Welcome and Orientation

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Meet your community champions!

replies: 13

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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Hello

replies: 3

I spoke to an operator from beyondblue last night as i was desperate for answers as to the way i was feeling & why ? Roslyn took the world off my shoulders I am very thankful for the conversation my mood has change unbelievably I now feel that i can ... View more

Hello

replies: 4

Hi, Feeling a bit desperate tonight. I’m 55, living with anxiety/depression, and living with my partner of 29 years who suffers from very low self esteem and paranoia. I love her so much but its hard to cope with at times. I have to be so careful but... View more

New to the forum, need someone to talk to

replies: 10

I have never been part of a forum or spoken about my feelings or personal situation before, but I feel like I am very isolated and have no one to confide in. I don't really know how to go about getting help or how to ask for it so I am just going to type my feelings and explain my situation. I have been married for 21 years, have 3 kids 9, 15 and 17. My marriage has been shaky I guess for the last 10 years or so. My husband and I seem to have different values than we did when we were first married. Many of our arguments are about respect and me feeling insignificant and unimportant. I have many times expressed my feelings to my husband and not much happens. He makes me feel stupid for feeling that way and since I am not good at defending myself on the spot, I am unable to properly express/defend my feelings. I have been living like this for years and just have accepted my life for the sake of my kids happiness. One is doing VCE and I don't want to add any more stress to her life, so I have just let things be. I recently, by accident, discovered my husband is watching a lot of porn and may even be watching live porn. I am not sure how I should feel about this or if I should confront him. I know if I do it will mean almost definitely complete marriage breakdown and if I don't I am going to lose my mind. I have had migraines every day since I found out and the stress of knowing that he is watching this stuff late at night turns my stomach and I am not sure how I will ever be close to him again. Is there any advise anyone can give me on how to deal with this please?

Hello there I'm a newbie

replies: 4

Hi there, I'm new here and I hope this gets on to this thread. I am 46 years of age and struggle with anxiety and depression. I'ts been really hard lately, I'm seeking medical help - both a psychiatrist and a psychologist, but I;m having trouble with my medications. I am a mother of a 13 year old and a 10 year old and I have a wonderful supportive partner. any encouragement that I'm not alone would be welcome. I've been experiencing this for the past year and a bit and I've started the GROW program via zoom (I'm a victorian) which has been incredibly helpful to me. there are still some days where I cant stop crying and crying and find it difficult to get up and get moving. thanks for letting me share. "S".

anxiety triggers anger and depression

replies: 2

I have been battling anxiety, anger, depression on & off for a very long time. I have difficulty regulating my emotions & often react too quickly to my triggers. I can see what I’m doing, often in hindsight, but have a deep desire to be heard & understood. This also means I often disregard the recipients’ feelings. I’m a coward & often express my built up anger & resentment via emails & texts. Then I feel ashamed & guilty! I need to learn how to be respectful in conflict resolution. When I feel threatened, anxious or angry, because I think the situation is unfair, I somehow feel justified in lashing out against the decisions or actions of others who hurt me. I get so worked up about unfair decisions because I feel helpless & my opinions are dismissed. I crave connections with people but anger & resentment prevent me from letting go of times they’ve hurt me or I’ve felt used. IF I actually try to talk about it, I struggle to explain myself well & ruminate about it. Then I get upset & withdraw. When am I going to learn? be brave? become articulate face to face? manage my emotions? It is a constant battle for me. Yes, I often feel overwhelming & profound sadness, but more often I feel deep anger & resentment when misunderstood, or worse, dismissed & ignored.

Afraid of medical community

replies: 8

Hi I am afraid of doctors and the medical community as a whole. I suffer from anxiety, depression,and ptsd, and have a condition that is physical and requires me to be at the go to see someone about once a month. Now I have a thing in my armpit that requires even more time with those that frighten me. I am beside myself with anxiety, flashbacks etc. my gap is good, understanding etc, my psychologist also, but seeing these people is one enormous struggle, every time. Now that I have added to my dr ‘workload’ I feel I am about to explode with the stress of it all. What do I do when getting help requires facing my fears every time and I still can’t get relief from the terror?

New member

replies: 3

Hi all , I am new to the forum ,my name is Eddie,I am 64 and have suffered from anxiety and depression for 30 years.I go thru periods of good times and then the lowest of lows.Where I work are great and try to assist.This lockdown is killing me ,I ne... View more

I’m tired

replies: 3

Hello, I’m new here. I have recently been diagnosed with PTSD but I have had depression and anxiety since I was 14 (I’m 25 now) I’ve been in and out of hospitals off and on medication and there are times were I just get so tired. I think I have accepted I am never going to get better or be anything but a burden on people. I feel so lonely all the time and I am such bad nightmares which means I don’t sleep so I am exhausted a lot. I guess I am just tired of feeling like this

It's a crying day

replies: 3

Hi all, New here, and, I guess, just looking for a place to talk to like-minded people. My mental health history is all over the place and probably never properly diagnosed. First placed on an antidepressant at 18, and have had many other drugs prescribed in my journey to find out what's wrong with me and why I do the self-destructive things that I do. I figured out that I am probably allergic to SSRIs since I had such intense side effects, usually the opposite of what was expected. So I white knuckle it. I've yet to find a empathetic GP or a psychologist who I gel with (most get max 2 appointments before I give up on them). I'm told that I am a caring, empathetic person myself, but I think that just comes from wanting to make other people happy and not feel the way I do. At this very moment I am questioning whether I deserve to be here as there are so many people whose lives are affected so much worse then my own. The guilt of not counting my blessings. But I am here because this 48 yo happily married and gainfully employed woman, cannot stop crying tonight. And all the self introspection in the world is not helping to figure out why. I feel that I should apologise for sounding so overly dramatic (which is what I would do if I shared this in real life), but I'm hoping this is a place where I don't have to do that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hopefully being a helpful contributor here and to be able to reach out to others when they are in need and vice versa. Thanks for reading. Back to the wine and tissues (not a crutch I promise, it's just a really nice drop! )

Support for Depression and anxiety

replies: 2

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting here, and I'm a little anxious about it all. Am I posting right? Anyways, I'm struggling with depression and anxiety and hoping to get some support from people here. thank you.

Meet your community champions! replies: 13

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

Hello replies: 3

Hello replies: 4

New to the forum, need someone to talk to replies: 10

Hello there I'm a newbie replies: 4

anxiety triggers anger and depression replies: 2

Afraid of medical community replies: 8

New member replies: 3

I’m tired replies: 3

It's a crying day replies: 3

Support for Depression and anxiety replies: 2