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Sophie_M 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 Be... View more

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.

Aaronsis 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 th... View more

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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Jackik Info & support needed
  • replies: 8

Our 23 yr old son was sentenced to prison y/day. It has been going thru courts since he was arrested on 13/02/2019. We are scared, confused, worried. Waiting to hear from lawyer as to which prison they are sending him. He has been diagnosed with high... View more

Our 23 yr old son was sentenced to prison y/day. It has been going thru courts since he was arrested on 13/02/2019. We are scared, confused, worried. Waiting to hear from lawyer as to which prison they are sending him. He has been diagnosed with high functioning autism >savant. Can some one please offer support, guidance to myself & my husband?

Medievalphil74 How do i find people to socialize with when i have social anxiety
  • replies: 3

Hi, This is the very first time I have ever posted on any type of forum. It seems so overwhelming seeing the different forums and knowing what to say. I have no idea how these work or if I will find any help in any way. I just know that I need to mak... View more

Hi, This is the very first time I have ever posted on any type of forum. It seems so overwhelming seeing the different forums and knowing what to say. I have no idea how these work or if I will find any help in any way. I just know that I need to make changes in my life or I'm going to spend the rest of my life isolated and lonely. I'm 45 I have Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive personality disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalised Anxiety disorder, PTSD and Atypical Anorexia Nervosa. Ihave had a very isolated life the last 10 years after a breakup from a partner i had a child with and when i wanted 50/50 access she made assertions i wasn't the biological father. I had to have a dna test and it came back i wasn't the father. That was my first serious mental breakdown and i've battled serious mental health issues ever since. I spent the last 2 years in and out of mental health clinics and am really lucky i am ex Navy and i get free mental health. I had intensive trauma psychotherapy last year and got proper diagnosis and treatments for my mental health issues. Now i don't want to be isolated any more but I struggle with anxiety so much that i can't get to the point of actually meeting normal people. I'm really reaching out to see if anyone can give me some advice on how to meet people like me. People that understand how difficult it is to live with such crippling insecurities. I'm craving company, I want friends but I don't know how to go about it. Can anyone provide some advice on groups within Brisbane that I can join. I've tried meetup but there aren't really groups for anxiety that meetup regularly. I want to end my isolation but don't know how. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Mollygeorge11 A little bit of everything 101
  • replies: 3

Hi, im new here. I've suffered with my mental health for over 20 years. Im 46. You're probably thinking that after 20+ years that I'd have myself sorted? Hell no. Im currently sliding down the slippery slope of the dark hole AGAIN and im losing my gr... View more

Hi, im new here. I've suffered with my mental health for over 20 years. Im 46. You're probably thinking that after 20+ years that I'd have myself sorted? Hell no. Im currently sliding down the slippery slope of the dark hole AGAIN and im losing my grip on life. Just depressed with my life, with me, with everything. I take extra prn meds during the day just to dope myself out so i don't have to deal with the reality of my life. I crave alcohol so i can escape for a few hours, but i can't afford it. I can't afford much of anything. Im on disability, i don't work. I have a shrink, therapist etc even my best friend but i haven't told any of them about my severe depression at the moment, or my desperation to escape my life. I honestly don't know what to do. I don't know if I want to do anything. Im confused. I have bpd, bipolar, severe depression and severe anxiety plus ocd. Yay me!!!! Thanks for reading x

Fliptheswitch New and confused!
  • replies: 5

Hi all, Recently been diagnosed with depression. Finding it difficult to first accept and then deal with the wave of emotions and also the constant feeling of anxiety that seems to have come along for the ride. I’m in my 40’s and it’s the first time ... View more

Hi all, Recently been diagnosed with depression. Finding it difficult to first accept and then deal with the wave of emotions and also the constant feeling of anxiety that seems to have come along for the ride. I’m in my 40’s and it’s the first time in my life I have felt not in control. My gp assures me that this will take time and medication and therapy will help. I have a great partner for support but am finding it difficult to find the words to let others who are close to me know what is going on. Hoping someone might have had a similar experience and can shed some light. Thanks

chris_l2 feel like im not my self and its effecting my relationship
  • replies: 2

hi first time attempting help.... i have been struggling with ocd my life and some what got it to work but i am going threw this rut of being sad and some what not happy and its putting a strain on my relationship and i dont know how to control it. i... View more

hi first time attempting help.... i have been struggling with ocd my life and some what got it to work but i am going threw this rut of being sad and some what not happy and its putting a strain on my relationship and i dont know how to control it. i get in this mood of like upset but not showing and and get sad but i dont know im doing it until my partner is upset at me and only after looking back at old videos i am more happy then than i am now i just need something to help me get out of this rut like a way to help me out threw the mental rut. i would love to get rid of my ocd but i need this i think depression to go and im struggerling if any one has been threw this or knows how to help please give me some tips or tricks. cheers

Jayk Rough patch
  • replies: 2

Hi all, new here but would like to share my latest and see how others cope with changes. 3 weeks ago i was in hospital with a turn out to be non serious stomach flu, my anxiety meds decided to not help me any longer as i was discharged and sent home ... View more

