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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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Nippy Nippy
  • replies: 9

I have a bad problem with alcohol dependence, I am so desperate to stop I will try anything. I have endured much emotional pain in my life. During the last 3 months things have gotten considerably worse as I have developed chronic neck and back pain.... View more

I have a bad problem with alcohol dependence, I am so desperate to stop I will try anything. I have endured much emotional pain in my life. During the last 3 months things have gotten considerably worse as I have developed chronic neck and back pain. I find the alcohol helps with sleep and coping; however the next morning its not so good so off I go again as soon as I finish work its a bottle of wine. I am hoping to find people with positive views to assist me in my recovery and help to keep me there. I have been drinking for a long time and I know its going to take my undivided attention and willingness to try my best to recover. I look forward to hearing from people and thankyou in advance. Lee

loouuiiee Loss of job - loss of purpose ??
  • replies: 5

Hi everyone I have not posted in quite a while. Long-time sufferer of depression and generalized anxiety disorder here ... Recently I poured my all into my work as a way to distract myself and unfortunately, this workplace had a really unprofessional... View more

Hi everyone I have not posted in quite a while. Long-time sufferer of depression and generalized anxiety disorder here ... Recently I poured my all into my work as a way to distract myself and unfortunately, this workplace had a really unprofessional culture and I quickly became the target of some unpleasant workplace bullying. There was no consistent management or person that I could really go to for support most of the period of time that I was there. My coping mechanism was to not take the negativity to heart, to just keep trucking on as I hoped if I didn't respond that it would eventually stop. I thought if I persisted that eventually, things would get better. The bullying continued to get worse and worse ... and after 3 months I was dismissed on the spot during a probation meeting. I didn't break any rules or specifically do anything wrong they said simply that I just am not the right fit for the job/company. I am looking for other work but found that as soon as potential employers find out I was let go by my previous employer they are not interested in talking about the reasons why, or giving me a chance to explain anything. They simply do not want to know me after they discover I was let go. I have found lots of positive things to do to keep me busy whilst I am unemployed such as upskilling ... but just waking up in the morning and having nowhere to be is upsetting - especially with me being such a routine orientated person. (I find routine comforting.) Things just seem so unfair and I am trying to be positive and move on from this negative experience, but employers don't seem to want to give me a chance which is really affecting my self-esteem and making me view myself in such a negative light. Has anyone been through something similar and/or have any advice or tips they would be willing to share??

GAWGA Finding purpose on the path to the future
  • replies: 6

Hi all. I wanted to ask about finding a new path in life. I’d love to hear your stories. I no longer wish to walk my old path, nor my current path of isolation with yawning gaps of time where the clock ticks seconds of my life away. Where the invisib... View more

Hi all. I wanted to ask about finding a new path in life. I’d love to hear your stories. I no longer wish to walk my old path, nor my current path of isolation with yawning gaps of time where the clock ticks seconds of my life away. Where the invisible old ties bind, holding me back from the future. I guess I’m starting from a blank slate again but I’m now in my mid 40s. I know I have to do this with care and patience to look after me but I also know this may well take courage and dedication. I would love to hear your stories. Would you kindly share with me? Are you living a balanced life? A life with moments of joy?What steps have you taken to feel back on solid ground sometimes? I so look forward to putting my feet on that path. It would be lovely to walk alongside one another. Thank you all x

wallabyjack awake and conscious, but feel like 'soul' has left body? anyone?
  • replies: 1

over the last 10 years I have had random, occasional bouts where I suddenly feel like I am still looking through my eyes, I can feel, hear and speak to those around me. But "I" feel like I have gone somewhere else and am trapped there. (And its not n... View more

over the last 10 years I have had random, occasional bouts where I suddenly feel like I am still looking through my eyes, I can feel, hear and speak to those around me. But "I" feel like I have gone somewhere else and am trapped there. (And its not necessarily a nice place). Does this feeling have a name? It feels like I have gone to a place of "isolation and permanence" in that I am there, but my body and physical senses are still where I left them. Usually I can distract myself by reading my phone, walking etc and I come back to myself. this almost feels spiritual, but I am sure its chemical and neurological also. it does seem to coincide with periods of stress. anyone have some thoughts? cheers WJ

Hannerilana Complex trauma
  • replies: 1

Hi i have gone through complex trauma . I am having trouble finding good support for trauma not just PTSD but complex trauma. What hope is there for complex trauma survivors? Especially young people. I have had multiple traumas basic childhood parent... View more

Hi i have gone through complex trauma . I am having trouble finding good support for trauma not just PTSD but complex trauma. What hope is there for complex trauma survivors? Especially young people. I have had multiple traumas basic childhood parental trauma, life trauma and medical traumatic experiences. Does anyone have experience in this? How do you live? I currently live with parents however this is re traumatising and want to find adequate accommodation. It is hard to find tailored case workers who deal with complex issues. I don’t want to go to crisis accommodation at all. Not working is having a harmful effect having a difficult mother, taking medicine I don’t want to take. Please advise

