Support
Support

Staying well

Support each other to stay well, from mindfulness, sleep, diet and exercise to reducing drug and alcohol use and coping with difficult emotions.

Start a conversation

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
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a conversation

gld Keeping on track
  • replies: 4

Finally you reach the conclusion you have concord the beasts causing you grief. Then in a brief moment you relax and let your guard down suddenly realising that it knocking at the door again. Has anyone out there got some good suggestions to hold the... View more

Finally you reach the conclusion you have concord the beasts causing you grief. Then in a brief moment you relax and let your guard down suddenly realising that it knocking at the door again. Has anyone out there got some good suggestions to hold them back and hold on to the good habits and develop new desirable habits? I feel that the undesirable habits have been around so long that it is so easy for them to come back as they make you feel comfortable. Even though you know they are dragging you down. Keen to learn some new tools to better myself. Gen

Expatboy Self Acceptance of Your Mental Illness
  • replies: 3

Today I was reading about the passing of Carrie Fisher, a long time support of mental health. In reading of an interview with Dianne Sawyer (American journalist) Carrie famously said: " She was not ashamed" of her mental illness, or the treatment she... View more

Today I was reading about the passing of Carrie Fisher, a long time support of mental health. In reading of an interview with Dianne Sawyer (American journalist) Carrie famously said: " She was not ashamed" of her mental illness, or the treatment she sought for it."I am mentally ill. I can say that. I am not ashamed of that," she said. "I survived that, I'm still surviving it, but bring it on. Better me than you." I know that at times it feels like society makes it feel that Mental illness is shameful. However, I too like Carrie Fisher admit I am mentally ill and will more than likely be so for the rest of my life. I do however, have some really good times that go with some really challenging moments. I feel its important to let others know this, and I take opportunities to speak to groups, or individuals about my illness, what has helped me to manage it better and what is in my toolkit. I encourage all with a mental illness to not be ashamed and remember some of those with mental illness have made some of the greatest contributions to mankind.

Doolhof HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! WOOHOO TO 2017 ! (share your resolutions here)
  • replies: 12

Hi Everyone, If you hadn't noticed, we are now in 2017! For some of us, 2016 was not so flash in parts with some events being experiences we would rather forget. Guess what! This is a NEW YEAR! We can all start over again! I know there has been great... View more

Hi Everyone, If you hadn't noticed, we are now in 2017! For some of us, 2016 was not so flash in parts with some events being experiences we would rather forget. Guess what! This is a NEW YEAR! We can all start over again! I know there has been great hardship and tragedy in so many people's lives, I truly acknowledge that and my heart felt best wishes go out to you all. For me, I am going to try hard to make this the best year I can! I'm going to work on improving my health mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I'm going to find different ways to make the most of each day, to laugh more and have some fun. A trip to the library will help me find some comical books to read or maybe one on a place I have dreamt about visiting. I will eventually drag the tent out of the shed and set it up, even if it is just in the back yard. I will look in my garden for flowers or nice looking foliage to place in a vase on the table. Oh! There are so many things to experience and try. Who wants to join me in making 2017 a year of experiencing new and different things or revitalising past hobbies and interests? Okay, anyone have any suggestions for what they hope to do this year? Today is a brand new day! Grab hold of it and embrace it! Cheers all from Dools

Kitana New Year, New Book, 12 Chapters, 365 pages. Love 2017
  • replies: 1

Had small bouts of depression here and there over the years, but I went through serious depression towards the end of last year primarily due to work and the feeling that my life had come to a halt at the age of 35. Realized that my life revolved too... View more

Had small bouts of depression here and there over the years, but I went through serious depression towards the end of last year primarily due to work and the feeling that my life had come to a halt at the age of 35. Realized that my life revolved too much around my job (which was getting more stressful every day and I felt my manager was a devil in sheep's clothing), and my biological clock was ticking and I didn't have a husband nor kids like everyone around me my age... Anyways, I had serious depression and needed to find an outlet to release my feelings. I am extremely grateful to find this site and express my story through the forums - I am thankful for the people who replied to my posts and encouraged me to see my GP about my depression. I did go and see my GP and she and her nurse helped me. So to update:- I got the courage and determination to move out of my comfort zone, and I got a new challenging job. Furthermore, I realized 2016 was a year for me to learn valuable life lessons. What I learnt are as follows (disclaimer= these are MY life lessons, probably completely different to everyone else): 1. No use getting stressed over people and things you don't have control over. You can't change people, you can only change your own attitude towards them. 2. My Time is valuable, so spend it on people and on a job that will help me grow and gain fulfillment. 3. Don't be afraid to let go of unhealthy relationships, whether it be a toxic partner or friends that you no longer have common interest with... Don't be afraid to seek new relationships. I was afraid to let go, fearing I was going to be alone and lonely... There are so many great people out there waiting to meet you - go out and seek. 4. Try to eliminate or at least limit social media use (ie Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat)- People post what they want others to perceive as awesome, always happy, blah blah blah. Focus on your own life, and don't compare yourself to others - you don't walk in their shoes or know what happens behind close doors - focus on you. 5. At the end of the day, believe in yourself - it's all up to you to change your life. Remember to be grateful for the simple things/blessings - roof over your head, food to eat, family that loves you. Again, I'm grateful to have found this site. It helped me get through my 'blue' period last year, and am feeling great and looking forward to the next chapters that the new year brings! Thanks

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.

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map