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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An Introduction to Hope

replies: 7

Hi all, So as part of registering a new BB profile they suggest posting a welcome. Honestly I would prefer to lurk for a while but I supposed this is better for me anyway. I don't expect this to be read or noticed and that doesn't bother me. I am happy to contribute to the internet aether, as it were. Let's see about me, I am a wife and mum, I have 3 small kids and I suffer from depression. I have for some time, many years before becoming a parent and have only recently started being serious about getting help for it. I do see a therapist (highly recommend to anyone) and even though I have only gone a few times I have already noticed a remarkable difference in my mindset. Even if that mindset flutters in and out as it pleases. I am perhaps only here because my husband has been concerned over some thoughts I have had recently and he wanted me seek help immediately instead of waiting for my next appointment. I see his point but also I know myself and know my intrusive thoughts and do not plan to entertain them. Nevertheless my oldest is old enough now to understand more and I wish to be better off to affect him as little as possible. I am a sad, boring person most of the time but have my moments of wit and fun. I hope to be more me this year and less sad and boring.

lonely and overwhelmed

replies: 7

Hi I am new here and new to forums as well. Lately, at least the last month or so I have had no motivation or fun in anything. It is getting worse. I came off antidepressants slowly about 6 months ago with my GPs guidance. It was rough and vowed never again. So upset with the long withdrawal and terrible, my GP said I might just get some sleeplessness. I got a new GP and they suggested that the one I was on was the worst to come off and there are perhaps some better options. I am going back to the GP in a week because I cannot shake this heaviness but in the meantime I am looking everywhere for ways to get through this. I feel extremely lonely and very overwhelmed by my future with housing, work, health and finances. I currently work full time in a low paid trade it covers rent and bills. Most of my close friends and family live interstate or overseas. I thought 2 weeks at home with my family interstate would make me feel better but I was still sad and lonely most of the time. Anyways just looking for some support I guess Thanks

My road so far

replies: 3

I have come along way since I posted my suicide plan In September 09 i went even further rock bottom than I already was sleeping in creeks gutters harder on drugs I was a mess until Feb last year I had enough I pushed myself I moved to county went cold turkey on the drugs found stable accommodation was driving trucks again until Made mistake 6 months ago lost licence 12 months but I have not let that stop me I know I'm responsible for my own actions I have employment opportunities in next month I'm much better than I was but I still have a long way to go my biggest struggle ATM is fighting for my daughter and fighting with all the thoughts of my problems spinning in my head everytime tv turns off at night so still 1 day at a time if I can keep fighting then anyone can do thanks beyond blue for your support, you may have saved my life some days are worse than others but I won't give up thanks for reading I hope this gives others courage and strength to fight what ever your MH may be there is a light at the end of the tunnel Bye

Newbie here....Hello🙋‍♀️

replies: 1

Hello, I find myself here due to slowly sinking back into my depression. I am overwhelmed with being obese, looking after my terminal mum, my family and just not feeling connected to the world. I spend my days on my Ipad or watching TV both whilst in bed and feel no purpose to my life. Hubby is great but cones from a “Brady Bunch” upbringing so cannot relate to depression and doesn’t really believe or understand it so finding it hard to connect with anyone. Am taking steps to be put on a Mental Health plan but all Psychologists etc I have found only work 1-2 days a week so appointments are once 3-4 weeks which isn’t helping me.....

Devided family due to Covid restrictions

replies: 10

Hi there, I just joined BB because I just wanted to talk to someone who is in similar situation to mine. I am a 40 year old female, married and have 2 kids in primary school. We live in Melbourne and visited my mother in law in Brisbane right after Christmas. I flew back on the 3rd of January and my husband and kids were supposed to be back yesterday. However during their drive, VIC gov closed the border with 40mins notice and they had to turn around and head back to Brisbane. I had a Covid test 2 days ago as advised and it was negative, but I need to stay at home at least until tomorrow night. This situation really has been affecting me and I am so sad. People in Melbourne say in social media, they have no sympathy to people like us. They say we should not have gone to Brisbane from the start. We have been following all government protocol, got permits and everything. We just wanted to see my mother in law as we lost my father in law last March. My close friend in Melbourne keeps sending me messages however she hasn't asked me if I am OK. Everything she says is like "the government released this. Are you following the rules?" She is a lovely lady but I have been so annoyed. She went to one of Covid hotspot on Boxing day but she didn't have to take any test because she was there earlier than the person had a positive case. My family did not go to anywhere near the hotspots in Brisbane but they cannot come home and I have to stay at home at least tomorrow. Brisbane is not a small suburb but people in Melbourne think we did something totally wrong. I am so frustrated. No one knows when my family can come home. I am also worried about my husband's job. I know my problem is small compared to to others but just wanted to connect someone can understand how I feel.