Hi all, new here but would like to share my latest and see how others cope with changes. 3 weeks ago i was in hospital with a turn out to be non serious stomach flu, my anxiety meds decided to not help me any longer as i was discharged and sent home i felt all the anxiousness just overwhelm me feeling ok one minute and could cry the next. the next day i went to my doc and he prompted me to change my meds, so i said im down to give it a shot (because at that point i just wanted to feel ok again) its been two weeks since changing meds and i can only say i feel a tiny bit better as i've heard from changing meds it can take 4-8wks to feel anything, my anxiety LOVES to attack my stomach as it has been very un settled throughout this time. im just constantly feeling that nothing is ok with agitation constant restless legs and just cannot keep calm at this point, even finding it hard to do anything that makes me have to get up and go out. i keep telling myself that its only temporary and when these meds kick in i should feel better (hopefully) just basically asking if anyone else has gone through this and found any ways to keep powering through? I also went to see another doc last week as my doc was away and he prescribed me another medication, now its not something i want to take as i know its pretty addictive and i wouldnt like to get myself hooked up on somthing else. I just want to feel myself again. Thaks for reading.

redrunner Hello and question
  • replies: 8

Hi All I just joined up today, I haven’t been feeling great for the last few months and wondered if I was suffering from maybe mild depression, I did take the 10 point test on this site and it did score moderately. I’ve had a lot of change in the las... View more

Hi All I just joined up today, I haven’t been feeling great for the last few months and wondered if I was suffering from maybe mild depression, I did take the 10 point test on this site and it did score moderately. I’ve had a lot of change in the last 3 years, (I’m 47 now), one of my best friends passed away suddenly, my 10 year relationship broke down, I’ve had some big work changes, moved house but felt like I had coped well. I’m now wondering though if I really have dealt with it all, as everything seems to be haunting me now in the last few months, in my head when I’m awake but also in my dreams, I feel happier when I’m out walking on the trails remotely or ocean swimming. I find that some things do cheer me up momentarily but then I sink back down again, that’s the only way I can describe it and am noticing I want to spend more time by myself and don’t have the energy for big social events. I’m not sure if I’m asking a question but maybe I’m asking if this sounds familiar to others? I think maybe I will seek a professional counsellor to talk this all through before I feel any worse. Is good to be on here anyway, such an incredible organisation and support, thanks, redrunner

aprilcat Hello ~ struggling with financial pressure
  • replies: 4

Hello all, I'm a 22 year old who has an Asian mother who constantly nags and tells me to find one or to get back on centrelink... I haven't worked a 'proper' job because of lack of experience and constant rejextions for part time jobs... hence why I'... View more

Hello all, I'm a 22 year old who has an Asian mother who constantly nags and tells me to find one or to get back on centrelink... I haven't worked a 'proper' job because of lack of experience and constant rejextions for part time jobs... hence why I'm studying further into a Masters since covid hit when I graduated last year and job hunting is frankly a lost cause due to how competitive it is. It's the constant push to get youth allowance when i got pushed back because I'm doing an unauthorised degree that's not on the list of approved degrees. She doesn't understand it and wants me to get jobseeker where the mutual obligations scare me :(( It normally doesn't affect too much where I cry for a bit and move on but last night was different where I struggled to sleep and cried for at least 4 hours on and off. Also side note is it bad that my heart races and i get scared whenever I hear her yell even if it's not directed to me. The many lockdowns in Melbourne have made me stay in my room to avoid her, even now because she will always ask if I applied to get centrelink. I have told some close friends but there's not much to help other than they are here for me. Reading the posts here gave me the courage to share my story.

beanau Sorry for the diatribe
  • replies: 4

hi I was up between 1am and 5am trying to decide whether to air this... I mean is there any point? Most nights from 1am I can’t sleep - usually up for several hours Biggest problem is that I keep falling into a really dark place I’m struggling to und... View more

hi I was up between 1am and 5am trying to decide whether to air this... I mean is there any point? Most nights from 1am I can’t sleep - usually up for several hours Biggest problem is that I keep falling into a really dark place I’m struggling to understand/accept/break the reoccurring patterns in my life. I feel as though my needs aren’t being met in my relationships - absence of family and friendship connections (I have family but not nearby and my friends are good people but I’m the go to... I don’t feel they aren’t there for me) I’m providing the family experience for others *exes new partners having family dynamics/the family experience with my children and my exes (I couldn’t get that dynamic from them though) Having to do the hard work when it comes to my kids (the schooling, cleaning and day to day on my own while trying to earn a wage big enough to survive but not getting the family experience - togetherness, holidays, closeness... I want to share this stuff with someone... but I’m not going to have more kids and my 2/3 my kids are adults now leaving the likelihood of this ever happening very low) Having to be the single mum, struggling with having my earning capacity restricted around time looking after my daughter or needing to earn even more to pay for after school care/holidays and not having support in this. partners whose needs come way before mine (having said that my current partner is probably the most legitimate case for this with his being the carer of his terminally ill mum), *I can’t do any more relationships... if this fails I’m done - I just don’t have anything left Not affording life in general - living in homes that are old and in ill repair, struggling on my own financially with no one to share the load or build a life or even just starting to discuss the future with Jobs that I’m unpaid in, are inconsistent and that have ripped me off in relation to security (no superannuation paid) Inability to secure or keep “normal” jobs - regular ordinary paid work, Feeling so overwhelmed that I can’t complete tasks, courses to improve my situation, business plans that could possibly help move me forward I don’t feel like I have anyone in my corner and I don’t feel like I can keep going.