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BeyondBlue Hi! Read this if you are not sure what this section is all about
  • replies: 0

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond B... View more

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond Blue also recognises the complexities of identity and that people may identify with more than one community. Depression, anxiety and suicide can affect any of us at any time – regardless of our culture or background. We also know that a range of factors can make it harder for people in some communities to seek and access support. This section is for members born overseas, are the children of parents born overseas, have a language other than English as your primary language, or come from a family with mixed cultural heritage and want a specefic space to share their experience. Please be aware that posts in this forum may contain discussions of suicide, self-harm and/or traumatic life events. As per our community rules, please be mindful when posting about the level of detail you share on these topics as it can be upsetting for other members. We look forward to hearing your stories. Beyond Blue

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Ann_ACD Fairness at work
  • replies: 2

Where do we(non-white people) seek help to find fairness at work especially when the management already decided which side they're on?

Where do we(non-white people) seek help to find fairness at work especially when the management already decided which side they're on?

1fr4 Stressed
  • replies: 6

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that life can be so exhausting, even when I haven't done much. I've struggled a lot with caring for myself, feeling safe and having fun. I worry too much about what others will think and always assume that o... View more

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that life can be so exhausting, even when I haven't done much. I've struggled a lot with caring for myself, feeling safe and having fun. I worry too much about what others will think and always assume that others hate me. It's gotten to the point where when I first started living independently to now, I barely go out and just maladaptively daydream. It's stopped me so much. I've also thought of seeking professional help. If anyone wants to, please use this post to share your experiences, I want to know how others are or have been working things and if you have any advice (of course I've heard of the 'don't give two hoots of what others think and do it!' but it's so hard). Anyways, thank you for this

Ronnie Bengali Australian
  • replies: 1

Hey there! I was born in Bangladesh and moved to Australia when I was young. I completed my Master's degree and am currently 42 years old. I also serve as a Justice of the Peace and enjoy doing a lot of community work. Even though I love being part o... View more

Hey there! I was born in Bangladesh and moved to Australia when I was young. I completed my Master's degree and am currently 42 years old. I also serve as a Justice of the Peace and enjoy doing a lot of community work. Even though I love being part of this multicultural society, I sometimes find it a bit challenging to connect with people, especially when it comes to making female friends. I’m excited to meet new people and build some meaningful friendships!

BeyondBlue Hi! Read this if you are not sure what this section is all about
  • replies: 0

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond B... View more

Welcome to the Multicultural Experiences section of the Beyond Blue Forums. Beyond Blue acknowledges and respects the diversity of communities across Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Australians. Beyond Blue also recognises the complexities of identity and that people may identify with more than one community. Depression, anxiety and suicide can affect any of us at any time – regardless of our culture or background. We also know that a range of factors can make it harder for people in some communities to seek and access support. This section is for members born overseas, are the children of parents born overseas, have a language other than English as your primary language, or come from a family with mixed cultural heritage and want a specefic space to share their experience. Please be aware that posts in this forum may contain discussions of suicide, self-harm and/or traumatic life events. As per our community rules, please be mindful when posting about the level of detail you share on these topics as it can be upsetting for other members. We look forward to hearing your stories. Beyond Blue

hs5u seeking some advice on how i should behave in an australian work place with bosses
  • replies: 5

hiI come from a different country and my english language is a second language and ive been living in australia just over a year now and I sometimes have trouble understanding the ways of things of the native english speakers and i just wanted to get... View more

hiI come from a different country and my english language is a second language and ive been living in australia just over a year now and I sometimes have trouble understanding the ways of things of the native english speakers and i just wanted to get some help from people to guide me to adapt in the working environment in australia. When i first got a part time job at a large retail chain i noticed some workers there are the in charges, team leaders, upper managers and i noticed usually these people don't try to get along with other working employees like myself and i presumed that they are the bosses with some responsibilities and didn't want to socialized at workplaces. One trouble im having at the workplace is getting along with these people in a way that is not intrusive of their positions but still getting along as an employee. Most of the time up till now it has been saying the greetings when i see them which i have been having difficulty with. It would be something like, they would go "hello how are you" then i would respond with something like "good thanks how are you" and a lot of them afterwards don't look happy and wouldn't make eye contact with me and up until now i still don't understand what i am doing wrong here. I have been trying to be friendly at workplaces, cooperative, and supportive but when it comes to talking to the bosses i find it daunting and stressful. This is also my first time having a job and i just wanted to seek some advice on what i might be doing wrong and how i should behave at a workplace and in an australian setting if any of the people can help me out it would be greatly appreciated

Robuu Depression on international student life
  • replies: 3

Life as an international student can be extremely tough, especially when you're in a foreign country, trying to navigate unfamiliar systems. In my case, I was unknowingly influenced into participating in fraudulent activities. I had no idea what I wa... View more

Life as an international student can be extremely tough, especially when you're in a foreign country, trying to navigate unfamiliar systems. In my case, I was unknowingly influenced into participating in fraudulent activities. I had no idea what I was doing, being new to the place and the culture. This mistake led to the suspension of my NDIS, cutting off essential support that I relied on.Without the NDIS, I lost my job, making it impossible to pay bills, fines, or even manage daily expenses. As the financial pressure mounted, it became harder to keep up with tuition fees, leading the school to cancel my Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) due to outstanding fees.I tried speaking with the school to get my COE reinstated, but they refused, demanding full payment upfront—something I simply couldn’t afford. Desperate, I reached out to friends for help, but they were more like acquaintances, "hi friends" who couldn’t offer the support I needed. To make matters worse, my family back home is depending on me, adding to the burden.All of this led to feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and a deepening sense of isolation, leaving me battling with bad thoughts and the weight of depression.

