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Sophie_M Sleep and Mental Health
  • replies: 0

Many of us have struggled with bouts of troubled sleep, and needless to say, these periods of nocturnal restlessness can be utterly overwhelming and exhausting. Sleeplessness can filter into every aspect of our lives: our ability to be present, remem... View more

Many of us have struggled with bouts of troubled sleep, and needless to say, these periods of nocturnal restlessness can be utterly overwhelming and exhausting. Sleeplessness can filter into every aspect of our lives: our ability to be present, remember things, regulate our emotions, or to feel excited and energised… it can change the way we think and feel in such a significant and impactful way. Whether it’s due to big life changes, global pandemics, financial or work stressors, health concerns (like menopause), how much ‘you’ time you have, or even unprocessed emotions you weren’t aware were there – so many things can impact how you sleep. All of this goes to show that not only do your daily habits, routines, and experiences play a huge role in maintaining healthy sleep cycles, but so does your mental health. And frustratingly enough, your sleep also impacts and informs your mental health and daily habits. Like most things, it’s a very easy cycle to fall into. So, it’s imperative that we are gentle and compassionate with ourselves on our journey to understanding what is making us so hypervigilant and unable to rest in the first place. Studies show that journaling or mindfulness practices throughout the day, healthy food, movement, sunshine, connection with loved ones, and support from health professionals can help us to feel more grounded and able to rest. But we are curious… what has worked for you? When do you notice that your sleep is most affected vs. when you get the best rest? And is there a way you could practice regulating your nervous system more throughout the day to help promote better sleep at night? We would love to hear your thoughts! Let us know if you have any questions and be sure to check out our page on ‘Sleep and Mental Health’ for more guidance and insight into a more supported and restful night’s sleep: Sleep and mental health - Beyond Blue - Beyond Blue Looking forward to hearing from you! Kind regards, Sophie M

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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white knight Theory, practice and insight
  • replies: 7

A couple of years ago I sought my 10 visits under a care plan. I attended a psychologist. At the end of the sessions she told me her thoughts. "You are one of the lucky ones Tony, you have insight into you illnesses, and you know the theory, your cha... View more

A couple of years ago I sought my 10 visits under a care plan. I attended a psychologist. At the end of the sessions she told me her thoughts. "You are one of the lucky ones Tony, you have insight into you illnesses, and you know the theory, your challenge is putting it all into practice. You need to put a lid on your emotions and think more before you react." Back to that in a moment. My wife of 5 years has dyslexia, I've known her 30 years now. When she can't spell a word she asks me. I spell the word without her feeling inadequate. When young she was ridiculed and labelled "dumb". But being dyslexic has little to do with intelligence. She reads books, does our finances, plans holidays and so on. She just has a hard time spelling and with arithmetic. So the connection I see here is that humans have abilities and inabilities. We have areas where we don't perform to a level we want to be at. Geniuses can have vision or thoughts well beyond 99.9% of the population but some can't put oil in their car, pump up tyres or test a battery. Churchill defended the world from Hitler but he couldn't shake the " black dog". So back to "putting theory into practice." I've been trying really hard to ...count to ten before I raise my voice at confronting people, be more patient with others. Seek time out when the bipolar mood arrives etc. But I'm now of the opinion that I have found my limits and therefore found my inabilities, identified both ends of my capabilities and what's important, I've come to terms with this knowledge. I've found peace in this process. Isnt that significant? Sure is. To me it signals that my incapacity to act on the symptoms of my illnesses actually proved they are indeed serious medical conditions and that means there is darn good reason not to be able to overcome. Such inability is in my opinion equal to other peoples barriers like dyslexia, socially inept, addicts of many fixes, speech impediment and so on. The key is giving it your best effort, then accepting that all humans are imperfect. Focussing on what you do well and accepting what you are incapable of doing well as being OK. The sheer weight on your shoulders of mental illness often leads to low self esteem and withdrawal. Stand proud that you try. There is no better feeling when at the end if the tunnel that you've accepted who you are.... Worts and all. Do you have difficulty putting theory into practice? Do you have insight into your illness? Tony WK

nowhereman SUDDENLY STARTING TO LOSE MY WEIGHT
  • replies: 2

Hi.Hands up whos had weight issues? I have had since 2011 .just suddenly i noticed my body prepairing itself for a surboard again.my tummy is flatenning. Legs more trim and muscly. Eg. This has happened before when i was emotionally ill.put on 20 odd... View more

