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

Positive_vibes89 I am a nurse and the struggle is real! - Covid 19 ......lets talk about how we are feeling.
  • replies: 14

Hello, I am a frontline nurse. My job is to stand at the drive through testing site for long hours wearing a mask, faceshield, gloves and protective gown. Currently at the moment im seeing so much panic in people, I know this because they line up at ... View more

Hello, I am a frontline nurse. My job is to stand at the drive through testing site for long hours wearing a mask, faceshield, gloves and protective gown. Currently at the moment im seeing so much panic in people, I know this because they line up at the testsites at 4am and have just started camping out in the carparks. In my state other test sites have closed down due to a whole backlog of tests. But my site still remains open. I give up my personal health and my families to test you. Yes a stranger that I shall never see or meet again. I will get covid-19, it is in evitable because im putting my health on the line to provide you with health care. Yes I get paid for this, but nursing is just not a job for me it is about caring for the sick and vulnerable. I do however get angry when people come to get tested and they dont wear a mask! It is selfish, why are they even coming to get tested when they are being so careless? I hand them a mask and tell them you are here because you think you have covid, you should be wearing a mask to protect me who is testing you and others in the community. I wish I could have denied this person a test for their stupid behaviour (they had no exemption either), but as a nurse I cannot deny health care based on a person's silly behaviour. As a nurse you have to have a thick skin! some try and take advantage of getting tested they will decided because the person in their car is getting tested they will too! Ive told them to drive back around and wait in the line again. As I have no time to fill oput paper work on the spot for them when there are hundreds of other waiting in cars behind them and to try getting them a test pack. Its brutal out there with the way some people are behaving and this is the internal stuggle I am having. I have had to turn away family from visiting their loved ones at hospital, I put myself in their shoes and can feel my heart sink when only one parent can see their child, or a wife cant accompany her husband for chemotherapy. The stuggle is real! keep going everyone we will get there. It might be a long time before we do, but we got this okay.

The_Bro NEW YEARS RESOLUTION - THIS HINT MAY HELP!
  • replies: 5

Hi Everyone Just a brief note. I have always struggled big time remembering my New Years Resolution each year, let alone actually sticking to it! I read this hint this morning and thought 'Ah Ha!", that makes a lot of sense. It may just help you too!... View more

Hi Everyone Just a brief note. I have always struggled big time remembering my New Years Resolution each year, let alone actually sticking to it! I read this hint this morning and thought 'Ah Ha!", that makes a lot of sense. It may just help you too! NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS - 'It takes seven days to create a new habit, another seven days to make it a behaviour, then another seven days to create a positive neurological pathway'. 21 days or three weeks in total! I'm going to give it a go. The Bro.

Guest_1055 Name 1 thing you are Looking Forward to this week
  • replies: 13

Hi Came across this idea from someone else a moment ago. And thought YES this a good one. I am not sure of the personal outcome for each of us. And sometimes it can be a challenge to look forward to something that is coming up in our lives. Currently... View more

Hi Came across this idea from someone else a moment ago. And thought YES this a good one. I am not sure of the personal outcome for each of us. And sometimes it can be a challenge to look forward to something that is coming up in our lives. Currently I can think of one thing. So I will share it in my next post. What is 1 thing you are Looking Forward to this week in your life?

blondguy Happy 2022! Who would YOU like to thank?
  • replies: 12

Hi Everyone! Just a note of thanks to all the amazing Members on this National platform Its important to acknowledge the contribution that you provide on the forums. This can be a difficult and sometimes emotional time of the year for many that are e... View more

Hi Everyone! Just a note of thanks to all the amazing Members on this National platform Its important to acknowledge the contribution that you provide on the forums. This can be a difficult and sometimes emotional time of the year for many that are experiencing any level of difficulty in their lives....(that includes myself too) Thankyou to all the members that have summoned the courage to post/or continue to contribute on the forums If you wish to thank anyone on the forums you are very welcome to do so! my kindest always Paul

Frangepani Menopause
  • replies: 3

Hi Everyone hope all is well. Im reaching out because im very interested to know how women cope with severe menopause symptoms I extremely struggling and I literally can not go outside in this extreme heat because it makes me very unwell I also belie... View more

Hi Everyone hope all is well. Im reaching out because im very interested to know how women cope with severe menopause symptoms I extremely struggling and I literally can not go outside in this extreme heat because it makes me very unwell I also believe I am prone to heatstroke. I look forward to hearing your feedback thankyou.

