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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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CrazyQlder Looking for a bit of advice
  • replies: 1

Hiya people, hoping that you're all well and not being too muchly affected by lockdowns etc. Kinda new here, but anyway, looking for a lil advice. Past 5 years or so, I've been a live in carer for a paraplegic, which, at times has been difficult due ... View more

Hiya people, hoping that you're all well and not being too muchly affected by lockdowns etc. Kinda new here, but anyway, looking for a lil advice. Past 5 years or so, I've been a live in carer for a paraplegic, which, at times has been difficult due to personality clashes between us. Anyway, due to her condition, she is somewhat more susceptible to Covid-19. Understandably, she has a bit more fear of it. So, for the first part of the year (I'm in QLD remember), I halted my usual mental stress relief habit of going camping with a small FB group of friends (not that we could do such things anyway in the early days cos lockdowns). Anyway, now that things have opened up a *lot* here in QLD, we've started to organize events again. Problem is, I'm being continually told "If you go out with the camp people, even for a day, even if you wear masks, you are not allowed to enter the house for another 14 days. You cannot come home at all in that time". In essence I'm not being told that I can't go, but I'm being strongly discouraged from going, and also being told "You're not thinking of me, or the other carers with doing this stuff". I try to point out that QLD has had zero community transmission now for a month or 2, and I'm told "do you really believe it's not in QLD at all?" Anyone got any suggestions on how I could tactfully proceed? I do kinda need my breaks to get away and recentre myself (camping/4wd trips are great for that). I just can't work out if I'm being unreasonable with suggesting now, with the stage we're at in QLD, that I could go away for a trip or 2 again.

bigstar Random post but I thought it may be helpful too.
  • replies: 3

Hey so I've had MDD for a while and treatment with medication has seemed to bring me back to normal for years, and I've enjoyed a few years of relative stability and a functional life of sorts. But recently I relapsed into a very very nasty chemical ... View more

Hey so I've had MDD for a while and treatment with medication has seemed to bring me back to normal for years, and I've enjoyed a few years of relative stability and a functional life of sorts. But recently I relapsed into a very very nasty chemical storm, and it lasted for weeks, with the use of benzos and excersize and just taking care of myself, and an up in my dosage I was able to endure it but symptoms still got worse. I've had these nasty relapses before, last time was a few years ago when I was travelling Europe. And I found out a possible cause as to why, and the reason might seem obvious or dumb but I feel like I should just post this in the hope that it might stop someone else from going from the unneccassary anguish and illness that is depression. I've been leaving my medication in the car. It's been getting hotter in Melbourne. And the temperatures, as we all know, in the car, can soar well above atmospheric temperature. And we only discovered this earlier in the week (me and my GP) after some interrogation, and then reading on the side of the medication box that stipulates this pills should be stored at 25 degrees or under--that me leaving prescription medication for months on end in a hot car is not a smart idea. Well, to cut a long story short, after throwing out those medications and getting a new prescription, its taken me 3 days to get to feeling someone what normal again, and as I go through my memory and try to remember every relapse I had, it seems as though I wasnt storing my medication appropriately and leaving them in the car as a trigger. One time I had an awful relapse in Europe, and I left my medication in my luggage and my doctor let me know that is definitely not a good idea as luggage cabin experiences different presurrization and temperatures as the normal cabin would. Last few weeks have been hell and whatever. Anyways, just thought I'd let people know to be a bit more conscientious with their meds and not be idiots like I was. They are not invulnerable, and they need to be stored correctly--this may be common knowledge. Sorry if its patronizing or just plain obvious.

