Immediate support
Immediate support

People like me

When it comes to mental health experiences, identity is important. Take the opportunity to connect with people dealing with similar issues.

Start a discussion
Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Jump to
Young people

A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

h_jc Self-worth and friends
  • replies: 0

hey guys, I am new here but would like to talk about a couple of things. Personally I don't really want to talk to my family about anything because they will probably be all pitiful and send me to a therapist or smth. Anyway, I have noticed that afte... View more

hey guys, I am new here but would like to talk about a couple of things. Personally I don't really want to talk to my family about anything because they will probably be all pitiful and send me to a therapist or smth. Anyway, I have noticed that after a personal failure I am always really distracted and down. For example; after I lose a tennis match at school (tennis is my favourite hobby), I cannot focus on studying later. Or if I get a bad mark, I feel worthless for a day or so after and get sucked into a hole of feeling inadequate and comparing myself to others. Is this normal? How can I help it because it can be really distracting, especially when I need to study or something and I just cannot focus because I feel so down. Secondly, I have a pretty good friend group at school. They are all super nice people but most of them seem a lot closer to each other than to me, and I just feel like they are drifting away. I want to have deeper relationships with them so that I can discuss things like this but I feel like my relationships with my friends at school is kinda just stuck at the stage where we are joking around and nothing really further than that. How can I get to that next stage? I don't want all of my relationships to be so shallow that when I leave school they all just ditch me and then I'll have no friends

ashi Sometimes you just gotta lay down and not do anything
  • replies: 3

The title is literally me for the past.. how many weeks? It could have even been months, no idea. I feel like a zombie, yes, I'm alive, yes, I'm still walking; but, so?I have ambitions, I've lost interest in practically everything, I have two friends... View more

The title is literally me for the past.. how many weeks? It could have even been months, no idea. I feel like a zombie, yes, I'm alive, yes, I'm still walking; but, so?I have ambitions, I've lost interest in practically everything, I have two friends and one of them is a 9 hour flight away and is constantly busy, and I'm not exactly that close with my other friend. I've already lost everyone else, my sibling is busy enough with adult life, I haven't seen my cousins for 5 years and I can't contact them, my parents are completely absent from my life other than feeding me and giving me a house to live in. Home? I got nothing. Right now, I'm not laying down, but I'm sitting in a chair listening to a playlist that's literally just pop funk beats to keep my brain occupied and not think too much, unfortunately, it's not very effective. I commonly tell myself "Hey! You! Yes you! You sluggish and absurdly contradicting idiot! Stop grouching already and make some friends!!", but then I just go "Nope, waking up already drained all my social energy" Extremely funny, I used be super social, but of course teenage years and hormones came in, smashed all my previous thoughts and cut off all my dopamine sources and my neurotransmitters are in permanent sleep mode, so I'm just "hhhhhhhhhhh" every day, no thoughts, and if I do have thoughts, the only thought that comes to mind is "I wonder how much time I have left" not in the "I'm super scared and anxious" way but just in the curious and wonderous way. Ever since I learnt people will die one day, I've been thinking about how I want to live my life, and I've been hearing a clock tick at the back of my head. UGH. The stupid little thing pesters me every day with "Uh oh! Look! You made a mistake!" or "Time is running out!! Do something! Quick!". Oh how I hate that little thing, I imagine smashing it against the wall but I can't, I'll just have to listen to my brain incoherent rambling every day for the next hundreds of years. Either ways, thank you for reading this, and I hope everyone has a wonderfully nice day even though that might not happen.

Erinnnnn Stress
  • replies: 1

Hiii I’m Erin. I’m an international student who is experiencing a feeling which is that I’m trying so hard to approach the person I want to be but failed very often. It affects my confidence and I’m worrying if I could really take good care of my par... View more

Hiii I’m Erin. I’m an international student who is experiencing a feeling which is that I’m trying so hard to approach the person I want to be but failed very often. It affects my confidence and I’m worrying if I could really take good care of my parents in the future…Kind of sad emotion comes along with the more stress when I heard that my grandma was very sick and maybe I need to go back to my hometown earlier as soon as I finish this semester to see her..

Sexuality and gender identity

Peer support and conversations about anxiety, depression and other issues in the mental health space affecting LGBTQI+ people.

