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 s and uncertainties

replies: 2

Hello I've recently signed up, I thought its about time to talk - to anyone really. I've distanced my self from people, I don't really know whats my problem. Is it my hatred for people for unknown reasons? An outcast amongst our society? perhaps my sadness and distance comes from depression. Truth be told I don't really know, I hope to find out. Thanks for listening/reading

Hello. New here.

replies: 7

Just signed up a couple of days ago. Not really sure why to be honest - maybe so I won't feel so alone, maybe so I can feel there is a chance I can be helpful to someone else. Anyway, here I am -Hi.

Hi everyone, Newbie here

replies: 4

Hi all, I'm very new to this and thought it can't hurt to get some info and tips as I suffer from depression and anxiety. I find it very hard to talk about it. Thanks

Just feeling over it

replies: 1

So I’m 31. I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety before and I was medicated in the past. I stopped that to try a different approach that had been working. Lately I’ve found that the challenging days have become a lot closer together and are harder to pull myself out of, so I guess it’s not working all that well. I’m not sure right now if what I feel is the black dogs presecnce in my life or if this is something different. There are a lot of things going on that I feel I’m not happy with (work situation and home stuff). But I’m not in a position where those things can be changed. I feel like I’m stuck in a situation I really don’t want to be in and I can’t get out. I really want to talk and have someone actually listen to what I have to say. I don’t want to be made to feel like I’m part of the problem.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

replies: 6

Hi everyone. I'm glad to have found an active forum where people are able to support each other! I look forward to sharing your journeys. A bit about me - I'm a man in my early 40s. I had low mood and a lot of shyness as a teenager/adolescent but I never realised it was something that could be changed - I thought it was just how things were, and my job was to 'grin and bear it'. Things really fell apart emotionally in my mid 20s, which led me to my GP, 15 years of psychoanalysis (yes, it cost a bomb!) and most of the anti-depressants out there. I guess it all had an impact because I had half a dozen pretty good years socially (women finally noticing me and so on!) and career-wise. In fact, I found myself in a high-powered job at a very fast-growing company. It was my big break and I was determined not to waste it. I worked six days a week for a couple of years and thoroughly broke myself. I ended up not being able to think straight, be productive, or really enjoy much at all. At one point, I remember googling 'what is it like to be jaded?' I ended up being demoted but stuck around for another couple of years trying to recover the situation. I'm not good at recognising when I should cut my losses and walk away.. I put up with a lot of suffering because I think it's going to get better in the future. I left the company after eight years and took six months to travel the world and try to fix some physical health problems I had. Couldn't work out what to do after that, so I went back to uni part time. I'm currently in the process of failing my subjects because I can't concentrate properly, or stay motivated. (It's not like this is what I've always wanted to do, or anything like that) I've got no partner or kids, although I want both. I've ended every relationship I've had after a year or two because I didn't have a sense that 'this was the person for me'. Leaves me kind of isolated though - my friends are all married with kids, or single and bad influences. I've got a new therapist and a psychiatrist, and have been working through every common and not-so-common depression and anxiety drug out there. Trying to construct a life that's worth living instead of just going through the motions! So, that's me. I'm glad to be here.

A wife and Mum of 3 needing help

replies: 3

My husband had recently been diagnosed with OCD with secondary depression and his doctor has changed his meds.. so he is weaning off the old ones and he is going through withdrawals, I have no idea of what he is going through meantally and I don’t want to sound selfish but i am struggling with trying to be his rock and be there to support my three beautiful girls (9,5&3) who have no idea why daddy is so angry all the time. Why they are always in trouble, They see him get angry at me over little things or over nothing every day and we are only at week two. I try to hide it from them but he is a ticking time bomb at the moment and goes off when ever over what ever. My husband always asks why the kids are scared of him and I don’t know what to tell him with out him getting angry and feeling worthless. I have tried to explain to the kids what’s happening with daddy and I find my self crying in the shower or going for a walk to cry it out as I don’t want him to see me crying as I don’t want to make him feel worse. I feel like I am loosing my husband and I don’t know how to support him I find I am always walking on egg shells, what do I do? How can I help him? How do I keep my family from falling apart? Please help!!

I'm not sure what kind of help i need

replies: 7

Hello all, I'll start by trying to paint a backdrop to what I'm experiencing right now. I'm an overseas student currently studying my third semester of uni here in australia. I've always made plans to return to my home country at the end of the year but during the recent mid semester break from june to july, me and my girlfriend of 4 years made plans for her to come visit me which we felt would be a nice idea. As anticipated, we had a great time during this mid semester break of mine but things took a bad turn as soon as she left me to return home. It's been around 2 weeks or so since she left me and I'm clearly not making a smooth transition into schooling. I haven't been attending class as regularly as i should and I don't see the purpose of school work or any of the learning that's meant to take place. There is a huge contrast in attitude from who I was the past two semesters, where I was more or less focused on school work, sometimes even obsessed with it to the point where I skipped meals which understandably is not healthy either. I'm a reasonably rational person and fully understand the importance of school, but the fact that I don't see the purpose of it right now scares me a lot as it is something that usually comes natural to me. I went to class earlier this morning and my heart was simply not in it, yet I find myself signing up to this website and writing a post instead which I understand is bad on many levels but from my personal view, is more productive than being in a class with a mind that's switched off. As the title suggests, I want to break to break off from this unhealthy behavior of mine. I have been missing my girlfriend's presence far too often and have been reminiscing the times we spent here during the break in an unhealthy rate. Apart from school, I'm also not enjoying other aspects of my life such as eating which only reminds me of my girlfriend more and the times we spent cooking together. I recognise how wrong it is of me to be in this state where my girlfriend who equally misses me has already continued on with her life back at home while I'm here almost as if stuck in time. I feel really immature for this, as if I'm unwilling to face the reality of school and are somewhat clinging onto happier, carefree times to avoid it. I skype with my girlfriend every night and have shared my difficulties with her. It seems to help for a while but waking up is a another issue where I seem to revert back to this very negative mind frame.

