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Just Sara A Bouquet for Pearls - share your appreciation for other members
  • replies: 715

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful word... View more

Every now and then, members share a beautiful Pearl of Wisdom. How often do you think to yourself; "OMG that's great! I wish everyone could see this." Presenting someone with a bunch of flowers is a generous way of acknowledging their insightful words. I hope this thread stays active through members giving out praise regularly to people they feel deserving, and therefore keep generosity of spirit alive within the pages of BeyondBlue Forum. My bunch of Red Roses (my choice) goes to Wishful for the following sentence; 'Personally, I see no reason to be praised in me, but I'm learning that seeing through the eyes of others can be more accurate!!' I so hear you Wishful. Just beautiful... Try to keep your leading comments short to focus on 'their' words. Choose specific flowers (or a gift if you like) to present to them. Sign off respectfully and sincerely. I hope this takes off... Spreading the love...Sara

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Guest_128 Learning Disabilities, YOU, YOUR MEMORY,and Mental Health
  • replies: 10

Hey to you, Recently I forced myself to do a two day first aid course,the first 90% was hands on and I had so much fun,making everyone laugh,challenging the teacher with questions(she hated me) and seriously being interested. The last 10% was multipl... View more

Hey to you, Recently I forced myself to do a two day first aid course,the first 90% was hands on and I had so much fun,making everyone laugh,challenging the teacher with questions(she hated me) and seriously being interested. The last 10% was multiple choice,no dramas easy as,there was 18 people in the class ranging from 15yrs-68yrs. I was the last to leave! I read and re-read a lot of the questions,they didn't make sense,she hadn't said anything about these questions I thought. Some I was positive I was correct. 20min after the last person had left,I handed my test over. XXXXXXXX WRONG She then read out a question that couldn't get,bam just like it was nothing I answered with the correct answer. What the go???? She passed me of course. My family were so proud of me. Yip pee I was not! That night I typed something different into google, LEARNING DISABILITIES (I was always typing memory loss) OMG !!! The flood gat s opened,This is me there talking about. Anger fell on me,why didn't anyone tell me? Some things that make me believe I have a learning disability. I can't remember,people's names,friends,relatives kid names,holidays ,time frames,books,the page I just read,passwords,movies,doctors,emails,perfume,phone numbers,words to songs or who sung a song.birthdays,number plates,licence numbers,when I saw people last,how old my parents are. How to get the emails up on main computer,spelling is very bad. I have lived at this house for 5yrs,I can't temper house phone or post code. ETC What your experience on Learning Disabilities and Mental Health?? some

white knight Develop defiance, stand proud
  • replies: 5

I think it was Newton that realised a force is opposed with an equal force to be neutral. So in our world if their was no equal force between countries, they would sooner or later be invaded when a tyrant comes along. It could be argued this is "life... View more

I think it was Newton that realised a force is opposed with an equal force to be neutral. So in our world if their was no equal force between countries, they would sooner or later be invaded when a tyrant comes along. It could be argued this is "life" because it occurs too often and at all levels. A child in a sandpit gets sand kicked in his face. The bully continues until the victim decides "enough"...and counters the attack. We as often "weaker" people struggling to cope with our lives dont welcome bullying in the mildest form. Yet we swallow it. This could be from lacking confidence, being massively outnumbered or because its not in our nature to portray such a predatory persona. So when we are pursued the worse form of reaction we can do is to do what is natural for us and that is being submissive. To just take it. We should develop our defenses even if that means a rehearsed repetitious one. Being defiant from ignorance is not in our nature. Here are some examples of how to balance any onslaught - "So just snap out of it" answer "so, you've snapped out of depression yourself? I didnt know you were unwell" "There's nothing wrong with you" "forgive me, but my psych studied for 15 years to diagnose me, how much study have you done?" "You're just after sympathy" "its such a fine line between sympathy and compassion, most get it wrong" "I expect you to be less disruptive tomorrow" "I hope so to, even though I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations" "You need to take more meds" "perhaps if you took some for that statement I wouldnt need to" Notice the vein of sarcasm needed? That needs practice. If you are like me you return home and stew over why you didnt counter that hurtful comment at that dinner party. This defiance of verbal aggression will level that playing field some like to play on and you cant level it without "hitting home" with sarcasm. And it takes only a few moments to save yourself hours of regurgitation. Stand proud. Return the volley. Do it calmly and direct but above all else, retain your true compassionate loving and caring person you are. And accept any forthcoming apology with grace. Just as it is with colour of ones skin, religious choice, sexual orientation, physical disabilities and so on we deserve the right not to be treated less equal. Be defiant when required. Google Topic: so what are their mental illnesses- beyondblue Tony WK

