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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 chats on this Forum having 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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Gracie_PY4 Work
  • replies: 2

Hi there, My names Grace. The past couple of months now I’ve been struggling with some depression and bad anxiety about everything in my life pretty much . I’ve been working my way through things with my psychologist slowly. My days however have no j... View more

Hi there, My names Grace. The past couple of months now I’ve been struggling with some depression and bad anxiety about everything in my life pretty much . I’ve been working my way through things with my psychologist slowly. My days however have no joy, I don’t have any hobbies anymore, except gaming and Lego but they fade a bit too. The only thing that brings me joy are watching tv, I guess to distract myself, and family occasions, however that doesn’t really work well. I recently dropped from full time to part time. I really struggle at work. My bosses are hard to work with, they can be condescending and rude sometimes. I feel like I’m failing at a job I’m actually doing well in. This job feels like the same thing everyday, if you know the movie it feels like ‘Groundhog Day’. Everyday is miserable and ongoing. I no longer have the energy to speak to customers or do tasks, or want to turn up. Everyday I have to drag myself out of bed feeling completely miserable knowing I’m going to do the same thing everyday. Even though I’ve become part time it still doesn’t feel different and I don’t feel any better. I am currently looking for a job, no responses from anything and I have no motivation to apply for anything anymore, however the fact that I want to get out of this job. I just feel very unhappy and don’t know what to do. My parents say keep applying but for me that takes so much energy and work, and I always will do it, but I just feel very sad.

Sarah929 Compulsive liar, help!
  • replies: 33

Hi all! I'm new here but my problems aren't new. I'm a compulsive liar. i remember telling little lies when I was younger, like, if something wasn't done or forgotten my mum would say "we will just tell your dad this.." that seemed to be the easy way... View more

Hi all! I'm new here but my problems aren't new. I'm a compulsive liar. i remember telling little lies when I was younger, like, if something wasn't done or forgotten my mum would say "we will just tell your dad this.." that seemed to be the easy way out for everything. As I got older, my lying increased, more so when my parents split and my dad drank a lot and my mum cut me off to spend time with her "friend and his kids" and only wanted to spend time with me when it was convenient. I gradually worked out how to lie to my parents to get what I wanted, whether it was to get out of going to school or to play them against each other. I knew it was wrong but I wasn't getting caught so it was easy. Then my dad found someone he wanted to spend his life with, he became a different person, but I stayed the same. I continued to lie until one day his now wife picked up on it, my dad said "she wouldn't lie" but I was. Always lying about something so that I didn't have to deal with the consequences. The thing that no one tells you is you have to remember every little lie you tell or it's going to come back and bite you on the bum and all that "perfectness" will turn to crap and stopping isn't just as easy as saying "hey I just won't lie anymore" you cannot stop yourself, the words just come out of your mouth and that's it. Another hole you've dug. Fast forward to today, where my lies have dug me into such a deep hole I cannot get back out, I'm anxious, I can't sleep, I'm depresssed, I've lost pretty much everyone that cares about me because of the lies. Today I decided that I'm tired, I'm tired of letting everyone down. I'm tired of feeling this way. I called someone for some help. I have to fix this before my daughter picks up on it and thinks it's okay to live your life this way. It's not. Anyone who's reading this and thinking that a few little lies are okay, it's not, those little lies turn into bigger lies by the second. Then eventually your lying becomes so out of hand that even when youre telling the truth no one believes you. Sorry for the ramble I just needed to get it off my chest. I just feel so alone because of all the lies that I'm left with no one. thanks for reading

Rach28 On Centrelink medical exemption and feeling burnt out after searching to study/work for 5 months
  • replies: 1

Hey everyone. I am currently on a 6 months Centrelink medical exemption as my mental health has really been impacting my ability to search for a job/ study options. For the past 5 months since November/December 2024 I've been frantically searching to... View more

Hey everyone. I am currently on a 6 months Centrelink medical exemption as my mental health has really been impacting my ability to search for a job/ study options. For the past 5 months since November/December 2024 I've been frantically searching to study at either TAFE NSW or private organisations that offer Smart Skill Government Funding as I'm currently on Centrelink JobSeeker that allows me to avoid playing upfront study fees or a huge discounted study fee considering I have a disability. So I'm wondering is anyone else on a medical exemption, and dealing with huge burn out due to struggling with long term mental health (specifically anxiety, depression and PTSD). I am just unsure whats going to happen in the next 6 months. I'm planning to just continue to engage with my 2 psychologist support systems, inform them about this update and rebuild my confidence. I'm possibly looking into volunteering once a week, just to fill my time and make a positive contribution to my community. Otherwise I've never felt so lost. I have this huge passion for wanting to work with animals, and its such a niche and competitive career industry I'm attempting to enter with NO professional experience or training. However I have studies two animal studies courses online with no work placement component, plus I have previously been a pet owner. So yeah guys I feel so mentally lost. My brain doesnt have the energy to think about this because when I do my mind spirals out of control and I need to take time out. I've been struggling with anxiety/depression and PTSD since early 2018 and its only got more intense and severe every single day, month and year that passes. The stress of dealing with Centrelink, Australian Government, job providers and the stress of being on Centrelink payments for several years and struggling with a huge employment gap due to all of this. Its really hard and I'm tired. I guess I'm writing this to seek out if anyone understands how I feel right now and advice on my current situation. I feel lost and my mind is a complete blank. What do I do?

