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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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New to forum.

replies: 1

Hello. I am 61 year old female. My life has been complex and I have a number of conditions that overlap. One of my problems is a profound grief over the loss of my partner of 17 years some 2 years ago. I suffer chronic depression and have done all my life. I have self-injured since as early as I can remember that being age 7. I had a suicide attempt in 2003. I have Asd. I am an artist. I love to make pictures. 12 months ago I was visiting Australia on business and thinking of relocation from my home in Mexico. I accidentally let my visa expire. I thought it would be easy to get back but it proved near impossible. I became stranded in the outer suburbs of a rural town. I have become very depressed. I will never see my home again. I have talked to my business manager and I am contemplating to leave Australia and relocating in Central America. I have had a string of health problems. I was bleeding internally and had to wait 2 months for a proper examination. The wait and fear of cancer made me very ill. The condition was examined and it was a inflammatory illness. That was resolved. I had 3 days break from crippling anxiety. Than my dentist found a problem in my mouth that needs biopsy. My luck is unbelievable. Again I have become severely depressed.I hope this form can help a little.

hello

replies: 1

New to this site - not sleeping and distressed so thought i might call by.... bottom line is - i am lonely.... bone numbingly, heart breakingly lonely. i have suffered long term depression and bpd for a really long time and just when i think things are getting better something happens and i am once again dragged into the black murky depths. i just want a simple happy life with friends and a supportive partner. Honest to god I dont know why it all has to be this hard. anyway - thanks for listening

Communitys

replies: 2

What does beyond blue do within communitys?

First timer

replies: 3

Hi I have been "plagued" by depression, anxiety and OCD for as long as I can remember. Looking forward to discussing coping strategies to get through the week with others experiencing same issues

i finally want to help myself

replies: 3

Hi, I'm K I'm 37 and its the first time I've ever been on a chat line. I have had anxiety since I was 3 I reckon, then depression in my teens wich I covered up with illegal drugs wich led to violent relationships and in the end a broken jaw in 3 places wich brought on P.T.S.D.. Now for the first time I'm seriously doing something about it to help myself, my family helped me before now and that didn't fully work. I'm doing this myself and hopefully I can get support from this site, the stories I've read have been similar so far I feel good about putting myself out here on this site.

me so far

replies: 6

hey, my name is paddy, im 23 and live in vic. my life started off pretty normal, middle class family, a few good friends and engaged to the love of my life. through out my life i have always been there for people, the shoulder to cry on, the giver of solid advice and always been very head strong. i have had a lot of very close "friends" stab me in the back and kick me while i was down, a few near death experiences and all the rest. it never seemed to bother me and i always got over it but one thing that happened this year brought everything back hard and fast, now i cant seem to escape. all the little things have built up and resulted in alopecia (hair loss) which i am fighting. i saw my GP a few months ago and he told me i suffered from anxiety and depression. i thought i could deal with it by myself as i always have but this time i need help. this is my first post here so forgive me if i am abit all over the place. the things i am fighting at the moment are random mood swings. i will be happy and jolly and laugh with everyone but once it goes quiet i feel like i dont have the right to be happy, like how can i be happy when so many people i love hurt me so badly? after all these years i have learned never to trust anyone, not one single person or animal that walks this earth and that hurts too. sometimes i get a little down and think about it then suddenly the walls are closing in and i have to get out of here. i see reminders of dark times everywhere and cant help but notice them and dwell on it but thinking i cant be like this at the same time. reaching out for help has sort of gone both ways for me, my partner which sort of brought the whole thing on helps as much as she can, my parents didnt really give me much, my friends dont understand although they try to. i am sick of people constantly promising me things but not following through, that gets to me alot and has happened since i was very young. i think back, i have never hurt anyone so why do all these people hurt me? on another note, love my hunting, love fishing and spearfishing. so thats me. anything you would like to know about me please comment and i will get back to you when i can. take care

Hi Everyone I'm New Here

replies: 2

Hi everyone I'm a long time 55yr old sufferer of bipolar with personality disorder and PTSD. Nothing is working at the moment so I have sought out like minded people, hope not to be a burden.

System error page

replies: 6

Hi everyone, Since relaunching our site last week, a number of you have been experiencing time-outs on the site which result you getting the 'System error' page. Our web developers are working to resolve this issue, and we apologise for any frustration and upset this has caused. In the meantime, I'd strongly suggest that if you're typing up a long post that you do it in a separate program first, such as Word or Notepad, so as to avoid losing your post if the system error should strike. We hope to have this resolved by the end of the week - thanks for your patience.

First timers

replies: 3

Hi just trying to get by. Have had anxiety most of my life and given benzo on 1996 to help. Became very addicted to these and best to stay away from...have worked through all the time as a teacher but often feel out of co trol I I. The classroom. O a... View more

Introducing myself / my story / hopefully someone can relate

replies: 4

Hi - Im in my 30s single & have had anxiety and depression on and off probably the earliest I can remember is about 12, then 17, then more steadily from about 23 onwards... I am on an anti-depressant and have been for about 7 years (with breaks here and there). I just take 1 a day. Ive seen psychologists they have been ok but I think it really takes a paradigm shift from within. I have ordered lots of self help books too so im happy to discuss them! I just ordered one about building resilience which when I'm objective about things I think is really important, I also want to start reframing my thoughts in terms of I think if I keep believing there is something fundamentally wrong with me of course i'll never be happy.I think my issues started with a dysfunctional family, then lots of failed relationships and abandonment. I'm at a point where I've realised the only person I can depend on is myself... I try to distract myself with tv shows & things to make me feel a little better but ultimately I think I am deeply disappointed with everything I do. This year has almost been a complete write off. My life is passing by and all I can really do is avoid stress risks and people to feel better. I don't trust men anymore and I don't know how I'm meant to find someone when I'm so tired of getting hurt I can't take the risks anymore. I've been single a year. I dated a guy recently had a really good feeling about him but he just dumped me with no warning literally a week later... work is bad. I keep applying for other jobs but nothing... people have turned on me at work too... had a death in the family & my seemingly closest friend pretty much disappeared for a whole month. the death in the family meant I should have "been there" more for the 'more affected people' but I can hardly be there for myself. they are angry at me too..I keep talking about moving out (which i have done before) but I'm in such a s**t place that my motivation is just zero. I spend most of my time in bed. I hate having to trust people or care about anyone anymore. I wish I could escape everything... One day I'd really like to find some stability in my life by getting married and having kids. I really want to be a mum some day... but life is so s**t atm.Its funny cos if you met me in person you'd think that I'm quite young, attractive funny and seemingly happy (ie have everything going for her) and normal but I'm not... I feel like I need someone really stable, but I think no one will want me...thnx x

Meet your community champions! replies: 10

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

New to forum. replies: 1

hello replies: 1

Communitys replies: 2

First timer replies: 3

i finally want to help myself replies: 3

me so far replies: 6

Hi Everyone I'm New Here replies: 2

System error page replies: 6

First timers replies: 3

Introducing myself / my story / hopefully someone can relate replies: 4