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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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girl_interrupted Moving forward
  • replies: 2

Feeling very depressed today. But reflecting on all the things I want to change. I wrote this the other day, for personal inspiration (sorry I'm no poet) May this be a time of positive change, of renewed strength and personal growth. Of letting go an... View more

Feeling very depressed today. But reflecting on all the things I want to change. I wrote this the other day, for personal inspiration (sorry I'm no poet) May this be a time of positive change, of renewed strength and personal growth. Of letting go and moving forward.. Of forgiveness, compassion and a new found love of life. Let this be a time of inner peace, mindfulness and gratitude. May you open your heart and mind to all the beauty that life brings. May you have the wisdom to see and the passion to be all that you are. I hope this year brings positive change for everyone.

BenD Recovering from setbacks
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone, Just wanted to get peoples opinions on how to maintain mental health gains (particularly related to anxiety) in times of adversity? At the moment I'm struggling a bit financially (I'm a student), have physical health problems that need a... View more

Hi everyone, Just wanted to get peoples opinions on how to maintain mental health gains (particularly related to anxiety) in times of adversity? At the moment I'm struggling a bit financially (I'm a student), have physical health problems that need addressing which also make working tough and am trying to keep up with commitments to friends and family. More specifically... 1. Physical problems (past back and lower limb trauma resulting in chronic pain) make working hard when you're unqualified and often need to work more physically demanding jobs for money. 2. Usually I can just rest if I overdo it, but at the moment I have a mate who I suspect is living on or below the poverty line and needs work so I offered to get him a job labouring in my Aunties backyard. I need to be there because they don't really know each other and so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to work there without me. So I don't want to let him down, I don't want to push my Auntie who has been good enough to give him work in the first place but I know I am doing all this at my own expense (pain wise and time wise). On top of a few other smaller curve balls that life throws at you sometimes this has made me feel a bit worn out. I think perhaps that I've neglected looking after myself a bit which in turn has made me more prone to believing criticisms leveled at me (from other people and from the irrational side of my brain). Any ideas?

Doolhof Counting Sheep
  • replies: 8

Hi. Has anyone tried to count sheep jumping over a fence in their head when they are unable to sleep? Last night I was sound asleep until I had a call of nature. Once back in bed I was thinking of all the nice things I wanted to do in the morning, an... View more

Hi. Has anyone tried to count sheep jumping over a fence in their head when they are unable to sleep? Last night I was sound asleep until I had a call of nature. Once back in bed I was thinking of all the nice things I wanted to do in the morning, and felt like getting up straight away to do them, but it was only 2.30 a.m. So I decided I would try to count sheep and thought the monotony of that exercise would send me back to sleep. Not so! The sheep in my mind started to jump the fence okay, then a couple of sheep decided to do a flip over the fence, the next one tackled it like a high jump, and then the following sheep tried to out do that one by doing ballet steps on the top of the fence! My mind was having a wonderful time with the sheep! I wish I could have filmed the whole episode, would have made a great little movie for kids, especially when the sheep started doing all kinds of tricks and some were wearing pink ribbons in their wool or even lace up boots! I had to stop thinking about sheep jumping over fences or else I never would have fallen asleep! Ha. Ha. The mind is an amazing thing and I am thankful for my creative thoughts, but not at 2.30 in the morning when I am trying to sleep.! Cheers, from Mrs. Dools

Beltane I've reached a happy, stable place!
  • replies: 1

Hey all, Ive had a 10 year long struggle with depression and a life-long struggle with anxiety, and have recently come to terms with my diagnosis as bipolar 2. I have in the last 12 months reached a very content, stable and well place despite a few h... View more

Hey all, Ive had a 10 year long struggle with depression and a life-long struggle with anxiety, and have recently come to terms with my diagnosis as bipolar 2. I have in the last 12 months reached a very content, stable and well place despite a few hiccups.I have joined the BlueVoices, and have recently dedicated myself to coming to these forums to offer others advice on services and support available. So I like to offer support and hope as a person who has recovered to lead a normal, happy life. Some ideas I like to remember and offer: 1. Therapy is key. There are many different types of therapy, so find the therapy that's right for you. ACT therapy changed my life and my entire outlook on not only my life but my "illness" (quotation marks). 2. I reject the term "mental illness". I prefer the term "mentally interesting" or "different". Yes our "issues" can causes us immense suffering and grief. But through challenging and overcoming the bad parts, we can embrace the good parts. My battle has given me strength, courage, determination, and great tenacity. That's cool! 3. Some of the greatest artists, inventors, musicians and comedians in the world were thought to have (or did have) mental illness. Mozart (depression), Beethoven (bipolar), Buzz Aldrin (depression/ alcoholism), Jim Carrey (depression), Charles Dickens (depression) were just some. 4. I believe those of us with depression and bipolar etc can achieve great feats of inspiration, creativity, inventiveness and musical talent when we learn to divert our energies into healthy hobbies. 5. I believe that the current social stigma that mental "illness" means theres something "wrong" with us and needs to be "fixed" is incorrect. I believe we need help to manage the extremes of our moods, and prevent depressive relapses. But everyone needs help sometimes. We are different, not damaged. As I said, we have an amazing ability to develop great personal insight, phenomenal inner strength, and highly developed creative skills/ talents. I believe in learning to cope with the bad stuff our issues throw at us, so we can get to a stable and well place and divert all that energy into talents, hobbies and careers so we are truly amazing, interesting, gifted people. So I offer this as hope for others. Don't become your diagnosis- its only a medical term, a little diagnosis box. You're a person, and there's so much more to you that can never fit into a little medical diagnosis box. Embrace you!!

