Young, friendless, depressed

[Luna_L_]

Hi! I’m new to the forums and I’m here because I don’t feel very content with my life. I feel that my life is quite hard and I’ve been through a lot issues. Apart from having a not so good family dynamic, I’m also quite lonely and I don’t know how to make friends. I’m currently a first-year university student and the holidays have been very boring and depressing because I’m lonely, and I’m addicted to my phone, and I wouldn’t go anywhere by myself. It’s like I’m trapped in my own home. I don’t know how to get help. I believe that the physical and emotional abuse in childhood has caused all these problems and I don’t know what to do. I have talked about these issues to a school counselor before, but it doesn’t get rid of my issues. I’m worried about my future, because I can’t live like this.

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi Luna L.

Welcome to the forum. It is great to see you reaching out here for support. I am sorry to hear that you are struggling and are not feeling content with your life. This is a really hard place to be if you don't have support around you. I wonder if you have any friends or family members you are able to reach out to?

You have already taken some steps towards improving your future such as seeing a school councellor and joining the forum which is really positive. Taking these steps can be hard. Please acknowledge yourself for having the strength to seek help. I wonder if you still have access to your school counsellor and how many sessions you attended? Sometimes it can take time to heal from issues that were in your childhood. You might find benefit from seeing a psychologist. If you wanted to try this, you can visit a GP (Doctor) and have a chat about your feelings and discuss whether a referral to a psychologist would be beneficial to your health and healing.

Another option (if you are between the age of 12 -25 years old) is a service called headspace. Headspace has 110 centres across the country and provides young people with support for mental health. If you fit the criteria you can search to see if there is a centre in your area by going to the website https://headspace.org.au Headspace also has a online version of support called eheadspace where you can chat with someone electronically. https://www.eheadspace.org.au

Another option you might want to consider is a developed by Beyond Blue program called NewAccess that is available in some parts of Australia. It supports people who experience low mood and worry The program is free and can be accessed by reviewing this webpage and seeing if it available in your area.
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess

You are not alone in feeling addicted to your phone. There is a lot of discussion about the benefits of 'digital detox'. This could be something that you discuss with your health care provider (once you find one that is suitable to your needs).

If you are want to start connecting with someone over the phone and practice some skills, using the beyond blue support line would be a good start. The people at the end of the phone can talk to you and listen to your struggles and you can talk about some strategies to start connecting with others. You can contact the support line on 1300 22 4636 anytime of the day or night.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn