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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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Hard couple of months

replies: 2

My girlfriend suffering it's been hard seeing her like this i cry every night cos she pushes me away and blames me i feel like it's all my fault i don't know what to do

Newbie Post

replies: 5

Hi all! New here, was googling for some support and when Beyond Blue came up thought to myself "Why have I not checked out these forums before??" Anyway, I'm gay, 23-years-old and I suffer from anxiety and depression. I was diagnosed about 4 years ago although I'm pretty sure I've had mental health issues much longer. I'm doing much better these days - my medications seem to be working, I've had regular therapy over the last 4 years and have supportive friends and family. Sometimes, though, it's nice to be able to reach out to people with similar experiences, which is what brought me here. Also hoping to be able to offer some advice or share my experiences in the hopes I can help others with what they're going through. Ted x

New and feeling silly in Comparison.

replies: 3

I am new to panic attacks. After lots of tests and reading Google etc it seems mine are less traumatic and definitely less frequently than other peoples but none the less just as scarey. My main question is that I seem to have them AND always in my sleep but when life is going good. No attacks for 6 months? ?? Take 3 weeks annual leave so relaxed then boom 3am I wake with the biggest I've ever had? ??

Anxiety

replies: 1

My name is Murray just over a year ago I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and OCD. before long I felt my world coming down hill like a fast truck with no brakes. i felt scared and fearful about everything. Would get pins and needles all over my body, a racing heart and couldn't sit still. Constantly felt like I was dying. i couldn't tell from what was real to fiction. My brain racing with so many unusual and terrible thoughts. i would find myself staring at my hand or at a object and get seriously worked up over it and feel a panic attack come on. i kept thinking how did I go from a completely happy person and care free to so full of anger and trying to control everything and worrying about everything. it takes time but I believe something really does trigger it. Mine was the past . How I was treated as a person and how it hurt me so much with how people treated me and how they acted and there was so apology . through my anxiety I really had to learn that it is completely normal to care for yourself and you don't have to be in control of anything apart from yourself. you can't control your past or the people in it. And you can't control how people act or what is going on in the world. ITS NOT YOUR PROBLEM!! Because of these unfortunate events that happened in my past I felt like it was unfair and I had no control of what took place . then I developed a attitude and mind set that I had to control everything. Such as making sure everyone was doing the right thing and doing it my way. How exhausting !! I believe there are a lot of people that are hurt or get effected emotionally by what people have done to us or what people do that are wrong but we have to remember we are only in control of what we do and who we are as a person. We are all born for a reason. And that's to live our life well and love ourselves and only be in control of what we can be in control and rest when things that we can't be in control of arise . take the pressure of and don't define who you are because of what others have done to you or what the world is doing . It's not your problem or fault .

Hi I'm new here

replies: 2

Hi all, I have endured anxiety and depression for a very long time. I have taken various medications which have assisted to some degree, but I've never quite addressed, with any great vigour, strategies suggested by various professionals. I realise that change does not come without effort, but I'm now 45 and feel a sense of dread at ever being able to make any significant change, which I desperately want. I don't have many friends and tend to keep people at an arms length when it comes to fostering friendships. I've had potential great friendships, but shut down if I feel like I've made a fool of myself and slowly bit surely fade away from the person. A big problem is public speaking within my job and in general. I still, at my age, tend to stay in the background and not speak up. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm socially inept, but it has hugely affected my progression in my career and interacting socially. I tend to loosen up with alcohol, which I realise is not ideal, but find its the only way to have a social life where I'm not constantly checking and re checking myself and what I'm saying. This problem has within the last 6 months severely affected my voice. I can barely speak with any volume and this has only added to my already anxious self in social situations. I have consulted an ent specialist and everything was fine. I have had ct scans done and consulted a speech therapist. Again, with he ct scan nothing. The speech therapist believes there is little she can help me with, due to there being no physical symptoms and the lack of progression in the sessions I did do. I have a very stressful job which I have done for over 20 years and my voice is paramount to performing it. I have withdrawn more so at work despite my level of experience and come across as quiet and weak. Especially with my voice the way it is and my terror of any form of public speaking. I have thought of changing my career, but have no other skills which would assist in finding fulfilling employment. I have a mortgage, wife and 4 beautiful children, 2 of which don't live with me. I don't want to fail them and portray a weak, defeatist attitude to my children. I have read that the voice can be affected by anxiety, but feel no closer to getting better. I avoid social situations more now than ever. I don't feel like I fit in and am very hard on myself. I just want to be happy and live, not exist. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Like my name, this is 1 step...

