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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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ScarlettR Doing small tasks contributes to good general mental health, as I had found out
  • replies: 3

As I have depression, I often get sad and teary for no reasons, usually at night. But what I had found that helped the issue partially is focusing on the small tasks I do day by day. Take tonight for instance (it's 7:46pm, Melbourne time, as I write)... View more

As I have depression, I often get sad and teary for no reasons, usually at night. But what I had found that helped the issue partially is focusing on the small tasks I do day by day. Take tonight for instance (it's 7:46pm, Melbourne time, as I write). I had been feeling sad and teary and devastated for no conceivable reason and tried out a method that helps ease the pain and bring me back to normal. I made a mental list to do just a few small things and focus all my attention, energy and spiritual ambition into them: get the bathroom ready to take a shower, pick out a freshly washed and dried towel in my favorite color, pick a shower gel that is the sweetest smelling, then after shower, go sit down at my computer and socialise and share interesting thoughts and ideas. While this may not sound very interesting to people, it means a lot to me just by setting small goals throughout the day and feeling accomplished and spiritually cleansed. I had realised it is not often the big tasks we do that'll necessarily make us happy but the small things - it's like putting together small puzzle pieces to produce a drawing instead of using large pieces. Less stressful, less demanding and less bleak. I just thought I share my method of dealing with depression and hope it helps someone out there.

Elizabeth CP Dealing with unhelpful councillors on helplines
  • replies: 10

I'm deliberately not naming the helpline I called because I don't want to put people off calling when they need help just because one person wasn't very helpful. am seeking ideas from others about how to deal with the situation when you ring a helpli... View more

I'm deliberately not naming the helpline I called because I don't want to put people off calling when they need help just because one person wasn't very helpful. am seeking ideas from others about how to deal with the situation when you ring a helpline & then find the response unsatisfactory. People are human so don't always respond in the best way. I was feeling extremely anxious on the weekend after being triggered by the weather. )I have PTSD so the weather brought back very bad thoughts & fears) I was getting worse & unable to cope so rang a helpline for advice. The person proceeded to tell me the therapy my psych has been providing is wrong & then told me a few things I could do to help He then said I should be able to fix my problems on my own if I try hard enough. This just made me feel useless as if it is my fault for not doing enough to help myself. I felt that the person had no idea what I had been through & was very upset to be told my psych was wrong ( which i don't believe is true). I just gave up feeling misunderstood & unable to explain myself. Have others go ideas to help in situations like this.

Ggrand Motivation....How do we get some....
  • replies: 22

Hello Everyone.. What is motivation?......Its our general willingness to do something. It is our troubled minds that makes it hard for us to take action.. Nearly all of the stress and anxiety in doing something is at the beginning of starting it...Af... View more

Hello Everyone.. What is motivation?......Its our general willingness to do something. It is our troubled minds that makes it hard for us to take action.. Nearly all of the stress and anxiety in doing something is at the beginning of starting it...After we start, our motivation, seems to progress more easily ....It’s more easier to finish something than it is to start one ...One of the easiest ways of getting motivated is to write a list for a particular time of day and try to stick with it...hopefully it makes them easy to start, if we have already made that decision earlier on. Setting a routine or a regular time for ourselves to do something..etc...makes it more likely we will follow through.. Does setting up a routine and sticking to it, help our motivation?..If your like me and struggle with your mental health,..Do you start to procrastinate about doing them or try waiting until you feel inspired or motivated..which isn’t very often... By doing choirs the same time each morning starts to develop a habit of motivation...We repeat it each day, which makes it easier to do as the days go by....Ex: each day you get up and immediately make your bed, freshen up, have a beverage and breakfast..By doing things this way we have begun a habit of motivation. The power of habits..develops into a mindless way of motivation..It makes starting to do something easier and following through with them on a regular daily basis much easier..helps us to develop a daily habit doing them.. We need to try and make something to do easy and hopefully it becomes automatic...that’s why setting up a regular time is so important for us, it’s often too much work to figure out where to start or what to do... if we have written out a daily schedule of what and when to do something. it solves the problem of not knowing what to do. In saying all that....Does it help you to have a list ?....Making a list I still find motivation hard...I will admit that I’m a person, who’s motivation is nearly non existent ... I am still trying to learn... I thought that I would make this thread in the hope that we can share different strategies that might help to get each other with motivation and maybe together we can find something that can work for us... Do you have strategies that work for you?....How motivated are you?...let’s try to help each other to find our motivation... Grandy.....

