Welcome and Orientation

Meet your community champions!

replies: 12

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.

My partner has CPTSD

replies: 5

I need some advice. I am new to this forum. I am confused what I am supposed to do. My partner has PTSD and last Christmas he wanted to have a break as he was struggling mentally. I wasn’t aware he was struggling and I took it personally. Since then ... View more

I need some advice. I am new to this forum. I am confused what I am supposed to do. My partner has PTSD and last Christmas he wanted to have a break as he was struggling mentally. I wasn’t aware he was struggling and I took it personally. Since then he has been out 3x or 4 x a week overnight or up until midnight. He won’t communicate with me where his location in the beginning. I put up boundaries and he wouldn’t be able to follow through. I filled the gap in my mind I thought he has an affair. He started to lie and so many excuses and at the end I found out he would fell asleep at his mates place due to intoxication. He has been hiding his issues and not completely honest with me. He broke my trust. I wanted to have a family and I am 44 now but if his behaviour is like this I don’t think I can stay. It is against my values to drink excessively. He tried to reduce in the past but last Christmas since his treatment for Ptsd was paused because they have to focus his back issue and also his mental health has deteriorated . I find it hard to understand because my needs aren’t meet. I feel so lonely in a relationship and I would like to start a family before it is too late. I would like to continue supporting him but at the same time I am in a point that my mental health has been affected and I’m not happy in a relationship as he doesn’t communicate for me to understand. I think in the beginning he thought I was being judgemental because he would spend 6-8 hours at the pub. It is very challenging to deal with. Despite, his flaws he is a wonderful person and I do love him but I feel like it is not good for me in a long term . I had seen some red flags in the beginning but I challenged my gut feeling because he had come a long way. Sometimes I think I should move on because in a short period living on the same roof for less than 6 months all stress. Thank you and I need your valuable thoughts.

Teenage daughter school refusal, high anxiety low social skills possible body dysmorphia and ADHD

replies: 3

Morning,My daughter is in year 8 and is 13, this year in particular she has really really bad anxiety about going to school so we have had constant school avoidance. She is so so anxious when I go take her she refuses to get out of the car and has a ... View more

Morning,My daughter is in year 8 and is 13, this year in particular she has really really bad anxiety about going to school so we have had constant school avoidance. She is so so anxious when I go take her she refuses to get out of the car and has a panic attack and cries its heartbreaking.She is seeing a psychologist and is currently awaiting a ADHD assessment she is also struggling with social and peer difficulties social conflict and feeling excluded. The school have been great and are trying to help but we feel lost and abandoned a bit we are going down the avenue that if she gets an assessment she can get medication... but we need to get a referral for someone else and someone else and so on and so on Im frustrated and tired my mental health is low and im getting brain fatigue. Has anyone gone through this .... how can I help my daughter gain friends and be accepted

Why is it so hard to navigate the forums?

replies: 5

Hi all, maybe my patience is probably a little bit short, I have an 88yr old mum with dementia as my only contact person. I found it difficult to find my way into the forum, possibly due to impatience but bewildering when I went to the online chat fo... View more

Hi all, maybe my patience is probably a little bit short, I have an 88yr old mum with dementia as my only contact person. I found it difficult to find my way into the forum, possibly due to impatience but bewildering when I went to the online chat for help and the counsellor couldn't tell me. Guess I'll know next time

hey :3

replies: 4

hey i'm rory :3i've been struggling with my mental health for 4years and haven't done anything about it but its only gotten worse >

Partnerships and Networking

replies: 1

Hi everyone, my name is Serge, studying Certificate IV in Community Services. I’m passionate about men's rights and I’m interested in becoming involved in mental health and suicide prevention. I’m looking forward to connecting with others in the sect... View more

Hi everyone, my name is Serge, studying Certificate IV in Community Services. I’m passionate about men's rights and I’m interested in becoming involved in mental health and suicide prevention. I’m looking forward to connecting with others in the sector, learning from your experiences, and contributing where I can.

