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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Help?

replies: 3

Hi, ive been struggling with a lot of stress lately referring tommy health physically I am paranoid about getting diseases and always am looking up symptoms of mine and obsessively worrying over them I just don't know what to do. Is it normal to get loads of pains in my legs, ribs, back and all over the place, I've been told it's to do with stress but I'd like some help with my stress about my health all the time it's like everyday I have a new symptom of some sort and worth constantly! please help, Marine

Hi all

replies: 3

Hi Guys, Newbie here just wanting to pop in and say hello. Introducing myself is slight bit harder then I'd like to admit so here goes ... 32 single mumma to one amazing terror on legs, variety of health issues ranging from physical to mental and maybe the in between...(gosh is there an in between ?) ---- insert that small private thought here---- Ive joined mostly in hope to find I am not alone in my thinking processes, give support to others in need and provide a hopeful witty way of looking at life and a small giggle or smile to others. Watch this space people I am ready to roar and crawl one day at a time in a positive manner back into content and happy even if it thrills me!! (yes I said thrills me) . Have a great day ppl and catch up with you all soon.

Social Anxiety

replies: 1

Hi, I have been having social anxiety attacks lately. I believe I have had social anxiety since my teens to some degree or another but due to building up a career etc in the past I had thought I had managed to overcome my self esteem issues through will and just being forced out there. I have been a stay at home mother for the past 7 years after the birth of my first child. I have started drinking alone whilst my husband is away/overseas to relax me but feel as if this is leading to social anxiety and is becoming a crux on the issue. It has increased my social anxiety massively as a result. My self esteem has slipped a lot since deciding to stay at home, although I wouldn't compromise that time with my children. I feel like a tiny fish out at sea at the moment and can't seem to build up the courage to pave my own way back into work with my social anxiety. I tend to 'bottle up' to loved ones in other words I can't speak to them about any insecurities/issues I'm going through. All out of fear of judgement I guess. Sometimes I get so nervous in situations I tremble, my heart rate goes up and I have nothing but negative thoughts, I have heard the strategies to overcome this but my mind doesn't seem to stop!! Thank you for listening x

Room for another newbie?

replies: 9

Hello Everyone! I'm just another newbie who has crept in for some empathy and sharing experiences. Not much to tell; I'm just clinging to my 20's and have lived with depression more than half my life. I've been on medication for the most part, other than a brief period where I set up camp in denial and tried that instead. I've been struggling with anxiety and panic for a while. I am giving CBT/therapy a go with a psychologist for the first time so I'll be haunting those forums for advice. So I just wanted to say hi and hopefully I'll see you all around.

Hello lovely people, I'm new here.

replies: 5

My anxiety seems complex through my many life events, yet simple if I just say that people are the trigger for that ' here I go again' feeling. Its so 'same old', just from a new source. I begin to question whether I attract other's disapproval, examining how I could behave differently to be less upsetting to others. Wondering how come I am so easily disturbed, lacking resilience and so easily wanting to curl up and cry. Feeling sorry for myself. Why am I so sensitive, I don't need an answer, as I know the world situation, my ageing mum with dementia, my kids who are busy with their own and don't bother, nor do I, and people who've added to my score of replayable traumas. Its me being human, wanting connections, scared of connections, rejection and rejecting. I'm sure the sadness will pass. I'll go on being me with my history and sensitivities, my replayable memories, my family woes, my social experiences that aren't always positive. This feels like self-pity but it came out of the blue, surprising me that I was perceived in such a negative way, explaining the cold shoulders. I seriously don't want such nonsense. I'll have to keep quiet and watch my step but most of all I just want to feel good about being me. I'm so grateful for the good people and the good days. Today was less good, I think I triggered other's intolerances and they triggered my feeling of being the target. I need to talk this over with them, see if I can heal the situation. Get myself motivated and back on track. I don't want to be medicated to feel better, its just when I start feeling anxious, even if I know the solution, I can't seem to turn off the anxiety. Maybe have a good cleansing cry. Thanks for this place to write and think.

Seeking advice

replies: 3

Hi, this is my first post about me, and I have some questions. I've had bouts of depression and anxiety on and off for about 20 years. For the last year and a half I've tried to do something about it. So, I found a great doctor, found a psychologist, and so everything should be great right? Well not so much. The last 2 months for no real reason, my depression is back with a vengeance... My meds just aren't working, but I couldn't bring myself to tell my doctor...and my psychologist thinks I'm doing OK... Which is far from the truth. If you haven't guessed already, I'm a total people pleaser, so I put up an everything is awesome front... I can't seem to work up the courage to say.... I'm not doing so well, despite what you see on the outside... Thanks for listening

Completing a certificate course

replies: 5

I'm completing a Certificate course - I'm needing to log onto Beyond Blue to gain as much details as I can to help those with depression. I really like this site and believe it will help me with my course...