FxZIONZ Snacky Foods for Lack of Appetite
  • replies: 5

Hey All, Just seeing if anyone has suggestions on snacky foods high in essential nutrients. With my anxiety i find i have a lack of appetite. I am trying to buy foods which are simple to make. ie i just grab it from the fridge and eat. I am looking f... View more

Hey All, Just seeing if anyone has suggestions on snacky foods high in essential nutrients. With my anxiety i find i have a lack of appetite. I am trying to buy foods which are simple to make. ie i just grab it from the fridge and eat. I am looking for foods which are high in the more important nutrients that we need. I try to have an up and go or a twist cap yoghurt in the fridge so i can get a decent intake of something healthy. I also find that they satisfy my hunger. Until i get the motivation and energy to cook, what are some foods that are easy, or even meals or plans etc. people have tried that are easy when you dont have the mental energy and motivation to cook or sometimes make food. I find i opt for takeaways or uber eats and just wanting to save a bit of money but still get food in me. Thanks For the Help!

The_Feefenator Hello, I'm Fiona :)
  • replies: 3

Hi, my name is Fiona. 54yr old female with lifelong anxiety and depression issues. I joined a face-to-face support group when I was 40, run by a therapist who practices Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I was part of this group for six years, ... View more

Hi, my name is Fiona. 54yr old female with lifelong anxiety and depression issues. I joined a face-to-face support group when I was 40, run by a therapist who practices Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I was part of this group for six years, and found it extremely helpful. Mindfulness meditation has also provided me with some relief from my mental health issues. My partner and I have recently moved from Sydney to the beautiful far south coast of NSW, where we are building a new house. I spent 30+ years in a toxic and controlling work relationship, which I'm sure has had a significant impact on my mental health. Now that I am free from that relationship, I am experiencing some feelings of anger and resentment (unusual for me, as in the past I usually internalised my negative emotions towards myself). So now, on paper, everything in my life should be wonderful, but I feel I still have a lot of work ahead of me to process these new feelings. Looking forward to discussing these and other issues with members of the forum. Fiona

C-Star-4 Self Help Textbooks
  • replies: 2

Hello, I personally struggle with mental illness, in particular psychosis and DID, and the depressions pretty bad too although my diagnosis is schizophrenia, these symptoms however are subsiding. At the moment I'm just resting but I thought I'd share... View more

Hello, I personally struggle with mental illness, in particular psychosis and DID, and the depressions pretty bad too although my diagnosis is schizophrenia, these symptoms however are subsiding. At the moment I'm just resting but I thought I'd share a resource if you have to work, living the daily grind, to take care of yourself and your loved one's... ...self help books really do assist us to maintain inner drive and self confidence when at times it feels like we really do want to give up and just take our meds and sleep and cry... … now that being said self help books are not a solution to our problems, but are a useful aid in recovery. The following website contains a small library of some of the best self help books of the last 100 years. I hope this resource will help you a little bit in your recovery... selfhelp.rf.gd

SeeTheSunshine The Very Unglamorous side of Anorexia Recovery
  • replies: 4

Hi all, it's been a long road but i'm so so so much better than I have been in terms of anxiety/depression/anorexia. I guess the hardest part now is that the disorder affected all the muscles in my body (including my bladder- TMI) and part of recover... View more

Hi all, it's been a long road but i'm so so so much better than I have been in terms of anxiety/depression/anorexia. I guess the hardest part now is that the disorder affected all the muscles in my body (including my bladder- TMI) and part of recovery for me means 24/7 liquid calories going in through a tube in my nose (to stomach)....as you can imagine litres of this with a very weak bladder that gives me no warning, doesn't lead to pleasant situations. I'm told it will reverse with good nutrition and that it is a lot more common in this disorder than anyone admits to. Breaking point for me was wetting myself in an elevator (not just a little bit like everyday) but completely because I just couldn't hold on. Naturally I don't want to be away from right next to a bathroom and i'm now stuck using pads/kids pullups especially overnight when the feed keeps going in but my bladder can't hold it. This has actually worsened during recovery/re-feeding and for professionals it is a reversible non-issue (which is true)..... for me though it feels like a huge thing wetting my pants numerous times a day because I can't hold on more than 30seconds. Extremely limited in clothing choice when wearing protection and just feel like dignity has been stripped away.....it is a catch22 though because I need all this extra fluid/feed to fix the problem, its just getting by in the mean time and dealing with the associated social isolation. Not sure if anyone has experienced anything like this before?

Kiki7 Insomnia & full time work
  • replies: 2

Hi guys, Ive recently had a relapse with my anxiety and it has caused insomnia which is ruining my day to say life to function.. I feel as though I’m going to be seen as a failure if I have to leave my job to look after myself. I’m getting about 3. H... View more

Hi guys, Ive recently had a relapse with my anxiety and it has caused insomnia which is ruining my day to say life to function.. I feel as though I’m going to be seen as a failure if I have to leave my job to look after myself. I’m getting about 3. Hours sleep a night ( with taking medication) Im just wondering if anyone has experienced really bad insomnia with full time work. My psychologist suggests I go to work regardless how much sleep I get and just keep going.. Please help me