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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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I just want out

replies: 1

Hello, my name is Abbi. I’m 17 years old and I have finally reached a point where I don’t want to deal with life anymore. I have struggled with mental health issues a bit in the past but I was able to overcome them and put it behind me. However, this year has been incredibly difficult with keeping the dark thoughts at bay. I am unable to sleep without a constant noise playing (like a fan) as I find it distracts my mind. I struggle to get out of bed in the morning. I can’t focus in school. For all I my life I have been governed by my parents as I am under 18. I hate not being able to have control over my own life and have decisions made for me. I am not trying to be rebellious or anything like that, I just simply want to be in charge of my own life. Something that I love to do is drive. It is the only time when I feel in control. Unfortunately, my parents don’t understand just how much it means to me and will take away the opportunity when it just happens to be at the time I need it most. It is incredibly difficult for me to sit in the car with my sister driving, especially because she is a new driver and is very irresponsible and speeds all the time. Yet that is what I am forced to do and I don’t have any input whatsoever. Everybody thinks I’m okay because I put on a happy facade and smile through the pain. I don’t want to tell anyone about what I’m dealing with for fear they won’t take me seriously. Anyway, I’m sorry for this vent but I just needed to tell someone...even if it’s only on a website

I have no friends and I don’t have the confidence to make new ones.

replies: 2

I have a circle of issues, mainly to do with self confidence but I feel like everyone is happy, except me ? I’m unsure of how to deal with certain situations. My family are amazing but no one goes through this mental block.. most days I feel like the... View more

Nevermind, I guess

replies: 4

I'm awake for what feels like every single night stuck in the feeling of guilt of not being good enough and being a failure at everything. I have 2 kids, husband, a roof over our heads and food on the table but I just feel like a complete failure. I quit my job to be with my kids while they're still very young (4&2) and study for a better career part time. I feel I have nobody to blame but myself for feeling as though I'm not good enough to even be their mother. Since always I've felt as though I've had no friends, I feel forgotten by family everyday and nobody visits me or my children which I feel as though it's because I am their mum so people are avoiding because of me. I hate leaving the house, I feel as though everyone is looking at me and judging my every move and behavior. I feel as though my husband is embarassed to be seen with me in public with the kids and would much rather me not around. I don't go outside of my house when I have the kids by myself. I just feel like they are being ruined by me. They deserve better, a happier mum and wife, one that can give them everything that I can't. I hate asking for help or trying to reach out because it feels like I am a burden just being alive and I just think.. Well nevermind, it's all good, it doesn't matter, I'll get over, I guess. I just don't want to let anymore people down in my life.

Talking to my manger gives me anxiety

replies: 2

I have been working in a company for last 2 years. Despite going through depression I used to enjoy work and I loved my team. It felt like work was the only good thing happening in my life. Everything was going fine until they decided to make my supervisor and my manager redundant. And there was a new manager on board. All my workmates started to leave the company and m left with a completely new team. I don’t have a luxury to leave this job cause its very difficult to find another job with my short term visa status. I hate my job. I just look for a n excuse not to go to work so much so that I’ve almost run out of all my sick leaves. This new manager is very hard to approach and he is not at all a people person. He even makes us feel like we’re not important. I get negative vibes whenever he is around. I don’t know if it is because I’ve heard so much negative about him or whatever. I just don’t like being around him. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. Now my problem is i want to go to visit my parents back home for 6 weeks and I don’t know how to approach him. Just thinking about it makes me feel so stressed and anxious. It is embarrassing to discuss about this stress with anyone. Everytime I think about telling him, I have sleepless night.

Need help..... husband cheated on me.....

replies: 4

Need help husband of 20 years cheated on me with a client from work it went on for 6 months and ended in feb 2019 as he found out I’m pregnant... I found out about affair early this month via a letter she wrote to him...... we are going to marriage counseling to see if this marriage can be saved as we have young children .... issue is j want a written apology but he refuses to write one as I explained to him this will help me with my anxiety and not go into a spirl but he said no..... and he wants to take things slow where I’m trying to get thus relationship back on track but can’t seem to get anywhere... why cant he see how it affects me

Newbie -hello- do I have anxiety?

replies: 2

Hello first post to say hi and ask a question gather thoughts ? Im male mid 40s. Often find myself worrying about stupid things, can’t focus or concentrate get teary. This morning I just couldn’t stop my mind racing. I couldn’t pull myself together and stayed home from work. It’s happened before (day off work). It’s been so bad I’ve had chest pain that wakes me up and lasts for days. I’m worried if I don’t do something it’s going to take control of me. I need to tell work as I’m worried they think in skiving off. What do I say to them? Am I just worrying normally, or might I have some level of anxiety? Plus how can I tell my boss how I’m feeling and what it’s doing to me. Thanks for the support

