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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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AGrace intimacy and mental health
  • replies: 16

Hi all, I just reread the community rules to check if this topic is appropriate, it appears that as long as I feel comfortable sharing with a stranger then im safe. I will however choose my words wisely. I apologise if this has been discussed before,... View more

Hi all, I just reread the community rules to check if this topic is appropriate, it appears that as long as I feel comfortable sharing with a stranger then im safe. I will however choose my words wisely. I apologise if this has been discussed before, I couldnt find any similar threads. My partner and I have been together 5 years and are both very much in love. There is only one slight issue and thats loss of intimacy. I say loss because I know it was healthy before. My partner has taken on the role of my carer while ive been battling with mental illness and now I have this strange feeling that he finds it difficult to be intimate with me. Ok, its not strange, its real. Over the past 6 months ive found myself having to raise the issue with on a monthly basis him to reengage in intimate acts. So here we are 6 months down the track and I think if I dont raise it again it will never happen. The problem is I dont want to have to ask for it or have discussions about it all the time. Firstly it leaves no room for spontaneity, and secondly it leaves me feeling very undesired. In the past he's mentioned the scars I have make him sad but unfortunately I cant remove them. Ive also put on weight thanks to medication and lifestyle changes, but he consistently tells me he still loves me. I dont want a brother or a friend, I want my partner back, but because I feel like my mental health is such a strain on him I dont want to force him to do anything he doesnt want to. My Psychiatrist informed me that my medication could result in loss of libido but fortunately (or in my case unfortunately) its had the exact opposite effect. Does anyone have some words of wisdom that they'd be comfortable to share. Thanks:)

White_Rose I can't ride the roller coaster anymore.
  • replies: 11

I thought I was getting on so well and now I am back in the hole. I don't want to try anymore. It's just too hard and I'm tired of everything. I've tried to help others and thought I was was not doing too badly with life. I know it's good to talk to ... View more

I thought I was getting on so well and now I am back in the hole. I don't want to try anymore. It's just too hard and I'm tired of everything. I've tried to help others and thought I was was not doing too badly with life. I know it's good to talk to others, even via this forum, but no more. I just can't go on.Can anyone give me a reason?LINGbeyondblue's clinically trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 224 636.

Kirlei02 PTSD with depression: after a lifetime, it all makes sense
  • replies: 9

Hi, Not sure what I'm looking for here? About 2 years ago finally got the label that I suffered PTSD with depression, after a lifetime (just about it seems) all of a sudden things started to make sense. I wasn't going crazy, there was actually a name... View more

Hi, Not sure what I'm looking for here? About 2 years ago finally got the label that I suffered PTSD with depression, after a lifetime (just about it seems) all of a sudden things started to make sense. I wasn't going crazy, there was actually a name for the looney toon I thought I was! I have been through numerous counselling sessions, just last year the psychologist who helped really identify things for me. But as we know 10 sessions goes real fast. Really struggle day to day just getting through life, feeling and doing and motivating myself. I tend to stay home, don't ring people don't socialise. My life enjoyment is not there and don't feel emotion often. I'm my own worst enemy as I wont go on normal drugs, just lately have been trialling natural remedies and don't sIeep although tired. Just basically stopped enjoying life. I hold down a job doing rotating rosters which helps me get up each day.I struggle to deal with large amounts of people around (although if I'm in the right head space I can do it .. weird woman I am) I always on high alert in social gatherings, stomach churns etc. II have wonderful children and grandchildren who are there for me, but I spend half my time hiding who I really am.. just because I don't want to hurt them or for them to worry. I don't even know what I'm looking for..sometimes none of it makes sense

fifi highs and lows
  • replies: 6

smack back to reality bam that kinda hurt ! feeling so blah tonight tearing up over nothing ect let down yet again and used by those who are supposed to love me pretty sad really . so all of this is probably sounding really vague i guess i should exp... View more

smack back to reality bam that kinda hurt ! feeling so blah tonight tearing up over nothing ect let down yet again and used by those who are supposed to love me pretty sad really . so all of this is probably sounding really vague i guess i should explain long story short there is more than a few problems within my family unit its funny we are all as mental as each other and i love them but i am so over getting hurt my brother recently became a father any way there had been lets just say issues between us due to a lot of very valid reasons any way mum rang him to convince him to make peace with me blah blah blah so we spoke via message and kind of made peace i still have alot of hurt in my heart that needs to heal before i could fully forgive him . So he says that he is going to send me a photo of his son my late grandfathers name sake that in itself is a little hard to swallow but we breath.Still no photos no message no anything . now this is where mum comes into it sitting at work she called to tell me about the phone conversation ok whatever and then it clicked and she as good as admitted it without even realising it that the only reason she wanted to heal the broken relationship was for her own gain my brother lives in Sweden and mum has not seen the baby yet. insert fiona here I live next door and i have the internet and a Facebook account to be honest i feel so broken right now that its scary . don't even know what to think any more to make matters worse i have run out of anti depressants so have missed today's dose so didn't need that on top of everything else feeling all kinds of crazy dont know what i have ever done in my life to make people treat me like they do and especially my family my flesh and blood heart broken

Mozzie89 How do you cope?
  • replies: 6

I was just wondering if i could get some ideas on how to cope with feeling down? I mean its easy enough to read all the stuff on the web but is there someing that really helps you? I find i have no energy to do anything and it takes me ages to get up... View more

I was just wondering if i could get some ideas on how to cope with feeling down? I mean its easy enough to read all the stuff on the web but is there someing that really helps you? I find i have no energy to do anything and it takes me ages to get up and go. What kind of rewards do you give yourselfs? Chocolate, a night out?