ecomama Healing - what does it look like for you?
  • replies: 13

Hi everyone My psych friend sent me this from @heidipriebe.. It shows What we think healing will look like then has a FULL circle coloured in with a "Meditating peacefully" label. Then What healing actually looks like with a 5 sector circle: in no pa... View more

Hi everyone My psych friend sent me this from @heidipriebe.. It shows What we think healing will look like then has a FULL circle coloured in with a "Meditating peacefully" label. Then What healing actually looks like with a 5 sector circle: in no particular order.... * "Having Difficult Conversations" * "Taking Radical Responsibility For Your Actions" * "Implementing Healthy Routines" * "Setting & Enforcing Boundaries" * "Unpacking Trauma" wow. How are you going in your Healing journey? Please share what's working for you. Love EM

Jolly_Chaplin Turning negatives into positives
  • replies: 4

Ever feel like everything happens to you? Feel like something wrong is just bound to happen in any given experience? Instead, think ‘Things are happening for me.’ The key element here is seeing things as an opportunity. A chance to change, grow, beco... View more

Ever feel like everything happens to you? Feel like something wrong is just bound to happen in any given experience? Instead, think ‘Things are happening for me.’ The key element here is seeing things as an opportunity. A chance to change, grow, become a better person by picking that path which is true to yourself. You don’t have to make a huge leap. It is the accumulation of small steps that creates your better life. Don’t let one failure determine your whole future. Just because someone stumbles and loses themselves along the way, it doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.

Anon285 Can’t exercise because of injury
  • replies: 5

Hi there, I am curious about your ideas on how to stay positive/feel good when unable to exercise - I have a hip condition caused by bone structure which cannot be fixed without a risky operation, and it flared up when I went for a cycle so I haven’t... View more

Hi there, I am curious about your ideas on how to stay positive/feel good when unable to exercise - I have a hip condition caused by bone structure which cannot be fixed without a risky operation, and it flared up when I went for a cycle so I haven’t been able to exercise for about a month and feel my mood going quite downhill, and it’s not certain when I’ll be able to move normally again (a wrist injury restricts upper body exercise too). I can do a few movements (restricted) but not get my heart rate up. I don’t know when I’ll be able to do cardio exercise again or how many more times this will happen. I’m curious what keeps your mood up when you can’t exercise, as getting your heart rate up can really help with concentration and feeling happier in general. Thanks for reading this, I’m interested in hearing your points of view.

Angienewmum Need sleeping tips as a new mum
  • replies: 6

So I finally welcomed my newborn almost 4 weeks ago ,it's been a hard slog with some postnatal depression but found myself not being able to fall asleep during the day when the baby is sleeping with the result being just 2 -3 hours in the early eveni... View more

So I finally welcomed my newborn almost 4 weeks ago ,it's been a hard slog with some postnatal depression but found myself not being able to fall asleep during the day when the baby is sleeping with the result being just 2 -3 hours in the early evening,Ive tried sound therapy, supplements,juices,eye masks,teas,wine.Now it just seems when I try to fall asleep I become hyper anxious .Does anyone have any tips or ideas to achieve falling asleep quickly and also during the day?I wish to try alternative ways before thinking about any type of medication.

