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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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quirkywords How do you not let others negative comments hurt you
  • replies: 25

Helloi am not sure if anyone can relate. I get upset when I feel people are being critical of me but I worry I am over reacting.people say let it go take a deep breath.so what do you do when someone is critical.How do you cope.?

Helloi am not sure if anyone can relate. I get upset when I feel people are being critical of me but I worry I am over reacting.people say let it go take a deep breath.so what do you do when someone is critical.How do you cope.?

Guest_1055 *Trigger warning* Eating for Health and Wellness
  • replies: 1406

I have been struggling eating and eating healthy foods over the last couple of weeks. I really do not want to go back further to how I use to eat, that is eating junk food, takeaways, copious amounts of chocolate, processed junk and comfort eating. F... View more

I have been struggling eating and eating healthy foods over the last couple of weeks. I really do not want to go back further to how I use to eat, that is eating junk food, takeaways, copious amounts of chocolate, processed junk and comfort eating. Finding it challenging to stay motivated to actually prepare what I know helps me feel better mentally, emotionally and physically. Plus I have been feeling overwhelmed with other stuff happening in my life, which somehow makes it more challenging. The old unhealthy comfort eating thing is coming back. And I think I am getting concerned and scared about that. I so much do not want to go back to how I use to be. I was so sick. Plus I now have some physical things not right in my body , so I need to be more careful and mindful of what I eat. ( Pre cancer cells , high blood pressure ) I was eating really well since Febuary of this year, it’s just the last couple of weeks I haven’t. So I would like to use this thread to help me be accountable to Beyond Blue people. So like a diary where I can post and report what I eat. And also any healthy eating tips, motivating strategies to help eat better or anything related to healthy eating for our bodies including our mental health.

douglaid I think that all I need is to vent.
  • replies: 2

I am 81 years old, born with inherited depression. I was a breech birth as well, and left with neurological deficiencies. In my youth, depression was almost unheard of. My treating pediatric neurologist knew, but it was kept hidden from me. I wasn't ... View more

I am 81 years old, born with inherited depression. I was a breech birth as well, and left with neurological deficiencies. In my youth, depression was almost unheard of. My treating pediatric neurologist knew, but it was kept hidden from me. I wasn't interested in girls. My brother and sister both married inappropriately, just to declare independence. For my sister's wedding, I decided to partner a girl I had met only recently. We turned out to be a perfect match. My sister called off her wedding, but our romance continued for over 50 years as of today. I feel "different" and "abnormal," like an observer of life rather than a participant. I am taking meds, which are not a cure, but help me cope. I keep wishing to find a cure, but it would need genetic engineering. I have looked on my condition as more of a disability than as an illness, pushing my self as far as I can, within my limitations.

Luckylukyno Q and A for you
  • replies: 8

I hope you don't mind me asking, as it can be a sensitive subject but...If you suffer from long term unemployment what would make you get back out in the workforce if you had a chance? Try do something for yourself today! Some things I did today for ... View more

I hope you don't mind me asking, as it can be a sensitive subject but...If you suffer from long term unemployment what would make you get back out in the workforce if you had a chance? Try do something for yourself today! Some things I did today for myself were:1. Have a shower and wash my hair2. Get an important task done

Trying_to_fail_better Graduate teacher terrified and doing it anyway!
  • replies: 6

Hello all, I just wanted to share my feelings in a safe space with people I feel would understand them. I'm a recent graduate who took on my first teaching position this year and have spent most of term 1 off due to unexpected struggles with my physi... View more

