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Anxiety and depression aren’t the only mental health conditions. Share what’s affecting you and learn more about managing your mental health.

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Anxiety

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with anxiety.

Max15 Always looking forward
  • replies: 0

Not sure if I should be on this forum. I'm always looking forward and never satisfied with now. It has affected my previous marriage and is now affecting my new relationship. I have nothing to be sad about, I have a great relationship (as I did previ... View more

Not sure if I should be on this forum. I'm always looking forward and never satisfied with now. It has affected my previous marriage and is now affecting my new relationship. I have nothing to be sad about, I have a great relationship (as I did previously) I have a beautiful house, good job but can't get my head to be satisfied. I never feel good enough. Not sure what to do or if I really need to do anything except ignore.

EllyJoy work anxiety
  • replies: 1

I have always struggled with Anxiety and Jobs. I have been working since 2014. In that time I have moved workplaces 6 times. (2 hairdressing jobs and 4 childcare jobs) Currently I feel like I am carrying around a big rock in my chest, caused by my fe... View more

I have always struggled with Anxiety and Jobs. I have been working since 2014. In that time I have moved workplaces 6 times. (2 hairdressing jobs and 4 childcare jobs) Currently I feel like I am carrying around a big rock in my chest, caused by my feelings towards work. I also feel that I have experienced some workplace bullying recently. I have recently been so uncomfortable at work that I couldn't eat any meals until night-time, and even then not much. It's affected my sleep and my wellbeing.I have reduced my work hours. I work in Early Education and always put on my best front for the children, being kind, friendly and caring. But i feel so burnt out doing this work and being uncomfortable at work because of poor relationship with my boss is making me feel awful. I also feel guilty because I feel I shouldn't be working children if I feel this way.I volunteered 6 months of this year doing Administration with an aged care charity which was very refreshing. It was a calm and quiet environment, and much easier on my body. Every time it comes to making a real change, taking a new industry job or moving on I just get paralysed by fear of change. So I end up getting burnt out, taking a new childcare job, hoping for better. But it never works out. I'm also just afraid that the problem is me and that I'll never find a job where I am happy. I have lots of hobbies that I love, so my job doesn't need to be the end all and be all. What really want to do is just quit. I want to rest in bed for a week. Go back to volunteering, work causally and try out some different industries. If have read this, thank you. I feel so lost.

Slippers anticipatory anxiety
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, I hope you are well.In the past four months the RBA has increased the interest rate 4 times. While I am working I am starting to struggle making ends meet. I am stressed about what happens if or when I cannot afford my mortgage, eat and ... View more

Hi everyone, I hope you are well.In the past four months the RBA has increased the interest rate 4 times. While I am working I am starting to struggle making ends meet. I am stressed about what happens if or when I cannot afford my mortgage, eat and save some money. The indications are that the Reserve Bank with put up interest rates again next month, I am not looking for to a possible increase and a letter that my mortgage has gone up again. I am new to mortgages, I don’t know what my potential options are.I am thankful that I am able to sleep okay at night, I find weekends hard as I have free time to ruminate possible scenarios, I try and get as much sleep on the weekends simply because I am tired and two I can forget my troubles for a few hours. I have family, but it seems every time we speak I have to initiate the conversation, and I am getting sick of it. They demand I call them. Any advice or guide you can share would be good. I am okay for the moment but I look at the future and worry, they call it anticipatory anxiety

Depression

Depression affects people in Australia every day. Share your own story and learn about other member’s experiences with depression.

