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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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Laura_B Don't know much about this sort of stuff
  • replies: 2

Hi I've never been on these sorts of sites before, and never seen a therapist or psychologist or anything like that. I feel like i have problems that I've been struggling to solve on my own for a long time, but I feel like seeing a therapist of somet... View more

Hi I've never been on these sorts of sites before, and never seen a therapist or psychologist or anything like that. I feel like i have problems that I've been struggling to solve on my own for a long time, but I feel like seeing a therapist of something won't really do anything, because I know how i can fix, or at least try to fix these problems, but I don't have the will power or motivation to stick to these solutions. I guess I just want to know whether I can use this website for this sort of things, or I should try and get professional help.

Hi_ Friendship
  • replies: 3

Hi, I just needed someone to talk to, it’s not that I’m not happy with my life, I’m very happy and I have many people I can talk to. However the one thing that I can’t talk to anyone about is my best friend. We used to be so close since year 6 and ha... View more

Hi, I just needed someone to talk to, it’s not that I’m not happy with my life, I’m very happy and I have many people I can talk to. However the one thing that I can’t talk to anyone about is my best friend. We used to be so close since year 6 and had random midnight conversations that lasted hours. Unfortunately this changed after she got a boyfriend and she just never has time for me. I might sound like I’m just being mean but it’s not that, in the beginning when she started dating we used to talk so much and she would tell me everything, I would even talk to him a lot. But now I don’t know what has changed and she rarely ever talks to me. I miss the long conversations and the comfortable silences we shared. The reason I can’t tell anyone this is that my mum doesn’t know about her boyfriend and my friend doesn’t want me to tell her. All my other friends know but I can’t even share my feelings with them. And it’s not even that we haven’t tried sorting things out but whenever I try and talk to her, she says we never even talked that much why do you have a problem and she makes the excuse of not being able to talk due to her studies. But this doesn’t stop her from talking to her boyfriend and all our other friends. And after I convince her a lot she admits that she doesn’t talk to me that much but there’s nothing she does to change that. And her final excuse is always just ‘I’ve told you everything, why don’t you try and understand’. I know my problem doesn’t seem that big but it feels nice to be able to share it with someone.

Stannie Coping with chronic illnessess
  • replies: 2

Hi I have dealt with several Painful Physical chronic illnessess For 40 years. Mostly housebound and in bed 22 hours a day I have a tick born disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, adrenal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation, POTS,migraine, ... View more

Hi I have dealt with several Painful Physical chronic illnessess For 40 years. Mostly housebound and in bed 22 hours a day I have a tick born disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, adrenal insufficiency, atrial fibrillation, POTS,migraine, spinal stenosis, hashimotos hypothyroidism and several other conditions as well. i regularly have days where I feel The pain and suffering is worse and beyond my ability to cope. I have developed one coping habit that is bad for my health. I binge eat or overeat, and it's getting worse. I've tried many ways and spent large amounts of money to try and cure myself from binge eating. If I was well enough I would seek professional help again but these days I haven't the strength to talk for long or attend it. This makes me very depressed on top of my physical ailments. The last 6 months my physical condition has got worse and that makes me anxious too. I'm writing here because I don't want to burden my Loving family more than they already are. I would like to cope better especially on the bad days when the symptoms are high and my thinking gets very negative. I have books and meditation apps and belong to online support groups but nowhere that I can be anonymous and speak my truth. I don't see many people other than my husband because I am home in bed and often too sick to do more than speak on the phone or FaceTime my children sister and mother. So I don't have much stimulation. And cannot use my hands other than to type a bit. Thanks.

ValeOliDeki Grateful and Committed
  • replies: 1

My Introduction is dedicated to giving thanks for this type of forum. It was a beautiful surprise to find this help. I feel that I can be guided through my process and that I am not alone. By reading their stories I realize that there are many people... View more

My Introduction is dedicated to giving thanks for this type of forum. It was a beautiful surprise to find this help. I feel that I can be guided through my process and that I am not alone. By reading their stories I realize that there are many people who seek to improve, change and share the best version of ourselves and I am very excited to have started this account.

NTWright New user & where to start with PTSD
  • replies: 2

Hi i'm not really sure where to begin or who to ask about this so i just wanted to put it out here. Thanks for your answers.

Hi i'm not really sure where to begin or who to ask about this so i just wanted to put it out here. Thanks for your answers.

tallperson93 After 26 years thinking I'm happy, I'm not.
  • replies: 3

Hi, This is my first time experiencing that I'm not happy, very sad and ever since realising that I'm unhappy, which doesn't help i'm far far away from friends and family. this just makes me scared. I'm not too sure what I'm suppose to talk about but... View more

Hi, This is my first time experiencing that I'm not happy, very sad and ever since realising that I'm unhappy, which doesn't help i'm far far away from friends and family. this just makes me scared. I'm not too sure what I'm suppose to talk about but this is new to me.

Indecisive_Overthinker NEW USER, WHO DIS?
  • replies: 1

I think this is where I'm supposed to post my introduction in order to use the forums. I'm a 30yr old mum of 2, i work full time in real estate and have social anxiety at the very minimum. To say i over think, regret choices and generally make things... View more

I think this is where I'm supposed to post my introduction in order to use the forums. I'm a 30yr old mum of 2, i work full time in real estate and have social anxiety at the very minimum. To say i over think, regret choices and generally make things worse for myself is a major understatement. Just trying to find some friendly ears for when being in my head gets to be too much.

Talk_to Thanks
  • replies: 2

Thanks for allowing me to join can really need some help with some issues that are troubling me. On many fronts in my life at this moment

Thanks for allowing me to join can really need some help with some issues that are troubling me. On many fronts in my life at this moment

OffMyTrain 1st post " helping myself "
  • replies: 7

Hi. This is my 1st post. For the past 3 years I've been helping myself cope, after being refused care many times.. I found out why my depression wasn't improving on anti depressants. And finally got a gp to change my medicine to better suit bipolar d... View more

Hi. This is my 1st post. For the past 3 years I've been helping myself cope, after being refused care many times.. I found out why my depression wasn't improving on anti depressants. And finally got a gp to change my medicine to better suit bipolar disorder , and ptsd. After 6 months I'm gradually stabilising. But I'm extremely disappointed in the health professionals for making my condition deteriorate so much.. I've introduced self maintenance ,including mind centering, interrupt my routines with deep bre staying, and have eliminated most triggers from my life style. I hope I'm welcome here, cause I'd like to contribute. Max.