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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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Neil_1 Alcohol Free Days (part 2)
  • replies: 85

Hi folks April is fast approaching and as a result of the start of a new month I'm going to get off the grog again. Made it through in February - just that little bit tougher in April though - cause there's a couple more days to get through!! If any ... View more

Hi folks April is fast approaching and as a result of the start of a new month I'm going to get off the grog again. Made it through in February - just that little bit tougher in April though - cause there's a couple more days to get through!! If any Beyond Blue poster/community member who reckons they'd like to give this challenge a go with me, I'd LOVE to hear from you on this thread - it'll all commence on Tuesday, so prior to then whoever is interested in trying this, just make sure you've got no more alky-hole in your home cause that'll remove any temptation. Just a first tip I guess. No dramas at all if there's no-one, but I just thought I'd put this out there for anyone who is thinking that now might be a good time to have a bit of a 'dry-out'. ALSO, if any one "does" come on board, again absolutely no dramas if you drop off at some stage. It's the process of giving it a go is the main thing. Cheers beers (for a couple more days anyway!) Neil

Bec_Luke Trying new ways and Ideas to get through Day to day life
  • replies: 4

Hey Again My Fellow Friends, I'v had a different thought in away of dealing with my every day, day to day life, depression and what I maybe going through everyday. I was talking to a very good friend of mine from school he is engaged to his boyfriend... View more

Hey Again My Fellow Friends, I'v had a different thought in away of dealing with my every day, day to day life, depression and what I maybe going through everyday. I was talking to a very good friend of mine from school he is engaged to his boyfriend, who had experienced depression him self. My friend told me the other day that one of the ways that he delt with his depression is, he would make an anonymous you tube account and at the end of each day he would turn his webcam on and would record what his day was like or what had happened during the day. I have had a little bit of thought about trying this as well. However I'm interested to hear other peoples stories of how they deal or what they do to deal with their day to day to life and maybe experience what i have, and through depression. I do keep a diary and write in it occasionally, i seem to only write init when i maybe really confused or up tight about something or just can't figure things out. I haven't started yet but am attempting to maybe try and start blogging, and I also talk to you guys on here. But if anyone has ideas or just wants too share what you may do or helps, or is up for a discussion of different things and ways, Please feel free to reply Thanks heaps Bec.x

Bennybsting finding it hard to enjoy my free time
  • replies: 1

i have a history of mental illness which has had it highs and very lows, but as of the last couple of years im finding it realy hard to enjoy my free time. in order to keep my sanity in check ive minimised my drinking and started to take care of my h... View more

i have a history of mental illness which has had it highs and very lows, but as of the last couple of years im finding it realy hard to enjoy my free time. in order to keep my sanity in check ive minimised my drinking and started to take care of my health in general, but its all come at a cost of having a reduced social life. now on the weekends i cant alow myself to sit and watch movies play video games or do anything that doesnt serve some sort of benifit or productive outcome... and this is starting to have a detrimental effect on me mentally. is this normal? how do i just switch off like so many others seem to able to?

brobej15 Intervention from the outside - clinical depression
  • replies: 10

The last few months have been a nightmare. For someone like me, a fairly jovial and outgoing person to go through the last few months was unfair. Life is a learning curve for those who were meant to do more!I think it's time I just became honest.In t... View more

The last few months have been a nightmare. For someone like me, a fairly jovial and outgoing person to go through the last few months was unfair. Life is a learning curve for those who were meant to do more!I think it's time I just became honest.In the past few months ... - my 4 year long-term relationship ended - I began the last practicum and internship for my Education degree, and completed it - I moved house (back into my parent's house) - lost my independence - I lost transportation - I've been in and out of the state - I quit my job - The environment I build, socially, within the work that I was doing collapsed and I left - I started anti-depressants - I now have clinical depression... Getting out of bed everyday is a struggle for those who are suffering with depression. Something that many people might take for granted. It's harder when those people don't seek help. I really struggled and hated that I was around people in that state. I felt like I was just in a glaze and the world just turned regardless whether I was active in it or not. In reality, it does. Sometimes life tells us to slow down, take time to break and step off the treadmill a bit. There's no way none of the things above would have left a person normal. I understand that now. It's ok for me to go through tough times, dark times, sad times. It's ok for my to grieve, to detach, to start new things.It's time I start to gain my life again. For a time I felt like I didn't, I was doing things because they had to be done. I wasn't feeling like I was living. I felt like I could have been doing more things for others and for myself.After all that went on, I did find light. I found out what my calling really was - to teach kids. To service them and to give my all into what a teacher really is. I know deep down that's my passion, which a lot of the time being depressed, I forget.I found out who my true friends are, who are really there thinking of me, who are there because they want to spend time with me and realise I'm going through a tough time in life and stick by without hesitation. These people deserve the good things in my life to come! It's a blessing to know who in life is really there, not just for the drama.It's one thing to come to the realisation that you need help, it's another to go out there and seek it. I was so lost, I needed someone else to step in. I needed someone/thing to try and get me out of whatever dark life I would be living. Self-pity, wallowing and a life full of doubt isn't something I wanted to tuck away for another few years, waiting for it to surface again. I now know that I have to tackle it now and close that book. Some people don't even find that and continue to life life, in a roundabout, going through the same thing every now and again and can't get higher.I have baggage I have to deal with. I have a lot. I now feel like I'm a better person for allowing myself to deal with it, move on and let go. Deal with it, rather than hiding or running away from it. One thing that I have learnt, is that it's ok to do what is best for you!! This is the thing that's slowly getting me out. I know that the pills are working. Everyday I feel the side-effects but I'm also getting out of bed. It's ok that I'm not well. I don't have to always be 'well' in life. Everyone has moments and this is just one of mine. I hope to get through it learning what I need to learn, understanding how I cope, working through my issues and learning to then move forward.There was a time where I couldn't even talk to anyone about anything. I stopped talking to people I normally did. I stopped being honest. I started to lie to everyone. I hate that. I've never been like that. Depression makes you a person that you don't want to be. It made me not want to be me. I thought I was doing well and all of a sudden everything slipped away. I lost control of my own emotions, my thoughts and my head got the better of me. The mind is such a powerful force, I just let it soak the negative things that were happening and everything that was dark in my thoughts.I'm young and and I need to start facing what life has out there for me. I will beat this moment! I will beat the situation I'm in. I will beat being negative...

