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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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bit-lost Depression from career
  • replies: 10

I thought I'd post here because I am completely lost. I've been going to therapy, taking antidepressants and I think they have helped me to the extent they can. I've tried lifestyle changes which just don't work out for one reason or another, and I a... View more

I thought I'd post here because I am completely lost. I've been going to therapy, taking antidepressants and I think they have helped me to the extent they can. I've tried lifestyle changes which just don't work out for one reason or another, and I am deflated, hopeless and completely lost. I don't know if depression is fuelling my unhappiness at work or if work is the cause of the depression but it makes it hard to function properly. Long story short, I lived a fast-paced corporate life pretty much as soon as I graduated high school. High achiever, always pushing myself, working full-time, studying full-time, maintaining a ridiculously high GPA. I spent 8 years of my life like this, and fitting myself to the mould. I knew the type of person employers wanted, I knew how to behave, what goals to set... I set myself up for a high-paying, successful career and always had a good income. Well, that crashed and burned badly. I suffered severe burnout. I left that life because my body just gave up on me. All before the age of 25. After time off, I looked for work outside that high-pressure, all-hours sphere. But ever since, I have been completely lost. Before all this, I never worried about what I would eat or how I would pay the psychologist/GP. Before the burnout, I actually enjoyed what I did. I was working on complex work and had ownership of tasks. Since coming back to work, I have bounced from job to job, miserable in everything I have done. We struggle with money now. I feel myself going around in circles every time I look for another job. Everything I am qualified to do does not interest me, and I will probably just be miserable. Things that interest me either won't pay the bills or I am unqualified for. I have tried going back to study twice and dropped out twice because I am still too burnt out to take on more study. I just can't cope with it. So I am at a complete loss because finding other jobs in my (corporate) field doesn't seem to help. It is just not the right field that I studied, and I wish teenage, people-pleaser me knew that. My unhappiness/lack of motivation/lack of inspiration with what I do everyday is starting to impact other things, affect my partner, my relationship, libido long gone, I don't have motivation to gym, and only sometimes do I have the energy to apply for jobs that seem half decent that I am qualified for. Those jobs tick some boxes, but even then don't appeal to me. Words of wisdom much appreciated!

MMMJ I feel alone in my feelings and that no one understands me
  • replies: 1

I'm currently at a point in my life where I am feeling SUPER alone. I don't really have any friends I can talk to, let alone on an emotional level. And my husband is not an emotional person at all. If I tell him about something that has happened or h... View more

I'm currently at a point in my life where I am feeling SUPER alone. I don't really have any friends I can talk to, let alone on an emotional level. And my husband is not an emotional person at all. If I tell him about something that has happened or how I'm feeling emotionally, I feel worse then before telling him because he just kind of turns into a brick wall and doesn't actually consider my feelings or want to discuss what I'm feeling. I just get told to basically "dont worry about it" or i get told im wrong. I don't have my parents to talk to because my Dad passed when I was little, and my mum is emotionally abusive and toxic so I had to remove her from my life. I just feel so completely alone and like an alien. I'm unsure what to do.

Marsy_1965 Hi All I'm new to this site
  • replies: 1

Hi I know this is a support group, however because I've been isolated for almost 14 years. With not one solitary friend, they all deserted me when I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder & Severe Anxiety. So my question is would anybody know o... View more

Hi I know this is a support group, however because I've been isolated for almost 14 years. With not one solitary friend, they all deserted me when I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder & Severe Anxiety. So my question is would anybody know of a support group in Melbourne?

anxietygirl60 Bad day today
  • replies: 2

I almost don't have the energy to type this. I feel like I'm being sucked down a black hole. I hate feeling like this. It's just getting worse as the day goes on and I don't know how I'm going to make it to the end of the day. I just want to sleep, b... View more