Guest_294 I think I may be bisexual
  • replies: 1

Hi beyond blue. I (24F) have been on and off this forum for years with various relationship strains. I have had toxic relationships and painful relationships and relationships that seemed good on the outside but just felt wrong internally. My last po... View more

Hi beyond blue. I (24F) have been on and off this forum for years with various relationship strains. I have had toxic relationships and painful relationships and relationships that seemed good on the outside but just felt wrong internally. My last post was about my most recent relationship with S (26M). I broke it off for a number of reasons but primarily because I felt like I was losing a part of myself to the relationship. I felt like I didn’t know myself whilst I was with him. I have been in a series of long term relationships since I was 18 and am really genuinely single and enjoying that for the first time in my adult life. Recently I met a new friend, L (25F). L and I hit it off really quickly. After we met at an event, the next time we hung out, it was just the two of us and we were talking for the better part of 5 hours, until the early hours of the morning. I feel like she gets me and my brain. We share so many of the same interests, get excited about the same inane shit, and listen to each other passionately rant and rave about whatever hyper fixation we have each caught onto that day. We have since hung out every week, and generally for far longer than is reasonable. When I first met L, we talked about her experience of coming out and discovering her sexuality. It was something I had never considered before but as I started talking about certain things it started to make me reflect on recent experiences... The concert that I went to and felt like the female opener was more than just my normal observation of a girl being pretty, but instead I found her really hot. Or dancing with a girl at a club recently (I was quite drunk) and feeling like I really wanted to kiss her. I hope none of that sounded too vulgar, I am just trying to explain where my mind is right now. The more I think about this, the more I’m starting to feel like the way I feel towards L is more than just friendship. Every time I see her or even think about her I feel like I get nervous butterflies. We are very touchy friends and always cuddling up whenever we’re together or sitting very close. Every time she tells me something about herself I feel myself fixating on it. For example, we recently went to the aquarium together and there was an animal she wanted to see that wasn’t there. I immediately wanted to look up the feeding schedule and figure out when would be the best next time to go. She is so pretty and I get giddy talking to her. Even just typing this out I am feeling all giddy and happy.Part of me feels like this all sounds very transparent and I do have a crush on her but the other part of me thinks I have this tendency to form very intense friendships and over attach to people, particularly female friendships. I also am fairly recently out of a serious relationship with a man so maybe I am filling a gap??? I have never questioned my sexuality before but now I find myself thinking about it all the time. I keep trying to pay attention to people around me and see if I feel attracted to the women I am walking past as well as the men but I generally don’t feel attraction that quickly regardless and it always takes me a while. I don’t really notice it in passing. So it’s hard for me to figure out if this is just about L or if it’s something more. The other really dumb angle of this is I consume a ton of queer media. I always find myself really drawn to the queer relationships (real or unreal) in media that I consume. I listen to a lot of queer musicians and influencers. So part of me is scared I might be projecting from the media that I consume to my own life. I’m so sorry this is so rambly but I am pleading for help! Sincerely a person who is thoroughly confused at the big age of 24 to be realising she might find her new friend really hot.

Aussie Platypus Dealing with school as a queer family.
  • replies: 1

Hi! I’m gender fluid and recently started a relationship with an amazing woman. From the outside looking in we are a lesbian couple, her son is gay and my daughter is cis. There has been situations at his school (high school) and I’m worried there mi... View more

Hi! I’m gender fluid and recently started a relationship with an amazing woman. From the outside looking in we are a lesbian couple, her son is gay and my daughter is cis. There has been situations at his school (high school) and I’m worried there might become situations at my daughter’s school (primary). How do you navigate homophobia and transphobia at school. I want our kids to be safe to learn.

Oakie Worried my husband might still want to be trans
  • replies: 1

I have been with my partner for 5 years now and now married for 6 months.About 3 yrs ago I was told about my husband’s decision to transition into a women many years ago.He lived his life like this and took hormones and was about to have gender reass... View more

I have been with my partner for 5 years now and now married for 6 months.About 3 yrs ago I was told about my husband’s decision to transition into a women many years ago.He lived his life like this and took hormones and was about to have gender reassignment surgery and then changed his mind and started to live male again.Within all of that he lost his marriage and family.This was about 15yrs ago. Then he met me and eventually told me.It was definitely a shock for me to discover.We worked through this and he told me he wasn’t interested in going down this path ever again and we have since built a life together and married.So this morning I was cleaning up and found 2 bras in his toiletries bag.I rang him and asked why he still had these.He said he didn’t know and i can just throw them outHe said the thoughts are something he is battling with alot but makes a choice to not go down that path because it hurt everyone and himself.Before we married I wanted certainty that this part of his life was done and he promised me and I trusted him.Now im feeling confused and lost.Is this his true self.I would prefer him to be his true self then fight these feeling and live a lie with me not knowing what is real and im left here not knowing really of any certainty.I love him and his masculinity is a big part of that and I did say that before we married.I have no idea what to think or feel right now.