NonStampCollectorFan A picture worth a thousand words?
  • replies: 1

I left some pictures here. ranging from sad to good. How do you feel about any picture?1. Father with an IQ of 7 has to fight the government from taking his daughter(Mean women government lawyers smirking) 2. You don't like real girls - Blade Runner ... View more

I left some pictures here. ranging from sad to good. How do you feel about any picture?1. Father with an IQ of 7 has to fight the government from taking his daughter(Mean women government lawyers smirking) 2. You don't like real girls - Blade Runner 2049(Agent/officer on quest being poked at by hookers) 3. Father with an IQ of 7 has to fight the government from taking his daughter(kind handicapped men being friends) 4. Final Scene of "Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice upon a time"(the open hand of wife and companion) "You do not have permission to upload images"

Mr K I'm so lost I don't even know what to look for.
  • replies: 2

I've had some great times in my life but the memories of these are so faded I can't recall them.I'm so exhausted by life that I can't even remember what I enjoy anymore. If I have spare time I can't think of anything I'd like to do so I never seem to... View more

I've had some great times in my life but the memories of these are so faded I can't recall them.I'm so exhausted by life that I can't even remember what I enjoy anymore. If I have spare time I can't think of anything I'd like to do so I never seem to do anything. I seem to go through the motions trying to survive and feel totally stuck in a rut. I'm being treated by prescription for anxiety and I've previously seen a psychologist who helped me transition through an abusive marriage and eventual separation and divorce. I have 50% custody of my children who I love and live for but I worry that my lack of drive, will be detrimental to them. I wish I were energetic, motivated, and excited by life. I wish I was good at small talk and could tell people about the fun times I was enjoying. Everyone seems to have a plan, or a dream and here I am just trying to make it through another day. 😞

randomx l can not stand what the world is becoming
  • replies: 8

Change change, update update, learn this be that, gdp's and countries becoming so inter tangled , cultures lost and as if Australia needed to lose what tiny culture it did have? The internet/computers/smart phones, l just hate what it's doing to the ... View more

Change change, update update, learn this be that, gdp's and countries becoming so inter tangled , cultures lost and as if Australia needed to lose what tiny culture it did have? The internet/computers/smart phones, l just hate what it's doing to the world, lives ,our young, just so wrong our minds and blown stress is higher than ever in history, so damn depressing and never ending. BB has changed, Ebay l use for work never endingly, every time l go to run ads l have to learn whatever latest bs changes they've made since. My trading site one of the best l'd found, they've completely ruined, it's not even customizable anymore. It's taken 6mth to hack my own new computer and ways to stop never ending updates - you normally can't turn of, yet they suck up your data , computers stops whenever it feels like it middle of anything fitting updates. Yeah you can at least set a time- just more bs. Not to mention important stuff just lost bc of updating. And BB , sorry but what on earth possessed them to do whatever they';ve done to this place, it's unusable to me now. Not to mention 3cam band at top now using valuable screen space with nothing in it that couldn't be set on a1cm high line instead of taking up 3cm of your screen, the word counts stuffed, threads are ridiculously set out. The insanity of changes all these places make- out of pure boredom l'm sure, ANY of them touch anything, l've seen so many sites just ruined. Thank the Gods we've at least got a new Gov now with at least some soul and undoing and bringing in sooooo many things our country's been so desperate for so long yet had been rail roaded into putting up with the last 10yrs. Maybe the materialism mentality with all polished up brand new everything and shallow life it's become here will find some soul again, so many things. So much about the world now. Gdp's,wars, competing, climate,internets and never ending new gadgets and change and updates, monstar insane mortgages,costs of living- learn this manage that cope with this get with the program, talk about "the human condition" There it all is right there. rx

PTSD and trauma

A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

cady2015 Career change
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Hi all.I hope you’re reading this and feeling well.I work in an intense industry (mental health). Intense for me, anyway. I consider myself a highly sensitive person. I live with PTSD and anxiety is prominent. I have struggled somewhat for years. Alw... View more

