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Sophie_M 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 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.

Aaronsis 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 th... View more

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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FeralRabbit34 An introduction to me.
  • replies: 4

I am currently a student in Victoria in my eleventh year of schooling and have been facing some instances of anxiety (Social and otherwise) for quite some time. This forum is the most open I've been about my feelings ever and the idea of typing into ... View more

I am currently a student in Victoria in my eleventh year of schooling and have been facing some instances of anxiety (Social and otherwise) for quite some time. This forum is the most open I've been about my feelings ever and the idea of typing into a faceless void is more comforting to me than talking one on one with a psychologist/psychiatrist. It seems like it would be a waste to post on here if I wasn't completely forthcoming with my situation, so I'll try not to hold back. I'm a bit of an over-achiever. I haven't skipped any year levels, but I've always been the top of my current one. People see my test scores and my exam scores as an indication that I'm a well-functioning child, but inside I am a mess. People keep asking me if I'm going to get Dux (Highest ATAR score) at the end of next year, and every time they do, I just want to hide because I always feel as if I'm not the person getting these grades. Socially, I am very closed off. I feel uncomfortable in every lunch-time, preferring to hang around a group of about 5 or less, mainly composed of the people I know and have known since I started high school. I feel my best in my Methods class (Maths) because it is a close group of about 15 people who I enjoy the company of. I feel my worst in my English class because it is a chaotic group of at least 25 people who all fight to have their voices heard, sometimes literally. I very rarely go out on weekends and I don't have a social life outside of school. On top of all of this, I'm quite self-conscious of my body, being a scrawny, lanky teenager with a reasonable dose of pimples. I express myself in writing and enjoy the opportunity it gives me to get out of my own mind by creating something I don't have to be a part of. Other passions include a recent obsession with the musical Hamilton and a sort of attachment to a few songs from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. At this moment I am listening to Weird Al's "Hamilton Polka" and loving it. That is me and my life in a nutshell. Thank you for reading about me and feel free to leave a comment if you wish to.

Rocketman77 Not even sure what I’m doing here
  • replies: 8

Hi, I am not sure if I am writing about anxiety, depression, victims or perpetrators, relationships or families but it is fair to say that all of this for me feels absolutely out of control at the moment. My partner has been suffering from depression... View more

Hi, I am not sure if I am writing about anxiety, depression, victims or perpetrators, relationships or families but it is fair to say that all of this for me feels absolutely out of control at the moment. My partner has been suffering from depression and anxiety for many years, effectively since the birth of our first child. I have never understood the complexities of this but I have always thought that I had done my best to support her even when I did not agree with the course of action she was taking but felt that I had to support what her professional advice had come up with or her interpretation of that at least. This is something I have continually supported her in but have never agreed with. Along the journey I have found things difficult and not dealt with this well at all. I have withdrawn from almost any external activities apart from her and the kids and I can not remember doing anything without her in the last 15 years. We have had our issues over the years as well and recently her state of mind has declined further, and things in general have seemed out of control, not just for her as they have been of late but for me as well. I thought that we were living this recent craziness together but now I realise that we were clearly not. I almost feel as though some of what has happened has been manufactured to push me away and now that this has happened I find myself so frightened, and barely functioning. I am scared about where I am and I have no one to talk to at all which is just so much clearer now. I’ve never really had friends outside of our relationship and now I can not reach out to anyone because of this. I am on the verge of tears all day and night and I just feel like there is nothing I can do. I am losing my family, my love, my place in this world and I don’t know what to do. I am creating the broken family for my kids that I had so desperately wanted to avoid and I am just so scared. I have no strength at all, I don’t think I ever have had. I wish I had been stronger with my partner to force some counselling as I know this would have helped but I let myself get dragged into the denial and the drinking and what I now know is a false reality where things are ok. Things are not ok and I fear that they will never be ok on any level right now. so I don’t know if I should be reading the depression forums, the relationship forums, the family forums or the anxiety forums. I guess that is about right for me right now.