Hello all, I just wanted to share my feelings in a safe space with people I feel would understand them. I'm a recent graduate who took on my first teaching position this year and have spent most of term 1 off due to unexpected struggles with my physical and mental health. I had to take a 2 year break from study to focus on getting help with my mental health (I have CPTSD, ADHD, depression and anxiety) and it helped me finally develop self-compassion and stop believing I'm unlovable. I was really excited to start this job despite knowing it was going to be hard (it's a tough to staff secondary school, I'm primary trained, it involved a big move to a new place away from family/friends etc.) but I got COVID in week 2 and that totally threw me off! I tried going back to work before I was really recovered and gave myself lots of evidence that I couldn't teach so I got really hard on myself and took some huge steps back in my recovery. My mental health care team came together brilliantly, made me take the last 5 weeks off and helped me reflect on what was going on in my head. I'm feeling much more like myself again and back to being excited but I've got a lot to catch up on and the imposter syndrome/perfectionism are still there. The truth is, as much as I'm excited to have another go and have been more open and honest about needing support from my coworkers - I'm also terrified!I'm not letting the fear stop me from trying this time, but it's there. I haven't mentioned that to my coworkers because I don't want them to assume I'm not ready or wanting to return, but the part of me that cares so much about succeeding I'm willing to stop myself from attempting it to make sure there's not risk of failure needs to be heard! I am so so scared that it won't go well, I know it's going to be hard and I know the learning curve will be steep. I'm also determined to do it anyway and refuse to give up on myself after how hard I've worked to get to this point. If anyone else out there is confronting the terror that it making your dream a reality, know that you're not alone.

white knight Protect yourself- love YOU
  • replies: 1

If there is one major thing I haven't mastered is the ability to consistently acknowledge my fragile mind. We can build our confidence up, have happy times and almost forget about the down times that inevitably arrive without warning. Although this h... View more

If there is one major thing I haven't mastered is the ability to consistently acknowledge my fragile mind. We can build our confidence up, have happy times and almost forget about the down times that inevitably arrive without warning. Although this has eluded me I've put in place safety measures to avoid rather than suffer mental anguish. So what are these safety barriers? Most of them are forecasted due to experience. Avoid crowds or any environment that restricts ones ability to escape. Reduce situations that I have little control over eg using buses, trains. Avoid committees, politics and local activitiesRestrict TV news or at least lower the time watchingControl your social media dont allow it to control you. Use the blocking feature immediately someone prove combative/toxicReplace the above with basic living like home cooking, animals, garden, hobbies and sportsOk so those things can improve your life. In respect to people we commonly underestimate how they can be reactive and hurt our feelings. Human relations is fluid, people come and go, friendships wain and gravitate, family can be challenging to keep stable. I refer to it as a "game". Cousin X is causing trouble at the moment so I'll just keep away for a while. Sister S is angry I forgot her birthday... I've apologised so as there is nothing I can do I'll not contact for a couple of weeks and then express my love and so on. Eg we cant stop all leaks of our lives, patch up every crack in the dam wall. Perfection isn't realistic.. The worst expectations of our lives come from our own demands. Tell yourself you have done enough, you have tried and trying is more than what a lot of people do. Praise yourself and out of all of your friends, your best friend can be YOU. Protect you. Care for you. Love you, accept you. https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/staying-well/dna-what-you-cant-change/td-p/296595 TonyWK

Nefro Busy mind
  • replies: 10

Hi there,I went to my doctor yesterday and got told that I am going through menopause,my blood pressure is really high so I am blood pressure medication and they want to do a mental health assessment during the week to check whether I am depressed du... View more

Hi there,I went to my doctor yesterday and got told that I am going through menopause,my blood pressure is really high so I am blood pressure medication and they want to do a mental health assessment during the week to check whether I am depressed due to some underlying issues.as in my previous discussions I did mention my mind was always busy and I am anxious and panic about things that are yet to come..the doctors delivery of the news to me on the weekend was so gloomy,like,it was really,really bad.arent doctors supposed to make you feel better.of course they give you bas news but they should also make you feel like,yes,this is bad but we will help you fix it.it may not happen over night but we will get there eventually??thank goodness he is not my family doctor.any advise on what I should do?