Just trying to get through another day

replies: 8

Newbie here. These past few months have been incredibly stressful for me, I have PTSD, anxiety and major depression. Most of the time I think I deal with things reasonably well. I have my triggers but for the most part I can get through the hard days - thanks to 18 years in therapy and the current health team I have - but lately... Lately everything feels like a bit too much. The days keep getting harder to deal with. I'm in a constant state of fight /flight /freeze. I have daily panic attacks and just in general I feel very low and not myself This has probably been made worse with some major life changes about to happen as well as the fact that I cant see my clinical pysch until the end of the month. I'm just finding it more and more difficult to get to the end of each day. All my usual coping strategies just don't seem to help right now. And I'm scared that I won't be able to get out of this black hole quite as easy Thank you for listening.

Snappy & Cranky at Xmas

replies: 10

I always get cranky at Xmas. Everyone & everything annoys me & I become a person I do not even like. I am snappy with people that I could communicate with in a much more positive way but the annoyance gets the better of me. Not very nice to be like t... View more

Hi I'm new.... Anxiety, nervousness

replies: 11

Hi all, I've only just joined today... Umm... I'm in my 50's and it started I suppose back in 2014, started what is called a Hyptic Jerk whilst trying to get to sleep... I was and had been going through some health issues, but this Night Jerk lasted all night and in the next.. Long story cut short... Had a Sleep check done... found my poor mind was waking every 58 sec through the night. So... after all that time I have been on Depression and Anxiety medication.. it was working and although my sleep was not great the night jolts and jerks dropped off.. not all but better... If I could only stop the night jerks and jolts I'm sure my anxiety would go... but it's feeds on the sleep problems.. I stopped my meds last year, thinking that all was good.. I lasted until Xmas 2016 and the feeling of nervousness and anxiety returned.. So.. I started back on the meds... still early days and still feeling very jumpy and jittery.. and the night jerks continue... Thanks for listening all.. I do hope you all get well. Cheers.

Life is complicated

replies: 2

Hi everyone, i don’t really know how to do this, so I’m just going to type out a few things. Life definitely hadn’t been all that very kind to me in some respects and I don’t always know how to cope - I try to just get over it all like I’m always told too but sometimes that just doesn’t quite feel like enough, and it can be really difficult to wake up every morning, especially when I feel like I’m drowning and my chest is compressed with all of my stress and anxieties. Does anyone know how to help in lessening these feelings? It would be really appreciated if someone could help me out a bit here, as I find it really hard to talk to others about things I’ve gone through and typically prefer the method of smiling and laughing at my expense instead of being truthful. sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe, and it used to be so bad that panic attacks were something I had gotten used to, as a preteen. im sorry for offloading all of this on here, but I really hope someone can give me some advice as the usual being exercise and meditation don’t quite work for me. thank you for reading all of this, if you did. I’m sorry again and thanks for letting me talk about this small part of my issue on here. I appreciate being able to vent.