Guest_57468504 idek if im doing this right but hi
  • replies: 1

hey this is my first post thingy and i wanted to test it out. I just want to clarify that I am not diagnosed with any MH conditions and only have concerns for my own MH. I hate to be that person who self diagnoses but im curious to see if I have any ... View more

hey this is my first post thingy and i wanted to test it out. I just want to clarify that I am not diagnosed with any MH conditions and only have concerns for my own MH. I hate to be that person who self diagnoses but im curious to see if I have any MH conditions. I worry that I may have (high functioning) depression and possibly ADHD. Again, I hate saying that though because I hate to self diagnose. Many of my friends tell me that they suspect I may have it. and now that I look at my family members (including uncles and younger cousins) I see that that might actually be a possibility. BUT, I come from a middle eastern household that doesnt really talk abt MH or Mental Illness and dont really see psychologists (which is funny bcs I wanna be one when I'm older). So no one I know has been diagnosed and I'd feel weird to go up to my parents and ask to seek help. And the depression started in the beginning of Febuary last year but I had experienced periodic episodes previously which would last for a couple months at a time (but I wasnt aware of what was happening at the time). So, every since the beginning of last year, I have been feeling strong feelings of emptiness and numbness bacically. Don't get me wrong, I have a large group of friends who I love so much and I am always energetic around them only because none of them know how i truely feel (except one but we dont talk that much anymore. its a long story). Sometimes I feel that I have to cry due to so much anger, self hate, and self doubt but can't get the tears out. Or have full converstations regarding my MH struggles (like this one) but when it comes to talking to an actual person I either freak out or avoid it completely. I have been recently getting alot of flashbacks of a SA incident but because I was so young, the same 2 seconds replays in my head. Also, the fact that I am doing a drama piece on PSTD and MH does not help (the flashbacks started getting more frequent once I began working on the piece). Anyway, I hope you have the best day!And remember, Jesus Christ loves you

Rach28 Feeling depressed and lost after bad news regarding study
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I am writing this while tearing up for the second time this week. I spent the past 5 months waiting to study a course which would launch me into a career working with animals. It's my dream and still is! I applied online last week and ye... View more

Hi everyone, I am writing this while tearing up for the second time this week. I spent the past 5 months waiting to study a course which would launch me into a career working with animals. It's my dream and still is! I applied online last week and yesterday I got the results of my application and due to the fact I said YES to i need funding support they rejected it and I was unsuccessful. I've been grieving this course for 2 weeks now and all I can do is cry about it because I wanted it so badly. I even found out that my job coach pushed so hard that she convinced the manager of my Disability Employment Provider to provider funding so I could do the course pending I get accepted in. Which obviously wont happen now. I just feel so down the dumps right now, both my two psychologists (one for anxiety/depression and the other PTSD) are very aware that this has impacted me severely. I just did some researching after getting the rejecting and found out that this particular organization has terrible management and terrible staff turnover. I checked GlassDoor reviews and Seek.com.au. So in general I feel my passion for animals doesn't align with their focus on making money - even if they are a very well known animal welfare organization Australia wide. So as you can guess right now I'm depressed and anxious, I'm trying to not tell myself that I'm a failure and that good news will come to me soon. Note: Yes I've considered applying for Centrelink DSP but both my psychologists agree its a "band-aid" solution to a bigger problem. And yes the thought of applying for the DSP gets me very stressed out. So I'm back to Square one and trying to navigate what to do. I'm considering potentially a job working at at dog groomer (I would require training as I havent have NO experience or training). And otherwise I would be happy to be an animal attendant at another organization that genuinely values animals and doesn't priorities profit. So yeah - I dont know if anyone else is currently going through something similar to me. Dealing with constant doors closing infront of their faces and having to pick themselves up over and over again. I dont want to give up but right now I'm trying to fight for a career I want but so desperately confused how in the world I am going to get there. I wish there was a guidebook for this stuff. Signing off with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. R

Ash_music 24/7 sadness
  • replies: 3

Hi I'm Ash Noir and I struggle with anxiety, social anxiety and a few others. I have recently been feeling really sad, like everyone in the room has given there sadness to me. My chest feels heavy and I start crying for no reason. I don't know what's... View more

