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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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Cathazard Coping mechanisms
  • replies: 2

Hello everyone, I hope we're all coping well... I wanted to ask about everyone's way of coping with overwork. I'm currently working my first full time job and ive struggled with bipolar my whole life. I feel like I'm not coping with the work load and... View more

Hello everyone, I hope we're all coping well... I wanted to ask about everyone's way of coping with overwork. I'm currently working my first full time job and ive struggled with bipolar my whole life. I feel like I'm not coping with the work load and although I'm not depressed yet, it could easily go that way. I'm really anxious and work odd hours during uni semesters to be available to take my little autistic brother to a night class. It means I only get one day off a week which is really wearing me out... im getting super emotional, I sleep my free time away and I dream constantly about being at work. I'm just tired... financially I can't afford to cut back my work load so I'm going back on my anti anxiety medication but I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation and can offer some advice on how they cope with it all? Thank you! CH

thisaquarian Being kind to yourself
  • replies: 3

My grandma takes a cup of tea (with a saucer) back to bed to read the newspaper. My partner sleeps in. I go for the occasional massage, or have a bubble bath with candles and relaxing music. When times are tough, how do you show kindness to yourself?... View more

My grandma takes a cup of tea (with a saucer) back to bed to read the newspaper. My partner sleeps in. I go for the occasional massage, or have a bubble bath with candles and relaxing music. When times are tough, how do you show kindness to yourself? How do you pamper yourself?

thisaquarian How do you manage binge or comfort eating?
  • replies: 12

Hi everyone... I've tried to look through the topics and couldn't find a thread so thought I'd start one... I have had a very abusive childhood and life has been tough for me... how I dealt with this was emotional/binge eating. Now as an adult, thing... View more

Hi everyone... I've tried to look through the topics and couldn't find a thread so thought I'd start one... I have had a very abusive childhood and life has been tough for me... how I dealt with this was emotional/binge eating. Now as an adult, things are different for me but I still emotionally/binge eat. As a result I am extremely overweight which is causing several other health issues... For instance this morning I was so anxious at going back to work that I ate enough for 4 people for breakfast. The thought of going into work to deal with other people's problems when I am so overwhelmed with my own was too much for me this morning. After I'd finished eating I pulled myself together and thought logically. I'm stressed out at the moment, about many issues, and I'm not dealing with any of them. So I called in sick, torn between feeling guilty and my feeling of being overwhelmed. The latter won obviously... I phoned the work EAP and had a phone session and I'm seeing my GP soon.. and made myself a little list for the day of things to achieve. Earlier though I was feeling guilty about missing work so I binged a little, but have managed to pull myself together to come to the forums... I'm 34 now, and have been emotionally/binge eating for most of the years I have been alive. It seems like a viscious cycle - food was always my comfort and reassurance. I'm trying really hard to come up with a list to turn to instead of food... 1. Coming to the BB forums to chat, and actually interact with others going through a similar thing. 2. I have started a social fitness group - I organised something last weekend then couldn't actually go cos of a family thing! This weekend it's all systems go though! 3. I want to learn how to crochet so I was thinking of joining a group for that. I've tried to learn online but it's getting nowhere. 4. Letter writing 5. Going for a walk even if it's for 10 minutes Also there's an awesome thread to "resist the urge" sorry I can't remember the name, which had some awesome strategies... but I wanted something specifically for food related issues...

blueangel What keeps you motivated?
  • replies: 3

Hey all What keeps you motivated to keep going when your anxiety/depression gets the best of you? For me, it's my dream of becoming a doctor and my dad.

Hey all What keeps you motivated to keep going when your anxiety/depression gets the best of you? For me, it's my dream of becoming a doctor and my dad.

Raia SIMPLE THINGS TO KEEP YOU GOING
  • replies: 3

I find that morning exercise works wonders for me, listening to music of my liking, much needed pampering and most importantly eating well "I love my yogurt and fruit" and a good nights sleep. Not to mention maintaining social supports. How about you... View more

I find that morning exercise works wonders for me, listening to music of my liking, much needed pampering and most importantly eating well "I love my yogurt and fruit" and a good nights sleep. Not to mention maintaining social supports. How about you? What keeps you motivated to keeping healthy in overcoming depression and anxiety?

sumynona423 How do you manage? Staying well questions
  • replies: 4

Have reached a bit of a rough spot in my life. Wanting any advice/tips/methods on the following topics, hopefully others can relate to these same issues as well. How do you distract yourself? Do you read? Play an instrument? Draw?Write? How do you re... View more

Have reached a bit of a rough spot in my life. Wanting any advice/tips/methods on the following topics, hopefully others can relate to these same issues as well. How do you distract yourself? Do you read? Play an instrument? Draw?Write? How do you resist temptations? How do you mange your anger? How do you calm yourself down from panic or stress? How do you boost your self esteem? How do you get off to sleep? (preferably without medication) What are your triggers and how do you cope with them? How do you keep in touch with others? If you can answer any of these it would be greatly appreciated.

