Young people

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romantic_thi3f Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies
  • replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are i... View more

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

Sophie_M NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first
  • replies: 0

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindfu... View more

The Young People space is a sub-forum within the wider Beyond Blue forum community. 1. Its purpose is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss anxiety, depression and other related life issues. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this forum is a space for younger people to connect and provide peer support for each other. 2. Content from this sub-forum is displayed on both the beyondblue and youthbeyondblue websites. 3. Please bear in mind that some members find content relating to suicide and/or self-harm distressing or triggering. If you would like to post on these topics, please do so in our Suicidal Thoughts and Self Harm section. Please see also our guidelines for making posts on this topic. Posts made here in the Young People sub-forum containing content relating to suicide and/or self-harm will be moved. 4. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straightaway. Information on how our system works can be found here. Being familiar with our community rules can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. 5. This is a peer support community, and to get the best out of being here we recommend that you 'give support to receive support'. More on how that works here.

All discussions

romantic_thi3f Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies
  • replies: 51

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are i... View more

Hi! Just thought I’d make a post with some tips for study. I know this is something we can all struggle with. These are all suggestions so feel free to take them or leave them! Hope they help! If you only remember one thing, let it be this: You are important. Your grades don’t define you. (support) Studying can feel isolating but know you’re not alone! Reach out – and find or make friends that can support you along the way. If you’re having trouble finding some friends, join some local communities or clubs! They have lots at Uni’s and even stuff like open days are great ways to meet new people and find out what’s happening. Study groups can also be a great way to meet people and stay motivated. Also remind yourself why you’re doing this; inspirational wallpapers or quotes can be super inspiring. Remember the saying about the oxygen mask? If you can’t take care of yourself first studying will be harder. You are important. You know the drill - water, food, exercise, sleep. Try to stay calm. Stuff that might be able to help include mindfulness, breathing exercises, colouring in, going for walks, journaling, listening to music… If you’re struggling – reach out. See a therapist. Talk to your student counsellor. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Also lots of Universities and TAFE offer disability services – which includes conditions like Depression and Anxiety. (study) Find the right study space for you. Maybe that’s in your room, or a coffee shop, or the library. Some people find that noise helps; other people not so much. If you like particular kinds of noise, you can find ‘coffee shop’ noise or ‘rain sounds’ to help concentrate. Make a plan. It helps to do it often so it becomes a habit. Anytime you get a due date, write it down. Maybe you could use a diary, planner, bullet journal or an app. I find the 30/30 App helpful - study for a bit and then break for a bit. You can also get add-on’s for your computer to block sites like Facebook if you find them too distracting. Find out what study technique works for you. Do you like cue cards? Mind maps? Colour coding? Does highlighting stuff help you remember? Charts, maps, diagrams? Recorded lectures? Goals! These are so important – not just writing down deadlines but rewarding yourself for meeting them. Even making smaller goals like ‘read two pages from a textbook’ can help. Break it down into bite size pieces, and don’t forget to reward yourself after!

Lyssaa Relationship related anxiety
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, I've very recently started dating this guy from uni. He's different to any of the guys I've been interested in before, in a good way. Since we first started talking he was always very consistent with his communication, compliments me in ... View more

Hi everyone, I've very recently started dating this guy from uni. He's different to any of the guys I've been interested in before, in a good way. Since we first started talking he was always very consistent with his communication, compliments me in a genuine way, has told me why he likes me and has always been honest and open with his feelings, makes time to talk to me even though he's a very busy person, and casually reassures me because he knows that I have the tendency to overthink things. He's met most of my friends and he gets along with them really well and my friends all like him. He's also gladly introduced me to a lot of his friends, and they've told me this is the happiest they've seen him in a while. I don't feel butterflies around him, instead I feel calm and comfortable when I talk to him which is a nice change. Unfortunately, I haven't always had such good experiences with guys before. My last boyfriend from a few years ago didn't treat me the best and was very inconsistent with his communication and didn't make me feel appreciated. The guy I was in a situationship with last year was awful at communication and didn't even really like me even though he said he did, he just wanted attention and used me when he needed someone to talk to or wanted to talk about something relevant to him. I also recently found out that he isn't the nice person that he acted like he was around me. Because of these past experiences, I'm carrying a lot of anxiety with me into this new relationship, even though this guys behaviours are nothing at all like the crap I had to deal with in the past. I still sometimes get anxious when I text him because I'm worried he's going to think I'm annoying, or that if I send him a funny video on instagram he's gonna get annoyed at me or think I'm too obsessive even though it's literally just a message. Occasionally I also wonder how long it'll be until he starts to find me annoying or stops liking me. I'm annoyed at myself for having these anxious feelings, because I know logically that I shouldn't, but I can't help it. Does anyone have any advice for me on how I can reassure and comfort myself when this anxiety starts to rise up again?