Guest254 The positive effects of exercise. Why not take advantage of it?
  • replies: 7

I was in the Police Force for 16 years before being medically discharged with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and acute depression and anxiety. I started seeing psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and taking many medications but the one thing that h... View more

I was in the Police Force for 16 years before being medically discharged with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and acute depression and anxiety. I started seeing psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and taking many medications but the one thing that helped me the most to come through a lot of the struggles I was having was physical activity every day. It let out a lot of the anger, raised my feel good endorphins and it wore me out at night so I could sleep. I started my own fitness business in December 2012 in the Wollongong area of NSW and run a session called "Walk and Talk" specifically aimed at people with depression and anxiety. I have the support of local doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and support groups but I can not get anyone to come and try it. It is frustrating because I know how much better exercise can make you feel but I also know how hard it can be to leave your house and how deliberating depression and anxiety can be. Does anyone have any positive thoughts on how I can encourage people to come and take part? Just as I helped people for 16 years when I was a police officer I want to help people again but I don't know how.

anotherbluebird What often Works for Me
  • replies: 1

Yoga has been a great help with depression and anxiety creating islands of peace when surrounded by impenetrable sludge or a raging torrent. Sometimes I can feel the positive effects for up to a week after a class and last month it pulled me out of a... View more

Yoga has been a great help with depression and anxiety creating islands of peace when surrounded by impenetrable sludge or a raging torrent. Sometimes I can feel the positive effects for up to a week after a class and last month it pulled me out of a very bad state where I was becoming frightened at how bad I was feeling.I am still feeling the reassuring effect 4 weeks on,so very impressed! I don't use medication , not sure if this is the wisest thing but the combination of gentle exercise and yoga is allowing me more time feeling secure and grounded than in the past . Apart from feeling good after a class ( peaceful and optimistic usually ) I think it continues to work by clearing the air waves , removing negative filters( e.g. the harsh inner critic) long enough to allow a backlog of positive thoughts to emerge( bit like turning on your mobile and having the queued arrive). I have managed to discover many things I actually like about myself through this process of respite and the memory of this can be very reassuring when the savage times hit .My problems with depression are enormous , I don't rely solely on yoga and exercise, but obviouisly from my spruiking , I recommend giving it a go if you're considering it.The one I do is a very gentle (non athletic) form that aims towards inner peace and healing.Cheers

GoldiloxAlice Facts About Me
  • replies: 6

Hello all. I am new to the forums. I have bipolar. I have been working (seriously) to control it for just over a year now. I want to share this list I just wrote because for the past 10 years I couldn't say one of these facts out loud. I am still not... View more