Struggling with life

replies: 2

Hi lately I’m feeling as though there is nothing positive in my life to be happy about. I am constantly teary feeling miserable and I get stuck in the emotion of sadness sometimes for days. I push away the people I love the most because I don’t feel like I’m good enough. This isn’t like me I’m usually a very positive happy person... then I start overthinking everything and the blackness doesn’t seem to disappear. The latest attack has lasted for the past three days I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep, I’m craving human contact but I can’t bring myself to leave the house I feel so lost and I really don’t know what to do anymore....

It feels like i don't belong anymore

replies: 2

i thought i'd come here as i dont know anywhere else to go and i dont want to talk to anyone about this. No one cares about me, no one asks me how am i, or why weren't you here today, whenever i see my friends, especially my "best friend" she chooses to rather hang out with the others in my group and she never acts interested when talking to me, but when with others she's laughing and having fun and interested and especially when it's just us alone hanging out together she's always on her phone, she just says hi then she goes on her phone and scrolls through instagram for the whole day and since i don't know what to do i just go on my phone even though i hate my phone because it's so boring and i can see in front of me what it does to people it distracts them and she never asks me how i am or like today we had church and most of the girls there go to her school which im a little friends but obviously not as close with but she didn't ask me why i wasn't here and whats worse is she's closer to me because our parents are good friends and family friends with them so we are closer than our other friends, but she doesn't talk to me as much compared to others and i try to talk about interesting stuff and keep our conversations longer but barely makes a difference. I now don't go church as much because i don't like hanging out with that group because i don't like the rest of them that much and because to be honest i don't like seeing her knowing that she's not going to care i'm there and no one asks about me from there so it feels like i don't belong since no one from there seems to care anymore. Another thing is that there is a person who asks if i'm okay except she can be mean sometimes and i'm grateful to actually have someone who cares but at the same time she can be rude and make me feel like as if i'm wrong and doing the wrong thing and as if i'm always making the worst decisions for example she'll comment on something i say but as if it was bad, anyways she'll say stuff like that and judge everything i say and it makes me feel bad about myself and so i'm always cautious of what i say in front of her, it's annoying cos she can care at some points but at the same time judge me and not even realise how much it hurts. Anyways theres more, but i stay up all night thinking about this stuff and its affected my school badly and i just lost my dog a few months agoand i hate everything and i wish my dog were here because he was my only and best friend and truly cared

Saying Hi & whats going on ?

replies: 30

Just saying Hi , And tell you what's going on , Im not going real good . All started last year I injured myself at work leaving me with a condition that has stopped me from working ( now 9 months ) its also wiped out me from doing my favorite hobby . I also ended up in & out of hospital 5 times with a seperate issue but that's all pretty good now but went through a lot . Ok cut to the chase , Ive suffered depression & anxiety over the years but have been good for quite a few years untill now . Im 58 yo facing having to find either a new career or possibly retire or go on a pension ? Ive had no financial support , I havn't gone down the path of Workcover as my condition is quite a tricky one to prove it was from my work and here I am still paying work cover - crazy ! But in the mean time Ive become OCD . Every day and now even twice a day I drive quite a ways back to the suburb and house to where I was born , I left there 38 years ago ! All I do is drive around the streets I grew up on and past my old school and past old friends houses etc etc . Its got out of control , Ive spent $ thousands on petrol over the past 9 months . Ive just started seeing a councilor I asked what the heck is this and I was told its Trauma . My Anxiety is so bad Im even struggerling to sort out Centrelink online paperwork etc etc .My mind is all over the shop , I go see my councilor this Tues again I hope she can help at present 1 meeting a fortnight is not enough , I was trying to avoid medication but Ive been told its highly recomended that I do . I realize I do have options but the anxiety is making decision making near Impossible , I like to take a holiday but I'm struggerling to even sort that out . I hope I can get help ?

Meet your community champions! replies: 13

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

hello s and uncertainties replies: 2

Hello. New here. replies: 7

Hi everyone, Newbie here replies: 4

Just feeling over it replies: 1

Turning and turning in the widening gyre replies: 6

A wife and Mum of 3 needing help replies: 3

I'm not sure what kind of help i need replies: 7

Struggling with life replies: 2

It feels like i don't belong anymore replies: 2

Saying Hi & whats going on ? replies: 30