Welcome and Orientation

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Sorted by:

Start a discussion

Anxiety and being a mum

replies: 3

2 years ago when I was 9 weeks pregnant we lost our house to a house fire which began a whirlwind of stress ( moving with animals, insurance, first pregnancy, now legal battle with insurance, traumatic birth, daughter sick when born etc) my daughter is now 11 months old and we are planning on moving back to our old home. I believe I suffered post natal depression ( undiagnosed) but as my daughter was colicky, she wouldn't sleep for the first 6months ( which heightened the depression due to lakkcnif sleep) and still struggles to nap at times. I find I am getting anxious and stressed at every nap time and not sure if this has just manifested form everything that has happened and continuing to happen. My daughter is happy, healthy and beautiful but I just can’t seem to allow anything to mess with our daily schedule in fear of her missing a nap and not having the oppprtunity to nap as I stress that she will start waking at night and this won’t allow me to sleep and rest. Any advice or anyone who has experienced something similar.

Hello Im new here

replies: 28

Hello ive been diagnosed with anxiety, depression and ptsd, and im feeling really alone even when around other people. im in my early 20s and I hope to meet some others who might feel the same way as me.

Introducing myself

replies: 3

Hi all, My name is Max, i am supporter and advocate towards raising awareness for mental health. As a person who has been living with anxiety for many years i feel the time is right for me to get involved in the community to volunteer my time to assist in any way i can. Communication and my nurturing personality are two of my strong points. Im hopeful i can assist with this great organisation. I am more looking forward to being more involved with Beyond Blue.

New and trying to make sense of things that don't

replies: 7

Hi, I'm Zoe, and I guess I'm new here. Well, I guess I don't really guess. I'm just having some troubles at the moment and somehow found these forums while venting some questions into google. So I'm here now. Anywho, so I'm 17 and nearly at the end of school. I've literally got 5 weeks to go until I finish. I've finished all my QCS, I've finished pretty much all my major exams, and now all I've got is some small school tasks to tide me over until graduation. I've got my formal on Friday, and I've got everything sorted for next year. So it really doesn't make any sense now that I'm struggling so much with school. We came back from holidays at the beginning of last week, and then on the first day I bit my lip so much my entire face swelled up (I'm not a regular lip biter, so this was quite out of character). That allowed me to avoid school on Tuesday as I had to go see my GP (the swelling freaked Mum out a little), and then I was back on Wednesday where I had several panic attacks and my anxiety levels are through the roof. I'm not even getting into assignments here. Just being here is freaking me out to the point where I'm not sure I can make it through the day. I missed Thursday and Friday last week (Thursday due to an event, but Friday due to mostly avoidance), and today I've been hiding in the bathrooms for as long as I can because I'm really not coping and I hate people seeing me cry at school. I've literally got to put up with this place for 5 more weeks, and it's terrifying to think that I might not finish over something this stupid. I've had my ups and downs with mental health over the years (Saw a psych for 2 years through headspace although haven't seen them since the beginning of the year, been on and off medication), but this level of anxiety in a spot where I should be having none is freaking me out. Does anyone have any advice? Zoe

Categories for discussion on the Beyond Blue forums

replies: 0

Hi everyone, Last month we asked for feedback on how to best organise the categories on the Beyond Blue forums. Members were invited to participate in an online sorting exercise where they could drag and drop the existing categories into an order that made sense, provide names for the groupings, and provide additional feedback on potential new categories. Thanks to all those who participated. Based on this consensus feedback, we have re-organised the forum categories into the groups below and re-opened a category for Grief and loss. If you have any further questions or comments, please post them below. This thread will be a running discussion on how the forum categories and discussions are organised into the future. Introduce yourself * Welcome and orientation * BB Social Zone Mental health conditions * Anxiety * Depression * PTSD & Trauma * Suicidal thoughts and self-harm Caring for myself and others * Staying well * Treatments, health professionals and therapies * Relationships and family issues * Supporting family and friends with a mental health condition * Long term support over the journey People like me * Young people * Sexuality and gender identity * Multicultural experiences * Grief and loss (reopened forum)

Workers comp

replies: 1

I have recently been & am going through the claim, which I have been felt nothing but guilty! It has bought back the past. This happened like 25 yrs ago, should have forgotten about it!!

