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BeyondBlue Tradies National Health Month
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, August is Tradies National Health Month, to highlight the importance of health and safety among Australia’s trade workers. Mental health and wellbeing is crucial to the safety of anyone in the mining or construction industries, so Beyond... View more

Hi everyone, August is Tradies National Health Month, to highlight the importance of health and safety among Australia’s trade workers. Mental health and wellbeing is crucial to the safety of anyone in the mining or construction industries, so Beyond Blue is hosting a special free webinar for our tradie community on Tuesday 12 August at 4.30pm which you can register for here. We know that Tradies can face unique stressors, with a culture of toughness and difficult job demands that can impact personal time and self-care. It can also be tough for partners and family members who aren’t sure how to support someone in a trade who may be showing signs that their mental health isn’t at its best. If you’re unsure where to start your conversation this is the space for you. Whether you want to share your own experiences, ask questions, or simply connect with others who understand what you're going through, you're in the right place. If you're seeking additional support, here are some resources: Hope Assistance Local Tradies: Home This Is A Conversation Starter: TIACS - This is a Conversation Starter Mates in Construction: MATES - Industry Based Suicide Prevention - MATES Don’t forget - our counsellors are always here for you on 1300 22 46 36. We’ll also use this space to post some of the questions and answers from the webinar discussion. Feel free to dive in and keep the conversation going. Thank you again for joining us — we’re glad you’re here.

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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Flick_SnotGrass My Healing Journey by Flick SnotGrass
  • replies: 8

I was born with a very severe case of eczema. Right from day one & throughout my childhood, teenage years & a good portion of my adulthood, 65% of my body was covered with horrible, itchy, maddening sores. Eczema is a debilitating immune system disor... View more

I was born with a very severe case of eczema. Right from day one & throughout my childhood, teenage years & a good portion of my adulthood, 65% of my body was covered with horrible, itchy, maddening sores. Eczema is a debilitating immune system disorder that causes your body to attack itself ... all of the time. Those of you who have or have had this terrible condition will know what I am talking about. For those of you who have not, let me just say you feel trapped, always itchy, always scratching your skin raw, waking up every morning with your face stuck to the pillow & going through the day in agony & watching people react with looks of disgust or sympathy. The doctors of the day said “There is nothing we can do for Flick. His condition is genetic. He’ll have it all his life.” Can you imagine having to live your whole life knowing that you would never get better? The idea that ‘nothing can be done’ simply was unacceptable to me. I went looking for ‘out of the box’ solutions & my journey took me to a whole new world of unorthodox thinking & faraway places I would never have explored otherwise. Wonder of wonders, I discovered that there were indeed solutions for me. They were just not where I had been looking. They had to do with MY BRAIN. My first big AHA! moment happened at the ripe old age of 19 when I met my first Yoga Teacher. She taught me some powerful breathing exercises that helped calm my nerves & to lessen my skin’s unhealthy response to stress, fear, anxiety, pressure. For the first time in my life, I started to feel normal. My skin was healing & I was hooked. I searched more & came across more skills to add to my repertoire of healing tools. I discovered I could send this horrible condition into remission indefinitely by facing & resolving my feelings of panic, self-doubt, fear, anxiety & helplessness. I understood that it begins with reprogramming my brain. That realization became the guiding principle upon which I based what was to become my 40-year career in applied neuroplasticity. Long story short I got rid of the excema. It’s gone. I know now today with absolute certainty that NONE OF US ARE STUCK & while we may not have a ‘cure’ for everything, we have the ability to rewire our thinking to live healthier, happier, more fulfilled lives & combat depression, fear, stress, anxiety, addictions & so many of those constant miseries that grind us down & prevent us from being the amazing human beings we know we can be.

ScarlettR Do people find cats a source of companionship and therapy?
  • replies: 5

I have severe depression and fatigue. However, I find it so therapeutic to be around cats. I had visited the Melbourne Cat Cafe and the Crazy Cat Cafe in the Gold Coast, Queensland. It makes me feel more worthy knowing that in spite of the stuff that... View more

I have severe depression and fatigue. However, I find it so therapeutic to be around cats. I had visited the Melbourne Cat Cafe and the Crazy Cat Cafe in the Gold Coast, Queensland. It makes me feel more worthy knowing that in spite of the stuff that goes on in my head on a daily basis, cats can look right through me without judging and give me love. Cats are such smart creatures. Elegant and aerobatic. They also have a heart. Anyone else feel the same way?

Out_the_window Finaly running again
  • replies: 1

After my gillian barre syndrome, ive finally started running again and it feels so good.the exercise i so enjoy helps my moods and stability so much. My depression is minimal. My bpd is almost gone. I continue my meds. But how great. From not walking... View more

After my gillian barre syndrome, ive finally started running again and it feels so good.the exercise i so enjoy helps my moods and stability so much. My depression is minimal. My bpd is almost gone. I continue my meds. But how great. From not walking for months to sprinting the beaches.... Why not join me.... Cheers.... Wayno.

loouuiiee loneliness busters ?? 🌸
  • replies: 7

heyy there I need help thinking of ideas to help me not feel so lonely & am open to pretty much any suggestions Im 24, study full time, suffered with depression and anxiety for many years now, struggling financially atm & finding it hard to make frie... View more

heyy there I need help thinking of ideas to help me not feel so lonely & am open to pretty much any suggestions Im 24, study full time, suffered with depression and anxiety for many years now, struggling financially atm & finding it hard to make friends as I have had a few housemates in the past who used me & abused me ... I even had to get an intervention order against one of them! I feel safer living on my own at the moment but I have lived with various boyfriends (now ex-boyfriends) for almost 10ywars now as I was throw out by my parents when I was 15 years old. I am very dependent on my relationships & every time a relationship fails I feel extremely alone i currently do have a boyfriend, but he has family commitments which means he can't move in with me or spend time with me all the time ... and I want to learn to be more self sufficient. Its embarrassing for me to admit how much I let my happiness be dependent on the man in my life. i want to be more independent and not let my loneliness be such a trigger for my anxiety and depression ... but I don't know where to start. please help

