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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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white knight Empathy
  • replies: 17

If we asked people on the street if they had a family member with depression what that persons greatest need was you might get the following responses- Sympathy Sleep Dominance from myself More medication More therapy Theyve just got to snap out of i... View more

If we asked people on the street if they had a family member with depression what that persons greatest need was you might get the following responses- Sympathy Sleep Dominance from myself More medication More therapy Theyve just got to snap out of it However, in general, I would propose that EMPATHY is the most valued quality a carer, family member or friend could possess. Someone that shows empathy is a listener, they are genuinely concerned and they have a rare ability of having the capacity of “walking in your shoes”. Someone able to do that is rare because being able to extend your kindness to someone with an illness they cannot see, restrictions that aren’t obvious and internal turmoil usually invisible, takes a special human being. For us that need such empathy the least we can do is return some of it. Carers need support as well and such support can be given even as tokenism by way of a cuppa when they return from work, for example. Back to the mentally unwell. There are various levels of empathy. In my experience and I could be wrong but the less empathy the more selfish a person can be or they have not acquired the basics in their childhood- to reach out. Regardless of the reason you will not transform a person into an empathetic person with demands nor any other method, If you have a mental illness be wary of your need for empathy in others. Sadly, you might, like me, reduce your social circle to include only such quality people... Mixing with people with empathy and reducing contact with those that haven’t got that quality is a form of protection along with a means to be much happier. What are your major needs from other people? TonyWK

SteveB1978 Can anything good come out of mental illness
  • replies: 5

Hey everyone, Hope everyone is going ok today.. I wanted to write and ask if anyone has a success story coming out of their Mental illness. I watch lots of success stories on YouTube of people who came out of mental illness and now are psychologists ... View more

Hey everyone, Hope everyone is going ok today.. I wanted to write and ask if anyone has a success story coming out of their Mental illness. I watch lots of success stories on YouTube of people who came out of mental illness and now are psychologists or mental health doctors etc. which makes me feel a small glimmer of hope. I’m 41 years old and still deep into my struggles. My life is a real mess and I’m currently unemployed coming from losing everything including my business after my divorce.However, on days I feel my brain can focus and function just a little bit, I drift and think of hopes my life might look like, if I can control my depression and anxiety so I can return back to some sort of work and feel less hopeless and start enjoying life again. I dream that I will change my career (as my old career/ business which I lost causes me to must to much sadness after all the hard work I put into it) I would love to study again so I can work in social work/counseling/psychology I would like to write a biography of my life and self help book how I got out of my “rock bottom situation (after I’m well of course.. I’m hoping for a success story). I’ve been through so much, if I can get out of this will be a miracle. Would love to hear if anyone has experienced their life becoming more positive because of their mental health. Would be a so helpful to hear some positive stories, knowing a nice future is possible would be a great help. thank you steve

abusedtoy On disability and feeling aimless/ useless
  • replies: 3

I’m currently on disability, too mentally disabled that I’m home bound most of the time, with lack of relationships and friendships, due to my deep seated mistrust, as directly birthed out of very extensive traumas and, cannot attend university, due ... View more

I’m currently on disability, too mentally disabled that I’m home bound most of the time, with lack of relationships and friendships, due to my deep seated mistrust, as directly birthed out of very extensive traumas and, cannot attend university, due to being intellectually disabled by my abusers. I’m in a mess right now, as though there’s no hope. I’m coping with RA flashbacks still, which froze me into my traumatised position day in and out.

known Best jobs/changing careers for anxiety and depression?
  • replies: 2

Hi there, I'm working through an intense time of anxiety, panic attacks and little sleep. I started a new job in a new sector late last year. Although the workplace has a very kind culture, I have found the workload overwhelming, and my role has lots... View more

Hi there, I'm working through an intense time of anxiety, panic attacks and little sleep. I started a new job in a new sector late last year. Although the workplace has a very kind culture, I have found the workload overwhelming, and my role has lots of different aspects to it, including client-facing work, and because it's a new organisation, we are building as we go. The result at the moment is I feel totally overwhelmed and I am finding it very difficult to concentrate, I'm forgetting things, and I can't prioritise. I have been putting things off, and then working on my days off to catch up. I'm aware that it is not a good cycle and I have started to put some things in place to address this, with the help of my GP, family and therapist. However, I can't help but think that perhaps this is just the wrong type of role for me. I think I need space and time to really flourish in my work, and I feel so much pressure here. Does anyone have experience in "designing" your work life so that work actually helps your mental health? I'm finding it hard to tell if the anxious thoughts are making me think it's the job, or if it's worth exploring other options, because I have left three jobs in the past two years from stress, which puts more pressure on the next job to "work out". Does anyone relate? How do you manage your working life with anxiety and depression? What jobs have you enjoyed?