Multicultural experiences

Designed for members who were born overseas, have parents who were, speak a primary language that isn’t English or have mixed cultural heritage.

Guest_17578890 It's just not working out
  • replies: 1

I am a 39 year old South African who has moved to Australia 18 months ago. It hard! Harder than I thought and in ways I could never have imagined. I moved for my kids to have a better education and for us all the be safe. I have a working visa but it... View more

I am a 39 year old South African who has moved to Australia 18 months ago. It hard! Harder than I thought and in ways I could never have imagined. I moved for my kids to have a better education and for us all the be safe. I have a working visa but it will be a long time before I'm a permanent resident (4 1/2 years), this means I am in limbo in the meantime as I don't feel like I belong. Pile on the fact that as a South African we are known to be friendly but efficient and no nonsense ie direct. I also have high functioning anxiety for all my life (abused as a kid). All of this in S A didn't seem to be an issue. If I was stressed I'd take anxiety meds, and if I was a little short at work, because of my position it would be brushed off, I'd appologise and we would all move on. Sometimes the general manager has to Crack the whip, it's part of the job. I was never rude or abusive. Now... in Australia, I feel like my entire identity has been beaten out of me. I spend 90% of my energy trying to be extra nice, extra friendly, and nothing gets done...so I do it myself, working 7 days a week to make deadlines without any support. Which of course means I'm achieving but I'm exhausted and can get snappy. I get insecure and i hear people talking about me in the office. Again, I appologise immediately after. I've now been fired essentially for not being nice enough, and every interaction has been twisted and misunderstood/represented to the boss. I dont know what to do...whats the point of being here. Achieving goals at the expense of being a push over and killing myself didn't even work, and not being a pushover is seen as being aggressive. I just can't win. I've given up everything and have nothing to go back to, plus I'd never get my children to come back with me (ex husband is here in australia) so I really have to stay, but will I ever fit in, how do I find a job where I can be myself, or just get a bit of understanding while I acclimatise. I am embarrassed about humiliated by being fired, a second time, after 4 months of probation at each despite achieving and surpassing goals, essentially because of my personality. I know that I dont want to die but I certainly cant live like this anymore. I don't see any alternatives.

Robuu Depression on international student life
  • replies: 2

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.

Guest_74671780 Mixed relationship
  • replies: 4

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.

Grief and loss

Support and advice following the loss of a family member, partner, spouse or someone close to you.

Star18 Heartbroken
  • replies: 1

Oh 2024 the year my heart was broken…. A few months ago now we lost my mother in law which was a shock and last month my beautiful amazing grandma past away whom I was extremely close to… Sometimes the grief of losing my grandma is so bad that it fee... View more

Oh 2024 the year my heart was broken…. A few months ago now we lost my mother in law which was a shock and last month my beautiful amazing grandma past away whom I was extremely close to… Sometimes the grief of losing my grandma is so bad that it feels like I’m drowning … When I lost my mother in law I spoke to a grief councillor which helped but this time it’s all too hard, I haven’t cried since grandma passed and also find it hard to get back into the things I love I feel like I’m just going through the motions to keep afloat

ABC01 Their 1st birthday since passing...
  • replies: 2

Dear All, Tomorrow will be the first birthday of theirs, since they passed.I am terrified. What do I do?They will never get to age up tomorrow. They won't be celebrated happily, with joy and jubilation. No presents. No birthday dinner. I just can't b... View more

Dear All, Tomorrow will be the first birthday of theirs, since they passed.I am terrified. What do I do?They will never get to age up tomorrow. They won't be celebrated happily, with joy and jubilation. No presents. No birthday dinner. I just can't believe that won't happen. I have organized lighting the four candles of grief for them. But that is all. Lighting a candle can represent remembrance, honor and respect. And I booked an appointment in with my psychologist because I don't know what to do with myself. Thank-you for listening. I sometimes feel the world has forgotten him and I want him to be remembered.ABC01

Clauds2203 I lost my soul dog, my furbaby girl 😪
  • replies: 4

I'm really struggling! It feels like I cannot breathe. I lost my furbaby to cancer. Kaycee was only 6 years old and the love of my life. Everything is so hard at the moment. I keep thinking of her. I just want to sleep all the time so that I can only... View more

I'm really struggling! It feels like I cannot breathe. I lost my furbaby to cancer. Kaycee was only 6 years old and the love of my life. Everything is so hard at the moment. I keep thinking of her. I just want to sleep all the time so that I can only dream of her. I am really struggling 😫