Faith_Intent Autogenic Meditation and Mindfulness for Depression and Anxiety
  • replies: 1

Just want to recommend this German approach to meditation and mindfulness. It helped me with anxiety and ADHD...more so than the Eastern forms of meditation that I have practised for many years. I think it's hard to find a trained person but I found ... View more

Just want to recommend this German approach to meditation and mindfulness. It helped me with anxiety and ADHD...more so than the Eastern forms of meditation that I have practised for many years. I think it's hard to find a trained person but I found someone in Sydney and it has made a big difference.

Bookgirl How do people stay positive in a negative world?
  • replies: 3

I often feel overwhelmed by events in my life and the world and struggle to stay positive but my friends who don't suffer from anxiety seem able to cope? How do they achieve this? What am i doing wrong?

I often feel overwhelmed by events in my life and the world and struggle to stay positive but my friends who don't suffer from anxiety seem able to cope? How do they achieve this? What am i doing wrong?

Peppermintbach Dear fellow creatives...tips and tricks on leading a creative life
  • replies: 123

Hi everyone, As the title suggests, this thread is pretty much exactly as per the thread title. In some ways, I feel as though I'm a bit of a creative rut, which is awful when you're a creative person. So I thought that I would try to ask for inspira... View more

Hi everyone, As the title suggests, this thread is pretty much exactly as per the thread title. In some ways, I feel as though I'm a bit of a creative rut, which is awful when you're a creative person. So I thought that I would try to ask for inspiration in terms of ideas and stories from fellow creatives. Hopefully other people also find this thread helpful in terms of reading and sharing. So whether you're a professional or amateur graphic designer, industrial designer, architect, musician, writer, choreographer, dancer, landscaper, etc, etc...I would LOVE to hear your tips and anecdotes on how you inject creativity in your world and how your keep the creative spark alive. Thank you! Pepper

daffodilia Keeping life under control in depressive/anxious episode?
  • replies: 2

I've recently just gone down a dose in my antidepressants due to unwanted side effects, and while adjusting I'm finding myself slipping back into old anxious habits, staring at my computer screen all day and scrolling social media to avoid the things... View more

I've recently just gone down a dose in my antidepressants due to unwanted side effects, and while adjusting I'm finding myself slipping back into old anxious habits, staring at my computer screen all day and scrolling social media to avoid the things I should and need to be doing. What are some ways to deal practically with a depressive/anxious episode? (Most tips I see, like listen to music, meditation, pet animals, go for a walk, are all very helpful for mood, but not when I feel like I'm slowly drowning in undone, overdue errands and don't have time). Letting things slip only makes me feel worse and even more unable to look after myself - I want to be able to keep my life together and under some semblance of control. But how?

white knight Time out from the fast lane
  • replies: 6

What is the "fast lane"?. Humans have developed over a long period but in the last 150 years advancement in technology has resulted in a more complex life. 300 years ago and beyond, prior to the industrial revolution we were not much more than hunter... View more

What is the "fast lane"?. Humans have developed over a long period but in the last 150 years advancement in technology has resulted in a more complex life. 300 years ago and beyond, prior to the industrial revolution we were not much more than hunter gatherers. How can the human mind adapt to change within a short relative time frame? 30 years ago thete were no computers in our homes. If you didnt accept that computers were beneficial and endure the steep learning curve, you were left behind. The "fast lane" is now normal living. You might be a two income family, kids, drop one off at day care, drop one off at school, toletate peak hour traffic, parking fines and abrasive work colleagues but you can still be in the fast lane with none of those things. Even a person not working can feel the pressure. Financial stress, society expectations, class warfare, stigma, feelings of failure...keeping well. To those people...us...we have our own fast lane. Everyone has their own burnout point. That double income two kids family? What if suddenly they lose one income. They base their lifestyle on two incomes, their mortgage, cars etc. Have an injury at home could fracture their resilience And its no different to someone unemployed that has an unexpected bill. The mechanucal car repairs. No car, no chance of work and the despair sets in.. Its just all too hard. It might seem logical that everyone has a certain capacity. Some people are stimulated by challenges whereas some are not. The human brain has developed on various levels of ability to cope with modern life. If you've had trouble coping it isnt a "fault" more so a part of being normal...thats how common it is. When the human brain breaks down we need to take it seriously and not expect to return to our lifestyles previously enjoyed. Tips on this are in- use google Topic: be radical- beyondblue For me I remained in full time employment too long. Eventually after a mental collapse I went part time but it was too late, my capacity to work at all was no longer there. I had no endurance left. Hence this thread, to alarm you in the danger of overload. What can you do to prevent what happened to me? Revamp finances so you have saving ability, resist that new car and extra loan! Take your holidays and make it a holiday. At the end of it plan your next. Any mental illness plan future part time work and.. Return to nature where your brain belongs. Chill out on a river bank and turn off your mobile phone... Tony WK

Guest_128 One thing you did good today
  • replies: 101

On returning my shopping trolley today I was confronted with a lady and two small kids that looked less off than me I suppose. The lady fumbled for a coin and I said here by the kids an ice cream , She looked at me as if I where giving her a 100 , it... View more

On returning my shopping trolley today I was confronted with a lady and two small kids that looked less off than me I suppose. The lady fumbled for a coin and I said here by the kids an ice cream , She looked at me as if I where giving her a 100 , it was $2 BAM I felt so good Later