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Sophie_M 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 Be... View more

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.

Aaronsis 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 th... View more

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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steviewonder1987 Anxiety and going through difficult time with IVF. Reaching out
  • replies: 2

Hey everyone. I have battle Anxiety all my life. Mostly its social anxiety. Shy when meeting new people. Sometimes hard interacting with new people and places. I have come a long way though. I am not healed by any means but i feel i manage now living... View more

Hey everyone. I have battle Anxiety all my life. Mostly its social anxiety. Shy when meeting new people. Sometimes hard interacting with new people and places. I have come a long way though. I am not healed by any means but i feel i manage now living with my anxiety and worries. However the last two years have really been difficult. My Fiance and I have been going through IVF to have a baby. We now gone through i would say maybe 6-7 cycles and theres been no luck. The hard part too in all this is its actually my fault. Theres issues with my sperm. So you can imagine just how i feel knowing that i feel like i am letting my partner down in our quest to have a baby. every set back we have had has hit me hard. I admit ive cried. Ive been in pain. My partner tells me not to dwell or worry but as someone who has always worried about things i cant let that dwell go. This last cycle we did just ended few days ago. I got upset again of course and i started having doubts and started of thinking of giving up on this dream to have a baby. Having a baby means everything to me and my partner. We have put our wedding on hold because of all this. my partner is now 37 so we dont have much longer time wise to indeed have a baby if you know they say best have a baby before your 40. But again every set back we are having is hurting me deeply. I feel like i just need to get it all out and seek help from somewhere so thats why i am here. I am hoping to get support here to where by talking to others who either going through hard times atm with their anxiety or more so ivf issues it might help me with what i am going through. So if anyone wants to send me a message of support or give me encouragement or want to know more of what going on with me and the whole ivf process i be willing to share all that with you all. Thank you all for your time. Take care

BelleG I'm new here and wondering if I belong?
  • replies: 14

Hi. This feels like a big step for me but an important one. I'm here because feel adrift and emotionally exhausted. Maybe it is time to reach out and find out how other people cope? This isn't easy for an introvert like me but maybe it will help to k... View more

Hi. This feels like a big step for me but an important one. I'm here because feel adrift and emotionally exhausted. Maybe it is time to reach out and find out how other people cope? This isn't easy for an introvert like me but maybe it will help to know I am not as alone as I feel; maybe there are other people in the same boat as me? The thing is, I've been getting messages from the people around me that I am my own worst enemy, or I'm just feeling sorry for myself. But am I? I truly feel as if everyone relies on me, but no one actually asks 'How are you coping??'

Shanthan Coping with Depression
  • replies: 10

Hello, My name is Shanthan. I'm currently living in Victoria. Six months ago, I was diagnosed with Severe Anxiety and Depression. Since then, I have tried to fight my disorder by choosing all the wrong paths, such as Alcohol abuse. I only did it as I... View more

Hello, My name is Shanthan. I'm currently living in Victoria. Six months ago, I was diagnosed with Severe Anxiety and Depression. Since then, I have tried to fight my disorder by choosing all the wrong paths, such as Alcohol abuse. I only did it as I couldn't afford therapy. Eventually, I became an addict, which gave me a new reason to hate myself. I'm trying to take everything step by step and make myself do better. This issue is global, but we should spread a lot of awareness. Every person I tried to explain my situation has not taken it seriously. I can't blame them as they have no idea what it feels like, or maybe they do, but they are good at creating walls to avoid opening up. I suggest anyone going through with this take action towards your health first instead of focusing on losing something else. Thank you.