Maisie8yo Health anxiety - neurological symptoms
  • replies: 4

Hi, I am new to this forum, but wanted to see if anyone else was experiencing similar neurological symptoms as me. I have health anxiety, probably from my mum who had lots of mental health issues. 2021 has been a nightmare for me as I was diagnosed w... View more

Hi, I am new to this forum, but wanted to see if anyone else was experiencing similar neurological symptoms as me. I have health anxiety, probably from my mum who had lots of mental health issues. 2021 has been a nightmare for me as I was diagnosed with a scary unusual problem associated with cardiovascular disease - I have a ‘penetrating arteriosclerotic ulcer’ in my aorta which causes a weakness that can eventually dissect. If this happens, it is very serious and often fatal. I am being monitored by a cardiologist and vascular surgeon who think it can be managed without surgery at the moment. I found it really hard to adjust having been fit and independent. While in hospital the last time, I started getting pins and needles in my hands, arms, legs and feet. This has become really uncomfortable painful, ongoing prickling, tingling burning sensations in hands, legs, ankles and feet. I have also had some vision changes. I have had an MRI of my head and full spine, blood tests, seen an ophthalmologist, had a stroke ruled out with CT scan and had physiotherapy. The spinal scan revealed deterioration but a neurosurgeon felt that was no, if very minimal nerve involvement. All tests have come back clear, and I have done a systematic withdrawal from medication that has side effects that, may cause these symptoms. When I have these neurological sensations really badly, I struggle to cope. I can’t do things that give me pleasure, e.g. sitting reading a book, playing the piano, relaxing with friends, cooking, because these all exacerbate the symptoms. The sensations are so uncomfortable and there every second of the day. It is really hard to concentrate or do anything being so all-consumed with pain and discomfort and I get very depressed. No painkillers are effective in relieving this. I am so tired of feeling ill and spending my life careening from one doctor to the other without anyone giving me an answer. My GP doubled my dose of anti-anxiety medication but it has made no difference whatsoever. I am literally at my wits end, so my question is, does anyone else out there get these same symptoms, can something this severe and ongoing be due to anxiety and what can I do to start managing this before I literally go mad? Even knowing that someone else out there is going through the same thing would be comforting as I feel very alone with this at the moment. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, it is so helpful to just now be part of this forum.

white knight 30 minutes can change your life
  • replies: 11

I think there is a good percentage of members here that overall need stimulation, perhaps you are a negative thinker? From a negative family? I was a negative guy until I hit 23yo. Then an event occured where it changed my life forever- it was a moti... View more

I think there is a good percentage of members here that overall need stimulation, perhaps you are a negative thinker? From a negative family? I was a negative guy until I hit 23yo. Then an event occured where it changed my life forever- it was a motivation lecture. This might interest you. I'll try to be brief. I sold insurance for a short time. I was doing ok. I went to this lecture as part of my training. The guy talking was "Bill" and he opened up telling us how, at 42yo he started selling insurance. But after 6 months not one policy was sold. With the stress he had a heart attack and lying in hospital his wife came for a visit and asked Bill what he wanted to do when he was discharged from hospital. "I'm going to be a millionaire selling insurance" Bill blurted. His wife laughed at him and it was that laugh that sealed Bill's future. For he no longer cared for anything else. His wife seemed to ridicule him with "that laugh". Bill started to put plans in place. For motivation he decided to stop his car at 11am everyday where ever he was, and knock on every door of that street until he finished every house. If the street was really long he would return the next day and continue. He started selling a few small policies. Then one day he was in the centre of Melbourne and looked at his clock and saw it was 11am. He was in a major street in the heart of the city. But...good to his promise he started knocking on doors, every door of every tall building. Two weeks later he is still knocking. He arrived at a building owned by a major mining company. He made an appointment and the guy said "bring along a superannuation expert with you". The next day he was riding the elevator up to that office and the expert told him "introduce me Bill then keep quiet...leave it to me" Well Bill actually fell asleep during the discussions. Then forms were signed. On the way down the elevator the expert asked Bill "do you know what just happened"? "No" said Bill. "We just sold Australia's biggest mining company an extra 1.5% superannuation for their 60,000 employees" said the expert. "That means I get nothing because I'm on a wage, but your commission is just over one million dollars". Bill returned home, put his slippers on and relaxed. His wife came home and asked "how did you go Bill"? "I made one million dollars today....AND DONT EVER LAUGH AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN !!!!! By this time he was yelling at us. Never ever give up...! Try motivation. Tony WK

tranzcrybe I belong... here?
  • replies: 4

Wouldn't you agree that our brains are just some sort of hoarder - years of gathering info on how to act, think, behave (why do knives always go to the right of the dinner plate??); what 'makes' our lives complete; what 'defines' us; how our job/poss... View more

