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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Hello

replies: 4

Hi, Just signed up and trying to come up with a cool introduction I probably don't have in me. I am a 29 years old, living in Sydney. I work full time. I have been experiencing some alarming dark shift of my mood recently, that refuses to go away for days. These are worse than the occasional blues I get. My doctor hasn't officially diagnosed me with anything, but advised me not to be alone. (She thinks I'm lonely). She recommended I find a way to be around people. I confess, it's difficult for me to make friends. The reason I decided to join was I hoped I'll be able to talk to people who might be going through the same thing I am at the moment. So, thank you for having me here. Thank you for this opportunity to write this at all. Regards Sparklemuffin85 I signed up to see if this might help me with preventing any thing w

Depression awareness!

replies: 1

Hi everyone, unfortunately on the weekend I lost a friend to suicide.. And I've been through depression before and know of others who have too.. So I want to do something about it! I want to try and spread as much awareness as I possibly can! If you have any ideas on how I could do this please share with me your thoughts and ideas, such as some sort of event or fundraising day! It will mean a lot to me, thank you in advance!

My introduction - here goes

replies: 4

Hi Im new. I've never done anything like this before. I'm a 30 year old man and am suffering with sex addiction, alcoholism and gambling addiction. I'm holding on but am so scared. I can't seem to do this alone. I need help and I don't know where to start. I want my life back I want to be able to be free from all that is consuming me. Just reading this aloud is really confronting. I never thought this would be my life. I'm hoping to be able to talk with people who are supportive. I feel so alone I'm too ashamed to talk to any of my friends or family. I just want to live. Is there any hope for someone like me? Any advice much appreciated.

I'm a newbie!

replies: 2

Hi everyone Not really sure how to start or if this is even the right place to put it but whoever out there reads this, thank you. I guess this is good way to put down what is going on in my head. Today is not a good day. Today I feel like I have failed completely as a mother and the urge to leave is overwhelming. Short summary. We (being me, husband and then 11 year old son) left the UK in 2011 on the same day I graduated law. We had initially applied to move to Australia in 2008 but changes in visa rules meant it was delayed. I had spent 5 years studying whilst working full time and knew that I would have to give up the job that I loved and my career. However the desire to do right by my son (give him better opportunities and open doors for his future) and give my husband a better life (he broke his back in several places in 2004 so suffered terribly from arthritic pain in the UK) meant that this was put on the backburner. Creating our new life in Australia has been relatively easy so far. My son has consistently said that he will not return to the UK as this is home now and my husband has changed his career and is thriving. We own our home, both have jobs and have made some great friends. However, I have increasingly become resentful and stressed out, predominantly because of my son. He very nearly failed year 11 because of his complete lack of study and disregard for school. Don't get me wrong he is a really good kid, polite, kind and helpful but he frustratingly does not have the same will to study as he does for anything else. I resent him because I worked so hard to get my law degree in the UK and gave it all up for him and now he seems to be throwing it all away. During year 11 we had such a huge falling out that he said he may as well be dead which put a knife through my heart. He consistently promises me that he will talk to his teachers about things that he does not understand and when I ask him if he did, he says no because he was busy with other things - his friends. Year 12 has sadly started on the same foot as year 11 and I cannot deal with this again. I have no idea who to turn to or how to cope with this again. I am scared for him as there is so much at stake and he has so much potential. Since we have moved to Australia I have lost my cousin very suddenly to breast cancer, my father has lost the eyesight in both eyes due to strokes and 2 weeks ago my auntie died suddenly. I feel so hopeless and selfish.

Let me introduce myself 😊

replies: 3

Hi Folks, I have been a sufferer of both Anxiety/Depression for the past 2 decades. Whilst, I manage it now with meds, believe me when I say there has been some dark days and periods where I've thought why bother keeping going. I've been to hell and back like most of us but I hope that in some of your dark times and through my own personal experiences that I can help you to claw your way back... There's always light at the end of the tunnel and sometimes you may not see it but it is there.. If anyone wants to reach out and say Hi or just want to chat, I'm here... I don't have all the answers but maybe together we can find a better way to approach things and sometimes a good vent or rant makes things a whole lot better... Anyways, not going to bore you with rambling but suffice to say, you're not alone regardless if you think you are... I'm also a HUGE Star Wars fan and a bit of a nerd so don't let that put you off... Take Care and May the Force set you free...

new member wanting to just chat.

replies: 10

Hi im a new member with depression, anxiety and isolating myself from everyone and finding it hard to physically talk to people and hopefully i can find some people on here going thru the same thing, and just talk about our issues.

