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BeyondBlue Welcome, read this if it's your first time here !
  • replies: 0

Hey there This section is where you can find many of the longer conversations that are happening on the Forums. It is a special place for people who have been sharing and suporting each other for years. We know that our mental health can be a journey... View more

Hey there This section is where you can find many of the longer conversations that are happening on the Forums. It is a special place for people who have been sharing and suporting each other for years. We know that our mental health can be a journey with ups and downs. Take a look through these longer conversations and you can see how supportive, validating and kind this community can be. It can be tricky to join an ongoing conversation but please feel free to contribute. You are the expert in what has worked for you and what you are living with. We want to hear it and these wonderful discussions are only ever richer for what you can add. There are a few tips for this section of the Forums that might be helpful Have a good read. These are long and in-depth conversations so before you step in, have a read of a few posts to get a sense of the space. It is not a great spot for New Topics. Comments are very welcome, but if you want to start something fresh try another section of the Forums. Thanks for your understanding, we want to hear what you think of these conversations and look forward to your contibutions. Thanks Beyond Blue

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yvngxbludgwm BPD + OTHER RUINING LIFE?
  • replies: 1

Hi, I am 16, misdiagnosed up until 2019. I have C-PTSD, ADHD, CHRONIC ANXIETY, BPRD AND BIPOLAR DISORDER. My family abandoned me and I am finding it hard to even do things I used to love, has anyone found a way out of this before...

Hi, I am 16, misdiagnosed up until 2019. I have C-PTSD, ADHD, CHRONIC ANXIETY, BPRD AND BIPOLAR DISORDER. My family abandoned me and I am finding it hard to even do things I used to love, has anyone found a way out of this before...

jd2345 Pervasive negatives emotions.
  • replies: 1

Despite doing better for myself, I've been medication free for almost two years now. I've also moved out of my parent's household, which has been a life saver.I still very often feel many negative emotions when given space to think. All the shame, an... View more

Despite doing better for myself, I've been medication free for almost two years now. I've also moved out of my parent's household, which has been a life saver.I still very often feel many negative emotions when given space to think. All the shame, anger and sadness paralyses me and I get stuck in loops for hours to days at a time.I wonder if this is okay considering my circumstances. I've been traumatised multiple times throughout my childhood and teen years. I was bullied a lot in school both by peers and a teacher. Parents were stressed and could never communicate well when it came to emotions. I was medicated for most of my life, which numbed my emotions and as a result never allowed me to process traumas and emotions for a decade.Nowadays, I keep myself busy by going to mental health groups, socialising with the help of a support worker and will soon be volunteering at a community garden. Despite the objective improvement of my life, I am still bitter and in despair.Maybe I'm just grieving everything I need to grieve. But I have very strong emotions about the world I live in. Maybe I am disillusioned, or perhaps even just deluded. I could just feel powerless, I'm a bit unsure.

Peppermintbach Sad musings
  • replies: 1348

Hi everyone, I'm not sure what to say other than I'm just on edge, cranky and sad at the same time. I'm aware of helplines, doctors, mental health plans, mindfulness, CBT, smiling mind app, distractions, doing things we love, etc, etc. I feel as thou... View more

Hi everyone, I'm not sure what to say other than I'm just on edge, cranky and sad at the same time. I'm aware of helplines, doctors, mental health plans, mindfulness, CBT, smiling mind app, distractions, doing things we love, etc, etc. I feel as though I've hit a wall... I know that I want to make some sort of change or changes but I'm unsure of the nature of this change. A general feeling of unease. When you're deeply unhappy but you're not even 100% sure why. Seriously, this all probably seems kind of vague and I'm not sure what I'm hoping to achieve here, and I know that no one has the answer except for me (whatever that is...throws hands up in frustration). All I can say is I think life is difficult and often painful. It's the daily, in-between moments that I find the hardest. Sometimes I wonder if brief moments of reprieve is as good as it gets. Pepper

anon_1475 bpd new diagnosis
  • replies: 1

recently diagnosed w bpd. it all makes sense and feels validating but i’m scared of the stigma. i’ve even noticed my bf has withdrawn since i told him about it

recently diagnosed w bpd. it all makes sense and feels validating but i’m scared of the stigma. i’ve even noticed my bf has withdrawn since i told him about it