Hi I'm Ash Noir and I struggle with anxiety, social anxiety and a few others. I have recently been feeling really sad, like everyone in the room has given there sadness to me. My chest feels heavy and I start crying for no reason. I don't know what's going on. I just can't seem to pick myself up and carry on. As much as I try, and as much as I want to, I can't be happy at the moment. This has been going on ever since my coach said it was inappropriate for me to correct people on my gender as I am non-binary. Also I have been told to stop drawing on myself even though I use it as a substitute for self-harm. And ever since then I have felt...... Wrong. I feel more misunderstood then usual. I have been more anti-social then usual. And I'm just struggling. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you, Ash

Samuel Trouble managing school and personal life
  • replies: 1

Hi, I've been struggling with school, its so much work and I feel I'm expected to do too much. Most of my subjects I feel won't help me in the future at all, and i don't have enough time for my won personal projects or subjects such as anatomy and ph... View more

Hi, I've been struggling with school, its so much work and I feel I'm expected to do too much. Most of my subjects I feel won't help me in the future at all, and i don't have enough time for my won personal projects or subjects such as anatomy and physiology and art. I'm not one to waste my life away, but i'm struggling to get work in time and at this point i'm burnt out. How do i deal with this?

unknown-08 Depression
  • replies: 1

Hi so uhh i am new to therapy and opening up about my struggles and problems but i have been going to a therapist for about 3 years now and only started to open up completely about my struggles.i had a very ruff childhood so much that i cant remember... View more

Hi so uhh i am new to therapy and opening up about my struggles and problems but i have been going to a therapist for about 3 years now and only started to open up completely about my struggles.i had a very ruff childhood so much that i cant remember much about it and being in therapy it has gotten me to remember some of my childhood and its not pretty to say the least.. i have been told have i have high functioning depression. and so opening up has been really hard for me and depression has taken my social life completely, i never go out or do things with friends, i go out for work and school and thats it..i was looking for some advise about getting out my comferzone.

white knight Depression recovery plans
  • replies: 1

I'd like to share with you how I recovered from my depression many years ago. A multi layered approach was my plan and these included reviewing aspects of my life I had the capacity to reflect upon like- Relationships. Toxic people might be only toxi... View more

I'd like to share with you how I recovered from my depression many years ago. A multi layered approach was my plan and these included reviewing aspects of my life I had the capacity to reflect upon like- Relationships. Toxic people might be only toxic to me not others, regardless I had to learn to remove them. Embrace those that had empathy and respect for my efforts to support themWork. Changing my profession/workplace was importantHobbies, following a sportRest. Waiting for the cycles to fade away before motivationRelaxation techniques. Muscle tension exercises were effective for meBack to basics videos, like appreciating a sunset, bees collecting nectar etcDiet, sound sleep and light exercise Lowering expectations of myselfAll these routines are things we can do that is only sometimes mentioned in a psychiatrist's room but can be fundamental in assisting their treatment of your illness. Self help can make such a difference but self help also isnt available due to the level of debilitation you are suffering. So you need to wait for the moment you feel up to the tasks. Remember- you are in control somewhat of your treatment with your medical professionals. I had a poor experience in 2009, after 6 years of ADHD medication and psychiatrist visits I decided to get a second opinion and - diagnosed with bipolar, depression and dysthymia with reducing anxiety. The ADHD meds never worked (several tried) so once on the bipolar meds things picked up remarkably. So just be aware that they are human also and a second opinion can be worth the effort. They say "smell the roses". Physical disabilities need rest for healing and mental health issues are no different. Resetting your life, navigating the many possible aspects of your life that you can change or minor tweaking can be significant. You could come out the other side of the ordeal much more in control with far less triggers, closer relationships and sunsets seen in a different light. "Never forget how wonderful we think you are". ONE BLINK Of all the souls that click on the linkBeyondblue forum within one blinkWhen you are down and in such a statethrough words and hope- you participate And when that sun sets yet againTo mark the evening with yet more painShare your hurt, with hope- maintainAnd the sun will forever rise up again…. For it is a form of love and careWhen you look around and nobody’s thereThe press of a key and click on a linkBeyond blue forum in just…one blink… TonyWK

Nix Rock Bottom
  • replies: 1

I feel like I have hit rock bottom. I just turned 26 and I am so mentally unwell and depressed that I can't do anything. I have no family support as they've cut me off. I have agoraphobia so leaving the house without my carer is damn near impossible.... View more

I feel like I have hit rock bottom. I just turned 26 and I am so mentally unwell and depressed that I can't do anything. I have no family support as they've cut me off. I have agoraphobia so leaving the house without my carer is damn near impossible. I can't work or study because dissociative amnesia and undiagnosed neurodivergence. I'm stuck and everything feels like it's crushing me. I don't know where to go from here.