ScarlettR Watching City 4K videos on Youtube to remain feeling connected during pandemic times
  • replies: 4

Hi, I have a mental illness and depression, but I love walking around in public and people watching. It's always refreshing no matter what day it is or how I woke up that morning. Now in the pandemic, it's not possible with the cities being in lockdo... View more

Hi, I have a mental illness and depression, but I love walking around in public and people watching. It's always refreshing no matter what day it is or how I woke up that morning. Now in the pandemic, it's not possible with the cities being in lockdown. But on Youtube, there are videos - called 4k videos - of people filming themselves walking through streets in cities around the world. Basically, the filming person is holding a camera or tripod and record their walk from their point of view, from about 30 minutes to up to 3 hours, just walking through cities and passing people and shops. London and American ones are quite entertaining, and I do watch walking videos from my hometown, Melbourne. Being in the lockdown, it gives me a slight release by watching what's going on in the outside world. If I can't go out yet in public, at least I can watch it for free online, yes? For those who get depressed or anxious, do you like these kind of videos?

Rooster19 Wanting to not feel so alone!!
  • replies: 1

Hi I am in a pretty isolated place right now. I just wanna see if someone can relate to my situation. I turn 40 on Saturday. I resigned from a teaching career three weeks ago which wasn't working for me so now I have had to move back in with my Mum w... View more

Hi I am in a pretty isolated place right now. I just wanna see if someone can relate to my situation. I turn 40 on Saturday. I resigned from a teaching career three weeks ago which wasn't working for me so now I have had to move back in with my Mum which is 1500km away from where I was working. Being 40 and living with my Mum is not something I am very happy with. I naively thought I was fitter and more adaptable than it turns out I am. I would like to work in a job that is hands-on like a trade. I don't know whether I can because I have a back issue and other things that come with being my age. I would also like to become confident and resilient enough to meet a woman and start a family. I thought doing a job that fulfilled me might help but now I don't now what to do for a career. The whole trade thing feels like it might have been a bit of a pipe dream and something I should have investigated 20 years ago. Feeling pretty shattered and disappointed right now. I am struggling to find my identity and self-belief in a new environment. As a 40yo single, unemployed male with 2 university degrees who is very unhappy with himself, I am very unsure of where to start. Is it possible to find hope and overcome things like this? Can anyone please share any similar experiences that could offer me some hope? Do I start on the mental health side of things first (treatment etc)? Being unemployed at least I don't have added job stressors. Should I try and somehow sweep all the relationship stuff aside? I have never had a girlfriend before. This is just an honest snapshot of where I am at. If anyone can relate to my situation, please reply to this thread. I would appreciate not feeling so alone with this all. Kind regards

spontaneous sunflower How to remain sane during Melbourne lockdown?
  • replies: 1

I think maintaining some sort of routine is important when you struggle with anxiety, but I find it so difficult to keep a routine going longer than a week and it’s even harder now in Melbourne stage 4 lockdown. I don’t have a job and I don’t study, ... View more

I think maintaining some sort of routine is important when you struggle with anxiety, but I find it so difficult to keep a routine going longer than a week and it’s even harder now in Melbourne stage 4 lockdown. I don’t have a job and I don’t study, so I am stuck at home. I feel so unproductive with most of my days and on the days I do something productive such as exercising or cleaning, I try to drag it out as long as I can, which I know won’t be maintainable once things return back to normal. I find it so hard to get out of bed in the mornings, I feel bored all the time and I’m just going crazy! I spend way too much time on my phone and I feel so sluggish all the time. I want to spend less time on my phone, i want to get up a little earlier and have a better morning routine. And I want to workout regularly and eat better. I’ve been eating either too little or too much during lockdown 🤦🏼‍ I’ve tried to incorporate activities into my day such as reading or spending time in my backyard but it’s just not enough. As I’m sure many of us are, I’m just so over lockdown. I miss my friends, I’m sick of messaging them or video chatting, I want to be able to hug them. I want a routine and a sense of normal back.