cookyboy12 Short term strategies
  • replies: 1

Ok, it's been nearly six months since being discharged from hospital, and I'm still recovering from my depression. I must admit that since then the bottle has been a comforter but I'm really trying to stay off that by focusing on other, positive stuf... View more

Ok, it's been nearly six months since being discharged from hospital, and I'm still recovering from my depression. I must admit that since then the bottle has been a comforter but I'm really trying to stay off that by focusing on other, positive stuff and coming up with short term strategies for those times when I find my headspace getting overwhelmed like the proverbial tornado it becomes (and when it's raining!). I want to share two of them with you all: The first is the TV show "Too Cute" on Animal Planet, which shows puppies and kittens from 0-8 weeks and their antics. The other is standing out in the rain of a summer afternoon and breathing in the air (providing it's safe and you're not risking getting struck by lightning!). Any other ideas?

dy385 Adapt to life after depression
  • replies: 5

Hello! Background: I’ve been through endogenous depression for 10 year (I call it my inner Odyssey for that) and than I got a whole year of apathy – because nerves were hurt after dealing with traumas.And now finally it’s over. And I don’t know how I... View more

Hello! Background: I’ve been through endogenous depression for 10 year (I call it my inner Odyssey for that) and than I got a whole year of apathy – because nerves were hurt after dealing with traumas.And now finally it’s over. And I don’t know how I feel.I always thought I will be happy immediately after dp is over. But I am not.I feel a lot of space in my heart and in my mind after dark thoughts and emotions left. But positive stuff isn’t just streaming down to feel this space like I’ve imagined.I feel empty. At first I even felt paralized – facing the world as a healthy person again. Much more responsibility, much more opportunities. So little confidence and experience. Now I’ve made a plan, a technique to keep me moving. I’ve set some good goals. And I manage to move. But it’s like 2 steps forward – 1 step back. And I’m often afraid that I’ll never get to the speed of life again. That I’ll never become energetic, successful, never feel the drive which I dreamed of through my whole Odyssey with dp. Question: Is adaptation to life always so slow after depression? Does anybody have experience? Is there a way to speed up reconnection with life? Any advice?For those still in dp: hold on, it’s not for nothing. I know, I’ve been there. It’s not immediately all-happy after, but it’s much better. And getting better step by step. May the Force be with you ) Thank you

freemefrommydemons Recovery!
  • replies: 3

I thought I would maybe share my success story, For around 3 years now I have been dealing with depression, anxiety (Around 6 years), anorexia nervosa and borderline personality disorder (BPD), I had been on and off with recovery, not really sure whe... View more

I thought I would maybe share my success story, For around 3 years now I have been dealing with depression, anxiety (Around 6 years), anorexia nervosa and borderline personality disorder (BPD), I had been on and off with recovery, not really sure where I was going. This year was by far the most dangerous and emotionally draining. It was the year where I wasn't sure I was going to make it out alive, I had no hope and I was emotionally and physically exhausted. Abusing alcohol and drugs, self harming and anything to make me feel. But this isn't a sad story, not at all. It has a happy ending. just like every recovery you have to choose it, you have to honestly want it and you have to fight for it. I lost many many friends during this time, I lost support and I lost myself, but I had people around me who wanted me to stay and fight, so everyday they would get me through the tears and pain, they would be up with me all night keeping me safe. My psychologist worked so hard with me, and got me to a point where I was almost alive again, I worked on my diet and lifestyle and balancing both of those aspects. It was 3 months ago when I was last on this website, and it was a terrifying time for me, I was almost placed in hospital against my will, now here I am finding myself again. Picking up the pieces and putting myself back together. I am 3 (!!!) months clean from self harm, as well as 3 months clean from drugs and cigarettes and 1 week clean from alcohol which has been my biggest substance abuse and it will take a long time to get over. If I had three tips for anyone suffering I would say 1. Don't give up, I know it seems like thats the best option but its honestly not. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, I didn't see it for a very long time but now I can, I can see that little light becoming brighter and im not going to let it go! 2. Relapse is inevitable, this sounds hard and it is. Relapse is a part of recovery, there are days you are going to give up and slip, but the thing is every single relapse you learn, and you learn how to avoid it and you learn how to pick yourself up again 3. Be yourself, this one sounds odd right? For the whole of my life I have been someone who adjusts myself to others, I had a different 'personality' more like a different act for every friendship group so they would accept me, and what I have learnt is if you have to change who you are for others, then they really aren't your friends. Don't give up, & stay strong xxx