Wouldn't you agree that our brains are just some sort of hoarder - years of gathering info on how to act, think, behave (why do knives always go to the right of the dinner plate??); what 'makes' our lives complete; what 'defines' us; how our job/possessions represent achievement; friends vs enemies vs frenemies!; and classifying ourselves by what we do and not who we are in essence (as opposed to how we wish to be portrayed)? We seem to live a life of comparison to some unrealistic ideal lodged firmly in our heads from our very first breath - emulating and measuring expectations (and biases) of parents, peers, social circles, and anything that we fear may pass judgement on the 'correctness' of our presence. Even those who buck the system are merely creating a predictable stereotype to the same end. My advice: LET IT GO! We belong for no other reason than that we are here. If not so, then it would not be so. In most cases the issue can be looking too much back at ourselves - critically running events through this rather clogged filter of behavioural appropriateness to soothe/satisfy the conniptions of others (who are no doubt doing exactly the same thing). We are only ever this moment in time and the one constant is change - erosion, degradation, subsidence, climate, evolution, and the very cells in our bodies - we live in a state of flux on a planet in perpetual motion. The one assurance being that everything that is, although undergoing several transformations (and abominations), is as it should be, and accepting our association to this natural order can help us to understand it is not really our business to meddle, control, or take ownership of what is provided - so far, despite patting ourselves firmly on the back with our inventions, interventions, and aspirations, we have made quite a hash of it on the whole. Mindfulness may be more about releasing ourselves from our thoughts - the ability to let things pass through instead of taking up residence only to veil reality or find ulterior motives. Has no one observed how absurd the construct of life is? Surely you have felt it every day as you strive to find inner peace and synergy within existence and your place in it. What thoughts/beliefs have you held so long and so dear that you can't even remember why? What can you dispose of in your mind that is just taking up valuable space, diminishing awareness, and bogging you down?

white knight The reality of ill directed positivity
  • replies: 5

Many readers here will recall the turning point in my life in 1983, when I attended a motivation speech that instantly changed my negative life to a positive one. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/30-minutes-can-cha... View more

Many readers here will recall the turning point in my life in 1983, when I attended a motivation speech that instantly changed my negative life to a positive one. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/30-minutes-can-change-your-life In the following 28 years I've utilised that new found strength to enhance my life. Most situations that confront me I can overcome. However, it has a few drawbacks and I'd like to share them with you. Being positive is not always a solution. Eg we can approach a situation that makes us anxious, like family or relationship conflict however being motivated will not replace counselling. We can be anxious about the invoice we'll receive from a mechanic about our broken down car, positive frame of mind cannot lower the amount to pay. (Positivity is best directed at what can be achieved like overtime or a second job) Positivity can be a means to sugar coat. The best example I can recall is a salesman I know. When he broke his record for cars sold in one month he was determined to break that record the next month. The pandemic caused him to not achieve that goal. He told himself he failed and wasnt positive enough. (Positivity is best used in a realistic way that's within your control) Positivity in some isnt obvious. When motivated some of us can ooze it, display it. Others are calm achievers that dont mention it. For them action speaks louder than words. (Positivity can be hidden) Charity begins at home. Some people, eager to help others in their community, neglect their own welfare at home. While helping the down and out is a good thing that doesnt mean we should prioritize our objectives. (Fulfil home needs first) Mental illness needs measured effort. For some of us depression can be debilitating. Using motivation at a time when you cannot be motivated can be more damaging as you feel more of a failure when you dont succeed. (timing of motivation can be beneficial) https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/depression/depression-and-the-timing-of-motivation Being positive is great, it transforms you and makes you feel worthwhile and happier. Using it for some challenges can be a waste of time as it is glossing over the solutions. Use it wisely, realistically and never give up....it can be an amazing tool. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/being-positive-what's-the-secret- TonyWK

romantic_thi3f Can we share our strategies to cope with Christmas and the New Years?
  • replies: 13

Hello! I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I know I'm not alone in it, but Christmas isn't the 'greatest time of the year' for me. I tend to struggle a bit because all the tv ads make me feel like I should be really happy and making a gi... View more

Hello! I have been thinking about this a lot lately and I know I'm not alone in it, but Christmas isn't the 'greatest time of the year' for me. I tend to struggle a bit because all the tv ads make me feel like I should be really happy and making a giant roast for my adorable and loving family and that's just not the case at all So I thought, if maybe Christmas isn't great for others either, maybe you can share ways that you get through it? One of the things that I've been doing is a lot of journalling and gaming to distract me, and I've also made up a few code words so that when I'm away I can try and sneak out for 5 minutes. I also bought myself a Christmas present as well (Majorly into jigsaws lately) which feels really nice. Looking forward to seeing all of your ideas. rt

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