Welcome and Orientation

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Meet your community champions!

replies: 10

Hi everyone, We wanted to share with you the way that our wonderful Community Champions are here to support you. You may have noticed that a few of our Forums members are labelled ‘Community Champion’. Community Champions are volunteers within the Beyond Blue Forums who: have the time, skills and empathy to support other members regularly; help to welcome new members; are actively engaged members that help set the tone of our community. Our Community Champions are regular contributors to many conversations across the forums. They are a consistent and friendly voice that have committed to sharing their experience and expertise with this community. They are not health care professionals or clinicians. Like you, they have an experience with a mental health challenge or diagnosis – either for themselves or someone they care for. This forum is for people who understand what it feels like and have a lived and living experience of mental health challenges. Our Community Champions help everyone feel comfortable and confident by demonstrating what excellent peer support is all about. Click here to find out more about how you can become a Community Champion! This incredible team are excited to introduce themselves below, and we are sure you’ll see them around the forums in conversations important to you.

HELP..Am I posting in the right section?

replies: 10

Welcome to those who are considering posting for the very first time, welcome. Thought I would repost part of the words that Chris B posted awhile ago, (2014) as I can hear that people are unsure if they are posting in the right section or worried that they are posting "the wrong thing". 1.A good title makes the difference Just like a headline in a newspaper, when scanning the dozens of threads to click into, it’s only natural that people will choose the ones that resonate with them most. A title that entices the reader, or asks a question, is likely to get a better result than something non-descriptive like “Depression” or “I don't know what to do”. If you think you’re not good at choosing titles, leave it till last. Spend time writing your post, then perhaps choose a sentence from what you’ve written as the title. 2.Join in threads that have already been posted We all have our own unique stories, but part of the reason for joining a forum like this one is because you know that you will have a lot in common with others who are posting. Before starting a new thread, have a look through the current topics being discussed and see if there’s a conversation you can join in with. It can be quite common to have a handful of very similar threads happening at any one time, with members seemingly unaware that there are others right there who are going through the same thing. Talking to other members on their threads is a great way of getting yourself known so that when you post a thread of your own, people may respond quicker because they recognize your name. 3.Choose the most appropriate section for your post Many people browse the forums looking for stories specifically to do with pregnancy and parenting, employment, grief, loss, separation etc. Going straight for the “Depression” section may seem like the easiest option, but this section is often the busiest, so your post is more likely to get lost among the threads. Making good use of the different forum sections not only helps keep the forum relevant, but you’re more likely to find others who are going through the same experiences as you. Also, if you're wanting to discuss issues of trauma, abuse, suicidal thoughts or self-harm, it's really important you post in the designated section to avoid triggering others who may not wish to read about these topics. Mostly..just come and chat, we are here for you. Our amazing wizards in the background will see your message ends up in the right spot. Sarah

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Depression, Anxiety & BPD...any other methods?

replies: 2

Hi, i've been struggling with depression for quite some time. I was originally diagnosed with major depressive disorder but have recently been diagnosed with BPD. It's a relief in some ways and have been working hard to learn to live with it but still find my depression takes over. How do others cope when coping strategies don't seem to have effect and finding it hard to reach out to others?

60 years of living with depression

replies: 6

I have been living with depression for 60 years to varying degrees, much much worse lately, have had less than understanding workplace which is making it much worse

Hi All

replies: 1

Hi Im Ash, I'm 23 and I'm feeling very alone and in my head all the time. I recently experienced my first time grieving and have been struggling a lot. I've suffered with Anxiety and depression since I was 12. I don't have much of a support network and what I do have I find I just can't be around them at all. I'm looking for people to connect with and really help me get as bit of myself back! So if you have any book, film, or music suggestions I welcome them or anyone who just wants to chat would be great!

