Monthly Forums Update: Reflecting back on April

[Sophie_M]

Hi All,

We appreciate everyone who has made their way to the forums over the last month.

We’d like to acknowledge members of the forums community who may be experiencing challenges with supporting family overseas who may still be greatly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. For resources and support during this time, please remember the Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service is available. You may also find articles such as How to support overseas friends and family dealing with COVID to be helpful.  

Community Voices: What are people talking about?

Managing Anxiety/ Panic Attacks

Recently, my body has felt so out of tune... I've been getting heart palpitations, shortness of breath and every physical symptom you can think of...They happen pretty much everyday even when I'm not having a panic attack. Every morning I wake up I am anxious and hopeless. - bitter_biscuit (Read more here)

i started a new job 2 months ago working in clinical trials. I thought I would feel less burnt out and anxious in this area but it’s worse. I wasn’t given much training or support when I first started in this role, have spoken to my boss about my concerns and not much has changed. My anxiety is awful and I am experiencing panic attacks on a regular basis. I dread work every day and I feel stressed about work on the weekends. - Sunshine188 (Read more here)

Those close to me don't see what a painful place I am in or tell me to get over it. Not helpful, only makes me feel worse, because I think I should be able to cope and feel more isolated. I've had some major panic attacks and sleep anxiety which I have never had before. I just want to know that eventually it will be better, but can't see how. I have awful thoughts. - GoannaLost (Read more here)

How to help someone who doesn’t acknowledge that they are struggling

It's obvious to me and people around us that my husband is struggling emotionally. He seems to have checked out from our family (with me and two young children) and is critical all the time. He doesn't have any friends and doesn't even try. When we go out as a family to events, it's always just our children and I and I have to make excuses for him constantly. He is critical at home and most days even the slightest thing sets him off. -  Unsure123 (Read more here)

We don't know what to do. We've said he can come back home on the condition he gets help because we can't keep living like this. He doesn't seem to see he has any problems. He's driven away a lot of his friends which to us is a red flag on his behaviour and attitude and it not just being us that sees there's a problem. - LilyChicken (Read more here) 

The stress of this investigation is pushing him to the limit. It has been ongoing for some months, and has been hugely stressful for both of us. ... I think it possible that he has BPD, but at the very least severe depression. He resists any treatment, and resents me suggesting it, says I gaslight him. I persuaded him to get a psychology referral, but he has to wait months for an appointment.  - Qwerty14 (Read more here) 

Managing parent expectations

I am about to finish high school, 6 months left and my parents want me to become an accountant and continue their accounting business. They say I am very gifted for math, good with computers and that I should apply those skills to help take the family business to the next level, what they do not understand that is I dread every moment when I do the things I am good at. - EntangledWithU (Read more here)  

....guess i also feel pressured in this way to do well because of my family history of such good professions, and if i were to do terrible and get a bad atar, i would be a misfit which would cause a lot of gossip between my family friends... i dont feel ANY happiness or hope about the future when i study. i feel nothing. sometimes i would just freeze up, stare at my work and cry because i didnt want to do this. im doing this to make my parents happy. - kiwi5678 (Read more here)  

I hate the feeling of failing and I think I have such high expectations of myself and I feel like my dad (who I live with) only cares about my marks and not about if im my actually enjoying uni - whenever family asks how uni is going and I say yeah it’s alright my dad is quick to jump in and tell them my marks (because I did good last year). I would love any tips on how to deal with this overwhelming sensation of feeling sad when I get a bad mark of feel discouraged. - Lalatheloopyone (Read more here)

Life Member Award

We’d like to congratulate smallwolf who was presented with the Life Membership badge in April for serving as a Community Champion peer support volunteer on the forums for over three years. Thank you for continuing to share your own lived experience to empower and support other community members!

Valued Contributor Award

Our Valued Contributor for the month of April is S D!

S D has been nominated for approaching conversations with a great deal of empathy while reflecting on their own lived experience to support others while often sharing helpful coping strategies/ways to stay well. Thank you for being a friendly member within the community S D!

To read more about what a Valued Contributor is and how you can nominate a fellow community member, please refer to our thread Nominate a Valued Contributor here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support

BB News/Resources

Coach Craig, our resident Mental Health Clinician is now available on the forums to support members with questions around treatments, health professionals and therapies. If you haven’t already feel free to check out Coach’s thread here!

If you’re currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings, distress or crisis another resource to turn to is the Beyond now suicide safety planning app. To read more about this resource check out our webpage here.  

For more immediate support, please feel free to connect with a professional mental health counsellor at our Support Service  on 1300 22 4636 or at https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support  for online chat (1pm-12am AEST) & email (responses within 24 hours).