HappyMoments Not sure what to do
  • replies: 1

Hi, I do need your sugesstion, I happen to be a Community support worker. My partner has shown signs of having bipolar disorder over the years (has not been diagnosed) am struggling to communicate with him as to this but he just won’t listen. i stron... View more

Hi, I do need your sugesstion, I happen to be a Community support worker. My partner has shown signs of having bipolar disorder over the years (has not been diagnosed) am struggling to communicate with him as to this but he just won’t listen. i strongly know that he needs help, even though he has been using medication for depression, not sure if this works for bipolar. please how and what can I do to help? Thanks

iamfreetolive Left for emotional affair partner!
  • replies: 2

My husband left me for his emotional affair partner! will he realise what he’s done and want to come back? i want to fix our marriage but he’s already been sexual with this woman and is planning on moving in with her! He only left a month and a half ... View more

My husband left me for his emotional affair partner! will he realise what he’s done and want to come back? i want to fix our marriage but he’s already been sexual with this woman and is planning on moving in with her! He only left a month and a half ago! i love him and concerned!

BWingstar What future??
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for deciding to read this (l really appreciate it, given the pages and pages of threads). Sooo…I am Heather, I’m 19, and from Sydney. I have been diagnosed with depression, GAD and social anxiety since l was 12, and was... View more

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for deciding to read this (l really appreciate it, given the pages and pages of threads). Sooo…I am Heather, I’m 19, and from Sydney. I have been diagnosed with depression, GAD and social anxiety since l was 12, and was only just recently diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder and PTSD (there aren’t any forums for bipolar disorder, so apologies if l am not supposed to be mentioning this?). Over the year’s I have continuously struggled with the idea of me even having a ‘future’ - I know that may sound weird…but basically if I ever think about what my future holds I feel sick with dread, anxiety and doubt. I deferred uni after being diagnosed with bipolar type 1 earlier this year, and have been calling in sick for work (which is only casual) over the last weeks because I was getting flashbacks, panic attacks and severe anxiety when working. So without my job, uni, or any social activities, l have found that haunting feeling of dread about my future returning again. I really don’t know what l am supposed to do or how to even approach my problems. It’s like l’m sitting at the bottom of this giant rubbish heap, and l can barely grasp on to anything…let alone climb high enough to even see the top. I know what a psychologist may suggest; exercise, socialisation, distraction, cognitive behavioural therapy etc…but I am SO incredibly anxious and l feel like l am a lost cause. My social anxiety, has become significantly worse…and is only being reinforced by my absence of social interaction. I want to be able to make productive steps but anything that involves leaving the house on my own and being independent in any way causes me exorbitant amounts of anxiety. There’s also the issues of the bipolar, my PTSD, and panic attacks. I wish l could talk to other people who have experienced this (if any people have?) and just know that l am not alone in this feeling and that l will be ok. Any advice, tips or success stories would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou so much for reading this xx

lumpyspuds Thank you beyondblue
  • replies: 2

I am new here. I've had a look around the site and am so grateful to the many people who must devote huge hours to making it work. Where would we be without you? Please know that your hard work is appreciated. With kind regards Lumpyspuds

I am new here. I've had a look around the site and am so grateful to the many people who must devote huge hours to making it work. Where would we be without you? Please know that your hard work is appreciated. With kind regards Lumpyspuds

Lex-eee First time here
  • replies: 5

Hi, I’m lexie. New here. Diagnosed with PTSD, generalised anxiety, depression. The works. Have had a rough few months, which included a hospital stay. hoping to meet others who have made it through and come out the other side for the better.

Hi, I’m lexie. New here. Diagnosed with PTSD, generalised anxiety, depression. The works. Have had a rough few months, which included a hospital stay. hoping to meet others who have made it through and come out the other side for the better.

Momi I'm so overwhelmed (first post)
  • replies: 2

Hi, I suppose I decided to post on this forum as quite honestly, I'm not even sure what to do anymore. A month ago I was in a mental hospital (I have never been diagnosed with anything, and still haven't been) in which I was assaulted in the—intimate... View more

