Immediate support
Immediate support

Welcome and orientation

Welcome! If you’re not sure where to start, that’s OK. We’re keen to know more about you and what you’re looking for on our Forums.

Start a discussion

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a discussion

Pinned discussions

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

All discussions

Start a discussion

Sammy74 Overwhelmed and feelings of Uselessness
  • replies: 7

Hi everyone thos is all very new to me. i suffer depression and not feeling too well at all. most days I’m overwhelmed by feelings of guilt for exsisting. not something I’m proud of by any means however I wanted to reach out to see if others feel the... View more

Hi everyone thos is all very new to me. i suffer depression and not feeling too well at all. most days I’m overwhelmed by feelings of guilt for exsisting. not something I’m proud of by any means however I wanted to reach out to see if others feel the same. im a busy Mum and career woman who dors a good job of hiding my nerves and fears from all around me. id really be grateful for any advice. warm regards Sammy

Strangefemme2000 Friendships... I need help but do not want it
  • replies: 1

Hello reading this post back it doesn’t make much sense. I guess I’d just like to start a conversation about my feelings I can’t seem to share in the real world. Its a self indulgent post. i am reasonably new here, I have a thread in the relationship... View more

Hello reading this post back it doesn’t make much sense. I guess I’d just like to start a conversation about my feelings I can’t seem to share in the real world. Its a self indulgent post. i am reasonably new here, I have a thread in the relationships section. I have outlined some aspects of my loneliness. Although I have been attempting to think critically about my situation and why reaching out to ‘friends’ has been failing. My attempts to make plans and connect are often met with loose excuses or plans made that are not kept. The problem obviously lies with me. A majority of these friends have been close to me in the past. While they were close to me they usually do something I perceive to be a betrayal or rejection when this usually isn’t the case, however, I’d become over whelmed with sadness and anger. My thoughts would go along the lines of I need this person away I’d like to make them feel guilt and anger and I’d like them to not come back. This would seem rational to me at the time. Hind sight is 20/20. I have more or less accepted this behaviour was damaging for everyone involved. I have apologised and admitted fault. Which people are often quite receptive to. I do not have any expectations on anyone to want to hang around with me as I’ve been quite a toxic person. I’m finding it hard to heal living and spending most of my time alone. I’d also like to identify current personality traits that are abrasive to others but I have no opportunity to do so as I am constantly alone aside from work. I am a different person there, I keep arms length and I am polite and inoffensive so that space doesn’t really allow me to identify these things either. I’d say joining clubs or groups would likely have the same result, they’d only see pretend happy me which is a complete fabrication. A way of getting by. A way to treat people with the kindness they deserve. I feel quite hopeless, I feel unable to change. I don’t think I’ve made much sense. I’ve spent most of the evening with tears in my eyes and I am now unable to sleep same as yesterday. I suppose I am just looking for any connection outside myself. If u made it this far well done, I am grateful even if I don’t receive a reply

sollicitus Need to get this all out
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I'm not really sure if I'm posting in the right place. I'm female, 20. I have bottled up a lot of feelings for too long, and I really need to write them out before I go insane. I hate myself. I know I have had social anxiety from a young... View more

Hi everyone, I'm not really sure if I'm posting in the right place. I'm female, 20. I have bottled up a lot of feelings for too long, and I really need to write them out before I go insane. I hate myself. I know I have had social anxiety from a young age, though I feel like as I have grown older it has become worse. All throughout my life I haven't had many friends; I'm introverted, shy and get nervous around people. I have never dated anyone either. I both don't really know what to say to people because I'm afraid of saying something stupid and because my life is so boring and bare, I never know what to talk about. When I do talk to people, they don't show much interest in me or what I have to say and to be honest, I wouldn't blame them; I work a boring job, have hardly any hobbies and no talents. My self esteem is very low. I think I'm dumb and that I'm not good at anything. The other thing is, I also suffer from post traumatic stress disorder from being diagnosed with leukaemia a few years ago. While it hasn't reappeared, I still have to live with the long term effects from treatment. I get sick easily, which prevents me from doing a lot of things, and I am always worried about my health. When I was stuck in hospital, other than my family and doctors, I had no one to talk to or to really support me. My friends and other relatives avoided me and it seemed like they didn't really care much about what I was going through. I understand that it is a sensitive topic that a lot of people don't really know how to talk about, but they could have at least tried. And now that I'm back home, they act like nothing ever happened and everything is all dandy when I see them, which is hardly ever because they are too busy with their relationships. When I look at my life, there is nothing that's really valuable to me. I have never accomplished anything and I don't think I ever will because I have no aspirations and I never seem to feel motivated. I'm frustrated with myself and I wish I could be a better person, but I don't know how. I've tried putting myself out there more and thinking positively, but it just seems to end in disaster. I feel pathetic and useless and sick of pretending I'm fine when I'm actually not. I also feel bad because in comparison to what other people are going through, this is nothing. This was probably a lot to read and take in, maybe too much, but I'm sorry I really needed to get it out. I'm just looking for some reassurance, I guess.