AJH Why do all white girls hate me?
  • replies: 13

I'm a 37 year old mixed race male where unfortunately my mothers Philippine genes left a stronger mark on my looks than my white Dads genes did. Theres a saying that 'we can't help what we are attracted to' and in my case that is white girls; those o... View more

I'm a 37 year old mixed race male where unfortunately my mothers Philippine genes left a stronger mark on my looks than my white Dads genes did. Theres a saying that 'we can't help what we are attracted to' and in my case that is white girls; those of English, Scottish and Irish descent. Blondes, redheads and blue eyes do it for me. My misfortune with women has plagued me my entire life. No girlfriends through high school. I couldn't even get any of my female peers to partner up with me to do the Deb in year 10 or the year 11 formal or year 12 valedictory. I had to miss out or just go alone. I did hear that they all rejected me because apparently I would have spoilt the photos of their special night...I tend to agree now. I'd turn myself down if I could too lol. After high school I did TAFE for 4 years and same thing again; no interest in my whatsoever despite my attempts and advances. I didn't kiss or hug my first girl until I was 33. We met at church. An unrewarding relationship stumbled along for 3 painful unrewarding years. We never had sex...I wanted to but she declined. Towards the end the kissing stopped as well because apparently I made her sick...glandular fever or something. So I'm still a virgin and a loser because of it. I've had no luck at singles events, speed dating, online dating which I've spent a small fortune on. No one is interested or replies unless they are a scammer. I've lost money to that as well...perhaps I care to much. I don't know what to do. It gets me down quite badly not being good enough for anyone. It gives me a headache every day of my life. My zest for life has dried up. The days where I don't have work it is a battle to even get out of bed. This isn't how I imagined my life would turn out. I'm not a bad person and I haven't done anyone any wrong. But the nightmare is real. I don't see a way forward apart from undergoing plastic surgery which will be very expensive. I've done the psychologists via the mental health care plan, antidepressant medication, hypnotism (didn't work but I went along with it because I felt bad for the practitioner), life coaching which was very expensive, love coaching in Melbourne, reading a lot of self help books and more. Does anyone suggest what I should do? Thanks.

Guest_74671780 Mixed relationship
  • replies: 5

So I'm in a long distance relationship with a mixed male who is white-mexican and he grew up all Hispanic, I'm Australian white and when he told an aunt about me she said "I was going to taint the blood line" and so I've been trying to embrace his cu... View more

So I'm in a long distance relationship with a mixed male who is white-mexican and he grew up all Hispanic, I'm Australian white and when he told an aunt about me she said "I was going to taint the blood line" and so I've been trying to embrace his culture more so that they don't feel that way and I'm not really sure what do to and it stresses me out alot because if him and I get married and have kids I don't want his family to disapprove or make comments further as they should be happy he has someone who loves him, so I guess in a way I want to impress his family aswell as him.

Miraculously101 Belief systems
  • replies: 2

I'm a middle child of an immigrant family. Born in Australia, however conditioned, nurtured and natured by my parents values and belief systems. Recently, I discovered - Realised the most important life changing moment. Fear and control no flexibilit... View more

I'm a middle child of an immigrant family. Born in Australia, however conditioned, nurtured and natured by my parents values and belief systems. Recently, I discovered - Realised the most important life changing moment. Fear and control no flexibility in this way of thinking.how the family dynamics Made me feel inferior - like -something is wrong with me - I can't receive blessings - help care love support because there is a belief that there something wrong with me. The manipulation- self sacrifice, made to feel like the victim and this of course begins n the patterns - repeating cycles generation cycles a state of being in service no escape no spark no room for creating and I feel small Im not allowed to follow my desires, my energy or a to give to others. how dare I think about myself. i know some things are far too painful and I'm trying to make myself feel this to free myself from this patterns and rigid mind set of fear and control that's means removing myself from these people and replacing them with a redirect of consciousness. so wounded

1fr4 this is difficult
  • replies: 7

Hi guys, I'm a uni student who moved from India last year, I'm going to turn 20... it's 2025, a new year and for some time now, I've come to reflect on my experiences living alone here. This was my first time living independently and although I recei... View more

Hi guys, I'm a uni student who moved from India last year, I'm going to turn 20... it's 2025, a new year and for some time now, I've come to reflect on my experiences living alone here. This was my first time living independently and although I receive support, I come from a dysfunctional family. I have never done anything other than study until year 12. Coming here has shown me how I live life (and I don't think it's healthy at all, others can see it too). I suspect I have ADHD, Anxiety & Depression. It's been pretty hard for me but even taking care of myself like cooking meals and keeping myself clean has been a huge challenge. Most of all, I feel like I've barely even studied in my first year. I'll start the next year soon and recounting everything, I feel like everything is too much. I feel like crying but I've only done it from the inside. Seeking professional help is expensive and my relationships with family and friends and most of all, myself are very bad and inconsistent. What do I do? Where do I even begin?