Hi.Hands up whos had weight issues? I have had since 2011 .just suddenly i noticed my body prepairing itself for a surboard again.my tummy is flatenning. Legs more trim and muscly. Eg. This has happened before when i was emotionally ill.put on 20 odd kgs.then suddenly it went.so i will return to my home reef break and surf again soon. Only thing im doing different is around half my daily diet is made up of home made fresh fruit salad.cheers. max

1113 ----------Kind thoughts and blessings to people in need-------
  • replies: 3

A warm welcome to every human, animal and plant, I would like to start this thread by thinking and sending kind thoughts to everything on the planet that is affected by natural/unnatural disasters. This happened yesterday; (Christmas Day) "Major 7.6 ... View more

A warm welcome to every human, animal and plant, I would like to start this thread by thinking and sending kind thoughts to everything on the planet that is affected by natural/unnatural disasters. This happened yesterday; (Christmas Day) "Major 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted southern Chile on Sunday, prompting thousands to evacuate coastal areas, but no fatalities or major damage were reported in the tourism and salmon farming region. Chile's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) lifted both the evacuation order and a tsunami watch three hours after the Christmas Day quake struck, telling nearly 5,000 people who had evacuated they could return to their homes. Onemi said one bridge in the area was impassable as crews worked to restore electricity to 21,000 homes without power. Officials had issued a tsunami warning earlier for areas within 1,000 km (621 miles) of the epicenter, just 39 km (24.5 miles) southwest of Puerto Quellon, off the coast. But the warning was downgraded to a tsunami watch. Eight mostly small ports in the area were closed, Chile's Navy said. The quake was felt on the other side of the Andes mountains in Argentina, in the southwestern city of Bariloche, but structural damage in areas close to the epicenter was limited, witnesses said." My kindness thoughts and best wishes go to everything effected by this earthquake. 21000 homes lost power on christmas day. Some kids didn't have Christmas, probably scared and afraid on this day of joy. Blessings to Chile's children, family's, pets and plants. Peace be with them. Please feel free to add your kind thoughts or add a new event as they arise to show humanity our kindness, compassion and love. Peace Back to my holiday. Matt.

girl_interrupted Can anyone recommend any self help books etc for motivation/setting goals?
  • replies: 31

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I figured it fits into the category of staying well/what works for others. So I'm wondering, does anyone have some advice/books/forums/site suggestions on building confidence, time management and goal setting? Co... View more

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I figured it fits into the category of staying well/what works for others. So I'm wondering, does anyone have some advice/books/forums/site suggestions on building confidence, time management and goal setting? Coz frankly I suck at all three (among other things). I have tried a number of different websites and books/techniques but I figure some of you have some ideas that might be better than what I've already tried. I guess a part of it is wanting to change and doing what's necessary to make those changes. Change is really hard! I'm open to suggestions. Thanks guys

jack57 Feeling like crap
  • replies: 5

I hate this time of year. Im just about done, never gets any better i dont believe there is any way out. Too many years gone by, wasted life. Its just passed me buy. Like ive woken up and missed all that most people have, friends and family.

I hate this time of year. Im just about done, never gets any better i dont believe there is any way out. Too many years gone by, wasted life. Its just passed me buy. Like ive woken up and missed all that most people have, friends and family.