Hi all.I hope you’re reading this and feeling well.I work in an intense industry (mental health). Intense for me, anyway. I consider myself a highly sensitive person. I live with PTSD and anxiety is prominent. I have struggled somewhat for years. Always get told I’m burnt-out but not quite meeting the criteria because I’m still meeting all my job requirements. I get told I’m doing “too well” to be considered burnt-out. Or that I’m thriving under pressure. But internally, I feel like I’m crumbling. The Sunday Scaries are getting really intense. I am really stressed getting ready for my day. And really drained at the end. I do “do well”, as they say. No one would ever, ever know.I am also a creative and recently got offered a work from home role in this area. Completely out of the blue. Certainly not as “rewarding” and definitely not what I went to uni for.But I’m starting to think that living with PTSD, working in an intense role and juggling other responsibilities is a bit much. My employer is super, super supportive.My issue is that because they are so supportive, I feel like I’m letting them down. I also compare myself to others. They can do it. Why can’t I? I feel like I’m running away. All my mental health training is screaming “this is avoidance!” And yet, if a client came to me with this predicament, I’d support them to explore that it’s okay to slow down.I know the grass isn’t always greener. But working from home sounds idyllic. I’m a very motivated person. I do feel I’d need to make an effort to work from coffee shops on occasion and network for that sense of community. But I can set my own hours, work around my kids, wear my pyjamas as needed.I feel like I’m failing. I am so jealous of people who can do “all the things” without feeling like they need to cry every day from the stress. I have some great friends who are giving a few mixed opinions. Some say I should go for it. Others say it’s a waste of a HECS debt and everything I’ve worked hard for.Has anyone else changed careers as a result of their mental health? I’d love to hear all about it.Thanks in advance.

PrincessMilktea Sexual assault is one of womanhood's darkest, most unreported rites of passage
  • replies: 11

It happened to me again tonight. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised it happened - or that I'd be blamed for it. Why was I chosen? Why was I made to feel unsafe in my own body? Scared of my own shadow? We're taught to cover up, get home before dark... View more

It happened to me again tonight. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised it happened - or that I'd be blamed for it. Why was I chosen? Why was I made to feel unsafe in my own body? Scared of my own shadow? We're taught to cover up, get home before dark, watch our drink, re-think that mini-skirt, keys between the knuckles - ritualised surrender to the reality of sexual violence and misogny.I can't walk anywhere now with someone behind me without my heart thundering, my blood rushing to my ears, my mind haunted with flashbacks. I can't tell my man why I'm simultaneously aroused yet ghastly afraid of the very things that make him so attractive to me, of his larger muscle mass, those meaty, square-tipped fingers that could just as easily bestow violence as they did rapture. I can't tell him that I can't associate sex without violence and violence without men.I can't tell him those things because he'll just look at me with some mixture of sympathy and confusion, the one worn by a bystander observing a reality he will never face but understands on a rational level, exists. And sure, men are raped by other men too, and in some ways this serves as a larger humiliation for the male ego, yet the acute vulnerabilities exclusive to women, but absent in men, makes the threat far more proportional and unimposing for the latter. Men will never experience other men the same way women experience men, and in this decoupling, is why discussions of rape culture and patriarchy will always be mediated through the fear of the victimised and the indifference of the invulnerable as she negotiates her worth on his deaf ears. There is no fairness in this. No justice.And though I'm harrowed by my experiences with sexual assault and male indifference to it - I know that when he asks me later tonight if I'm doing okay, it'll send a deluge of shame down my spine for having thought so ill of him, even in generality. Time for a cry.

Rupes79 EMDR Therapy
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Hi All, Has anyone undergone EMDR therapy and if so can you share your experience? My psychologist has recommended I undertake a course and has said you don’t have to talk about the issues with the therapist. I don’t quite understand what she means i... View more

Hi All, Has anyone undergone EMDR therapy and if so can you share your experience? My psychologist has recommended I undertake a course and has said you don’t have to talk about the issues with the therapist. I don’t quite understand what she means is would be keen to hear some experiences of others. thanks

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

This space discusses suicide and self-harm. Consider limiting the time you spend here. To use the section safely, read the pinned discussion.