I almost don't have the energy to type this. I feel like I'm being sucked down a black hole. I hate feeling like this. It's just getting worse as the day goes on and I don't know how I'm going to make it to the end of the day. I just want to sleep, but when I try, I can't. I seem to be pretty close to tears a lot of the time and it's frustrating because I don't want to be like this. I think I've been stuffing my feelings way, way down for so long that they're starting to catch up with me again. I had a bad patch like this in around 2014-16 and I don't know if I can deal with it again. My sister, mother (on my birthday) and father all died within a nine month period in 2007-08 I had a bad patch of depression that lasted a few years, went to a counsellor for about five years until I realised that we were just going over the same stuff so I stopped going and then there was a romantic disappointment that happened in 2014 that really did a number on me and pushed me over the edge. Thought things were improving but then my dog died in 2019 and covid hit just after and I have become a recluse more or less - I'm self employed and work from home and my business is starting to suffer as I can't seem to do the things necessary to keep it going. Anxiety is through the roof and I find it difficult to relax at all even when I look like I am relaxing to other people. Went back to the doctor the other week but I don't think there's much she can do to help as I won't take medication as it's one of my anxiety triggers. I'm scared I'm going to have a reaction to it or something stupid like that. I feel like an idiot most of the time because I know that I'm doing this stuff to myself with the thoughts that I am thinking. It's just so hard to derail a dark thought once it get momentum. Just needed to come on here and vent because I won't vent to the people around me as they think I'm pathetic enough as it is. Thanks for reading.

Earth Girl I get bullied by retail assistants
  • replies: 3

A lot of people who work in stores at the shopping center went to my school and I got (and still get) bullied a lot by a lot of people I went to school with - even when they are at work. This has been going on since I started high school. For example... View more

A lot of people who work in stores at the shopping center went to my school and I got (and still get) bullied a lot by a lot of people I went to school with - even when they are at work. This has been going on since I started high school. For example a guy made a rumor that I was a lesbian and when I was in year 9, I was looking around in a clothing store and the two girls working there were talking about how I was a "lesbian" and were saying "ewe" and covering their faces. This was a long time ago, but I'm still hurt and annoyed about it especially since they were acting like this while at work. Last year in October or November, I was in a different clothing store and one of the retail assistants was talking to her coworker about me and said to her "Every time I see her, I'm like, you suck. She's misogynistic. Like, if she was a man..." and I didn't hear the rest of that, but when I went to the check out to buy something the other coworker (the nice one - I hope she's nice) served me and when she had finished serving me, I walked off, but was still in the store and then the mean coworker said to her "Are you okay?" and the "nice one" laughed lightly and said "yeah" and then the mean one said "I thought to myself, I was going to check up on her, but I like watching her struggle haha" (whatever that means). I don't see how I'm misogynistic. I seem to get called every insult ever by people from school (f*g, wife beater (I've always been single), tr*nny, sl*t, etc). I told my parents what happened and they didn't care and I told them that I wanted to make a complaint about it and my Mum said "Just don't worry about it." My parents tell me that they want me to be happy but don't care that I get bullied. Should/can I still report this? That coworker was being really nasty and unprofessional. I don't know if the other coworker says the same things or if she felt like she just had to go along with what her team member was saying. The "nice one" seems nice and smiles at me when I go in the store so I'm assuming she isn't bullying me as well?

discombobulated_bob Help
  • replies: 3

I’m a youth dealing with depression, and I just want to know if there are any good coping mechanisms or like, ways to distract yourself from the sadness? I’m not really ready to accept myself this way and I really would like to find out if I can feel... View more

I’m a youth dealing with depression, and I just want to know if there are any good coping mechanisms or like, ways to distract yourself from the sadness? I’m not really ready to accept myself this way and I really would like to find out if I can feel just the tiniest bit better.

