New member, looking to make a difference

[Stu1]

Hi,

I'm a 33 year old guy from the UK who has moved to Australia permanently. I've been pretty lucky with my life, well educated, sporty, have a decent job, but i also suffer with crippling bouts of anxiety which come and go on a monthly basis. It was something i never spoke about and was able to hide pretty successfully for about 10 years, and i managed the symptoms through drinking and using certain drugs, nothing too extreme but enough to balance me out at social gatherings (which used to be a trigger, funny though because i was a pretty social guy!)

I think i am a pretty highly functioning sufferer, i still force myself as much as i can to do normal stuff when i'm having bouts of anxiety, and i think this is borne from not wanting to admit to people i have a problem. I eventually told my fiancee about it after we were together for a while. She helped me to get help, and i was treated with medication for about a year before coming off the medicine, which was a horrible experience.

I still get bouts of anxiety now, it hasn't gone away. But it is better. Rather than a constant, daily fear that follows me around i now get affected once a month or so, but the effects last for maybe a week which is long enough for me to forget what normal feels like. Then suddenly its gone again.

I read that suicide from depression is the leading cause of death for young men, and i can totally believe it. There is still a stigma that admitting you have anxiety or depression means you are mentally weak, and it is something i am not quite ready to openly admit myself to friends and family, but i'm getting there. I talk more now with my missus about how i'm feeling but it's hard showing that side of me, because i spent so long trying to hide it. But through all of this i realised that it can't just be me feeling like this. And i want to make a difference. What i want is to help other people who have issues like me. I will not let anxiety define who i am. I may never be rid of it, but i can and will live with it, and if i can help other people get to the same place then more power to them.

I live in Tasmania now, and if there are any events that need volunteers i would be more than happy to help. In fact if there's anything that needs doing please get in touch. Like i said i want to make a difference, and maybe get the strength to be more open about my own issues.

Thanks

[Sophie_M]

Hi Stu1, welcome to the forums.  Other members of our community will be along to welcome you soon too, but we thought we'd give you a few links given the interest in your post about how you can further support beyondblue's work.

The first is our volunteer portal, if your'e interested in registering for events in your area:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/volunteer-portal/volunteer-home

The second is blueVoices, our reference group for people with personal experience of anxiety and depression:
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-involved/bluevoices

[Stu1]

Hi Sophie,

Thanks for your quick reply and the links. I have signed up to blue voices, it looks exactly like what i was hoping to find. The volunteer link and tab on the home screen seem to be down - can Admin take a look?

Thanks for taking the time

Stu

[ro63]

Hi Stu and welcome to both australia and the forums ,I have suffered with depression and anxiety over the past 250 years or so well it feels like 250 anyway and mine is up and down also, but here to stay at the moment and can't shake it and,I have forgotten what normal feels like too and am trying to seek some different type of help at the moment I have done the meds and psychology and it has'nt helped so am looking outside the box maybe into some kind of mentoring so that's my plan at present ,which is hard shaking the stigma and moreso the shame but it is changing and these forums have been a god send for me , All my best Ross.