Monthly Forums Update: Reflecting Back on December

replies: 7

Hi Everyone We’d like to wish everyone a happy new year! Here we reflect on December, including the year that was, 2020. We recognise everyone’s strength in staying connected/reaching our for support during a year that many have described as uncertain, turbulent, as well as simply exhausting. It's ok to be feeling anxious and or other unsettling feelings after such a challenging year. Looking at the year ahead, we look forward to people making new connections here on the forums, welcome those who have just joined us, and thank all members who continue to be available to support the forum's community and remind others that they are not alone in their experiences. Community Voices: What are people talking about? Coping with anxiety – excessive worry I’ve has this kind of issue for about 7 years now where I don’t really have hobbies or a wide range of interests because I focus in on one thing, especially something that I’m worried about. In a weird way I find it interesting trying to solve the things I’m worried about but really... I’d rather just be interested in other things.. - Anon285 (Read more here) as the title says; my mind works in loops. When I am trying to find a solution to a problem, it is brilliant because my mind just keeps attacking the problem from different angles, turning it over, until it finds a solution. However, the down side is, it can cause problems. - Weaponsofmassdisstortion (Read more here) i have been living with anxiety for nearly 20 years. Worrying constantly about things that in the scheme of things are not that important. Getting to a stage now where my wording has just made me feel tired inside. I’m completely exhausted and out of energy. - Josh37 (Read more here) Navigating my thoughts and feelings I think I'm typing this to try to work out myself, what it is I am feeling whether it's anxiety or depression, or both. For some time now, I have been feeling very low. I would say it probably started 5 years ago when my marriage broke up but how I'm feeling now is much worse than at the time. - Loner567 (Read more here) I have been having such a mixture of emotions for a long time and it’s getting harder to navigate. I have found I get extremely irritable at a drop of a hat and I can’t let it go, my once empathetic self is becoming lost. Once I am angry or down I can’t pull myself out of this feeling, I tend to go through really high high’s like I am happy with how everything is going and really low low’s like I’m not where I need to be and play the victim internally. - Rainbow1234 (Read more here) i’ve never reached out like this before, but i’m too scared to go to the doctor because i always think i’m overreacting. i’ve grown up in a family where i’ve learnt to just get up and move on, and i’m not one to share my feelings. i just don’t know what i’m feeling. when i was younger i did have anxiety, but i’ve overcome most of that and working through it. i can’t tell if i’m just experiencing a strain of anxiety again because i’ve never felt this way before. - Discodahlia (Read more here) 'Fitting in'/Finding it difficult to connect with others Something that has been on my mind during my teenage years and early adulthood is the notion that I do not 'fit in'. I like who I am but I am so afraid that other people will not like me that I don't show my true self and struggle to open up. I feel like I am living a completely different life than what I should be living right now, like everybody else has been given a memo on how to live their early 20s but I never received it. - Wanderlust123 (Read more here) Honestly don't know where to start or how to express what I'm feeling. I've lived a reserved life for most of my adulthood. I am currently 28yo. I feel like I don't fit in anymore with the crowd of people, especially my age. I never had a social media account because I didn't want to be part of it. When I grew up I was suppressed of technology so I was always that kid who didn't get to chat online with friends or have an Xbox to play with, I was considered a boring person and was very isolated. - Mr A (Read more here) I recently changed schools and pretty much everyone in my class are a huge friendship group that constantly go out together and ignore me/leave me out of everything and it's really made me question my worth/capabilities of making friends. At the beginning of the year people were throwing parties with older teens, drinking and that really scared me because I didn't know anyone well enough, and then basically I got left out forever for not going to the party, I am completely disconnected. - GirlWithBigDreams (Read more here) Valued Contributor Award Our Valued Contributor for the month of December is monkey_magic! monkey_magic has been nominated for often checking in on other members across the forums, sparking new conversations, and empowering others to share their own journey! Thank you monkey_magic! To read more about what a Valued Contributor is and how you can nominate a fellow community member, please refer to our thread Nominate a Valued Contributor here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support BB News/Resources Beyond Blue’s Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service continues to be regularly updated with information and resources on ways to manage your mental health and wellbeing during this time. The most recently added content is below: Under the Family life sub-category you can find the below pages: How to recognise anxiety in your child How to support your child’s wellbeing with mindfulness Managing your child’s transition back to school Mental health and the mental load How to support new parents Reconnecting with your teenager – Samantha’s story Under the Supporting personal wellbeing sub-category you can find the below pages: Managing social anxiety as we adapt to COVID-normal life How much worry is too much worry? Tips for getting a good night's sleep Why you should do something for yourself everyday Suicide safety planning Facemasks and you: how to navigate what you’re feeling Managing your alcohol intake

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

An Introduction to Hope replies: 7

lonely and overwhelmed replies: 7

My road so far replies: 3

Newbie here....Hello🙋‍♀️ replies: 1

Devided family due to Covid restrictions replies: 10

Just trying to get through another day replies: 8

Snappy & Cranky at Xmas replies: 10

Hi I'm new.... Anxiety, nervousness replies: 11

Life is complicated replies: 2

Monthly Forums Update: Reflecting Back on December replies: 7