white knight Humility and "the good samaritan"
  • replies: 14

As a boy, for whatever reason, I used to boast about my exploits. Once I joined the RAAF at 17yo, being the youngest of my squadron, I was out of favour with older men...as they saw my boasting as immature. So, eventually I got the idea that doing so... View more

As a boy, for whatever reason, I used to boast about my exploits. Once I joined the RAAF at 17yo, being the youngest of my squadron, I was out of favour with older men...as they saw my boasting as immature. So, eventually I got the idea that doing something for no award whatsoever is a great example of humility. I'm not religious, my old mate is and we sat down a few years ago to watch a movie about a SAINT of humility ST Gemma Galgany. His humility was unhuman like, totally amazing. How can we harness this great human ability of humility. I suppose I first really adopted some humility once I'd left my ex wife and had my kids with me every second weekend and on holidays. Although paying huge child support, my kids needs and wants came first (as we all do). If they needed more clothing and the child support should pay for it...I purchased it anyway. It simply wasn't worth the arguments. My mentality was that I didn't care how financially well off my ex was. (I should point out that even working 3 jobs she was financially better off on a pension and child support). So, humility in my opinion can grow as we get older. We can improve ourselves as people as we grow older. How about xmas? There are countless people serving the homeless, no benefits except their smiling faces or grim faces that underneath the matted hair and the overcoats- appreciate. This is what is amazing here on this forum. Strangers helping strangers. We've had members come here to talk about their worries then over time spread themselves to helping others that join up. We rarely know if we help people, little feedback....it doesn't matter. That's what passionate humans do- leave a legacy of compassion...love and understanding. To all those champions out there in cyber world thankyou for being here. You are amazing. for any member out there that answers another members post, even just once, to help out, thankyou for doing so. For the moderators and management that battle all year to make this a better place for new members, thankyou. (I'm not religious) The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus in Luke 10:25–37. It is about a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. First a priest and then a Levite comes by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan happens upon the traveler and arranges for rent for the traveler in an inn for the night, food and water. The traveler never knew the identity of the "good Samaritan". Tony WK

AllTooWell Coping strategies
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I’m a 47 yo female new to forums. I believe I’m suffering from mild anxiety and depression. Everything I’ve read suggests that I talk to my GP however I don’t feel comfortable to speak to anyone about my mental health just yet. I’m wondering ... View more

Hi all, I’m a 47 yo female new to forums. I believe I’m suffering from mild anxiety and depression. Everything I’ve read suggests that I talk to my GP however I don’t feel comfortable to speak to anyone about my mental health just yet. I’m wondering if anyone has some coping strategies that they can suggest for managing myself until I feel ready to talk to someone?

BusinessLady Studying Counselling while managing my own mental illnesses
  • replies: 2

Hi, I have recently enrolled in a Diploma of Counselling, mainly for personal interest and self-development at this stage.In the past I have experienced a nervous breakdown as a young adult and was eventually diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder a... View more

Hi, I have recently enrolled in a Diploma of Counselling, mainly for personal interest and self-development at this stage.In the past I have experienced a nervous breakdown as a young adult and was eventually diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. It took a long time for my condition to improve, but every year I did notice improvements. I feel that my schizoaffective disorder has gotten better with age (I'm in my mid-thirties now), but my anxiety remains chronic. I feel like I would like to specialise in supporting people with chronic or severe mental illnesses possibly in the area of the disability employment sector. I do feel like I could encourage others not to lose hope. The problem is I'm not where I want to be in my own therapy journey yet and have had trouble finding a psychologist or counsellor for myself. I also feel like I am holding myself back with some of my psychological issues. For example, for a long time I believed that I wasn't capable of study because of what a social worker in the mental health system had said. I find that my studying has slowed down a little, because I find it hard to believe I am capable. I would love to hear from others who have studied mental health/psychology/counselling and especially those who have done so while having lived experience. Is it possible to study counselling/mental health while still learning about yourself and having to work through your own issues in therapy at the same time?