Defined by who I am becoming, not by my past

replies: 8

Hello,Having only just joined this group, I am still finding my way online.My preference has always been face-to-face interactions because they help me feel more connected to others. But here goes Growing up as a teenager in the 80s, without social m... View more

Hello,Having only just joined this group, I am still finding my way online.My preference has always been face-to-face interactions because they help me feel more connected to others. But here goes Growing up as a teenager in the 80s, without social media’s pressures, shaped this preference. The constant comparisons and judgments that happen online today can really intensify mental health challenges.Even so, my childhood was dysfunctional, marked by family violence and ongoing abuse from my parents, which had lingering effects on how I relate to others as an adult. 26 years ago, I broke my silence of abuse and finally spoke out about my experiences, beginning a healing process that has felt like being on a roller coaster, full of highs and lows. This is because growing up, I became hypervigilant to signs of danger to protect myself from abuse, making it hard to relax or trust my judgment.As an adult, I still scan for rejection or criticism and am still learning not to overthink and overanalyse texts or people's words and actions, even pauses or changes in tone from others, which leaves me emotionally drained and disconnected from my own feelings and needs. I have come to terms with the fact that recovery is not something that happens overnight or makes me forget the past. Healing is not a straight line.For example, for me, it hasn’t been Struggle- Start therapy- Feel better and put it in the past. Personally, it goes like this for me..Struggle - go to therapy - learn a little more about myself - feel better - get triggered by something - feel low - forget what I learnt - struggle - therapy - sit with emotions - learn a little more - feel better- encounter a difficulty - struggle - avoid emotions - practice what I have learnt- feel good- until something triggers me once more. Now, I see this as an ongoing learning cycle. There will be both good times and tough times, but I accept this is my lifelong path toward healing and, most importantly, personal growth.Whenever I face something daunting, I've learned to let my emotions surface rather than bottle them up. I reach out to someone trustworthy, engage in therapy, or do something I enjoy. Later, I reflect and treat every experience as an opportunity for learning and growth. Rather than criticising myself when I stumble, I strive to be gentler and more compassionate with myself, and I’m grateful for the person I am becoming; someone who extends that kindness and gentleness to those around me. I remind myself that it’s okay not to feel okay sometimes; the key is not to stay stuck there. I make sure I have tools and support ready for those challenging days. Joining this forum is a daunting but new experience and I am eager to connect with others facing similar challenges so we can support one another.We are all worth the effort and worthy.We don’t have to be defined by what we have been through butWhat we are shaping ourselves to be.Survivors!

Hello :)

replies: 3

Hi I am Bryan. I am hoping I welcomed here to get some support and feel lest alone by sharing here... I am grateful to meet new people if there is and hope to address issue thank u

Just introducing myself

replies: 3

Hi everyone, I've just come across this forum and hopefully I can meet like minded people so we can help each other. I suffer from anxiety, depression, ptsd and I'm 61 yrs old, a mother, grandmother but unfortunately live alone and no one talks to me... View more

Hi everyone, I've just come across this forum and hopefully I can meet like minded people so we can help each other. I suffer from anxiety, depression, ptsd and I'm 61 yrs old, a mother, grandmother but unfortunately live alone and no one talks to me.I also suffer migraines so dont go out much, just want to feel connected to make my life better. I'm also a great listener.Thanks for reading

Hello!

replies: 4

Good evening to everyone. My name is Adam and I’ve recently started struggling with things again. I had a rather long period after a marriage breakdown etc, and it took me a while to accept that I wasn’t going well back then. Thankfully, this time I ... View more

Good evening to everyone. My name is Adam and I’ve recently started struggling with things again. I had a rather long period after a marriage breakdown etc, and it took me a while to accept that I wasn’t going well back then. Thankfully, this time I realised that the light was beginning to fade and I wasn’t going to be left alone in the darkness. I have great support around me and I’ve found wonderful professional help. I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience where they realised that they were beginning to slip away and knew to seek help straight away?

Pinned discussions

Meet your community champions!

replies: 12

HELP..Am I posting in the right section?

replies: 10

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