Sawyer Study Tactics
  • replies: 4

Hi everyone, It's exam time at University, a time which often exacerbates issues like depression, fatigue and disorders due to the immense pressure placed people, particularly young people, to do well. I thought this might be a good opportunity to st... View more

Hi everyone, It's exam time at University, a time which often exacerbates issues like depression, fatigue and disorders due to the immense pressure placed people, particularly young people, to do well. I thought this might be a good opportunity to start a thread on ways to stay focussed and calm during these times so you can not only study effectively, but avoid the extremely unhelpful panic attacks. Feel free to post here asking for others strategies, saying what works for you, or what works for others. I myself, find it extremely helpful to light a candle at my desk, quit out of distractions like facebook, and listen to long compilations of music. I find a style of music known as chillstep to be particularly good for studying. It's kind of like modern day meditation music, for me, it gives me enough stimulation to remain seated at my desk without procrastinating, while not being as distracting as listening to my itunes (which has all my favorite songs). Furthermore I often found traditional meditation music just makes me drowzy, especially if i've been studying for a long time. I also personally really like playing a compilation of 'rain sounds' at the same time, mix the levels right, put my big headphones on and the whole world just seems to disappear beneath hours of successful study. Let me know what you think, or if you have any strategies that work for you. Regards, Sawyer

Sawyer Psychological Exercises for Anxiety/Depression
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, For those of you who don't know, I have experience with anxiety disorders and depression both as a psychologist and as an individual. I detailed a method for dealing with those downward spirals that are accompanied by anxiety, panic, rac... View more

Hi everyone, For those of you who don't know, I have experience with anxiety disorders and depression both as a psychologist and as an individual. I detailed a method for dealing with those downward spirals that are accompanied by anxiety, panic, racing thoughts, problematic thought patterns. This was something I really struggled with personally and figuring out a way to combat this was massive in getting me where I am today. This is a good mental exercise you can do when you start feeling anxious, the thoughts start to speed up and you feel like you are losing control. Try to find a quiet place and imagine an object in your head that you are familiar with and that isn't a trigger for you. For me this was often a soccer ball, but theoretically you could use anything. Try to focus on that object, start with the overall shape, draw it in your mind, and then slowly add detail to it. Whenever you feel problematic thoughts creeping back in, refocus on the object, relax and breathe. Then you can begin spinning the object in your mind. Try to make it spin faster and slower. See if you can stop it. This is a very difficult thing to do because of the way our brains are wired, and will require practice. You may find that you have difficulty focussing, but that is the whole point! the exercise is about putting you back in the drivers seat of your mind. You can also try doing a task that requires very fine motor skills and concentration. For me this was playing piano, painting, or when I didn't have access to these things, even simple motor skill tasks using my hands, like spinning a pen between my fingers. The science behind these two tasks is that it serves the dual purpose of being cognitively draining (thus leaving us with little brain power to ruminate, put ourselves down, and worry) and by making us focus intently on something unrelated to what is upsetting or stressing us. It might not be easy, and you may have to really focus and be persistent with these exercises. Those negative thoughts will fight back. But when I applied them, I found these tasks to be hugely helpful, as have many others. You just need to have to will to try and implement them. Let me know if either of these work for you, if not, let me know why and I'm happy to discuss alternatives that might suit you better. Hope everyone is having a good day, Sawyer

Jass15 Be happy for yourself, Don't let others be in charge of your happiness
  • replies: 2

I was always worrying about making others happy but then I realised I should be happy without others judging me for what I do or who I am, as an anxiety sufferer I think depending what place your in at the time you tend to let everything get to you. ... View more

I was always worrying about making others happy but then I realised I should be happy without others judging me for what I do or who I am, as an anxiety sufferer I think depending what place your in at the time you tend to let everything get to you. I knew I had to make a change so I started to do things for me that made me happy. Also exercising played a massive role in overcoming hard times & u found I feel and think better when I exercise, eating better did also help. I'm on the path to loving me for who I am!

Tabby_Main What the professionals didn't tell you
  • replies: 5

When you go to the doctor/therapist and they say the answer are breathing techniques and postive thoughts...all you want to do is punch them in the face.Well don't worry because that's not trueHow can you breathe and think positive thoughts!? You're ... View more

When you go to the doctor/therapist and they say the answer are breathing techniques and postive thoughts...all you want to do is punch them in the face.Well don't worry because that's not trueHow can you breathe and think positive thoughts!? You're in the darkest part of yourself and can't even see yourself in the mirror anymore let alone get out of bed.What do they expect? That one magical day you'll wake up and be happy again? Sorry to burst your medically qualified bubble Doc, but that just ain't going to happen.Do you want to know the key to handling your depression/anxiety?The answer is NOT TO TORURE YOURSELF by forcing yourself into thinking positive thoughts. Or pushing yourself into stressful situations. This DOES NOT HELP! This only makes it worse.You need to find out what works for you. Can you remember the things that made you happy? Say surfing? Or photography?Start small and work yourself up. AND if you have a bad day. Then take the bad day. Put your feet up on the couch and let your mind and body rest.Don't listen to the ones who say to "let it go" and "fight it". They haven't been through your battle and don't understand that you don't actually choose to be this way.Just work through it. Day by day and make sure you have 14 hugs a day. Every human needs 14 hugs a day!Once you're on your way up the mountain start eating healthy and work on your fitness (just a walk around the block will do). Then start talking to your friends again. BUT REMEMBER, take it slow. You've got time.