New to posting on forums

[ShyLizard]

Hi, I finally took the plunge and decided to join. I tend to avoid forums due to my social anxiety, but I figured that I really need some support from people who are living through similar experiences. Social anxiety and depression are my main issues, and these leave me fairly isolated from the outside world. I am fortunate enough to have a kind, accepting partner, however it is difficult for him to understand what I go through every day. His life seems so simple in comparison to mine. Anyway, I plan to take this forum thing slowly, but I wanted to make a start today, and am committed to getting involved with some of the discussions over time. I am hopeful that I can find some genuine people here who I can relate to.

[smallwolf]

Hi,

Welcome to beyond blue. It can be difficult for partners - not their fault, but if you look fine on the outside....

Of course it is possible to educate our partners about what we are going through by talking.

In this space on the forums you will be accepted as you are, supported on this journey and not judged by anyone.

Contribute as you can - there is no pressure, but post as you feel you can. When you are ready tell me a little more of your story. I am listening to you.

Tim

[quirkywords]

Welcome shylizard to the forum. I like your photo and I love lizards, we have many lizards in my garden and they like to come out when there are no humans around.

This is a very friendly and supportive forum with genuine caring people.

This is your thread so you can write, ask questions whatever you like and in your own time.

It is hard for partners to understand at times however supportive. That's why I like this forum as we speak the same language even if we have different experiences.

Quirky

[geoff]

Hello ShyLizard, and a warm welcome to the forums.

We know that it's never easy to come onto a site where you don't know a soul and explain to people how you are feeling, but all of us have had to suffer through our own type of depression, and know the struggle ourselves.

When someone has some type of depression everybody else seems to have a much better life, that's only because you aren't feeling well and we understand the situation you are in and feel very sorry to you.

We appreciate your comment and want to try and help you with our own experiences, so if you can, when you have some time, it would be lovely to hear back from you.

Take care.

Geoff.

[Aaronsis]

Welcome ShyLizard

Really looking forward to having you on the forum and chatting with us along with the many other supportive, caring and non judgmental people.

Take your time, chat when you feel you want to or need to, we are here to give you some comfort and you will even find that your words give so much comfort to others.

There is real truth in the words of a problem shared is a problem halved and we are here to listen and to support you on your journey.

Welcome and chat some more soon

AS

[ShyLizard]

Thank you all so much for your quick and caring responses. It really surprised me, but most of all it encouraged me to persist with this in the long term.

I plan to start by participating in some discussions I relate to, and then start my own thread in an appropriate forum. I have a question - I read that it's best to have a single support thread, but I'm not sure which forum to post it on, given that I have both depression and anxiety issues. Should I discuss each issue separately on different forums, or choose my dominant one and explain everything there?

[Aaronsis]

Hi ShyLizard

I am so very glad that you have come back to chat and I look forward to talking to you some more in the future, when you are ready, and absolutely, jump on any thread you feel that you can support others on and help them on their journey too.

It is best just to have one thread so you can keep your conversations together and find them easily and use them to reference if you need to, but it also helps with not doubling up over the pages as people might miss out on something that is beneficial to them if there are multiple posts everywhere. I would do exactly what you suggested, pick either the anxiety or the depression section and go for it.

Hope you have had a good day today.

Chat soon

AS

[smallwolf]

Just a small addition to Aaronsis reply...

you could use this as your main thread if you wanted.

My story started in the welcome threads, and as my story progressed moved to different sections of the forum as more information was provided by myself. So you do not have to explicitly create a new thread. Hope this helps.

Tim

[geoff]

Hi ShyLizard, as Tim says you could use this as your thread, however, if you started one under depression or anxiety then you would probably have more viewers respond back to you.

Someone who is suffering from depression themselves is more likely to go to that section to read what others have to say, rather than 'New to Posting'.

If you need a hand to do this then please get back to us.

Take care.

Geoff.