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

Panic Struggles
  • replies: 1

Hello. Im new here so not sure how it all works. I guess im just looking for some support. Ive been very unwell for a while with panic attacks and anxiety. Ive suffered from this most of my life but recently had breakdown from carrying so much presur... View more

Hello. Im new here so not sure how it all works. I guess im just looking for some support. Ive been very unwell for a while with panic attacks and anxiety. Ive suffered from this most of my life but recently had breakdown from carrying so much presure in my life. Ive reached my limit and exploded. Now, im too unwell to go back to work where I dont feel safe anyway. My life just seems to be spiralling out of control. I want to get myself better and move forward again.

poisontree coping
  • replies: 3

hey everyone how do you cope with feelings of hopelessness? i’ve been feeling quite overwhelmed and defeated mentally lately (past 5 months). i’m struggling to envision a future for myself and sometimes things just don’t feel real? if that makes sens... View more

hey everyone how do you cope with feelings of hopelessness? i’ve been feeling quite overwhelmed and defeated mentally lately (past 5 months). i’m struggling to envision a future for myself and sometimes things just don’t feel real? if that makes sense? i’m 20 and feel really bleak about my life and the future, especially because a lot of my peers are excelling in their lives. i’d appreciate any advice, thanks.

Paw Prints Staying/Getting/Doing Well – Moving goalposts or fixed target?
  • replies: 2075

Hi, this is my first post, though I have been reading the forums for some weeks. I’m probably expressing myself badly when I say that I have found reading about other people’s journeys reassuring. Finding a community of people who “get it” even when ... View more

Hi, this is my first post, though I have been reading the forums for some weeks. I’m probably expressing myself badly when I say that I have found reading about other people’s journeys reassuring. Finding a community of people who “get it” even when they have a wide variety of experiences and lives lived is not something I thought I would ever find. Though people talk about getting well & there is a section Staying Well, I’m curious as to what this actually means to other people and how they manage their expectations. I noticed some people refer to being well as ‘being like themselves before they got ill’, whilst others don’t express an exact aim. My idea of being well has changed over the years. I was first diagnosed as an 8 year old child back in the late sixties. The doctors told Mum that the voices in my head & the sudden crying bouts were because I suffered from ‘nerves’ & I was given meds to calm me. Of course such things were not discussed back then & I was told not to talk about it to anyone, not my school friends nor siblings, just Mum. For decades after my idea of being well simply meant being able to hide my illness from others. A number of events in my life caused my illness to worsen, until some years ago I became so ill I needed to be hospitalised for my own safety. This lead to my current diagnosis of Major Depression, Anxiety & PTSD. I’m no longer in that dark place, but each day is still a battle (though I can now believe in a future). For now only my siblings & one friend know about my illness, though some things they still don’t know. So, what does ‘being well’ mean to me, it is ever moving goalposts. If you had asked me 5 years ago would I be as well as I am now I would have thought it impossible as I couldn’t envision a future. If you had asked me last week (during one of my down periods) I would have said my progress was all an illusion & I was fooling myself that things can get better. For now my idea of being well is being able to believe that things can change for the better, that I will one day be able to manage the everyday things like housework, caring for myself & caring for my dog & maybe, just maybe I will even be able to enjoy myself. Paw Prints **I took the tip to give myself time to write my post by writing on a word doc & then paste it.

Realist_Sapien Life Is Random & Pointless
  • replies: 23

Welcome to my first post, just to disclaim this has nothing to do about me being depressed or suicidal. I just cant get over how unbelievably pointless & painful this life factly is, now when i say this i don't mean that we should all just stop what ... View more