Emmen Movies and literature on mental illness that resonated with you
  • replies: 31

Hello all, I thought we could do a thread about movies, books, poems, songs etc. about mental illnesses that you feel you could relate to, which kept you going even when times are dark, or which make you feel less alone in your struggles. I hope that... View more

Hello all, I thought we could do a thread about movies, books, poems, songs etc. about mental illnesses that you feel you could relate to, which kept you going even when times are dark, or which make you feel less alone in your struggles. I hope that by sharing these, we can build up a collection of movies and literature that members of our community can relate to as well. I'll start: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (book) - topic: depression Resumé by Dorothy Parker (poem) - topic: reasons not to commit suicide Cheers, M

Guest_8790 Seeking advice
  • replies: 3

I am not sure if I am in right area but for sometime I am dealing With hypervigilance. I did notvrealise it until my psychologist Told me. II know that I need patience and think before reacting but I am struggling To do this. For example I was going ... View more

I am not sure if I am in right area but for sometime I am dealing With hypervigilance. I did notvrealise it until my psychologist Told me. II know that I need patience and think before reacting but I am struggling To do this. For example I was going to water plants at front but a girl was walking down driveway And i asked what she wanted in a rude manner. She stated Was crossing my lawn to go next door. I apologised but she Just walked off. I feel like a low life for reacting the way I did. Can anyone Suggest any material I could get info on this? I thought of moving but that will not help me. dejected rusty

Bananie1234 How to take care of my mental health when COVID-19 restrictions are starting to eat me alive?
  • replies: 10

Hi guys, I understand people do not agree for international borders to open but when you’re not australian it makes it really difficult. Im from NZ, moved here 6 years ago for uni then work. I didn’t mind the restrictions at first as it helped flatte... View more

Hi guys, I understand people do not agree for international borders to open but when you’re not australian it makes it really difficult. Im from NZ, moved here 6 years ago for uni then work. I didn’t mind the restrictions at first as it helped flatten the curve but I didn’t realise it’d be this long. it means I can’t see my family and friends. I’ve never gone this long without seeing my family and it’s driving me insane. on top of this, my relationship also turned into long distance as he left the country to be an expat just before the border closure kicked in so I haven’t been able to see him since he left. It’s been 7 months and it’s been an emotional roller coaster. Most of the time, I’m doing fine but sometimes I’m just really on edge, feeling disconnected and frustrated and when this happens, i start to become resentful and envy of others I’ve always been okay being on my own but i knew i needed company during this time. my existing friends are almost always unavailable which is normal in adultlife. so far, I’ve just been burying myself at work and on my days off I plan things to do so Im kept busy. i love hiking so I’ve been joining hiking groups and it definitely helped heaps as I’m meeting new people but I still struggle sometimes especially when I’m with my own thoughts. I worry that my relationship would sour. We are not struggling at the moment but I’m worried if this pandemic continues, it may happen. I’m worried I won’t see my family and relatives for a long time and God forbid anything happens to anyone in my family. i considered dropping everything and just leave the country to be with my parents but I’m worried I won’t be able to come back to aus for a really long time and in the end my life and my job is based in australia. I understand there’s no point worrying about the future but I can’t help but feeling anxious so, does anyone have any tips on staying in the present and to be positive? I really hate myself being so moody. Any help or support would be appreciated. if anyone else in this forum is going through the same situation as me I’d be really interested to see how you’re doing and how have you been staying well, mentally. thanks heaps

Not_Batman How do you do it?
  • replies: 14

Hello BB. i have been posting a little bit in the last week, and have read many helpful things. a lot of what i read is helpful to my situation, but also helps me to understand another perspective. anxiety and depression for me only comes from a few ... View more

Hello BB. i have been posting a little bit in the last week, and have read many helpful things. a lot of what i read is helpful to my situation, but also helps me to understand another perspective. anxiety and depression for me only comes from a few sources. Unfortunately they are essential, so learning to cope with the source was a must. sometimes i have to remove myself, sometimes i have to write in my journal. This got me thinking, What is a trigger for you, and how do you overcome it? Not_Batman

Kim1988 Issues with driving
  • replies: 5

Hi all. I had a situation happen to me over the weekend which I’m trying to not get me down but I just need to get off my chest. The thing is I’m 32 years old and I am a late learner driver. I only just started learning a year and a bit ago. I should... View more