white knight Facing the emotional brink
  • replies: 1

If you are reading this you have likely been there or your partner has. It is when your emotions, due to a situation, slips down the control slide. At the bottom of that slide is tears, desperation and hopelessness. That feeling is almost indescribab... View more

If you are reading this you have likely been there or your partner has. It is when your emotions, due to a situation, slips down the control slide. At the bottom of that slide is tears, desperation and hopelessness. That feeling is almost indescribable. Some feel, when in this condition, that there is no future, no present and no past. You just dont care.I attended a therapist a few years back. He was clever and direct. I told him that 2 days prior I was in such a state. He said what were you going to do? I told him that I have, when in that state, a strong urge to walk into the bush away from ALL human beings and just survive day to day "in the wild". He then looked into my eyes closer than usual and said firmly "you would last about 3 months". I took that as I would not survive in any living way due to my inability to care for myself and my depression. It was after that meeting I strived to find the happy medium between a large population town (for me that was 4000 people upwards) and "the bush" My destiny became a town of 200 people 15 minutes drive from that town of 4000 people with all its facilities.. .I found the right balance. Why is this so important to this thread? Because there were some issues in life that caused me to regularly find myself in that desperate, sorrowful and deep emotional position. I was unstable.My point being, that ones decisions in life and lifestyle can make a bearing on your overall happiness thereby downloading to less times you find yourself at that "emotional brink". How important is this? Well that emotional brink can take you to your own demise...its that important. We simply cannot underestimate the seriousness of maintaining control of our emotions to a realistic level. We cannotlose total control. And to maintain control we have to introduce a plan so you and others aren't hurt in the long term. Use search to read the thread - think b4 you act The best time for this plan is when you are mentally sound. Accept that another bout will come and plan your tack on it. eg I will not walk away from my home, I will write down my feelings, I will keep my voice low volume and not yell at others, I will allow time to pass because in time things settle.You will put strategies in place not to feel emotional but so those emotions dont lead you to a place that you shouldn't be. A place that would also hurt those you love. We plan many things in our lives. We should plan what we do when we arrive at our emotional lows. Tony WK

Shazzba61 Functioning again!
  • replies: 2

I didn't think I could ever rejoin the workforce again. My panic attacks were out of control. It got so that I couldn't even leave the house or receive visitors. I was so afraid of having a panic attack that the fear of having a panic attack would ma... View more

I didn't think I could ever rejoin the workforce again. My panic attacks were out of control. It got so that I couldn't even leave the house or receive visitors. I was so afraid of having a panic attack that the fear of having a panic attack would make me have a panic attack!!! In the 1980's it seemed that GPs weren't very aware of symptoms of depression. After many years of being prescribed sedatives I finally found a GP that recognised my symptoms as 'depression'! Only because his wife had suffered similar symptoms and he'd made it his business to understand it! I thank God for this doctor even to this day because he set me on a course of treatment that made me feel normal again. He prescribed some medication for depression. I told this doctor that I am not depressed.!! . I don't feel sad at all! He explained that there are multiple 'facets' of depression and that chronic anxiety, panic attacks, obsessiveness, unwelcome thoughts (intrusive thoughts) were all associated with It and it comes from the brain lacking in certain chemicals that can be replaced by medication. I asked the dr why I needed these chemical replacements for my brain and he explained that some times people are under stress for such a long time ( either real or perceived ) that the glands that produce 'seratonin' . ...The stress relieving chemical... Is worn out and can't produce it anymore..it has to have some help to work again. That's what anti depressants do. So anyway I'm a 53 year old grandmother now and working and functioning normally only because of the anti depressants I take daily( 30 years now functional!!) al e t

Shazzba61 Anxiety and depression hand in hand
  • replies: 3

I was shocked to hear that my anxiety issues were linked to depression. When I researched 'depression' i discovered that obsessiveness, compulsions , intrusive and bad thoughts all linked to depression. I had thought I was going crazy but it turns ou... View more

I was shocked to hear that my anxiety issues were linked to depression. When I researched 'depression' i discovered that obsessiveness, compulsions , intrusive and bad thoughts all linked to depression. I had thought I was going crazy but it turns out to be a chemical imbalance in the brain that is easily treated with medication!! Yay!!!!!