Damaged000 Introduction
  • replies: 6

Hi I’m new obviously! I’ve suffered all my life with mental health and I’m still struggling after a relationship breakdown with a narcissistic partner 5 years ago

Hi I’m new obviously! I’ve suffered all my life with mental health and I’m still struggling after a relationship breakdown with a narcissistic partner 5 years ago

Suncloud How much longer?
  • replies: 9

I'm tired. All my life I've had recurrent periods of low mood and a sense of pointlessness, from about age 8 or 10 . I remember the first one, it struck me so hard I had to sit down. I think the medical term is cyclothymia. After these episodes I wou... View more

I'm tired. All my life I've had recurrent periods of low mood and a sense of pointlessness, from about age 8 or 10 . I remember the first one, it struck me so hard I had to sit down. I think the medical term is cyclothymia. After these episodes I would doggedly go on with the normal activities required by life but the dark cloud always came back, 'the Nothing' I used to call it. I used to distract myself with reading, and I reckon I spent a total of ten years of my life reading just to avoid 'the Nothing'. Being older now, with the main tasks of life behind me I thought this would be the time to dive deeper into the spiritual areas that have always interested me and I could find a way to peace. Maybe I could, if not for these relentless intrusive thoughts about a relationship that ended about 8 months ago and nearly destroyed me. Tbh I don't know yet if I'll survive it. This morning I cried and thought I can't live with these memories. It was six years of drama on and off, and we reunited a year ago with great belief on my part that it would be forever, because he appeared to have changed in positive ways and got his life in order, and we talked about healing each other, and other noble aims, but once we were together he hadn't changed. He was controlling, paranoid and disrespectful and I couldn't cope with it eventually. It ended explosively with him threatening my life, based on some false accusations. That's all over, firmly no contact, but now I'm in a cycle of grief that keeps circling back, and anything can trigger it. I had some EMDR for trauma which helped at the time, but the memories and images haunt me. That, with the periods of nil motivation, and I have to wonder, How long can I go on like this? I have a good son and daughter, both with kids. I help them out where I can. I have a supportive sister and ex. But few people I can talk to about either the depression or the aftermath of the relationship. It seems to have damaged me, - my self image has changed, I don't think I have much to offer anyone anymore, I feel old and washed up. I used to work in mental health and aged care.. I used to paint pictures and was selling some. I don't work now, there's no motivation to look for a job although I need the money. I don't paint. I'm tired of the day to day struggle, pretending I'm okay, that I'm normal, that things are okay. I long for a deep connection with someone, a friend or partner, I feel so alone.

Parth Feeling anxious and afraid of going through a divorce and leaving my 1year old son
  • replies: 4

Hi, my wife and I are going through an ugly patch in life. She does not respect me and my parents. She wants only her parents involved in all my finance and personal stuff. she bosses me around. How she speaks with me is to always try and get an argu... View more

Hi, my wife and I are going through an ugly patch in life. She does not respect me and my parents. She wants only her parents involved in all my finance and personal stuff. she bosses me around. How she speaks with me is to always try and get an argument out of things. I am so much fed up of her that I feel like giving her divorce but then I start realising about my son. And now I feel very anxious ans depressed

Lemonfunk Bi polar symptoms
  • replies: 5

Hello , This is the first time I've ever asked an online community for guidance or help , I have come to belief I am bi polar ... I'm in therapy atm but it's just started so haven't had a diagnosis buy in trying to work out what the hell is wrong wit... View more

Hello , This is the first time I've ever asked an online community for guidance or help , I have come to belief I am bi polar ... I'm in therapy atm but it's just started so haven't had a diagnosis buy in trying to work out what the hell is wrong with me I have begun ticking the boxes relating to this disorder , I tick them all on every test. I know I'm depressed and I have mood swings but the bi polar thing scares me ... and I scare everyone I love with my behaviour . I know drs don't like patients telling them anything so how can I bring up my concern for my mental well-being without getting off on the wrong foot .. I need help and my family needs me to get help .. i appreciate any replies I'm not in a good space atm and just want to get better Thank you

yhgfntrdhetfryhunj I feel like I don't belong in my friend group
  • replies: 2

I feel like I don't really have any close friends at the moment and I don't fit in and am not appreciated by the friends I have at the moment. I had 2 really close friends for about a year, but our group of three devastatingly fell apart. It was most... View more