GB3000 Correctional Services toxic workplace
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I’d like to tell you my story of how I was a victim of workplace bullying. I worked for the department of correctional services in a high security prison. I have been with the department for well over 7 years and have seen some very inte... View more

Hi everyone, I’d like to tell you my story of how I was a victim of workplace bullying. I worked for the department of correctional services in a high security prison. I have been with the department for well over 7 years and have seen some very interesting things. I’m a 6 ft 31 year old man of aboriginal heritage. During my years with the service, I have been assaulted, threatened to be killed, have had piss and shit thrown at me, all these things have happened to me but I accepted it as part of my job, dealing with the worst of society. But nothing has brought me to my knees as bad as being victim to cruel and inhumane workplace bullying at the hands of my work colleagues. Just recently my ex girlfriend had taken her life due to circumstances I can’t comment on and it’s left me in a state of grief, thoughts of whether I’m to blame for her demise and could I have done more to help her. I had found some sort of level of peace and had come to terms with it after a few months. Until one day, I decided to have lunch at the staff, the first time I have been to the staff mess since the passing of my ex. I was sitting down enjoying a nice hot bowl of soup when my supervisor walks in. He immediately begins to crack his jokes and dark humour, takes one look over at me and says “Geez mate, you’ve got a pretty shit track record of women” and I pause and say “How’s that mate? To which he replies “Well you’ve gotten one pregnant and ya last one killed herself” those words completely breached my thick skin and cut into my soul, it was as if I was glued to my seat, I couldn’t move I couldn’t speak when all I wanted to do was get up and leave. To end this conversation my supervisor laughs and said “I bet you raped her to? I was In complete and utter shock! I knew this man for 7 years of my working career in corrections, he was like a mentor, a friend, a brother whom I had confided in during the loss of my ex. He used it all against me to grandstand himself in front of all our peers at the staff mess. I wrote him up the next day which is a cardinal sin according to the Blue shirt code. It still hasn’t given me peace and has caused nothing but anxiety and worry! I can’t sleep and I’m not eating, I feel so on edge all the time. I’m hoping this investigation will give me clarity. Thank you for allowing me to voice this story. Anyone else have a similar story?

allthecolours It shouldn’t be this hard
  • replies: 2

Hello I am struggling to find hope and I don’t know why it is so hard. I have just come out of a long term relationship with the man I thought I would end up with. I moved cities, forgave lies, forgave him when he left me in a room to do drugs while ... View more

Hello I am struggling to find hope and I don’t know why it is so hard. I have just come out of a long term relationship with the man I thought I would end up with. I moved cities, forgave lies, forgave him when he left me in a room to do drugs while I had an abortion, calling the police while I had a cigarette to avoid his alcohol psychosis - due to the constant begging for forgiveness and the empty promises. All of it took years of recovery and ended when he told me he couldn’t deal with his actions and he wasn’t okay when he entered the relationship. He tried still but I couldn’t be with someone who was unsure he could be with me and wanted to set himon a path to find his happiness as he expressed. A bruised ego shows no soul and no respect, or so it seems. I now find myself leaving the home I created with nowhere of my own to go, a career that suffered at the expense of his and am now being sexually harassed at work. I have no energy left to keep on trying. I tried for so long. Why won’t this end? All I can think about is the peace of death but my family would never recover. I don’t really know what I’m asking for other than a safe space and hopefully some helpful words, because I can’t go on like this. everyday I think about death and every day I breathe, I feel like the oxygen is almost gone

ladus You ever feel like life is meaningless at a base level
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Like given how insignificant all of this is what’s the point? im not at the end of my rope but it seems like if you want to get anywhere with mental healthcare you have you be busting into the emergency room threatening to off yourself there and then... View more

Like given how insignificant all of this is what’s the point? im not at the end of my rope but it seems like if you want to get anywhere with mental healthcare you have you be busting into the emergency room threatening to off yourself there and then and MABYE theyll give you a spot on the waitlist its got me thinking mabye they’ve got the right idea, life’s clearly not scared to the powers at be so why bother, all just seems like we are keeping going because that’s what someone else wants us to do, why can’t I just take the long nap and try my luck at whatever comes next?