Hi all. I had a situation happen to me over the weekend which I’m trying to not get me down but I just need to get off my chest. The thing is I’m 32 years old and I am a late learner driver. I only just started learning a year and a bit ago. I should have learned earlier I admit but I was really not confident with it. I really do want to learn no matter how long it takes me. I have been for about 40 lessons with a driving teacher now and he has pretty much given up on me. I guess I’m not at the level he wants me to be after how many lessons we’ve had and he’s frustrated, which I can understand. I can’t point the finger solely at him for giving up on me. I probably do need to be more focused than I have been and need to be more confident in my ability. Like for instance I still hesitate a bit at roundabouts when I can quite clearly see that nobody is there. I pretty much now by know when it’s safe to go and should stop doubting myself. My driving teacher pretty much said to me that I need to find another driving teacher because he’s taught me all he can and maybe a different driving teacher would be better. Maybe he’s right? Maybe I need a different approach is better for me? To be honest we didn’t have any clear goals and expectations that we wanted to work towards each lesson. We were just kind of drifting along. I need a teacher that will discuss the goals and expectations with me as we go and someone who will discuss the progress with me. I thought about giving up learning but you know I have come so far from where I started with my driving I’m determined to stick with it.

bread2 When should you go see someone? What to say?
  • replies: 6

Hi, Someone told me I should see a psychologist, but I can't shake the feeling that if I go, it's uncalled for or an overreaction. For one thing, I really don't know what I would say.. Yes, I've been crying for some things and acting "weird", but it'... View more

Hi, Someone told me I should see a psychologist, but I can't shake the feeling that if I go, it's uncalled for or an overreaction. For one thing, I really don't know what I would say.. Yes, I've been crying for some things and acting "weird", but it's like I feel it's such a vague feeling of general "emotional unwellness" than a specific "I'm really stressed with xx" or "I have these xxx thoughts all the time". I feel uncomfortable imagining me going to a GP or psychologist and I know they'll ask "so what have you come in for?" and I'm just not going to know what to say or where to start, and they'll be confused and I'll feel weird and it just seems like a really uncomfortable non-productive experience.. Another thing is that I keep switching between thinking I should go and thinking there's really nothing too wrong that I need to go for. Maybe I'm just like this? Maybe I could just eat better and socialise better and sleep more? Maybe I just can't be bothered fixing myself when it could be so easy too but I've convinced myself there's something more so I feel less bad about it? These thoughts I keep thinking through in my head, while I also think about how people who go to GPs and psychologists usually have real, identifiable, genuine problems, like people who have depression or anxiety or extreme stress or toxic relationships. I'm not depressed or worrying about everything, nobody abuses/is mean to me, so I just feel like.. what am I going in for? But then again, sometimes I feel super heavy, like emotionally heavy, thinking that I will be as I am in the future makes me feel grim, but then I should just do something but what do I do? And then just feel bad about feeling bad for myself and I don't know what to do.. I'm wondering how do people know when they should go see someone? Is it ok to see a psychologist even if you don't have a mental illness? How do you figure out what to say? What if you have difficulty explaining how you feel? Are you ever afraid you won't be able to explain yourself right?

beth522 overwhelmed - on so many levels
  • replies: 1

This is all new to me, just anxious writing this, but I have taken the first step. Many thanks

This is all new to me, just anxious writing this, but I have taken the first step. Many thanks

Alexlisa What are three small (or big) achievements you’ve had today? Let’s cheer each other on!
  • replies: 265

Hello all, Sometimes just doing the basics is so hard. It can be tough not to get down on ourselves when we’re struggling with things that ‘should’ be easy. But we deserve to celebrate even the smallest achievements, because they are really feats of ... View more

Hello all, Sometimes just doing the basics is so hard. It can be tough not to get down on ourselves when we’re struggling with things that ‘should’ be easy. But we deserve to celebrate even the smallest achievements, because they are really feats of strength when you’re unwell. It’s ok if you can’t do everything. We know you’re doing your best, and that’s enough ☺️ What are 3 small (or big) achievements that you’ve had today? For me: 1. I washed my hair 2. I drank two glasses of water 3. I sat out in the sun for 15 minutes How bout you? Let’s cheer ourselves and each other on! Alexlisa