Chloekat84 Trying not to cry. Feeling soo down and depressed :'(
  • replies: 5

I don't know how to start I'm getting very angry easily especially with my son and family who are getting on my nerves about little things when I have been doing good they don't see that. I don't know if it's my new meds but I just wanna cry and craw... View more

I don't know how to start I'm getting very angry easily especially with my son and family who are getting on my nerves about little things when I have been doing good they don't see that. I don't know if it's my new meds but I just wanna cry and crawl into a hole. I hate feeling like this. I've posted on here b4 and I was coping alrite earlier but it just takes one negative comment or my son to not listen to me and I'm a complete mess and everyone sees it. I'm sick of feeling soo helpless to this condition and really need to see my psychiatrist who I'm following up on with my GP tomoro. I just need to calm down. I love my son dearly but the thought of having him for another week makes me feel sick, anxious and depressed. I feel like a failure as a mum to think that. Really need some positive outlooks and or plan for the next few days to keep myself and my son busy during the school holidays that doesn't include money as that is a big problem atm. Feeling hopeless

Bert22 What way is up?
  • replies: 4

Some days I wouldn't have a clue. I've said to people close to me that I couldn't organise a fight at a boxing tournament! This is my first post. I'm early 60's married 36 years,3 kids and 10 grandchildren. Yet, it's a struggle every day to find a re... View more

Some days I wouldn't have a clue. I've said to people close to me that I couldn't organise a fight at a boxing tournament! This is my first post. I'm early 60's married 36 years,3 kids and 10 grandchildren. Yet, it's a struggle every day to find a reason to go on.But I do.The best thing I do is to let go and surrender things into God's hands. This what AA members do so my friends have told me. Can someone tell me what I'm supposed to do about my wife who absolutely refuses to go to counselling with me and has even not turned up at only appointment which she made.She says we've been to counselling but that was 25 years ago.I need to be able to speak about what's causing me to be very depressed and can't. An argument is no good because I can't win it anyway. Don't get me wrong I don't mean to blame her as I have enough in my early life which caused anxiety then and depression now I'm older.She is not the cause of my depression but certainly is a contributor to it being a lot worse. What do I do? Leave and tear the family apart?

Michigan77 All alone
  • replies: 3

Lost of few good friends today. Shouldn't say lost, I pushed them away. 

Lost of few good friends today. Shouldn't say lost, I pushed them away. 

Jimboe737 What is Depression anyhow? Chronic Jet-lag?
  • replies: 6

I have been unable to understand what Depression is about. My daughter has suffered from Depression for many years and I've wanted to help her to recover but didn't want to exacerbate her situation by offering ill-founded or unwelcome advice. In an e... View more

I have been unable to understand what Depression is about. My daughter has suffered from Depression for many years and I've wanted to help her to recover but didn't want to exacerbate her situation by offering ill-founded or unwelcome advice. In an effort to feel comfortable about directly addressing her situation I bought several books that purportedly would explain what it is like for her and what others have done to overcome or manage their condition. None of the books I read really put it in a way that I could comprehend nor identify with, or what it must be like. I feel like I've experienced a sudden epiphany or revelation in terms of my understanding of the illness. I have just returned from a holiday in Europe/England and travelled economy class on a flight from London via Dubai which left England around 11pm. We awoke at 7am so were awake for 16 hours before departure. I had only a few hours sleep before arriving in Dubai. The subsequent flight to Melbourne was disrupted and we had to return to Dubai so the entire trip took around 36 hours instead of the original 24 hours. Except for a few hours of sleep I must have been awake for over 30, in addition to the 16 hours before departure. Overall it was nearly 2 days without adequate rest. As a result I experienced a severe case of jet-lag. The symptoms included lethargy, irritability, confusion, fatigue, bouts of nausea and inability to relax enough to sleep properly at night, but uncontrollable sleepiness during the day. I thought, 'if this is what Depression is like, no wonder people struggle to cope!" I couldn't think straight. I tried functioning during the day, e.g. I tried to order a new battery for my wife's laptop and couldn't even correctly transpose the part numbers into the online order form. I mistakingly wrote an "8" where a "B" should have been, an "S" became a "5" and I left a "0" out of a string of 3 zeros in a row. No wonder the system couldn't find the correct model of battery! This confused kind of behaviour continued for 3 or 4 days until I rested enough to be able to function somewhat normally, but at least I've now recovered. I would appreciate a reply from anyone who is experiencing, or who has suffered Depression, to comment on my symptoms to see if they are similar to those of Depression. If they are, I will be better able to understand my daughter's situation and why it's so hard to overcome. With sleep, at least one can recover from temporary jet-lag!

burkey still here
  • replies: 1

there has to be a better place for me. Is depression when you hide from every one I will not leave my farm unless my wife is with me and then I am afraid some one will come near me. I f I see some one come near my gate I will hide behind a tree till ... View more

there has to be a better place for me. Is depression when you hide from every one I will not leave my farm unless my wife is with me and then I am afraid some one will come near me. I f I see some one come near my gate I will hide behind a tree till they go. I want to die but just cant bring my self to do it as I love my wife to much. I have been on tablets for depression for 3 years but there not working any more. I am scared they will lock me up and never let me out. I just wont to be left alone hope I wont to go to sleep and never wake up again beyondblue’s clinically-trained moderators often work offline (invisible to you) on issues relating to suicide or self-harm. At the same time, general supportive comments from the community are encouraged. If you have concerns around suicide or self-harm, please phone our support service on 1300 22 4636.

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