Welcome and Orientation

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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

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Feeling Blah.....Newbie

replies: 3

Hi everyone First time poster testing the waters here. I don't talk to anyone about feeling depressed and anxious these days. So I am hoping this might help. Tinsel

Anxiety

replies: 7

Hi all. Im new to this forum and seek understanding from likeminded people who suffer the same as me. Im so scared and feel me tally ill and feel im losing touch with myself. I would love to seek others advice and tips to help me overcome. Bless you ... View more

Newbie here

replies: 2

Hi all, newbie here, I'm not really sure where to start but I suppose I'll start by making some introductions, I'm 27, female and dx with bipolar spectrum disorder, cyclothymia is the "soft bipolar" dx that reflects my symptoms the best, but I suppose I don't fit nicely into a category. I also experience ALOT of anxiety and the occasional panic attack. I'm here to find others who share similar experiences to mine and can shed some light on it all

Introducing myself

replies: 3

Hi, I've just joined the forum after reading a bit on the beyond blue site. I'm a single mother of two adult children and am struggling with anxiety and depression, with no support network, so I'm hoping that joining the forums here can help me to cope a bit better with the challenges I'm facing. Looking forward to getting to know people on here and hopefully being able to offer some advice and support as well as read and learn.

Anxiety

replies: 3

I have been suffering from acute anxiety in the last few weeks. It is a terrible feeling of fear, a problem I have struggled with for a long time on and off. I can normally remove myself from the fear but this time I feel paralysed. My GP is helping me and I have a wonderful supportive husband. I just can't stop repetitive thoughts that seem to me unresolvable. It is such a struggle. I am trying to live in the moment but my whole being is enveloped in this fear. Hopefully one day it will just go away. I keep looking for answers but there seems to be none.

Lonely

replies: 1

I am concerned for my son who has came out 12 months ago. He went through hell at high school suffering severe anxiety and old.Since coming out his mental state has never been better. He has put the past behind and is trying to move forward. he has recently come back from being away overseas for 5 mths and is doing a 7 weeks diploma. He has tried volunteering previous and has come back to that but has no friends.Not one. he is extremely lonely and i am concerned as i can see a down ward spiral of depression and not from lack of trying. he has been through so much and its not in his nature to give up but he has now because he feel he has tried everything.Adelaide is very clickie and has not many community support for 20 year olds. He has gone to several but they weren't very welcoming.

Long time sufferer First time talker

replies: 1

Hi Everyone. Being honest with myself I have suffered depression for a long time. I don't know what trigeered it I do know in the past I stopped drinking and smoking pot because it made me even worse the next day and on occasions did things that I really hated myself for. For a number of years I was able to deal with it by exercising to burn off my bad feelings. The last few years I have struggled when it doubles up with anxiety. I have become a very distant person to people I care about and they don't know why. I have lost confidence and self belief all the things I love seeing in others. I spent 2 weeks in a hospital last year and got help. I have found myself drifting back towards this place at times but have beautiful kids that get me up and keep me going. I don't like how I feel and am worried I am a burden to the people I tell because honestly who knows what to say to someone that feels like this. I am ok though. I have just joined in the hope it keeps me focused and puts me in contact with people that can relate. Thanks for taking the time to read.

the first step is the hardest

replies: 4

Hi to all, I am 53, Male, been married for over 20 yrs. I have two teenage daughters. I wouldn't say I am happily married,( for at least 5 yrs now) my wife has cut off all intimacy to me for 3 yrs now. we have a 7yr age gap. The lack of intimacy has left me feeling unwanted, to put the icing on the cake I also had a breakdown 2 yrs ago due to work pressures and was placed on a mild anti-depressant, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and then in April this year, myself and my fellow workmates were told that our jobs were going to another department in South Australia and our services will no longer be needed and they are shutting our department down, which has been running for over 50yrs. I myself have worked for this company for 28 years. My life has just been going down the toilet recently and trying to climb my way back up to a happy place is very hard. I talk to my wife when i feel down and all she says is "get over it" and pulls away even more. I do talk to some friends whom I race rc cars with and they listen and give advice and always say if I need to talk, they are only a phone call away. I really do appreciate their help. life for me is really hard, I put on a happy face and joke around, but inside I am miserable as the day is long. I feel like just packing up my belongings and going away where nobody knows me and starting a new life. cheers to all.

First time posting - long time battle

replies: 4

Hi guys, not really sure what I'm wanting to say here or quite what I'm expecting so I'm sorry if I'm a bit all over the place. Have been battling anxiety and depression for nearly 20 years and going through another rough patch as i change medications. So concerned about keeping everything together and finding the energy to keep fighting - and it does feel like i'm fighting every day. Anyway - I guess just thought might be helpful to put myself into this space so I can chat with folks who are experiencing similar things - as so hard to keep talking to my family and friends. They're great - but they need a break!

My bipolar disorder is destructive - how can I maintain a stable relationship?

replies: 3

I’d like advice from people on dating/marrying someone with mental illness, and burden. I'm a new member; I like the success stories. I have Bipolar I, Epilepsy, and I'm an alcoholic. Recently diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (obviously my new psychiatrist has a crush on me) Two months ago I had a seizure after a year of successful treatment. Was embarrassing and I dislocated my shoulder. I started drinking again, then a week later I quit my job, broke up with the girlfriend I lived with, and flew to Thailand. Bangkok was an exciting whirlwind of delusions, voices, hypersexuality, and risk taking (drugs, unprotected sex). I stopped taking my epilepsy meds and had seizures almost every morning but still every night I was out engaging in high-octane debauchery. And somehow I spent nearly $13,000 in two weeks, in a country where everything is cheap. I don't remember most of it. Returned to depressing situation- no job, lonely apartment, big chunk of my savings gone. I entered a mixed state (like mania but less fun) I sought treatment but even on a mixture of meds I slept only a few hours a night. Louder voices, lots of whiskey. As of last week I’m starting to feel normal and put pieces of my life back together. The worst part of all this is losing my girlfriend, and hurting her so badly. She’s an amazing person and I wanted to marry her. Thing is, this happens every 2-3 years, like clockwork. I build up some success, in career or romance, and then destroy it all in just a few weeks. But I never cared for someone like my ex, and I can see that as I get older, I have more and more to lose. I know some people like me end up alone, in jail, or homeless. But I'd like to have a family one day. What will define my success story is a successful relationship. I want to be a good husband one day, so I have decided to commit to treatment more than I have before. Doing everything I can. But even if I do, I know it will be a burden on my family. I would love to hear from someone who has a successful relationship with someone with chronic mental illness, any type. What can the disabled person do to ease the burden? What about kids, what do you do when the parent enters a depression or mania? I’m just trying to have a clear picture of a goal I can work towards; I need to believe its possible. Thank you.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

Feeling Blah.....Newbie replies: 3

Anxiety replies: 7

Newbie here replies: 2

Introducing myself replies: 3

Anxiety replies: 3

Lonely replies: 1

Long time sufferer First time talker replies: 1

the first step is the hardest replies: 4

First time posting - long time battle replies: 4

My bipolar disorder is destructive - how can I maintain a stable relationship? replies: 3