La-994 28 year old male, confused and helpless
  • replies: 5

Hello fellow members. I should start by saying that writing the following is me at my most vulnerable, and is not something I have even considered doing before. I'm a 28 year old male. Please forgive me if this comes across the wrong way, but if a st... View more

Hello fellow members. I should start by saying that writing the following is me at my most vulnerable, and is not something I have even considered doing before. I'm a 28 year old male. Please forgive me if this comes across the wrong way, but if a stranger were to look at me on paper, they would probably deduce that I am happy and successful. I have worked very hard throughout university and my career, I managed to save up and buy a house, cars, have travelled extensively, I have an established career and a good relationship with my girlfriend of 5 years. Throughout my early 20's I forged ahead with what I thought was an impenetrable strength. An 'I can conquer anything' attitude. I tried to engineer my life and plan extensively so that I would avoid suffering, hurt or uncertainty. Some may read this and think I have nothing to worry about. Indeed, I have tried to tell myself this many times over. And yet, for the past 1.5 years, I have been trying to manage my way through what is by far the hardest period of my life. It started with health-related anxiety, which spiraled into a cycle of anxiety symptoms feeding others, me worrying about those, that causing a loss of sleep, which led to feelings of depression, and so on. At its worst, I would contemplate thoughts of suicide and had no idea what was happening to me, and how I could 'fix' it, like I could solve other problems in my life and at work. More recently, the realities of ageing have hit me like a freight train. I am seeing friends get married, start families, all with a seemingly carefree ease and what feels like unobtainable level of happiness. Good young 'Aussie blokes' following life's path without too much care or concern. I have become extremely worried and confused about my future with my mind spinning relentlessly not knowing if I want children or not, worrying about my parents ageing, and feeling very little confidence or faith in whatever path I choose. My thinking about the future and making sure I 'get it right' has become obsessive. I am barely mentally present at work, I can't sleep properly (wake up with panic attacks throughout the night, getting about 3-4 hours at best), and although my girlfriend is supportive (bless her), I worry about dragging her through my relentless sadness. I am really struggling.

EverythingsOK Egads! I am having a heckin' crisis!
  • replies: 1

I'm a trans guy who has been dealing with depression for a while now. One of the things that's been getting me down lately is my balding. It's hard to watch my hairline recede and see more and more of my scalp every day. I've tried different treatmen... View more

I'm a trans guy who has been dealing with depression for a while now. One of the things that's been getting me down lately is my balding. It's hard to watch my hairline recede and see more and more of my scalp every day. I've tried different treatments, but nothing seems to work. It's hard to feel masculine when my hair is falling out. Another thing that's been weighing on me is my loneliness. Being a trans person can be isolating, especially when you're not able to connect with other people who share your experiences. I don't have a lot of friends who understand what I'm going through, and it's hard to find someone to talk to about the challenges I face as a trans person. On top of all that, I have a prosthetic penis that's always a reminder of the body I wish I had. Sometimes it helps me feel more like myself, but other times it just makes me feel like a fraud. I wish I didn't have to resort to a fake penis to feel comfortable in my own skin. All of these things together have been making my depression worse. It's hard to find joy in life when so much of it feels like a struggle. But I'm trying to stay hopeful and keep moving forward. I know that there are other trans people out there who are dealing with similar challenges, and I hope that someday I'll be able to find a community where I feel like I belong. I freakin' love science!

chloelouise23 Post natal depression and anxiety
  • replies: 4

I have 2 beautiful children. Girls - 8 months/2 years.they are the light in my life and I do and will do everything and anything for them.I have felt like I have experienced post natal depression and anxiety since I had my 8 month old. I was hoping f... View more

I have 2 beautiful children. Girls - 8 months/2 years.they are the light in my life and I do and will do everything and anything for them.I have felt like I have experienced post natal depression and anxiety since I had my 8 month old. I was hoping for a vbac to realise she was in distress and did a poo inside me, me and dad both had Covid. I had to get another emergency C-section. Dad went home and I did it all alone and with no support. I don’t know what words to say but since then I have felt really depressed and felt anxiety and just low. I love my daughter but cannot connect to her how I did with my first daughter. I feel like a horrible mum and I feel very low

GreenEgg Sad
  • replies: 3

I’m feeling really sad, like I’m just a burden and everyone would be better off without me. It’s my birthday and I just want to disappear.

I’m feeling really sad, like I’m just a burden and everyone would be better off without me. It’s my birthday and I just want to disappear.