Hello Forums Community, It has been really encouraging to see the way
you have continued to support one another over the last few weeks. We
know that things have been difficult, on top of everything else you have
already been going through. There hav...
View more
Hello Forums Community, It has been really encouraging to see the way
you have continued to support one another over the last few weeks. We
know that things have been difficult, on top of everything else you have
already been going through. There have been many stories of hope and
support shared, thank you for continuing to make this a supportive and
caring place. Community Voices: What are people talking about?
Experiencing Poor Sleep / Insomnia “I honestly don't know what to do
because trying to sleep at night makes me anxious but i want to spend
more time with my family but i have a better chance at sleeping in the
morning because i've done it that way for 10 years but then miss out on
doing stuff with family and i feel generally bored and miserable in the
middle of the night. it's complicated i know but i didn't really know
what else to do” - Walto17 (Read more here) “I can relate to you in so
many ways! My sleep used to be horrendous but I’m kind of back on track
now. I have a weighted blanket that I love! But I’ve also had to create
a ‘sleep routine’ and when I stick to it I am sleeping better! I’ve also
been doing this free online course and the resources and activities have
been great! I hope you get some sleep soon!
https://thiswayup.org.au/how-we-can-help/courses/managing-insomnia/ ” –
Slipperyfish (Read more here) “Listening to music (especially something
soothing) at night is great. However, I sometimes find it's not quite
stimulating enough to distract me, so over the past few years I've
gotten really into podcasts and audiobooks. Most phones now have a sleep
timer feature so you can set it to shut off after a while. I usually
find that thinking about whatever the spoken word content is helps me
make the transition from wakefulness to sleep without giving me time to
let my mind wander.” – uncut_gems (Read more here) Managing Anxiety
“Even though lockdown has been okay for my family (for which I’m very
grateful) my anxiety ramped up about two weeks ago, especially the
physical symptoms like chest pain and racing heart, breathlessness,
lumpy throat, and insomnia. Night time is the worst. It’s been awful.
I’m mostly fine to get through the day (or at least ignore it) with my
kids and partner and working from home, but as soon as it’s almost
bedtime, it kicks into major overdrive.” - Snowfall (Read more here) “…I
feel like I've spent so much time alone these past few months I don't
even know how to go back to normal. Some of my friends wanted to play
games online with me today and I feel so much more anxious about it than
I did before….” – Missberri (Read more here) “I get breathing
difficulties when I get anxious too. What helps for me is to consciously
relax my shoulders and facial muscles, shut my eyes and take deep
breathes for a few minutes while listening to some calming music. I love
using the music by a band called Buddha Sounds, it's a mix of upbeat and
calming (I lose focus easily so the beats helps me focus on my
breathing). Try breathing through your stomach rather than your chest
when you do this (that is, if you place a hand on your stomach as you
breathe, it should rise and fall more than your chest does). And it also
helps for me to repeatedly remind myself that what I'm feeling is just
anxiety and not a physical health concern.” – Emmen (Read more here)
Coping With Unhelpful Thoughts “I wonder if maybe trying to reframe
social distancing from the mindset that it is an act of love and
protection for people that we care about, rather than thinking of it in
terms of threats, might help a little? Perhaps maybe think of it as an
opportunity to get creative about how you can connect with your
colleagues and students e.g. friendly waves instead of high fives, etc.
I know it’s not the same, and of course it’s all very strange and
stressful, but I think maybe now is about trying to adapt to a new way
of doing things?” – Peppermintbach (Read more here) “Trying to suppress
your thoughts often has the opposite effect, we're not very good at
choosing not to think about something and in thinking about *not*
thinking about something we are still thinking about it. If you have a
google, something along the lines of "intrusive thoughts worksheet" or
"thought suppression and intrusive thoughts" you should be able to find
some self-help resources, I've used some myself (I don't remember the
exact one, sorry) and it helped a lot.” - GimZim (Read more here) “When
I think of it, I guess I can't assume what's going on in everyone else's
lives and their story. So using that as a way of thinking could help me
Just from the community here,I can see that gratitude is a positive
theme that can help with overcoming these thoughts, so it's worth a shot
. My psychologist has also suggested this idea of challenging of my
thoughts before taking it as gospel and starting that negative spin
cycle. So I think that should be a place for me to start.” - G.P (Read
more here:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/can't-stop-negatively-comparing-myself-to-others#qweTNHHzvGGEbv8AAOnT_A)
Valued Contributor Award Our Valued Contributor for the month of May is
ecomama! Ecomama has recently joined the forums and continues to
demonstrate enthusiasm as well as a genuine concern for others while
supporting members of our community – not to mention often adding in
some humour to brighten someones day 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
Introducing Doz86, Rumples and Emmen! Doz86, Rumples and Emmen have
joined our team of Community Champions this month! To read more about
their journeys feel free to have a look at our thread.
‘Introducing...the community champions’. BB News If you haven’t already,
checkout Beyond Blue’s latest podcasts series ‘Not Alone’! Episode 5:
Purpose: How do I find it again? just went live today. In this episode,
BB Speaker Noel shares his story of rediscovering his purpose. Beyond
Blue’s Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service also has frequent
updated resources. Check out the latest additions below: Focus on
forums: Coping during coronavirus video Back to work: how to manage
reopening your business Strategies for transitioning back into the
workplace after coronavirus Managing your child’s transition back to
school How to recognise anxiety in your child How educators can help
students adapt to change during the coronavirus Telehealth – a useful
way to access support Avoid news overload with the SIFT technique
Meet your community champions!