First time ever reaching out

replies: 2

Hello everyone, I'm Dillon. I never thought I'd be here. I feel as if I'm stuck at a crossroads in my life, and i'm not going anywhere. Ever since my breakup I cannot shake the loneliness. It keeps me up most nights. I'm restless. I haven't been myse... View more

New poster. Worried about the future.

replies: 2

Hi everyone! Nice to meet you all. Hope you're all as well as possible and able to keep powering through your darker times to reach the sunnier days. I suppose my main thing is that I spend a lot of time worrying about the future. More specifically, about all the ways the future could literally go apocalyptically, human-civilization-and-existence endingly wrong. And I don't know how to stop. For example, this evening I read the news, saw the words "North Korea" and suddenly it's hours of reading every every article I can find about nuclear war and convincing myself it's almost certainly going to happen within the next couple of years. I'm out for a walk, look around my surroundings, and just picture them in ruins. The last few years have felt like I've got a pressure cooker in my head. It feels like the world is spiralling out of control and there's nothing I can do about it. One day I feel like going full survivalist, the other I feel like doing so is utterly pointless because I don't want to live in a world of ruins. And I hate it. I'm sick of feeling paranoid and frightened, but I don't know how to stop. I don't know how to talk to people about it without either (a) sounding absolutely ridiculous or (b) freaking them out. But I don't know how to switch it off either, so I just end up stewing in my misery and feeling like I'm wasting my finite time worrying my life away. Anyway, that's me. Hope we all can help each other out somehow.

Hello.... I'm drowning...

replies: 1

Hey there, I'm not really sure what posting in a forum will accomplish... I think everyone is in the same boat as me - struggling and looking for help... but I don't have anywhere else to go... I am a chronically ill single mum of 1. I work full time (even when I was on dialysis every night I still worked full time). I work about 55 hours a week and do not have any family here (my family is overseas). I am feeling so overwhelmed... I have this pain in my chest that makes me cry when I start to think about it... I sleep intermittently - I fall asleep ok, but then I wake up after a couple of hours and can't get back to sleep. The thoughts keep racing - usually about something that I said or did that I'm not sure if I have handled it correctly. I constantly think I'm going to get fired - I can't keep up with the work. I honestly don't know how all the other teachers manage to get all the work done - how do you do it all with only 2 hours of prep time??. I work from 7:30am to at least 5:30 every day, and then I work at least 5 hours on the weekend. I feel guilty for not doing everything I'm supposed to do. I feel guilty for working so much that I neglect my own daughter. I feel guilty because I am very educated and yet I don't feel like I am successful. I feel guilty because I never went to my mom's funeral because my husband told me I couldn't afford to go.. that was 8 years ago and I still cry about it. I just feel so overwhelmed and I don't know where to go or what to do. I can't see a counsellor because I don't have time, and I don't have someone to mind my child if I do go. I don't want to quit my job, because I actually love the "teaching" part (i.e. being in the classroom)... but I was given a kidney a little over a year ago, and I know this stress is going to make me sick again. I say I'm a single mother, but I am actually married. My husband moved to Asia last year. He hasn't had an income in 10 years.... just lots of ideas that I supported him with. When I went on dialysis he quit his job because he wanted to go back to school... which meant I had to continue working full time. Currently he is starting a business overseas. It was really my idea... but I had to continue working to pay the bills. Anyways, I support him while he is setting everything up. Found out he had an affair.... He wants to stay married... but he also doesn't want to stop seeing this woman because he is lonely in Asia. Oh my gosh... I can't handle all of this.

Ideas on shaking the tears and feeling good once again

replies: 1

Hi there everyone, just joined the dog hoping for advice and help to shake the blues or how to manage it. 48 yom ex ambulance paramedic medically retired now cafe owner and bloody miserable. Heavily medicated and can't stop crying, constant doubts of... View more

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

I just want out replies: 1

I have no friends and I don’t have the confidence to make new ones. replies: 2

Nevermind, I guess replies: 4

Talking to my manger gives me anxiety replies: 2

Need help..... husband cheated on me..... replies: 4

Newbie -hello- do I have anxiety? replies: 2

First time ever reaching out replies: 2

New poster. Worried about the future. replies: 2

Hello.... I'm drowning... replies: 1

Ideas on shaking the tears and feeling good once again replies: 1