Hi, I suppose I decided to post on this forum as quite honestly, I'm not even sure what to do anymore. A month ago I was in a mental hospital (I have never been diagnosed with anything, and still haven't been) in which I was assaulted in the—intimate way, which I found to be rather ironic considering I was supposed to be getting help... And yet again, the past repeats itself. I try to do the right thing, I do what I'm told, see therapists, psychologists, whatever I'm asked... Still, nothing. I wonder why I bother. I've been having a lot of physical health problems too, I pass out about 3-5 times a week now, just last week I had to have CPR on a train as I stopped breathing, and still... Four months it's been, and only now does a doctor find a heart murmur... I wasn't been taken seriously, even after needing to be resuscitated and taken hospital (this was my 5th hospital visit in 3 months), I was sent back home. I can't manage University around this. I can't get anything out of my head. I've had to dump one of my now 3 court cases just to get by, this one being a restraining order against my father... He terrifies me. After so many years as his plaything... This recent mess with the mental ward has just made it worse, and they aren't helping me at all now, since they know they've wronged me. -sigh- I'm just exhausted. I find it amusing that still, I'm not technically diagnosed with anything at all, mentally I mean. Yet, I think I'm on the brink of just falling apart, though I always seem to feel like that lately. I'm really not sure what to do anymore, all the doors I enter are filled with snakes. Thank you.

cozykiwi I'm taking my biggest step towards mental health
  • replies: 2

Hey everyone, My name is Jay and I've been fighting depression and anxiety for 8 years. I decided to see a doctor last year who recommended an antidepressant and that I see a therapist. I did this for about 6 months before I ran into a roadblock. Thi... View more

Hey everyone, My name is Jay and I've been fighting depression and anxiety for 8 years. I decided to see a doctor last year who recommended an antidepressant and that I see a therapist. I did this for about 6 months before I ran into a roadblock. This came in the form of weed and alcohol. Recently, I chose to give up both after realising how destructive it was, and how badly it was affecting my mental health. I stopped taking my medication without seeing my therapist or my doctor, and it was not a good idea. I have good news! 2 weeks ago I saw my therapist again. I started a a higher dosage and I'm already starting to see improvements. Mainly not feeling sad all the time for no reason, and not feeling anxious all the time in every conversation. Also not thinking about my every mistake EVER was like a fog had lifted. It's good to feel that this medication doesn't magically fix every problem, but raises the floor of my depression to feel so much less overwhelming. I feel like I can do so much more now. I feel like I know how I can recover from this, how I can move on from what was holding me back before. I feel like I can deal with stress better now. I know that I can do this, I want to do it so badly. I'm really serious this time and I want my life back! I want to feel genuine happiness again, I want to enjoy life as much as possible. Anyway, thank you for reading this whoever you are. It means a lot to have a support network even if I don't know you.

Slam Hello, and not sure where to start...
  • replies: 4

Hi, Sort of feeling my way around a bit at the moment trying to work out if this is the right path for me or not. Always been a bit of a "stress head" I worry too much over minor things and what people think of me, try to keep everyone happy and avoi... View more

Hi, Sort of feeling my way around a bit at the moment trying to work out if this is the right path for me or not. Always been a bit of a "stress head" I worry too much over minor things and what people think of me, try to keep everyone happy and avoid any sort of confrontation . As it turns out this has all been fairly obvious to those around me but there has been a total lack of self-awareness on my behalf until week after last I felt sick as a dog, Vomiting, headache, chest pain etc. Went to bed early, had a terrible night and in the morning when my wife asked if i was ok I burst into tears and told her "I just can't get my shit together". Dr's appointment later and i found out that i have been having anxiety attacks. Finding this out has been both a blessing and a curse because now that i'm aware it almost feels like the floodgates have been opened and i'm noticing so many more personal issues (stresses)that I have been keeping bottled up. Good that I'm hopefully getting better at dealing with these things but its been somewhat embarrassing telling people about it. One has been resigning as my son's under 12's football coach and leaving the club (longer story than I have characters to explain) which involved telling club officials and some of the parents that i'm close to why i quit. Telling my wife that one thing that was 'doing my head in' was that i constantly felt like i was always letting her down by not providing her with the things she dreams of took me almost two weeks to summon up the courage to do and ended up with both of us in tears. I have tightness in my chest now just typing this stuff. There is a bunch of other things that I've confronted/exposed with the help of my GP, friends and family that in the cold light of day seem really minor and stupid but as a mate told me "even one piece of paper gets heavy when you add 100 of its friends to the pile" So at the moment I'm sort of playing it by ear. As a rule i feel better but i have had a few dark moments so i'm contemplating whether i just see how i go for now or go and speak to someone professional. I'm entitled to 5 free sessions through my employer (my boss has been brilliant) but I'm not sure if I'm 'broken' enough to bother. Thanks for letting me vent anyway.