Flyingsolo-_ Lost
  • replies: 1

54, care for my mum (85) no friends, and the few I have don't want to listen to Me. All I get is "it will pass", your doing great! . No one has the time to listen without judgement. Yes I often wish I wasn't around. I take risk with medication and al... View more

54, care for my mum (85) no friends, and the few I have don't want to listen to Me. All I get is "it will pass", your doing great! . No one has the time to listen without judgement. Yes I often wish I wasn't around. I take risk with medication and alcohol, but still wake up in the morning. I guess bc I can't do this to my mum I try and keep myself busy, however injuries from the ADF has limitations. I've stopped eating as im no longer hungry, dont even think about food. I've got my ph on DND as im not interacting with anyone. Yes I do see my Dr and shrink frequently and to no avail to be honest. I'm not even sure if this will even work. I've got family friends passing away around me and I dont get a chance to grieve. They say put your mum into respite, but my pride won't allow that. I have no family members to rely upon, as they are dealing with there own issue's.

Unbeliever Is depression a natural reaction to an insane world?
  • replies: 253

This is a thought I have been pondering for a while. The default to view depression as "something wrong", or a "brain chemical imbalance" or as "a disease" or something that "needs to be fixed" or requires "medication" or "therapy" appears to be the ... View more

This is a thought I have been pondering for a while. The default to view depression as "something wrong", or a "brain chemical imbalance" or as "a disease" or something that "needs to be fixed" or requires "medication" or "therapy" appears to be the most common response of practically everyone. From doctors, to psychiatrists, to therapists, to the general population, to the depressed individuals themselves... the universal belief appears to be that "the person needs to get help". But what if... the living in depressed state is correct? What if it isn't an "imbalance" or isn't something "wrong"? What if being depressed is the only natural state to be in for an intelligent, empathetic, compassionate, informed, thinking individual to exist in the current state of our world? What if to NOT be depressed about is the true indication of mental sickness? I'm not saying that being depressed is fun in any way... most people on this forum would be well aware that it sucks. But that is not what I'm saying. What I mean is... could existing in a state of depression be completely natural for someone living in a place where so many things are obviously terrible... both on a personal level and in the world as a whole? My reasons for this perspective are numerous. Far too many to write in only 2500 words. But basically... The real world is an extremely depressing place for any person that cares at all about anything outside of themselves. Eg. If you care about animals... the reality is many beautiful species are already lost forever, many others are so close to the verge of extinction that even if everyone worldwide decided to do everything they could to save them... they would still be lost. At home there are people that still buy people animals as christmas gifts, refuse to desex their pets, the massive amount of pets put down in pounds annually. There is backyard animal cruelty, the dog racing industry using live bait, shooting race horses with legs, women's hormonal treatments for menapause, the meat industry, birds choking on our plastic half a world away, overfishing. The list goes on and on. It is reality and it is depressing. Care about animals and feeling "depressed" about it IS correct. And that is one tiny subject in a plethora of subjects. 3 billion people in starving poverty, the water wars, religious fanatics, corrupt governments, womens rights violations, slavery, wars, child rape, etc etc It's the people that are not depressed that worry me.

Canyoufeelit Hey I'm Dave
  • replies: 1

you can't get angry once you have died inside.. your mask becomes an emotionless zombie face.. and you should by now now how to pull yourself in and out of deep psychosis .. just remember with the loss of happiness , you lose anger and fear.. you can... View more

you can't get angry once you have died inside.. your mask becomes an emotionless zombie face.. and you should by now now how to pull yourself in and out of deep psychosis .. just remember with the loss of happiness , you lose anger and fear.. you can follow the psychosis deep ..once you can see what others only see in nightmares .and shrug it off . You see why some poor men and women can't keep fighting.. know one knows what's real...perception is each to there own.. maybe the doctor who tries to crack into your thoughts is the crazy one... He just doesn't know it.. .life is what U make it.. and I dropped mine, in the sand , then it got rained on and a dog shat on it!!. But somehow I fluked having an amazing son.. so I got backup to fight my demon's.and a reason for hope and the power that love gives. And I think that's life's golden nugget..