Gothamfan Bad friends
  • replies: 6

I haven’t been on these forums in a really long time but since I have it’s gotten slightly better and then just completely worse. I have had friendship problems for a long time with a particular group and a specific person, recently I was ‘kicked out... View more

I haven’t been on these forums in a really long time but since I have it’s gotten slightly better and then just completely worse. I have had friendship problems for a long time with a particular group and a specific person, recently I was ‘kicked out’ by this group with another friend and the build up to it was awful. it really worsened my already awful mental state and put me in a dark place, they were never good friends but they were fun to hang around and I miss having a big friend group, I really want to make friends out side of school but I have no idea how, I just want to find a few accepting people and friends I can be myself around I, my school is very small so it’s not like I can just join another friend group, I do have 2 friends I still hangout with, I love them but they are surface level friends and I really want to find people I can connect and communicate with, I hope this is not to much to ask for and I am not good at making new friends. any tips on making new friendships would be appreciated.I hope this made sense as I am not very good at explaining things or expressing my emotions.

Aviator205 Joining the ADF with previous Anxiety and depression
  • replies: 10

Hi, I'm 16 years old and i'm considering joining the RAAF when I turn 18 (year 12) and applying to be a CISCON (which is a non-combat role) however 4 years ago I attempted suicide (only ever once) and later was diagnosed with anxiety (due to an abusi... View more

Hi, I'm 16 years old and i'm considering joining the RAAF when I turn 18 (year 12) and applying to be a CISCON (which is a non-combat role) however 4 years ago I attempted suicide (only ever once) and later was diagnosed with anxiety (due to an abusive father) and am now taking medication. my anxiety has been minimal for the past 2 years but sometimes arises (not frequently though - rarely) I have seen medical professionals such as psychologists to help manage my anxiety and stress and I am still currently getting support from professionals and hope to manage my anxiety without medication within the next twelve months leaving another twelve months free from medication before applying for defence. I was wondering if anyone has some advice or insight about my chances, what I should do and any other information. Thanks.

maybeunsure I feel very unhappy with my life.
  • replies: 6

Apparently I'm terrible at explaining myself, so I apologize if I don't make any sense.​The past couple years have been really hard for me and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from them. My Mum went to hospital multiple times for (I feel so guil... View more