I feel like I don't really have any close friends at the moment and I don't fit in and am not appreciated by the friends I have at the moment. I had 2 really close friends for about a year, but our group of three devastatingly fell apart. It was mostly my fault, and I decided I didn't want to be friends with one of my friends anymore so just stopped talking to them (yes, essentially ghosting). They kept trying to reach out to me and I just didn't reply and just blocked them on everything which at the time seemed like a better idea than it was. It wasn't quite due to the fact that I was trying to be mean, It was more like I had this bad idea that I only realized was bad after I did it and when I realized my mistake I was too scared to admit it and was too scared to ask them to forgive me. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like them and after a few days those feelings faded and I felt glad that I had just cut it off with them and in my mind, I was far happier now. I'm just kinda confused because they kept messaging me about what they did wrong and why I did it so suddenly. But the thing is not even I know why I did it. And now I don't even feel an ounce of guilt or regret despite knowing I did a horrible thing. I do feel regret and guilt in other situations but after those few days, I felt fine. I was even kinda glad I did it. But anyway, since that thing I did I've felt my other best friend drift away from me a bit. She sat next to another friend in maths, which really hurt my feelings even though I know it's meant to be no big deal. And she always acts like we're best friends but then when there are other certain people there it's like I don't exist anymore. It hurts me so bad. We had planned to be friends forever. Anyway, I just signed up for this because I needed to vent. I've been feeling pretty good recently though. It just feels like I don't really belong anywhere and no one really wants to be my friend. I used to feel like I belonged, but now I'm not so sure.

I_can Self Forgiveness
  • replies: 6

Hi Everyone, I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls, married and currently living the life I have always dreamed of. I have been married for 10 years, however after the first year of my marriage my teenage mistakes started haunting me, and my wrong relat... View more

Hi Everyone, I am a mother of 2 beautiful girls, married and currently living the life I have always dreamed of. I have been married for 10 years, however after the first year of my marriage my teenage mistakes started haunting me, and my wrong relationship choices and the emotional hurt that I have been through, started getting back to me and I started feeling depressed since then. my wrong choices made me feel that I was responsible of hurting myself, and I should be punished for those mistakes and I do not deserve to be happy. I have always kept that inside myself and never talked about it to anyone, but I decided to open up to my husband and share with him what I believe to be my own secret and my own misery. He was very understanding and happy that I opened up to him, and he told me that I need to forgive myself. I felt much better after sharing with him, but now I am seeking help to know how could I forgive myself for the hurt that I caused to my heart and myself. I didn’t hurt someone who I can make amends to, I actually hurt myself by my bad choices. I have learnt from those bad choices, and relationships that I had, it made me know who I am and what I want in life. But the emotional hurt I have been through affected me until now. Thanks

Kezza1956 Left Alcoholic husband for second time!!
  • replies: 5

After being married for almost 40 years, I left my husband for the first time 7 years ago. Things were very tense between us for about half of the first 6 years, most definitely on his behalf as he never accepted my reason for leaving. Then, our rela... View more

After being married for almost 40 years, I left my husband for the first time 7 years ago. Things were very tense between us for about half of the first 6 years, most definitely on his behalf as he never accepted my reason for leaving. Then, our relationship improved & I could see a positive change in his behavior & attitude towards me. He didn’t drink at all in front of myself or family at gatherings during this time & he seemed to have rediscovered the respect for me that had previously completely disappeared!! Drinking aside, he had always been a hard working great family man. Sadly as time progressed any nice qualities disappeared & he became an angry, impatient, intolerant, disrespectful & abnoxious man!! When things improved & I reflected on what a decent human being he used to be, I allowed myself to be lulled into the false security of giving the relationship another go. Big mistake, here I am 12 months down the track, back in the same situation after having been apart for 6 years! It’s true, despite all of the promises, leopards rarely change their spots! This one certainly didn’t & I think the heavy drinking over many years has massively affected both his physical & mental health. The most noticeable being the personality change even when he is sober & the disrespect that he shows to myself & other close family members once again but worse this time! Here goes again the process of separation! Done it before, can do it again!! He is definitely a person that is unable to just cut back on the alcohol, in order to regain his life he needs to stop altogether!