Guest_2412 Coping strategies for unrelenting anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi I have been experiencing varying degrees of anxiety and grief for the past week months. Anxiety has been part of me for 20years.Normally it eases and goes away eventually. This time it is lingering and getting worse each day. My head is full of “n... View more

Hi I have been experiencing varying degrees of anxiety and grief for the past week months. Anxiety has been part of me for 20years.Normally it eases and goes away eventually. This time it is lingering and getting worse each day. My head is full of “noise” .. not a thought but a discomfort that I can’t shift - I think this must be “anxiety” .. I am a survivor of child abuse and neglect.. now in my 40s… I was wondering if others have found they need to adopt different strategies for anxiety over time - my ones of seeing friends, family, community and exercising aren’t working like they once did. Is this normal? What have others done if they’ve reached this point?

tmas Illness, malaise, and trying not to disappoint others
  • replies: 5

Long story short, I got long covid after my second bout 5 full moths ago. The experience of being sick was itself terrifying, I had a few days of being unable to move my limbs, sciatic pain, and for a day or two couldn't even speak and struggled to b... View more

Long story short, I got long covid after my second bout 5 full moths ago. The experience of being sick was itself terrifying, I had a few days of being unable to move my limbs, sciatic pain, and for a day or two couldn't even speak and struggled to breathe. I felt like I was wading through sand, and wasn't physically able to ask for help when I needed it. I just looked like I was sleeping it off from the outer. I honestly think I had some sort of post traumatic response to this, I'm still trying to move through it and it hasn't been a good last week or two. I'm over the worst of the debilitating fatigue, but I still have a host of weird bodily pains and symptoms that interfere with my daily life. My partner, who nursed me through the illness and is generally just the most beautiful person, had a lot of trouble understanding what fatigue is as he's never seen it before and didn't realise the extent of my illness because I'd hidden it. My problem is that when I feel malaise, I try to hide it to not be a burden. I've made progress unlearning this since moving in with my partner but it's hard wired. I start to observe him interacting with my behaviour, and the dissociated feeling eats at me. I feel like a disappointment. I try to push through and act fine, but he can obviously see through it and before we discussed this openly he interpreted the detachment as disinterest or withdrawal from him on my part. I have OCD, in my teens it was severe enough for several hospitalisations, something else that has followed me. I had health obsessions, complicated by the fact I have an autoimmune disease. I started having panic attacks again in the last few months, I was brushing off the "minor" ones but I had a full blown hyperventilating one a week ago after I got in my head about something and it terrified me. I have body pains that are pretty constant, but sometimes quite acute. Today my neck went into spasm so I couldn't join in with family - he was very worried obviously so I downplayed it, and then I could tell he was disappointed. He suggested just resting at their house, but I know my pain would have gotten worse if I tried to go. I don't know how to handle this feeling that I'm failing those I love when I'm so overwhelmed by the discomfort I constantly have moving through my body. Just looking for some wise words.

jaken 5 days after quitting cocaine
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone I’m new to this but thought I would share my journey . Never did any drugs up until 5 years ago when I turned 35 .Alcohol was a once a year thing and 2 glasses would have me dancing on tables. I was then introduced to coke . At first it w... View more

Hi everyone I’m new to this but thought I would share my journey . Never did any drugs up until 5 years ago when I turned 35 .Alcohol was a once a year thing and 2 glasses would have me dancing on tables. I was then introduced to coke . At first it was super casual and slowly progressed into every weekend . I would get excited just to do it . During the lockdowns it became far more frequent . Every Third day on average I would say . Last Monday I decided to flush the remainder and I’m now about to sleep and complete day 5 . I find myself getting irritable and somewhat anxious . I have thought about it a fair bit but I continue to remind myself about everything I hate about using it . All the thoughts I would feel afterwards etc I have delete the dealers numbers and blocked the contact as well . I started training again this week and I will say that my body is already feeling a lot better . I just wonder how long the cloudy image I have been seeings for the past five years will last ( if that makes sense ) does anyone have any tips for me and timelines of when I could be on top of this