Welcome to my first post, just to disclaim this has nothing to do about me being depressed or suicidal. I just cant get over how unbelievably pointless & painful this life factly is, now when i say this i don't mean that we should all just stop what we're doing & start staring at a wall, but its really important to not be naive about this, which is kinda what society is, a whole cesspool of contradictions & distractions, most of the things that we do nowadays are to just feed the mind & keeping the body satitsfied from breaking down too suddenly by stimulation such as releasing chemical rewards, all these can be achieved but cant always guaranteed happiness, which is another thing i cant stand about this civilisation or should i say work in progress, its almost like if you cant be happy to a certain extend or people please to fulfill theyre jester full desires, theyre gonna be contempt of you no matter what, all becuase you cant live up to absurd expectations, nobody's gonna be problem free in this world, which is why most of the things we do are just to kill time, which is why i can understand why people get addicted to things, because we live in a reality thats pretty disappointing, even those things have a limit, it may be giving you relief, but realise it never lasts long, only because we're not so used to looking into healthier outlets, to be honest i dont think we live in a healthy world, most things are instant gratification, chasing pleasure, looks maxing, because sooner or later you have to ask yourself why do we need all these things just to get by in life that never lasts forever, its only awkward at first when youre not so used to asking such things, like being conditioned since the start of birth, by people who arent even aware themmelves of whats going on around them, but expect you to know what you wanna do when really its not as straight forward as anyone thought is was gonna be, for pete sake, people cant even figure out what theyre gonna do next weekend, yet they expect you to have your future figured out, we live in a double standard judgemental condescending populous, which is why its very important to see behind the scenes in everything, its dangerous to be gullible by believing everything you see or hear, It is quite certain that society doesnt really do a good job teaching these sort of attributes. Stupid how they only give you 2500 characters, its like theyre allergic to hear what people really have to say, anyway thank's for reading.

OrangeFantastic How do i rest?
  • replies: 5

This sounds a little bit stupid but, i genuinely have no idea how to be unstimulated. I always need music or something, anything to keep me going and when i dont feel stimulated something feels wrong. Ive been burnt out for a while and i dont know wh... View more

This sounds a little bit stupid but, i genuinely have no idea how to be unstimulated. I always need music or something, anything to keep me going and when i dont feel stimulated something feels wrong. Ive been burnt out for a while and i dont know what to do about it but i know i need rest and i just have no idea how to rest to any capcity. Whenever i try to rest my brain tells me no, i must stay stimulated and its so hard for me to start things. How do i fix this?

Thom I wanna flee
  • replies: 2

I never felt appreciated and accepted since I was a little. Only had a few friends. Most of the people i knew in my school mocked me or thought im weird. Tried to fit and get along with the people i knew, that doesnt work out. Even my family thought ... View more

I never felt appreciated and accepted since I was a little. Only had a few friends. Most of the people i knew in my school mocked me or thought im weird. Tried to fit and get along with the people i knew, that doesnt work out. Even my family thought im weird. No one even there when im facing it alone. They said that they’re busy with office work. Had a 2 sister, none of them dont even care maybe because of Im a boy of some shit. Moved to melbourne ever since then when im 18. Actually i already moved here when im still 17 for university because i cant stand it. Im not even smart and my grade looks trash, somehow i still chose bachelor of science because i liked animals. Somehow i felt like they have much more common sense than human who dont give a fuck. Everytime when i’m doing my work, i felt like im being a perfectionist, yet i havent improve anything yet in my way of study. I felt so dumb choosing these bachelor, but i dont want to choose business like my dad ordered me to and be like him. Made a few friend here… i think. Still doesnt feel like im fitting somewhere.Tried hanging out with them but i dont think it even goes well. I never open up to someone just because everyone gonna ask why am i weak or some shit.

Guest_10487 Grooming and Child abuse
  • replies: 3

40 years ago I was groomed at 13 and victim of child abuse. Should I report it. He was 27 older than me. He is now in his 80s. He is also a very well known business man. I am writing my life story And it has brought up alot of memories of the past. .... View more

40 years ago I was groomed at 13 and victim of child abuse. Should I report it. He was 27 older than me. He is now in his 80s. He is also a very well known business man. I am writing my life story And it has brought up alot of memories of the past. .should I report it or change his name in my book. I'm confused.