SummerCrossing Mental Illness Podcasts/Resources
  • replies: 2

Hi Everyone Thought I would write this thread in the orientation forum considering the topic is quite general and pertains to all of us. I've recently come out of a major depressive episode which lasted 2 months, and have an eating disorder. I'm just... View more

Hi Everyone Thought I would write this thread in the orientation forum considering the topic is quite general and pertains to all of us. I've recently come out of a major depressive episode which lasted 2 months, and have an eating disorder. I'm just getting back on my feet and starting to learn more about myself and how I can recover moving forward in life. For the past week I've been going for long sunny walks every morning (not looking forward to winter !!) and listening to some really interesting and engaging podcasts from iTunes. My favourite is Mental Illness Happy Hour, and I've also listened to a few from ABC Radio's All in The Mind. Has anyone heard of them? Does anyone have any other recommendations? Mental Illness Happy Hour explores a range of different mental illnesses and is always SO honest and refreshing in that sense. I think they've also helped because they've normalised, and made me feel less alone in this journey of mental illness. If anyone enjoys watching YouTube videos, I also think Kati Morton's videos are really helpful. I hope for a good week for you all

Dr_Kim Taking things the wrong way (on the forums and in life)
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone I am just jumping into this forum to say a few a things about how thoughts and feelings can mess us about in the hope that these insights are valuable in understanding why we get ourselves into certain beliefs about ourselves. Throughout ... View more

Hi everyone I am just jumping into this forum to say a few a things about how thoughts and feelings can mess us about in the hope that these insights are valuable in understanding why we get ourselves into certain beliefs about ourselves. Throughout time, humans are evolutionarily wired to survive. Some of the things that have evolved to maximise survival also become a pain in the ass when they step in at the wrong time or at the wrong level or frequency . A common example of this is a panic attack . There is a primitive or reptilian brain (your amygdala) that sits on top of your spinal cord deep in your brain. It controls the “fight , flight or freeze” reflex that we have as a response to perception of danger . This was a very handy evolutionary responce when we were cave men as it allowed us to very quickly respond to predictors and not get eaten!! However , when it fires at the wrong time in response to an inappropriate trigger , its called a “panic attack”. Over riding that is our thinking brain or mammalian brain (the cortex ). This part of your brain has all the filing cabinets in it with information about making sense of the world around us and deciding how to act . So if we hear a noise outside and use our cortex we can “ think “ about whether it is really a sabre tooth tiger, or just wind in the trees…( probably the latter given those tiger are now extinct!!) . Similarly, we are wired to “make stories”. We put together explanations for things in our heads because as an evolutionary response , the people who did this quickly, were probably less likely to get eaten by that tiger! As in “noise" and “dark" - quick , run! But … in this day and age , putting a story together fast with scant information often leads to an inaccurate story line and conclusion . We want to buy into it , it feels right to believe it , but in fact its just what a lovely therapy educator , Brene Brown recently called our SFD ( Shitty First Draft ). Meaning that we have taken a few dot points of info and drawn together a shitty narrative as that is the way our brains are wired. Stepping back and saying “ hang on a minute… is there another explanation , another way this story could be interpreted ?” takes time and emotional strength . ( by this time our cave men ancestors would have been well and truly eaten by that sabre toothed tiger!) . Being curious about our internal emotional world , the way we resist dealing with things , the barriers we put up to allow us to hang on the SFD…its hard therapy work and kind of “unintuitive”.. but can reap huge rewards. This can be really important when reading and interpreting posts here on the forums. So team, what is your SFD? What are the barriers that unconsciously you may put up to not challenge this self view? I hope this may help shed light on some ways of viewing some of the beliefs , stories , thoughts and feeling responses on this forum.