Hello all. I am new to the forums. I have bipolar. I have been working (seriously) to control it for just over a year now. I want to share this list I just wrote because for the past 10 years I couldn't say one of these facts out loud. I am still not ready to do that. I don't know how many of the posts here begin with something positive. But I want to share this with you out there because if you are struggling know there is hope. You too can find love for yourself. Know it is a process. Know that even though I don't know you I empathise with you. And I care for you. Here it goes: I am beautiful I am intelligent I am interesting I am vivacious I am caring I am compassionate I am a healthy dose of crazy I am worthwhile I have purpose I deserve love I deserve to love myself I have a fantastic capacity for introspection I am insightful I am inspiring I am a great friend I am a great girlfriend I am a great daughter I am a good sister I am a thoughtful person I am a kind person I deserve to experience happiness I find meaning in things I seek to understand I am empathetic I am invested I am involved I seek to treat myself through understanding and finding meaning in my moods and emotions and actions I am wholehearted I have a warm soul I battle the demons and have small victories I am a good person I am a fighter I am a survivor I am not a victim I am strong I am growing I am maturing I can turn negatives into positives I can embrace and flourish with my gift of bipolar I do not let it overcome me I will not let the demons live in my soul I am moving away from the past and into my future I deserve a happy and fulfilling life I have conviction There is hope Every one of these facts is real. I deserve to acknowledge them and there is no shame in saying them. Maybe one day out loud.

Le_Chat_Noir The Words of the Wise
  • replies: 1

Hi Everyone,Just thought I'd share something that has helped me a bit in dark moments. I've been watching some YouTube videos of talks/teachings by certain 'enlightened souls' that I have a lot of respect for. They are by Eckhart Tolle, Ajahn Brahm, ... View more

Hi Everyone,Just thought I'd share something that has helped me a bit in dark moments. I've been watching some YouTube videos of talks/teachings by certain 'enlightened souls' that I have a lot of respect for. They are by Eckhart Tolle, Ajahn Brahm, and Byron Katie. Some of you may already be familiar with these people. Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie are both 'normal' people that have become 'spiritual guides' after experiencing something negative in their lives that profoundly transformed their thinking, and Ajahn Brahm is an English Buddhist Monk who lives in WA. They each have different approaches, but their fundamental message is the same......that true peace cannot come from external factors (such as spouses, friends, career, money, objects, events, etc) and that it must come from within us, and that our minds cause us suffering. It's a bit new-agey and sounds like a terrible cliche, and one that I've resisted for awhile, but I'm coming to realise it's true.Just type in any of these names in the Search bar in YouTube and it will list all the videos by these people. Eckhart Tolle and Ajahn Brahm in particular speak on many different topics such as depression, happiness, loss, grief, etc.

Shrinkingviolet Negative internal dialogue
  • replies: 1

I started seeing a psychologist recently and became really aware of my negative internal dialogue. As part of the steps to relieving anxiety and depression I started to write down my cognitive distortions. I would try to pick up when I was beating my... View more

I started seeing a psychologist recently and became really aware of my negative internal dialogue. As part of the steps to relieving anxiety and depression I started to write down my cognitive distortions. I would try to pick up when I was beating myself up unfairly and make a note of it. It was going well. I was really proud of myself when I overcame a fear of mine and joined a netball team. I was on top of the world. But then as I started to play I realised that I was not finding it as enjoyable as I thought I would. I spend so much time during games and at training saying things to myself like "you should have caught that ball" "you should have stopped that pass" " you need to be faster " "you look like an idiot" "the team were better off without you". Now the real issue for me is that this dialogue is not exactly internal. Some comments escape. And I find myself yelling at myself "you idiot" . It's humiliating. I'd rather just carry on and shake it off and try harder to not make the mistake again. But I can't. I start spiralling. I just want to shrink away. Has anyone else experienced something similar and overcome it? I just want to be able to walk away smiling and not beating myself up for days about something that is supposed to be fun.

Gorto72 Is it Losing Hope, Or is It Depression?
  • replies: 3

I've always considered myself to be in control of myself and my feelings. I dont and never have felt like hurting myself or others, infact I'm the opposite. I feel the need to help others before I help myself, I will go out of my way to do things - b... View more

I've always considered myself to be in control of myself and my feelings. I dont and never have felt like hurting myself or others, infact I'm the opposite. I feel the need to help others before I help myself, I will go out of my way to do things - build things - help others - be there for others before I do for myself. I begin my own projects and lose interest or findmyself just sitting and pondering over and over again how to do it to perfection. I'll do something and redo it again because its not to a high standard. Yet when I do it for someone else, I feel happier, I feel I need to get it done and I feel happier making other people happy..What takes me a day to do for someone else takes me 5 days to do for myself..??? I have a government job that requires me to be employed casual and I love my job. I dont feel pressure, I go to work with a belief that I mite actually help someone. But its the management - Bosses who make me wonder my capabilities. Recently I left my family for several months in the hope that I can prove I'm capable of the job, I'm prepared to do what it takes and I belong, after 4 yrs of trying. Then a person 3 months as a casual get the job instead. I worked hard, with pride and then again its all taken away, once again. Now I have returned home and my partner whom I love more then life itself is constantly criticised by me or I get snappy at what she has to say for no reason. I get up wanting to do things around the house that I have startted or need to do with einthusisium and excitment and then its gone.. I can see/feel my partner slowly being pushed away from me but she is a solid rock. My Question is this... Am I slipping into Depression or am I just giving up and how do you tell the difference?