Matt_07 Hi my names Matthew
  • replies: 1

So I’m 18, stressing about money because I’ve got a hernia inguinal problem. Ive tried applying for centre link but they rejected me twice all I wanted was money because I’m unable to financially support myself. I don’t wanna ask my parents because t... View more

So I’m 18, stressing about money because I’ve got a hernia inguinal problem. Ive tried applying for centre link but they rejected me twice all I wanted was money because I’m unable to financially support myself. I don’t wanna ask my parents because they bought a house 5 hrs away from the place I grew up around (Maitland) and I went to go live with them as I couldn’t afford to live with one of my mates. I’m not too sure what to do but I got a job at kfc haven’t started I don’t wanna work because I might make my hernia worse which I already have from a plumbing work trial and I’m tired of the fact that I can’t get money I just want someone to hear me out and help me.

white knight The chaos of autism
  • replies: 0

Have you ever considered how many tasks we do daily? It's in the hundreds. Most people go through these tasks every day easily. But for those with autism or high functioning autism (I have that) it isnt a bunch of duties, it's chaos. Autistic people ... View more

Have you ever considered how many tasks we do daily? It's in the hundreds. Most people go through these tasks every day easily. But for those with autism or high functioning autism (I have that) it isnt a bunch of duties, it's chaos. Autistic people need routines and rituals. They provide a foundation or a platform that counters real life's list of unexpected daily duties. New emails that send you into turmoil as you know the next hour is spent on the phone with recording devices asking you to press numbers. When you finally get through you get cut off for some unknown reason. You know the drill. It doesnt help to recall decades ago when you had to attend to the very email in letter form where the process took days. Partners or family members have a problem because if these routines are interrupted we can get triggered. A good example is house keys, if your partner leaves the house with your keys and her keys are in her own secure place, you cant leave the house without locking up, you get triggered to the point whereby you feel trapped, imprisoned. Yes, thats the result for some of us. That leads to overreaction and a downward spiral. This triggering event is far worse for low IQ or severe autism because those souls dont have the higher IQ nor logic levels to counter effect of the the broken routine. I worked with a fellow once that was one of those people that had our shared security desk with a place for everything, the ruler had to be in its designated position as was everything else in their right spot. Returning from a patrol if one item wasnt right there he'd explode. Even the logic of me being busy didnt suffice. A foster son we have has severe autism and if his routine is changed he cannot cope and weeps. So the real problem here is for those with some mental illnesses we rely upon routine and rituals as a foundation of our lives. If capable when those routines are changed we must try not to get upset, stop the trigger and think how hard it is for our partner to live a life based on not changing something that could trigger us. That means hard work for us, to downplay the effect of change but thats our responsibility even though its very hard to do. Dont feel guilty, just try. TonyWK

white knight Motivation and mental illness
  • replies: 1

I first became really motivated after attending a lecture at 26yo some 44 years ago. Up till then I was defeated and negative, a reflection of my family environment I grew up in. Those early days I knew something was wrong but didnt see the light of ... View more

I first became really motivated after attending a lecture at 26yo some 44 years ago. Up till then I was defeated and negative, a reflection of my family environment I grew up in. Those early days I knew something was wrong but didnt see the light of the problem until that day. When the motivator that day pounded his fist on his bench yelling "you can do anything with positive thinking"!! my hairs on my back went solid, I was transformed forever. But, I didnt know I had any mental illness so I couldnt understand why self motivation often didnt work. Those were those times my depression stopped any positive thoughts in their tracks. Years later once diagnosed in 2009 at 53yo, I realised I had major obstacles that weren't my fault. The "black dog" was stubborn and no treat would sway him to be friendly. Since then I've developed my own strategies to cope better and the most important one is timing, to allow my depression from a bipolar swing to run its course THEN self motivate. Medication has reduced my periods of depression from 2 weeks down to 2 days most of the time so after 2 bad days if I wake up and want to smell the roses a quick walk is the beginning of a motivating period. On that walk something always happens or an observation generates enthusiasm for life. Maybe the Alpacas will come to the fence for a pat, an old person in a park likes a chat or my small dog gets a pat from a stranger. At the end of my walk I know I'm ok and looking forward to the near future. So study your illness, accept that your depressive period will come to an end and if it doesnt seek out professional medical help. Over a long period this technique will become second nature, you'll know its a few bad days and you will get deflated if you try to motivate yourself during a depressive period so dont try. Once that morning arrives when you know you are feeling a little better, dive off the dark clouds to immerse yourself into the joys of life, because life can be so wonderful. TonyWK

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