Site Maintenance - Brief Forum outage 26 July

replies: 1

Dear Community members, There will be a brief website outage tonight the 26th of July from 12am - 4am in order to upgrade and maintain our online systems. This maintenance is expected to take approximately 4 hours, however due to the nature of the work, may take a little longer. These maintenance works are important to ensuring our systems continue to be as useful and sustainable as possible into the future. During this time access to the forums will be unavailable - we apologise for any distress this may cause and will be working to make this as short a disruption as possible. If you need support while the forums are not available, please call Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline 13 11 14. You are not alone if you need help, we are here to support you. If at any time you feel that you are unsafe, please know that this is an emergency and you should call 000 immediately. Thank you for your understanding as we continue to improve the online experience. Kind regards, Sophie M

Hello

replies: 3

Hello, I am new here and stressed from a life situation. Looking for somewhere I can discuss the feeling and how to coping. Sometimes is easy to say, but it is difficult to do and talk about it. Thank you for reading and nice to meet you.

Newbie here

replies: 2

Hi Everyone, My name is Sarah, I am 39 years old, I have just been diagnosed with PTSD I would love to chat with anyone going through the same thing. Hope to hear from you soon

The Eventful life of FatT

replies: 2

hi all, I am 41 (almost 42) year old male who suffers from Depression and Anxiety. I have a vision impairment. Legally blind in the right eye and not 100% in the left this has led to some confidence issues in some regards especilly in the area of having a career. After high School, I studied Accounting at Tafe and then continued to Study a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in accounting. After finishing my degree I was unemployed for over a year which my depression was compounded by my Brother dying in a car accident. I remember I had the gamut of feelings at the time and one of the strongest feelings was "God had taken the wrong Brother. Later that year I started seasonal work at a tax preparation business and I went on to get some sporadic work over the next couple of years. After another period of not getting work I decided to go back to uni and study a masters of Teaching and straight out of copleting this course I started a new accounting job. I was with this guy for 2 years. However working for this "Gentleman " was not good for my mental health. There were times where I was not paid to the extent that I would have been better off being on unemployment. And finally right on 2 years I had finally had enough. for the first time I quit a job. And I had lost all confidence in the possibility of dealing with children in the teaching profession. Another period of Unemployment and I finally get a job with an employee who understood that i was vision impaired and could be a bit slow. I spend 4 years with this employer. But for the last few months working at this place I could feel the depression creeping back in.Then Covid happened and an error on my part led to the possibility that I was going to cost the Business a five or six digit sum in a potential lawsuit. I had a massive panic attack and after the panic attack I learnt that over the course of my life I had anxiety issues, So back to not working. At least they were kind enough to keep me on job keeper while that was around until september. After deciding I want to do something I enjoy and do things that I am interested in I started a Youtube channel on my interest and in order to improve those videos I have started doing some courses at tafe. However once again my mental health would take a turn for the worse after 3 members of my extended family diesand I am now back seeing a psychologist. I am hoping that I can be inspired by this forum as well as inspire others.Digit count reached!

Post Acute Withdrawal

replies: 3

Hi im looking for support re anxiety and depression from coming of pharmaceutical meds im 14 weeks post detox and still struggling with mental health regards Matt

Help

replies: 6

I’m a mum of three very small children and I am struggling to stay afloat so much pressure from the and life money covid time everything is bringing me down. How do I turn the tides be better for them? Instead of just feeling like they would be bette... View more

Hey guys, new here, anyone else with BPD, Anxiety & Depression?

replies: 3

Hello Would appreciate support from people with similar illnesses, how are you coping? Any tips/ advice? Please stay safe & God Bless, sending love and light xo

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

HELP..Am I posting in the right section? replies: 10

Depression, Anxiety & BPD...any other methods? replies: 2

60 years of living with depression replies: 6

Hi All replies: 1

Site Maintenance - Brief Forum outage 26 July replies: 1

Hello replies: 3

Newbie here replies: 2

The Eventful life of FatT replies: 2

Post Acute Withdrawal replies: 3

Help replies: 6

Hey guys, new here, anyone else with BPD, Anxiety & Depression? replies: 3