Need assurance

replies: 15

I just joined today because i thought i want to let few things out while seeking assurance about my issue. I have a male acquaintance who has a wife and 1 year old daughter. In the beginning he was fine. He frequently sent me random articles and most of them are pretty general and harmless. One day he sent me link about plastic surgery and said "u r single, why don't u try?" And he wanted to set me up with his friend who is also single. But this guy is not my type and definitely not a kind of guy you will introduce to your friends (I'm being very polite here). So I made a joke that I'd rather find a toyboy and work harder for my future. I blocked his fb message but still friend him on fb. The next day he sent me a link to a make up artist with before after picture on my instagram I reached out to my friend and she said stop being judgemental and overreacting. Hence, i unblocked his fb message. But things got worse, he sent me articles with inappropriate sexual content. I did not reply to any of these and kept a screenshot. Then i sent them to all my friends. I blocked him from fb message again. After few weeks, he went to my whatsapp and sent me porn video. I politely said i did not appreciate his posts and told him to stop sending me things like this. He said "lol" I have distributed the screenshots to all my friends, talked to my colleagues and boss. I also had reported this to fb, blocked him on every social media. Everyone said i did the right thing but this one friend who i knew for 10 years refused to listen to me. She said that i should not bitch about her bff's husband and told me i am the most judgemental and overreacting person she knows. Well this guy never send her those posts and my friend has a business together with this man's wife. She only knew this couple for less than 2 years but defended them even without listening to my story. She claimed she is a neutral person. I thought being neutral means you listen to both sides of the stories. I just feel like i don't know whether I'm judgemental or those posts are inappropriate. I want to do the right thing. I feel helpless and annoyed because some people think those posts are funny even though i feel like I'm being bullied. I want to slap some conscience to both of him and my friend but i don't know how. Thank you for listening though, much appreciated

Lonely and just needing to talk it out

replies: 7

Hi, first time posting here. I'm 20 years old and always kind of struggled with anxiety and opening up to others about it, towards the end of last year/start of this year was when I first decided it was affecting my life so much that I need help and at the start of this year I saw a counsellor at my uni. I found that useful and she said how it seemed I was having anxiety problems and kind of explained how anxiety works to me and told me about negative thought and ways to rethink. I saw that counsellor four time over a couple months and it was decided that I was doing better and didn't need to keep seeing her. Over the last couple months though I feel like as if it's slowing rebuilding and I've noticed things like feeling nervous and restless but somehow sometimes a sense of nothingness. While also experiencing some physical symptoms like not getting to sleep until hours after I've actually gone to bed then not being able to get up until hours after I've woken, as well as a loss of appetite and just a general feeling of panic that I guess if I had to have way of describing, it would be a feeling in my chest. I know that I should get help again but I almost feel ashamed because I was so proud of myself for getting better that I feel like I can't open myself back up to friends about it. I also feel like my recovery was kind of rushed at my uni so I would want to find a new counsellor which seems like a daunting task. I guess I'm just looking for anyone who's experienced this sort of relapse and any advice? Sorry for the massive post but thank you

Newbie

replies: 6

Hi im new to this forum and i'm honestly a little anxious about posting, but I've been dealing with a lot of anxiety lately and im hoping someone can relate

Hello and the merry-go-round of depression

replies: 4

Hi Everyone I'm new and struggling. I'm back at the bottom and while I've been to the doctor and going to the counsellor, I still feel great shame and uselessness that I'm not moving forward. I call it the depression merry-go-round. I work hard to get out of the ruts but then when I get to a good place, something big will happen and bring me straight back down. Right now its not just one big thing but a series over the last 2 months that have hit hard - I'm working 12-14 hour days in a job that I'm really fond of and with no likelihood of this changing soon; my partner has decided we need a break; my abusive mother who I am estranged from is dying in hospital and the guilt is really difficult. Its been a very hard few months and I hit the bottom last weekend. I feel terrible talking to friends as they have had to listen to me before and I'm embarrassed I'm here again at the bottom. I know I'm the only one who can fix this but I guess I'm hoping the Forum can support me in this journey. Hope thats ok.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

Anxiety and being a mum replies: 3

Hello Im new here replies: 28

Introducing myself replies: 3

New and trying to make sense of things that don't replies: 7

Categories for discussion on the Beyond Blue forums replies: 0

Workers comp replies: 1

Need assurance replies: 15

Lonely and just needing to talk it out replies: 7

Newbie replies: 6

Hello and the merry-go-round of depression replies: 4