Givenup04 Given up on the hope I will ever have stability
  • replies: 2

Hi there, I’ve moved 35 times in my life. A single parent of two 26 and 17.my daughter who is 26 has moved out after Xmas. I’m also a carer if my sister past 23 years who is schizoaffective with personality disorders and extreme lack of insight. I ha... View more

Hi there, I’ve moved 35 times in my life. A single parent of two 26 and 17.my daughter who is 26 has moved out after Xmas. I’m also a carer if my sister past 23 years who is schizoaffective with personality disorders and extreme lack of insight. I have financially paid for her all my life and she lived with me for 19 years till around 4 years ago when I put her in a unit. The last few moves I’ve feit increasingly unsettled and not even fully unpacked . Since the last move I’ve been very depressed and getting worse. since my earlier memory I’ve dreamt and been driven in all I do to buy a house but never done it. Have been self employed since 20 when I had my daughter and had all else in life but buying a house.. move realised recently that I’m worn out trying and that it will never happen . Since giving up the goal I’ve had all these years I’ve become so depressed I can’t even function or see the point in trying as no matter what u earn it won’t be enough to buy a house and get out of this horrible unstable unsafe life of renting and moving . I could save again but more years of trying I don’t have in me now.. I just feel now I’m deluding myself and need to accept reaity I have tried to find happiness thru other goals and things but it doesn’t give me the only thing I’ve ever wanted and that’s safety stability and a place I can feel is a home. Something I never had growing up and never had as an adult., drs given me anxiety meds which help some but panic attacks now over moving again, when, how long this time.. play on my mind . I stare all day feeling like my life is over and this is the best it will ever be and it’s not something I can live with anymore. My patience and motivation cation to keep trying to get there has run out. i just can’t hack this unstable no control renting life and can’t feel relaxed or like it’s a home anymore i can’t live another year or months feeling so unstable anymore. never knowing how long u will be here. Uts unbearable now and I just give up on everything. I can earn big money but kids, my systems costs and dramas and life .. no I don’t care what I earn .

SulphurSurfer I Don't Know What To Say
  • replies: 2

My name's DJ. I don't really know what to say, honestly. I've been feeling empty for a long time. I literally found this page when I typed 'feeling empty' in google. Thank goodness. I have a life. It's not bad. I'm engaged to a wonderful person. But ... View more

My name's DJ. I don't really know what to say, honestly. I've been feeling empty for a long time. I literally found this page when I typed 'feeling empty' in google. Thank goodness. I have a life. It's not bad. I'm engaged to a wonderful person. But I feel the problem lies with myself. I went through a lot of stuff when I was younger that caused me to make some poor decisions of my own that nearly ruined my relationship a few months after it started, yet she sticks by me. But I have trouble coping with what I've done, and my psychologist suggested getting back into making music like I used to do, and that it might help get the self-anger I have inside, out. And exploding less onto everyone else. The problem being the band mates I had decided to leave me high and dry so I'm stuck back, questioning if my lifelong dream is actually worth the shot I was taking for it. At this point, I'd love to be doing anything. My friends are always busy so I never see them, and I don't really do well socially anyway, thanks to my Asperger's Syndrome. On top of that, there's an employment slump where I live so I've been unemployed wince my management job in 2015 working under verbally abusive bosses. And due to an injury I had an addiction to painkillers for a good while. Wasn't nearly as painless as I thought it would be. I just feel like nothing has any point in it anymore. Like I've just given up. And I know it bothers my fiancee but she feels powerless to help me, and I don't even know if I want the help anymore. I just want to enjoy my life again. I guess that is kinda a call for help, isn't it? I thought I had my whole life figured out but it sucks when my fiancee and I are struggling to afford things when neither of us can get work, too. I dunno why I'm posting this, I guess, subconsciously, I've had enough.

David_JL Antidepressant saved my life, get help and give antidepressants a go.
  • replies: 1

I wanted to get involved in this community to pass on my experience with depression and medication. I had probably been dealing with depression for about 10 months. A combination of job security, job stress, health worries, expectant first time paren... View more

I wanted to get involved in this community to pass on my experience with depression and medication. I had probably been dealing with depression for about 10 months. A combination of job security, job stress, health worries, expectant first time parent and some other things all took their toll on me. I think what really tipped me over the edge was taking herbal medications. After everything I read, it should be taken with the same seriousness as an older MAO Inhibitor Antidepressant. My brain crashed and before I knew it everything felt overwhelming to me, I always wanted to sleep and I felt there was basically nothing for me to live for. I knew this wasn't me, it didn't feel right but my brain just kept spiraling into deadly negative thinking. My baby and my wife were the only things just keeping me going. I'd been told to 'toughen or man up' and stop being a sook I'm fine which probably delayed me seeking help. I finally did and saw a great and caring GP who prescribed antidepressants and some Psychologist sessions. I was hesitant taking the meds having read about the side effects and worrying I'd turn into a sort of Zombie or something and go through hell finding the right dose and meds. The first 2 weeks were ok, I felt groggy for about 3 hours after taking meds in the morning, lots of yawning and I'd feel a bit 'flat'. But, after 12 weeks, I'm back to my normal self. I've been on them now for 6 months and I don't have any long term side effects, maybe I just forget words every now and then. It's honestly saved my life and I would not have gotten through this without them. Therapy helped me to understand myself and what makes me tick and accept that I was ok, that it was my brain, not me. The meds just helped my brain reset and think normally. Now I'm back to my happy, bright, joking self, full of confidence and loving every moment with my beautiful first born baby boy. I don't have awful, negative thoughts anymore and can now just enjoy the moment. I can't thank my GP and Therapist for saving my life and I just urge anyone who's feeling abnormally down, depressed and suicidal, seek help and try an appropriate medication with help from a good GP and Psychiatrist. They really do help and you don't have to go on living with these irrational, hateful thoughts about yourself and life.

Notokpinky Needing extra support
  • replies: 4

Have been both physically and mentally attacked in my own home . Have taken the right avenues and such however im feeling so many rollercoaster moments on top of some horrible shaking that i dont realise is happening till i pick up something .

Have been both physically and mentally attacked in my own home . Have taken the right avenues and such however im feeling so many rollercoaster moments on top of some horrible shaking that i dont realise is happening till i pick up something .

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.