white knight DIET and EXERCISE
  • replies: 6

This thread is purely for encouragement and introducing your ideas that enable you to eat well and keep fit. The psychiatrists I've visited over the years have stressed the importance of these two components to our lifestyle. Sadly I've not excelled ... View more

This thread is purely for encouragement and introducing your ideas that enable you to eat well and keep fit. The psychiatrists I've visited over the years have stressed the importance of these two components to our lifestyle. Sadly I've not excelled well until my 61st birthday on 31st March 7 weeks ago. That day was the beginning of MY diet. I'd tried all other diets known to man I think. So this was my plan. I do not have the following items in our home- Bread. Except pita. Pita is very low in sugar and fat. Potatoes. Sweet potato is ok Sugar. No more than 2% in items. Full cream milk. We use low fat milk No pasta. We use rice sticks. No fat no sugar. Tastes good. We do eat- Rice. We boil the rice with one tablespoon of coconut oil. Allow to cool then refrigerate or freeze it. The oil breaks down the calories in the rice when cold. When you reheat it you are eating half the calories of the normally cooked rice. Soups. We love our vegie garden. JAP pumpkin (Kent) is the best for soup. Cook normally but add on half a teaspoon of curry powder...yum Spaghetti with the rice stick noodles. You can get rice sticks in fettuccini style or fine style. Lean chicken. Our dog now gets the chicken skins.Best to buy full cooked chooks and grab the meat. Freeze them into portions. Stir fry. The cold rice above plus your favourite vegies. No corn! We usually have snow peas, brocholli, cabbage, carrots, bean shoots, egg. Fresh fruit. Fish. Salmon baked portions on salad Eggs. Egg yolk are full of nutrition but also contain 7-8g of fat. So if I made an omelette I use 4 x 70g eggs but discard two yolks. With omelettes we use a little parmesan cheese, small amount of lean bacon tomatoes and that's it. Boil up several eggs. If you get hungry they are great for a snack. Kebabs. If we cooked a roast pork, chicken or lamb and had left overs meat we make our own kebabs. Use pita bread, carrot grated fine, onion, lettuce and fry up the meat with only a little spray oil. We only eat half a kebab each. Antipasto. We make our own for an evening snack. one plate will have for each person half a boiled egg, hommus dip, bits of pita bread baked till crisp about 8 minutes in the oven, or rice crackers. I've lost 8 kgms in 7 weeks, my wife has lost 7 kgms. PS we walk 4 kms x 3 times a week. fast walk to get the cardio going. Do you have any diet and fitness ideas? Tony WK

ScarlettR Do you find travelling a source of therapy and education?
  • replies: 3

This may be a no-brainer, but I find travelling so relaxing and battery charging. It doesn't necessarily have to be overseas trips or interstate trips, but merely road trips to the coast. I live in Melbourne, and sometimes take road trips to Lorne an... View more

This may be a no-brainer, but I find travelling so relaxing and battery charging. It doesn't necessarily have to be overseas trips or interstate trips, but merely road trips to the coast. I live in Melbourne, and sometimes take road trips to Lorne and the Great Ocean Road. I live in the city, so I live amongst constant traffic noise and pollution while living in a high-rise apartment. So driving out to the coast makes me feel valuable as a person. I feel like a worthy human and soul with a purpose. Socialising with the native animals like cockatoos and having picnics at the beaches give me hope. It's like I feel little pieces of happiness connect inside my brain and I feel a new person. I hope this make sense?