Alone, ashamed & spiralling out of control

replies: 11

Hi, I'm new here & so concerned about sounding like a self-pitying hypochondriac when I know there are others out there doing so much worse than me and with far better reason but ..... I cant help it, I have to try something new or nothing is ever going to change. I'm 48, no stranger to depression - it started with PND after the birth of my son, 20 years ago, and has come and gone since. For reasons I cannot fathom it did not rear its ugly head after my father & hero passed away, it did not re-appear when my marriage fell apart, nor did it appear when I was diagnosed with breast cancer 9 years ago. No, it appears in between and with a vengeance, & right now, I am in throes of an out of control spiral. I cant answer my phone, open my mail & miss appointments which I know I cant afford to & create further problems for myself. I'm out of work & frankly to scared to apply for any jobs because if I do get a job I will need to front up everyday & be 'regular, normal' person when inside I am dying. Dying of sadness, loneliness, lack of sleep, severe financial stress and shame. Oh the shame of what I've become. I cant manage the simplest of responsibilities like housecleaning, or (god, I am so glad noone knows who I am on here for what I about to admit) even showering most days. I was a fastidiously well groomed, intelligent, responsible, reliable person & now I am this hopeless, useless thing. The only thing that amazes me is how I haven't turned to alcohol or drugs to deal with things, although I am definitely over-eating to cope emotionally. I have no family in Australia, and all my old school friends are in the UK. I don't want to burden my one & only best friend as her husband is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer & I just have no-one to turn to & can't find friends or social group to help ease the loneliness. I have been on anti-depressants for years, & seen psychiatrists, am now considering ECT & scared as hell but right now I will try anything to end this rapid decline. If anyone was listening, thank you. Just thank you.

A Brave Face but not as brave as they think.

replies: 9

I chose the screen name Brave Face because that is what I wear every day. I am working in a senior leadership role, I would appear to my staff as confident, effective and fearless. I am great at my job even though I suffer the imposter syndrome so many women in leadership role do. Some days I live up to that ideal, but after a few months of punishing work schedules, organisational politics and a few stuff ups, today I am feeling really overwhelmed. Stuff that I would brush off normally is starting to cut me deeply, the unhealthy replay loop in my head won't stop. I am not on my game and am making ameture mistakes. The cracks are starting to appear in my brave face and I need to find somewhere to talk because I don't have peers I trust and my partner is going through his own crappy time as he climbs out of his own depression. I define myself by my job waaay to much because I desperately wanted to be a mother but after years of ivf and miscarriages and the utter destruction of the grief of infertility, I am still trying to make my peace with who I am and so have latched onto my career, put on a brave face and tried to convince the world I am doing great. I'm not today. The sadness is still close by, the dark abyss of endless depressive apathy and highly strung anxiety voice in my head is only marginally being managed behind this cracked brave face. Anyone there resonating with this? I'd love to hear from you.

To be who i am is to be someone i am not. - Hi im new here

replies: 6

"To be who i am is to be someone i am not. Yet i am proud of who am not to become who i am. But to become that of what i am not is to betray who i was. To change or not to change.. or is it too late?" - Me No its not too late. I should be and deserve to be happy. Everyone should be. I have always used gaming as a crutch to forget about what made me feel different from those around me. I always found myself slipping away from my worries by myself in World of Warcraft, Dark souls, Legend of Zelda.. tons more. I was the goto guru for friends when they had problems in any game because no one was as good as me. Still the only skill i feel i own. A skill i am not so proud of. ~"If it hurts to be me then i'll be someone who doesnt hurt, thats not hard" It has done me quite well for the most of my life but i know its not something i can use forever, my depression has started to hurt those around me and that is not something ill let happen. I was officially diagnosed with severe depression as well as anxiety when i was around 16 but i am fully aware that i had it since i was 11. I think what made things boil overboard after years of feeling like a failure in every way was a relationship ending in a horrible way, followed up instantly with being fired from my 1st job a month into it and exams starting all in the same week. The bottled up emotions spewed out and took control of me and i was plopped in front of the school counselor who thought my depression was an excuse. The high school 'asked' me to leave that year for what i have come to conclude was my terrible test scores and lack of attendance... Too lost in another world to care, putting ingame achievements over real world ones. I wanted to be alone all the time to play my games but inside i was crying out for company, someone who i could share my feelings with. I am 23 now. Still (sort of) at home with my family. Recently our family business went bankrupt because of railway upgrades next door effecting business drastically. We were all placed into temporary housing until we can be put somewhere more permanent. I can't help but feel responsible for everything bad that has happened and i have taken that burden on even though i know its not something i could've controlled. Constantly rewriting this for the last 2 hours. So with that in mind i'm going to let this be the final draft. Too hard to express myself with the character cap as is. i could write a book with what id like to share. I am glad to be here.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

Help? replies: 3

Hi all replies: 3

Social Anxiety replies: 1

Room for another newbie? replies: 9

Hello lovely people, I'm new here. replies: 5

Seeking advice replies: 3

Completing a certificate course replies: 5

Alone, ashamed & spiralling out of control replies: 11

A Brave Face but not as brave as they think. replies: 9

To be who i am is to be someone i am not. - Hi im new here replies: 6