Staying well

Dec 3, international day for people with a disability

replies: 1

A remarkable account by a journalist with a disability. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-30/abc-reporter-nas-campanella-stranger-says-life-not-worth-living/12920246?utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_amp&utm_campaign=abc_news_amp&utm_co... View more

A remarkable account by a journalist with a disability. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-30/abc-reporter-nas-campanella-stranger-says-life-not-worth-living/12920246?utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_amp&utm_campaign=abc_news_amp&utm_content=mail

Staying Positive

replies: 2

Roughly six months ago I came to Beyond Blue for some support through a complicated time whilst I was in a relationship. I was not in a good place back then and came to realize I was not going to be happy with my ex no matter how hard I tried. I have... View more

Roughly six months ago I came to Beyond Blue for some support through a complicated time whilst I was in a relationship. I was not in a good place back then and came to realize I was not going to be happy with my ex no matter how hard I tried. I have been much happier since, and am glad we have parted ways despite still missing him and thinking of him often. Although I feel a lot better than I did back then, I have had six months from hell and I have reached the point where I am started to get exhausted from being knocked down physically and emotionally. Recap of my last six months: My ex left me after a year and a half together, and two weeks later my parents up and moved interstate. I was also unemployed as I lost my job due to Covid19. I found little support through the grieving process as my brother lives several hours away and works interstate for weeks on end. My friends were not supportive (not deliberate) and most of my extended family members are hard to get close to due to complicated matters. My luck changed when I got a full-time job. I even started doing equestrian sports again and bought my own horse. In late September I had a car accident due to stress at work, having a lot of responsibility with little training, and putting 110% into my job. I was disappointed to know my car was a wreck and I was reimbursed for what It was worth. Through this time I was also finishing late at work, and having to find a way to the laundromat to do my washing because my washing machine broke, and I had no car. My best friend of 12 years promised to drop everything and help me by driving me to a car dealer to buy a car so that I could get to work. She never showed up. I walked to several car yards in 30-degree heat and bought the first car I could afford. I called and left messages and she only replied at 4pm that day informing me she was ill and had only just seen my messages. I voiced my frustration but told her I still loved her and she never spoke to me since, ignores me on social media, and won't contact me. I don't know why. To top it off, I got let go of my job two weeks ago and was told I was not performing to the standard they wanted which was just simply not true. I was devastated and left stranded once again with no parents and this time no best friend. My birthday is next weekend and Christmas is around the corner and I see no point celebrating with no family around me. And with my defeated mindset. I am just drained from trying to stay positive.

Balancing act with mental disorders

replies: 3

I've been interested in cars all my life. If you buy a standard car and as a younger person you want to modify it to perform "better", you can- stiffen the suspension...that will give you a harsher ride, a louder exhaust will give you a little more p... View more

I've been interested in cars all my life. If you buy a standard car and as a younger person you want to modify it to perform "better", you can- stiffen the suspension...that will give you a harsher ride, a louder exhaust will give you a little more power with the tradeoff of a headache, bigger wheels and tyres that will make your speedo go out of whack...and so on. There is always a tradeoff with modifications. Mental illness, the treatment of it is not any different. At the height of my emotional roller coaster mid 20's I headed for the hills. Fed up with battling society, people, abuse, violence etc. That kneejerk action came with ramifications. Was I going to survive living in a tent? how long for? when I run out of money I wont be able to purchase bare essentials like toothpaste, soap, food!! After 3 visits to the bush, all failed in their plan, I realised I needed to review my life. What is the balance? I knew I needed society. Perhaps the balance is being on the fringe of it? Could I suck out of society my basic needs then give back when I had the capability (like now as a champion here)? The fact is that every challenge put up to me by my illnesses there was a balance I could find that allowed me to survive happily. Like- Employment- Unhappy with working for a boss I developed a goal of working for myself. A long time goal once achieved I survived to 57yo as my own boss until I could no longer work anymore...an extra 18 years Clubs- Any organisation can be a threat with personalities and intolerance. I made rules, not volunteer for any committees, dont buy the town newspaper or get involved with politics. Acquaintances- If a neighbour I dont get along with passes by, I be cordial but limit any conversation to a maximum of 1-2 minutes even less. For me living in a country town about 4000 people is the balance. Enough people so it provides hospital, supermarket etc, not enough people to be impersonal. Medical attention- There's a balance between getting the best help you need and living life. This is a tough one to mention as we are all different but in my case I decided there is some areas of my health I would accept totally and stop worrying about it. Blood tests for thinners/diabetes, chiro care for neck issues and so forth. The key here is the word "worry", I have enough of that with my mental challenges. You get the idea- balancing your life with these major things can result in some happiness. Prioritize for YOU. What do you think? TonyWK

A full life and a thankful heart

replies: 3

HI everyone! I haven't been on here for AGES and I feel a little guilty, to be honest. But now that I am working full time, life just seems to be SO BUSY! Mainly, I just wanted to pop in to say g'day and let you all know that you are never very far f... View more

HI everyone! I haven't been on here for AGES and I feel a little guilty, to be honest. But now that I am working full time, life just seems to be SO BUSY! Mainly, I just wanted to pop in to say g'day and let you all know that you are never very far from my thoughts and prayers. I have worked all the way through Covid, and am really very blessed with the life that I have. I have been running some online recovery meetings also, but now that they are back face to face (I'm in NSW) then I am getting back to those, and doing less online meetings. I know that online recovery stuff is great for some, and I must say that this particular forum and format has been great for me when I nave needed it .... but I have NOT enjoyed being on video with Zoom! That is NOT my thing! Anyway, that's all I wanted to say really; just a little 'check-in' to let you know I'm still here. Take care y'all. Hugs. xo

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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A Bouquet for Pearls - share your appreciation for other members

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