Guest_128 I have no choice,I have to stop smoking!
  • replies: 15

Hi all, This is going to be a huge thing for me and I need to get all the strength I can. I am have an operation on Friday and they are all saying I have to STOP smoking. This has been my life long friend for more than 30 years. I have had countless ... View more

Hi all, This is going to be a huge thing for me and I need to get all the strength I can. I am have an operation on Friday and they are all saying I have to STOP smoking. This has been my life long friend for more than 30 years. I have had countless professional tell me that they would rather me have this vice over other medication. I know it's a filthy habit,extremely bad for my health. But oh how it has saved me over the years. what I would like you to help me with is what you were able to take with meds,(I did try but it had major affects) a few years ago. Any help would be appreciated as this is going to be a huge trigger for me. Later

white knight My "plugger" idea on upsets
  • replies: 3

Practical ways of breaking a down period is rare. There are long term methods and others consoling you but often we are alone...even with a partner we can feel alone to no fault of theirs. Trigger definition (psychology) is: "A trigger in psychology ... View more

Practical ways of breaking a down period is rare. There are long term methods and others consoling you but often we are alone...even with a partner we can feel alone to no fault of theirs. Trigger definition (psychology) is: "A trigger in psychology is a stimulus such as a smell, sound, or sight that triggers feelings of trauma" So I was thinking, to reverse this and use smell, sight and sound stimulous to reverse a trigger situation..the "plugger" effect. Firstly, as I'm a man that cried more tears than the Pacific has gallons, I know the helpless feeling of crying, being distraught and feeling that my world will end...to the point so low that I wanted it to end and planned it. I will do anything to never return to that state. Bipolar, depression and dysthymia take their toll. We have to rely on professionals and proven relaxation techniques that have some effect but really lets face it, we have to find ways to help ourselves to. So, I waited for a bad day. They come around fewer nowadays but yesterday along it came. The welling in my eyes was my telltale. The Manchester concert tragedy event was to blame. So I had to force myself to walk to my shed where I put my music on. Next I took a can of paint to begin painting a small table for our caravan. As the painting finished I had an idea of making our new table hinge up to the wall, so looked for a piano hinge and screws. My wife arrived 2 hours later to see how I was travelling. She praised my work and asked if I wanted coffee. Until she mentioned it I'd forgotten about my upset earlier. Smell...the paint Sight....a change of environment means not focussing on where I was in the house (watching sad events on TV) Sound....the music There's the three triggers turned into "pluggers". Add to those the stimulous of a project and the satisfaction of making something. My wife commented on how quickly I recovered. What I find interesting is that these sort of remedies are logical yet we dont automatically do them. Its like our emotions are a magnet to trauma and hurt, like part of my mind is programmed to find hurt every now and then. Happiness constantly isnt possible, the cycle is mandatory. Can you think of methods you use as pluggers? Help us help ourselves. Tony WK

Sunflowerrs Stories of People being kind
  • replies: 6

Today I went to the gp and cried the whole session. After I desperately needed some food - a cafe is connected to the gp. I cried at the counter trying to order. and the lady got me some tissues. I composed myself & she Said she'd make me something s... View more

Today I went to the gp and cried the whole session. After I desperately needed some food - a cafe is connected to the gp. I cried at the counter trying to order. and the lady got me some tissues. I composed myself & she Said she'd make me something special (instead of a ready made focaccia) she asked me what I liked and proceeded to make me a personalised custom sandwich because in her words it was 'my day' :'( it was lovely. When I sat down she brought me a paper bag and said it was a surprise. Inside were 3 sweet treats, I had secretly wanted them but couldn't afford. Siting here eating dinner amazed at how kind she was to me.

LuLu88 EXERCISE
  • replies: 9

They all suggest it. Every organisation you come across when searching mental health, depression, anxiety etc..... Eat healthy and Exercise. Easier said than done, am i right?! After battling depression, anxiety and PTSD since my pre-teens (now in my... View more

They all suggest it. Every organisation you come across when searching mental health, depression, anxiety etc..... Eat healthy and Exercise. Easier said than done, am i right?! After battling depression, anxiety and PTSD since my pre-teens (now in my late 20's) I have tried a butt tonne of methods for coping. This one seems to be sticking - and Im now a personal trainer. What!? Its really hard to get out of bed somedays, but knowing I'm bringing some functionality to someone else's day kinda helps me get some perspective. I'm currently looking into volunteering my time as a trainer at a local women's shelter. My idea is to give them some small physical 'wins' for their week even if mentally they haven't felt so strong. For me exercise is something that I can look forward to, a moment that i can focus on me, feeling good and nothing else. What do you think? Please - Tell me your stories on how you use exercise for your mental health OR let me know if you have yet to feel it's benifits.