Newbie :)

replies: 3

Hey all. Not sure where to start so ill give it my best shot.Ive battled with depression since '07 when my uncle killed himself. It was really unexpected and i was only 13 so i didnt totally understand and i didnt want to accept it because we were so close.. Many moons later i fell pregnant with my first baby and thats when i started getting horrible anxiety & pnd. That eased the older my baby got but November '15 i got a call that nobody wants to get... My father, at just 41, had decided he had enough and was missing my uncle so he too killed himself. It was a total shock. I was and still am stumped. Two brothers, plenty of broken hearts.... d.r.s & c.k.s xo Please talk to someone if you need help. ~feenxo

I am a new member

replies: 10

Hello - I'm Yamba Girl and just getting started with the forums etc. Just thought I would say Hi.

I'm new to this

replies: 1

Hi, first ever post I'm in my mid 20's and recently became depressed for the first ever time. Late last year I resigned from my job of 5 years - I enjoyed my job and liked what I did. The reason I left was due to only working on a part-time basis and as i'm getting older part-time work just isn't enough. I made the decision to look for full-time work and after months of applying and one failed job interview I was successful in getting a full-time position. Whilst I was happy I got the job I feel I didn't prepare myself for the new job - I adored my previous job and it wasn't until the second week of being in the new job I realised I made the wrong choice. In the third week I was struggling and had some dark thoughts - I told the manager how I was feeling and later that day I spoke with a counsellor. I told my parents what I almost did to myself and it was difficult to do but I had to tell them. They were shocked but they listened and told me they love me. I went in to the new job 2 days later and said I won't be continuing. I went in to my previous job and let them know that I quit and if my old job was available to let me know if it was being advertised. In the weeks that passed I become sad and didn't want to leave the house. With no income I was struggling to pay for little things like getting a coffee. Fortunately I live with my parents and am single & childless so my overall expenses aren't too much. I have since heard from my previous job and they let me know my job went to someone else. The good news is I've had a job interview recently but am yet to hear from them. I don't know how long I will be unemployed for but I don't want it to go on much longer. I liked working so being unemployed has been quite the struggle for me.I've accepted that I can't have my old job back but i'm really scared as i'm not sure when i'll have a job again. It's only been 2 months but it feels like it's been much longer. I'm seeing a counsellor soon and hopefully i'll feel better after that. I think it's what I need as i'm feeling sad a lot and I just want to be happy. Thanks for reading

Introduction

replies: 3

Hi there I'm Kieran I'm 25 and I've been dealing with GAD for just over 2 years now. I have always been a worrier, but it started when I was living overseas in the U.K I was working a day shift at the restaurant and I was pretty hungover from the night before, I was in the process of taking some drinks over to a table when I started to get chest pains, heart rate started increasing, and the rushes through the body. As someone who had never felt anything like this my brain could only think of 1 logical answer....heart problems. Everything went downhill from there, I had got stuck into a cycle of thinking I was gonna die from a heart attack at any given moment when in fact they were just constant anxiety attacks but because the attacks had the physical symptoms that were mostly chest related I kept thinking it was a heart problem and thus around and around it went, for weeks I slept a couple of hours every night, I'd go to bed fully clothed because I didn't want people to find me in underpants if I died during the night, took my self to casualty in the hospital numerous times has the ecg tests only for the doctors to tell me my heart was fine only for me to trick myself into thinking that they just didn't do it right. It started to calm down after a while when I my aunt told me that I had anxiety, turns out it can be genetic and turns my mum, both aunties and my Nanna all suffer from either depression or anxiety, not so severely any more so I was oblivious to it growing up so I had no idea, once I got into my head it was anxiety and not heart problems it calmed down a little bit, I still had anxiety attacks and it was always in my mind that everyone else was wrong and I did have a heart problem but it was manageable at times. A year later I came home and within a couple of months I was put onto medication to help me deal with it, my anxiety is still there but it's not health related anymore and it's not debilitating like it was, it's just like a constant nagging in the back of my head constantly keeping on edge, I tried some therapy but I didn't really find it was for me, I find that talking to my mum, aunt and my Nanna calms me down more than anything. That's my story so far I hope it wasn't too boring and someone out there can find some solace from my experiences and no that they aren't going through this alone.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

Hello replies: 4

Depression awareness! replies: 1

My introduction - here goes replies: 4

I'm a newbie! replies: 2

Let me introduce myself 😊 replies: 3

new member wanting to just chat. replies: 10

Newbie :) replies: 3

I am a new member replies: 10

I'm new to this replies: 1

Introduction replies: 3