Guest_FAC0BB92 How I beat off the black and blues
  • replies: 0

In June or July this year I was feeling very dispirited, it was winter and I was feeling my full 64 years of age. It seemed that there was not much more to happen in my life, I was drinking more red wine than was good for me, staying in bed longer th... View more

In June or July this year I was feeling very dispirited, it was winter and I was feeling my full 64 years of age. It seemed that there was not much more to happen in my life, I was drinking more red wine than was good for me, staying in bed longer than was good for me and sitting down watching television for too many hours a day. I knew all of this was shortening my life. I also knew from a previous bout of depression that I was not far away from a repeat session. Fortunately I knew I was only dispirited and I had a thought that even as my body was aging that I could still use my mind. So I started saying to myself "inspire me" and I found a response in my body. So I kept at it especially in the shower in the morning to kick start my day. Slowly I was getting better and becoming more open to other possibilities. then the Western Bulldogs won the premiership and the next day the Cronulla Sharks so I started thinking that anything is possible. Sometime later I read in the newspaper that the Western Bulldogs read "The Salty Dog" so I bought the book online and recommended was "The Passion Test" so I ordered it as well. Well I read "The Salty Dog" and enjoyed it and yet wasn't overly inspired and I was waiting sometime until October 24 when "The Passion Test" arrived. It as a game changer for me, within two weeks I was at my accountants office announcing that I was returning to the Coaching and Training business that had flopped at in 2008 sending me into depression. Now I am in business with international connections and ambitions, I have developed a coaching for change model that is really efficient and I am a trained Passion Test Facilitator. I am ready to change the world for the better and I KNOW I WILL.

nowhereman the RAINBOW RELAXATION APP!
  • replies: 2

Hi. Max here...i learned the rainbow relaxation technique decades ago.it was helpful. I believe theres a free app. Of it you can download. I recomend it.its calming.and a good tool for de stressing. ..also id like to share a saying my old case manage... View more

Hi. Max here...i learned the rainbow relaxation technique decades ago.it was helpful. I believe theres a free app. Of it you can download. I recomend it.its calming.and a good tool for de stressing. ..also id like to share a saying my old case manager told me..WHERE THERES A WAY IN...THERES USUALLY A WAY OUT....so be patient.a door will often open and remind you of a way out of your situations. Max.

FrankA Activities that fill the gap.
  • replies: 5

Hi BB contributor, I am not a person who likes labels. However, having a diagnosis to a particular set of symptoms increases the opportunities for recovery or at a minimum remission. I believe that I have a particular set of character traits that pre... View more

Hi BB contributor, I am not a person who likes labels. However, having a diagnosis to a particular set of symptoms increases the opportunities for recovery or at a minimum remission. I believe that I have a particular set of character traits that predisposed to developing dependencies and/or addictions. Due to my recent exposure to debilitating illness, I have been force to flip my lifestyle 180 degrees. You know what? If the outcome is to live a healthy lifestyle, then what do I have to complain about! So, the reason for this thread is to share the activities that you have added to your life to achieve your adrenaline rush or just for fun... I need to fill the gaps that remain from old lifestyle choices and the new normal. Any suggestions are welcome. BTW- For me, I am not currently healthy enough to take advantage of all activities. That is not to say I won't try them out when I am further down the road to recovery. Now share away. Franka x

Molly06 Interests?? Hobbies??
  • replies: 6

Hi All, i find I get asked this question a lot, what interests/hobbies do I have? I sometimes find myself making stuff up because I have none. Well not anymore. I used to love dancing and did singing lessons for a while. I like to read , but I'm seri... View more

Hi All, i find I get asked this question a lot, what interests/hobbies do I have? I sometimes find myself making stuff up because I have none. Well not anymore. I used to love dancing and did singing lessons for a while. I like to read , but I'm seriously lacking in this department. My life is consumed with my kids/husband now and there isn't really a me. Ive decided it's time to find something but the sad thing is I can't think of anything do. Can you tell some of your interests etc to give me some ideas ??

MoonWings Journaling.
  • replies: 3

Hello, I've been tossing around the idea of beginning journaling for a while now, but recently it was brought up in a session with my psychologist, and I still don't know how I feel about it. Does anyone have any experience with it? Pros / cons? I'm ... View more

Hello, I've been tossing around the idea of beginning journaling for a while now, but recently it was brought up in a session with my psychologist, and I still don't know how I feel about it. Does anyone have any experience with it? Pros / cons? I'm just really looking for some insight into the whole thing. Thanks so much for reading, Moon.