Lilly18 Solffegio frequencies
  • replies: 1

Hi, Im curious to know if anyone has tried listening to solfeggio frequencies? I did for the first time a few nights ago, im not the type of person who cries easily but the day after I listened to it I cried many times, at the pet shop trying to buy ... View more

Hi, Im curious to know if anyone has tried listening to solfeggio frequencies? I did for the first time a few nights ago, im not the type of person who cries easily but the day after I listened to it I cried many times, at the pet shop trying to buy a collar for my dog whist talking to the store assistant, in a job agency appointment and just on my own. It is so not me to be like that. I think I will listen again one night soon and see if it happens again.

new_beginning Reiki healing experiences
  • replies: 4

I am very curious about Reiki, the benefits and where to start... just wondering if anyone has practiced this and found peace.. What has your experience been

I am very curious about Reiki, the benefits and where to start... just wondering if anyone has practiced this and found peace.. What has your experience been

PsychedelicFur What are some healthy/natural remedies when dealing with anger?
  • replies: 4

Hello there, just a quick question : what are some healthy remedies when dealing with anger? I do like to draw, listen to music and exercise. However what are some other tips or pieces of advice some of you fellow forum friends can suggest? Many than... View more

Hello there, just a quick question : what are some healthy remedies when dealing with anger? I do like to draw, listen to music and exercise. However what are some other tips or pieces of advice some of you fellow forum friends can suggest? Many thanks, PsychedelicFur.

AutismMum Being a mum is hard
  • replies: 5

I have always been very driven in my life and have built a successful career where I take care of many clients / brands solving their problems. At work I am calm. In control. I can take on so much work without feeling anxious - I somehow like the adr... View more

I have always been very driven in my life and have built a successful career where I take care of many clients / brands solving their problems. At work I am calm. In control. I can take on so much work without feeling anxious - I somehow like the adrenaline of having a lot on my plate and working through it multitasking and making things happen. So what keeps me up at night? What makes my throat close up and sends a ring to my ears? I'm a mum of two kids who are both on the spectrum of autism (one is diagnosed and one is in the process of that). Both kids are high functioning which means they easily slip through the cracks if not diagnosed, but it also means that I have become their advocate every step of the way. My whole life outside work is making plans and strategies to help the kids in their daily struggles. Setting meetings with therapists. Doing research. Creating plans for the school, for the speech path, for the psych, for the OT... It is mentally exhausting and draining and never goes away. Just thinking about it right now is making me feel anxious. Work is an escape from that feeling. I'm a doer and a fixer but somehow I cannot fix this situation. It's completely outside my control. Just breathe. Just breathe.

Peppermintbach Self care for people with demanding schedules/busy lives
  • replies: 31

Hi all, I thought that it might be helpful to have a thread to share self care strategies especially for those of us who often feel time-poor with demanding schedules/busy lives. I understand everyone is different, and like most things in life, self ... View more

Hi all, I thought that it might be helpful to have a thread to share self care strategies especially for those of us who often feel time-poor with demanding schedules/busy lives. I understand everyone is different, and like most things in life, self care also needs to be individualised to suit each of our individual needs, interests, personalities and lifestyles. I’ll be back later to contribute my own ideas... Please feel free to share your own self care strategies and suggestions Kind thoughts, Pepper

WokingOnIt Coping Strategies for 8+ week break from therapy
  • replies: 18

Due to logistics, there will be at least 8 weeks in which I won't be able to see my psychologist. The break started almost 2 weeks ago, with our last session for the year, and next one won't be until after February 1st. The sessions are fortnightly a... View more

Due to logistics, there will be at least 8 weeks in which I won't be able to see my psychologist. The break started almost 2 weeks ago, with our last session for the year, and next one won't be until after February 1st. The sessions are fortnightly anyway, but still. 14 days always seems like a long time to me, between sessions, so 8 weeks (or more) is really daunting. Life is really hard at the moment too. Many things going on at once. I am trying to put strategies in place to help me cope for the 8 weeks, until I can start therapy again. I would appreciate any input or ideas. I had quit drinking alcohol, and had been sober for 120 days (go me!!!) but have since started again as am just not coping with life. This is a problem and I need to quit again, which I HOPE I can do by myself in the next week or so, rather than have to wait until therapy starts again. I am trying to take care of myself physically but food aversion has kicked in full force (am autistic and struggle with eating food anyway, but worse when I am stressed) and I am really struggling to get enough to eat, as everything seems disgusting and I cannot force myself to eat much. I am really trying to reach out and interact more in my online spaces (hence this thread...) as I don't have any/many people in real life to talk to. When I feel really bad I isolate myself from even online spaces though. I need to organise a new support worker, but that is too hard for me to do without support (ha, irony) so I am not sure what to do there. Anyway! Bit rambling, sorry. Ideas welcome. I might come back and add mine as I think of new ones and use this thread as a record of how I'm doing over the eight weeks...