed within small towns where no one led the people. An opportunist would rise up and in the early days conquer all challengers. Saddam Hussain did this to any rival at all during his reign as did other tyrants. It wasn’t and isn’t acceptable but is it natural? In a world where the strongest survive – yes it must be as it has happened from the beginning of time. And so when suffering depression, blame should never be levelled in the sufferers direction. Therefore you should not experience guilt either for guilt comes from blame. Tell that to some! One can justifiably be at fault when you know you have an illness and you are in denial or you abandon treatment/medication when diagnosis has been confirmed. For then others around you suffer also. That isn’t natural, its inconsiderate. It's a choice Tony WK

Moonie27 Anyone gone traveling with depression?
  • replies: 7

Hey everyone. I am 23 years old and currently have been living in Australia for 2 years (originally from Nz). I am set to take the leap over to backpack around Europe and the U.K. In June. I know I should be really excited about this but the last few... View more

Hey everyone. I am 23 years old and currently have been living in Australia for 2 years (originally from Nz). I am set to take the leap over to backpack around Europe and the U.K. In June. I know I should be really excited about this but the last few weeks I have gone so far backwards with my mental health I am scared I was taking medication for almost a year and stopped about 5 months ago. I had been doing so well up until recently. Again the last few weeks I have lost interest in everything I used to enjoy, I am a emergency vet nurse and seem to have lost all my compassion for the animals I care for at work, I feel like I am going to cry all the time and I have no normal sleep pattern (mainly due to doing shift work) I feel like I need to consider going back on some kind of medications but i am worried about being on medications while away. What if I can't get to a doctor to get a new script? Or misplace my medications in transit and have to go through those horrible withdrawals again? Basically i just want to know if anyone has traveled while depressed before and especially if you have been taking medications while doing so? Any advice would really help Thanks

Anahata Escaping into sleep
  • replies: 9

Lately I have been feeling so overwhelmed I can't cope with being alive and escape by sleeping every minute I can. On days I don't have to work I typically sleep until about 11.30am, get up and have something to eat and check on my pets, maybe do som... View more

Lately I have been feeling so overwhelmed I can't cope with being alive and escape by sleeping every minute I can. On days I don't have to work I typically sleep until about 11.30am, get up and have something to eat and check on my pets, maybe do something useful like wash up and then I go back to bed where I sleep until about 6.30pm. I am heartily sick of wasting my days - I have a lot of stuff I have to do, but the temptation to escape it all is overwhelming. On days I do have to work I find getting out of bed so very difficult, it's the hardest thing I do all day. I try to get to bed at 9.30-10.00pm to make it easier to get up but I think I just hate being awake and conscious. Does anyone have any tips on how to make engaging with life not seem so awful? I was doing okay for quite a few months, but now seem to be back in the black hole.

Lookingforpeace Pressure to be happy
  • replies: 7

Does anybody else ever feel the pressure to be happy, or even the pressure to just NOT be depressed? My husband and close friends know I have depression, but sometimes when they ask me how I'm feeling, I just pretend I'm okay. Often I will even respo... View more

Does anybody else ever feel the pressure to be happy, or even the pressure to just NOT be depressed? My husband and close friends know I have depression, but sometimes when they ask me how I'm feeling, I just pretend I'm okay. Often I will even respond chirpily to mask it. Partially this is because I can't be bothered talking about it, but sometimes it is partially because I feel pressure to get better, like I know they want me to get better and when I'm not, I guess I don't like admitting it. It's not so much the stigma that prevents me from being honest, as my hubby and friends are very understanding and don't make me feel ashamed for it. It's just sometimes I feel like I'm a let down for not improving. Admittedly, this pressure is entirely self imposed.

ChrisG It's all getting a little much
  • replies: 8

Hi guys I'm new to BB and have spent the last couple of hours reading some posts by some very brave people. This has given me the confidence to reach out so thank you. Like so many of you, my life seems great from an outsider, I have a beautiful supp... View more

Hi guys I'm new to BB and have spent the last couple of hours reading some posts by some very brave people. This has given me the confidence to reach out so thank you. Like so many of you, my life seems great from an outsider, I have a beautiful supportive wife, we have recently been blessed with a baby boy (8 weeks old), supportive family and great group of friends. Over the last few years I've been seeing a phycologist to help deal with mild anxiety that I have been getting through work. We've worked on mediation/ mindfulness which seemed to work. I worked in a high paced, corporate sales environment. Late last year in the lead up to the birth of my baby the anxiety for work got a lot worse and I started getting panic attacks. This then turned into depression, fear of not being able to provide overwhelmed me. This was scary as I was expecting my first child and my wife and I have had a really tough time getting to this point. I didn't want my negative self talk to cloud this special time. GP's have tried some meds, but to be honest I couldn't get through the first couple of days of the meds, I felt like I had completely lost control of my thoughts. So back to focussing on exercise and meditation. I resigned from my high paced sales role to shift careers into something I think will be better for me and my family. I start in the new role next week. This decision has been over my head for six months and now that I've made it new anxietys have appeared, will I be able to provide etc. Some days I'm up; thinking positively about the next step and challenge, others I get really low and feel guilty for the potential financial pressure I'm putting on my family. We have a huge mortgage, like many in Sydney and I'm scared that this anxiety/ depression will effect me providing for my family. I know meds will help the low days and they are starting to get a little worse, but I don't want them to effect my up days, zest for living, energy levels and being able to be present with my family. I feel for my wife who has been on this journey with me. I just don't want to bring her down anymore. Would love any feedback / thoughts you may have.

PigDiesel Where to begin?
  • replies: 4

I'm a 43 year old male thathas had depression for a while now but has recently gotten to the intolerable point recently.

I'm a 43 year old male thathas had depression for a while now but has recently gotten to the intolerable point recently.

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