Apparently I'm terrible at explaining myself, so I apologize if I don't make any sense.​The past couple years have been really hard for me and I don't think I'll ever fully recover from them. My Mum went to hospital multiple times for (I feel so guilty telling the internet about this when I promksed my Mum I would not tell a sole) her addiction to medication. I was not aware of her addiction until a few months ago at her most recent hospital trip. She always told me her 'illness' was 'just a stomach ulcer' but it's so much more complex than that. I've had to watch my Mum's body start to shut down; uncontrollable twitching, too weak to sit upright, memory loss, loss of speech, etc. Those images are ones that will haunt me forever.This medication is used in some pain relief medication and due to my Mum's addiction, I'm too scared to have any in the house. I let myself suffer just so she doesn't have the temptation. Because my Mum was sick a lot, she hardly work and we ended up in debt. It got to the point where we either sold the house or let the bank take it from us. So we sold it & moved in with my Nan. After about 7 months we had some money left over and decided to rent somewhere. But that didnt last long and we had to end our lease early due to Mum's 'illness'. The latest hospital visit did something to me and ever since then I truly have not been the same. For a while I felt like my life had stopped while the world sped up around me. It affected me academically and I made the decision to drop courses at Uni (which has added an extra year onto my degree). Lately I have been feeling very dumb (when i dropped the courses my mind felt like it had stopped and it still feels like that), disconnected, lonely (I have 3 friends who Ihardly see or speak to me and most days it seems like 2 of them couldn't care less if I was dead), worthless (the only people who seem to want to spend time with me is my parents and it hurts), guilty (all the signs of my Mum getting sick are so evident now and everyday I blame myself for the latwst episode - I should have noticed something was wrong), and that I am a failure to my family and friends (I have no job nor do I have my license and am constantly reminded - especially every time i see my Dad and his side of the family).​The above paragraph is probably all I needed to say but I needed to get my Mum's 'illness' off my chest. I'm not sure what I'm looking for by posting on here, but maybe the outcome will be positive.​

Foxtrot73 I struggle expressing my emotions
  • replies: 2

Hi guys, I'm a 16 year old male, I have a good family,friends and support network who I feel safe and comfortable around, yet for as long as I can remember I have had issues expressing how I really feel. I have a tendancy to be a people pleaser and t... View more

Hi guys, I'm a 16 year old male, I have a good family,friends and support network who I feel safe and comfortable around, yet for as long as I can remember I have had issues expressing how I really feel. I have a tendancy to be a people pleaser and try to be everything for everyone, unfortunately as I am going through my VCE studies, sport most days a week and going out, I am finding myself feeling sad but not being able to express this. I'm not some toxic masculinity type of person, I just haven't cried for nearly 10 years, I'll lay in bed upset but it is all internal and I just bottle it up and try to forget about it. It's starting to take a toll on my sleep and when I find myself alone and I don't know what to do.

Shelbelle School Stress
  • replies: 3

I am only in year 8 this year but every I am still so stressed. Every 2 weeks we have a maths exam. They go towards our grade so I can't screw up. Most people say oh it's not that hard, don't worry it's only year 8. The thing is though I am doing yea... View more

I am only in year 8 this year but every I am still so stressed. Every 2 weeks we have a maths exam. They go towards our grade so I can't screw up. Most people say oh it's not that hard, don't worry it's only year 8. The thing is though I am doing year 10 maths making it even more difficult.It is one of the most stressful things ever. We now have to do 8 modules and each take roughly and hour and a half and this week we only have 1 maths lesson rather than 5, due to public holidays, school events and excursions. I have 3 maths lessons next week and I have currently done 2. We use an online program called Maths Pathways and anttime I have a question for the teachers they just tell me oh watch the video, that makes me think or something similar. I cry almost every weeks from stress and anxiety on this and passing the test. The worst part is when I get an A on my report card it is always why didn't you get an A+ there is still room for improvement. There is no emotional support from my mum and I will tell her I need mental help and she just says it's just a phase you are fine. I have been really struggling because I have no friends and no support from the school or my family. I hope someone can relate and if you do get help at school. Talk to a counciler or a trusted teacher.

ritts I miss him so much.
  • replies: 1

I miss him so much it hurts. We were good until we went long distance. I wanted us to work out and I wanted our relationship to be better but it didn’t work out. It got worse and eventually I blocked him and permanently ended things. We didn’t work o... View more