replies: 4

Hi, New to this forum, and I'm glad I finally found somewhere that I can talk (or type) about everything with people in similar situations or experiences. A little bit about me: 31, married, work full time, 6 kids, 3 dogs and I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety in March. I wasn't sure about taking the steps to receive help, but when I witnessed one of my close friends break down, I realised that I wasn't alone, and that if I wanted to enjoy life again I needed help. So I made an appointment, and here I am 3 months in..... I am currently taking medication, which at times works, but I still have moments I want to run away. However I know the signs and triggers, so I just either distract myself or, I take myself away and calm down. Whereas before I'd walk out, have explosive outbursts, or cry myself to sleep. I googled depression /anxiety forums tonight because I was 'triggered' by a few things, and wanted to see if anyone else was like me. My husband and I were separated for 17 months. He dated someone else before we got back together. However every time I see her, hear her voice, hear her name or have any interaction with her, I have mild - strong anxiety. I've dealt with a little bit of this with our marriage counsellor, but that was prior to my diagnosis. My husband is aware of the impact she has on me and tries to talk me through things. Recently I've had to deal with this person more than I'd like to. Seems we are all apart of a kids group, and we're all productive members. My husband is basically the chairperson and has more interaction with her than anyone. Phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook msgs...... It seriously bothers me the amount of times I hear her name. I don't trust her, and past incidents have made me wary of my husband's honesty. I know he means well and tries to tell me everything that happens between them via said communication, but I ALWAYS HAVE those dreaded doomed thoughts. I don't want those! But I cannot seem to come out from it. My anxiety is high, and I need either coping techniques, or distraction techniques. Anyone had anything similar? Or have any advice? Sorry for the long winded edition.

First post - new here

replies: 3

Hi all, I am 33 year old Mama of 2. I have had anxiety for probably most of my life, but have been really struggling with it for the last 6 years. I have been on medication for 3 years and have recently come off the medication and focusing on diet, e... View more

Hi

replies: 4

Hey peep's, I thought I'll introduce myself since I'm new to the forums. Well, I'm transgender and gay, still in the closet and will be until I move out of my home, I'm currently suffering from depression and anxiety, I get massive panic attacks, massive mood swings, I've been to beyond blue a while back, but decided to stop going as I lost the energy and motivation to get out of bed. I've decided I'm going back to my doctor eventually, as I've gone down hill, and have been feeling miserable hopefully, I'll be put on medication, to help me, if not than I don't know how I'll cope. I feel as I'm at my lowest point right now, hopeless, sad, isolated and everything I do results in my hating myself and feeling like I'm worthless. Been feeling very isolated, soulless and lonely lately, haven't had the motivation to do much, my depression got really bad around 15 when I discovered I was gay and transgender roughly the same time, I kept telling myself, no I'm not and denying it, but I've accepted it now and feel very guilty about it still. Although my depression is unrelated to my sexuality and gender, It did go downhill once I discovered it.

New member saying hello

replies: 2

Hello everyoneI'm almost 43. I was first diagnosed with clinical depression when I was 19, since then I have had good and bad stretches of my life, sometimes years with 'being normal', then BOOM, something happens and I'm a mess and back to the bottom of the well. I've attempted suicide twice. The current stint of feeling worthless began around almost 3 years ago. I lost my dad and then my wife and I became pregnant all within 3 months of each other. That was the start of a very slow descent to rock bottom. Once I got back to my then workplace, I was bullied and ridiculed by my then boss, who ensured I was made redundant in a management restructure, whereas I was the only redundancy in a organisation of over 30,000 people. Since then I have struggled to find a point to my life. This has caused my wife and I to become more and more distant, our marriage is on the rocks and my belief is we are only together for our son. Throw into this mix the fact I am desperate to leave Australia and return home and she is desperate to stay here and not leave, and you have me as I am. Wanting to never wake up each day, having no support network, trying to find a reason to simply exist.So, that's my happy life in a nutshell.

Some Days Are Diamonds.

replies: 10

Hi my name is Barry, but everyone calls me Baz. I'm 59 years old and was diagnosed with bipolar in 1992. In a way having a name for the feelings of nervousness and depression was a relief. I'd always thought I was just weak. I compared myself to others especially my three brothers all of whom I thought were better men than I was. When I look back to my teens I can see now that I was suffering from a mental illness. I moved from job to job. From relationship to relationship and as a result felt like a real failure. I was 40 when I was first put on anti depressants and mood stabilisers it was shortly after that that I saw a psychiatrist for the first time. Since then my journey has been very up and down, but then that is the nature of the illness. I've had quite a few stays in hospital and more recently a stay in a respite facility not far from where I live. Last year I was taken off anti depressants because the doctors felt that they were causing me to bounce from depression to mild mania. I remember thinking at the time, 'How will I cope without them', but the fact is I'm doing much better. In the past I'd get a bit manic and take on a new job in a flurry of mania, only to end up a couple of months later anxious, lost and severely depressed. For my wife and family watching me on this endless cycle caused them a lot of worry. After my last admission to hospital My wife and daughter convinced me to forget paid work and think about doing some volunteering instead. For once I listened to their advice and now volunteer at animal shelter a couple of mornings a week. I still have times when I feel that I'm not a productive member of society, but when these feelings arise I try not to fuse with them and so avoid a downward spiral. I guess for me my illness had two sides to it. Firstly the anxiety of everyday living and secondly some pretty unhelpful childhood memories. With the help of a great GP and the support of a community based mental health team I've been able to tackle my illness on both fronts. I've made peace with myself about things in the past and I'm trying each day to work on my anxiety. There's a line in a John Denver song that goes", Some days are diamonds some days are stones," and I reckon that's true for everyone who suffers from mental illness. I'm slowly learning that the secret is not to panic when I have one or two bad days. That life and living are about making the best of things despite being bipolar.

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

Hard couple of months replies: 2

Newbie Post replies: 5

New and feeling silly in Comparison. replies: 3

Anxiety replies: 1

Hi I'm new here replies: 2

Like my name, this is 1 step... replies: 4

First post - new here replies: 3

Hi replies: 4

New member saying hello replies: 2

Some Days Are Diamonds. replies: 10