I miss him so much it hurts. We were good until we went long distance. I wanted us to work out and I wanted our relationship to be better but it didn’t work out. It got worse and eventually I blocked him and permanently ended things. We didn’t work out, we don’t suit each other. Still I love him so much and believe no one is better than him. He’s my world and I can’t just let go so easily. I’ve tried moving on but I always go back to him. This time I want to stop going back. I looked at our old messages and there is about nine straight pages of me apologizing. I was always the one apologizing and he never apologized for anything. He was toxic and emotionally and mentally abusive yet now that him and I are officially over forever I can’t live without him. He didn’t know how to communicate, he never texted first, he always wanted to do something sexual and never wanted to have an actual conversation but I still find a way to convince myself I love and need him. I wish we were perfect together and I wish he was with me forever. It felt like he was the only one who knew how to make me happy and that he was the only one who understood me but he was manipulative. He isn’t a good man and I know that but we lasted so long and I feel so hurt that it’s over. I think about unblocking him and adding him back multiple times. Telling him I’m sorry for ruining us even though it wasn’t just me. He brought out the worst version of me and I was so drained with him. Now that we’re over I miss that feeling. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be happy in love because for the time period that we were together I’d be happy having a single conversation with him. We didn’t do anything any normal couple did because he never tried to save us. He only came back because he knew I’d take him back and I’d apologize a million times. I feel disgusted and angry with myself for letting our relationship go this far. I’m weak and I have attachment issues. I’m struggling and some days I just want to curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep. No one loved me the way he did, toxic or not. No one will ever love me like he did.

Lyssaa Emotional dilemma
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone. I'm in a bit of an emotional dilemma right now regarding this guy that I'm friends with. We met about seven months ago last year at uni, and it was very obvious right from the get-go that we had feelings for each other. After a couple of... View more

Hi everyone. I'm in a bit of an emotional dilemma right now regarding this guy that I'm friends with. We met about seven months ago last year at uni, and it was very obvious right from the get-go that we had feelings for each other. After a couple of weeks we both told each other that we liked each other and we spent more time hanging out at uni together, lots of hugging and kissing, very romantic kinda stuff. However I started to get anxious because it felt like it wasn't really going anywhere beyond that or wasn't gonna turn into an actual relationship, so I asked him where he thought this was progressing and where it would go in the future. His response was that he was actually emotionally confused and in all honesty saw me as a friend, which came as a massive shock to both myself and my friends who had been around the two of us because of everything he'd said to me and the way he'd acted around me up until that point. For the rest of the uni semester I didn't talk to him, but when the four month break started I messaged him and asked if he still wanted to be friends, which he said yes to. Over the uni break we would text pretty much every day, but it made it difficult for me to actually work through my feelings and get over him, but spending time not seeing him in person was definitely beneficial and I was nearly over him. About four weeks ago, we went back to uni and now I have to see him twice a week in lectures. Most of the time he comes and sits with me. My issue used to be wondering if he ever even did have real feelings for me and wasn't just confused like he said, but even my counsellor who I see told me she believes he did have real romantic feelings for me. The issue now is that he's giving me mixed signals- he doesn't really talk to me much outside of uni at all, but in lectures when he sits with me he'll find lots of accidental ways to touch me and leans right up against me when he talks to me, like he's trying to grab my attention. I've also heard from some other girls I met at uni that he's not a super awesome person, but I don't want to probe about what happened between them because it's none of my concern. None of my friends are happy with the mixed signals he's giving me right now, and I'm torn because for the most part I'm over him, but being around him still hurts a little bit sometimes. Should I keep being casual friends with him, or should I cut him off?

Deltius Terrified of approaching women in public
  • replies: 1

Hello all, It's been a while since I've posted on these forums. This would probably also suit the anxiety forum but I decided to post in the youth section since I thought people of my generation might understand my concerns more.Basically, the subjec... View more

Hello all, It's been a while since I've posted on these forums. This would probably also suit the anxiety forum but I decided to post in the youth section since I thought people of my generation might understand my concerns more.Basically, the subject says it all, I'm 22 and have never had a date, I get no traction on dating apps and so my only method is IRL. However, thanks to my studies in criminology, I am hyper-aware that the majority of women don't go out to meet people or anything like that. It's bad enough that I am basically terrified to approach women in public (even in bars or clubs) as I don't want to ruin their night or just be another dude who interrupts them. However, I also know that the majority are not there to hook up or find a date which doesn't help. I have no idea what to do, I should mention I'm 6'3 with a broad intimidating build which doesn't help. I also have basically no self-esteem and don't believe I hold any attractive traits. Kind Regards, Deltius.