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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

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milkshake Applying for post census remission of debt due to depression and anxiety
  • replies: 1

Hi, I'm new to these forums and not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm really in need of some help or insight from anyone who has been through a similar experience to me. I'm currently going through severe depression and anxiety and need... View more

Hi, I'm new to these forums and not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm really in need of some help or insight from anyone who has been through a similar experience to me. I'm currently going through severe depression and anxiety and need to defer from my course at uni. I've been told to apply for post census remission of debt that I should gather as much supporting evidence as possible. For me this so far includes getting a letter from my Dr and psychologist, however I've heard that a lot of the time post census remission of debt is not always approved. I'm worried about not having enough evidence, or my situation not looking bad enough, to get approved. Is there is anyone else has done this before and what did you include? I would really appreciate any help as its really hard to think straight when I'm depressed. Thanks

two-dee University Woes
  • replies: 2

Hello all, Since I last posted here, a lot has happened in my life. I have now gone off to university to study law; a degree that was my #1 choice and dream degree in high school. I've managed to slip into the whole uni life; attending my lectures/tu... View more

Hello all, Since I last posted here, a lot has happened in my life. I have now gone off to university to study law; a degree that was my #1 choice and dream degree in high school. I've managed to slip into the whole uni life; attending my lectures/tutes, doing a small number of outside activities to break up the monotony and making new friends (for the most part). Recently however, I have been feeling uninspired with the actual law part of my degree; I actually get more excited and inspired to learn by my non-law subjects, mainly due to the content being more interesting and straightforward. I feel that my gripes with my degree are slowly starting to affect my lifestyle; as I am constantly procrastinating and coming up with every excuse in the book to not get my work done; knowing fully well that exams are less than a month away. Additionally, it is also affecting the little friendships that I have, since I feel increasingly inclined to sit by myself rather than associate with my friends. All of this is bringing back painful memories of my awkward junior years of high school; a time where I was completely lost as a person. I know it sounds like I'm rambling on a little bit and I apologise but does anyone have any suggestions on how to cope? I am open to anything at this point.

jopb Please help, I'm really struggling with anxiety (nausea).
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. I'm Joely, 15 year old girl (in year 10) struggling with anxiety, depression, worry, panic, etc. I'm really scared and confused because this has never been an issue for me until now... I don't know what started it and I don't know how to... View more

Hi everyone. I'm Joely, 15 year old girl (in year 10) struggling with anxiety, depression, worry, panic, etc. I'm really scared and confused because this has never been an issue for me until now... I don't know what started it and I don't know how to make it go away or deal with it. I get very anxious about everything (going out with friends, going to school), now to the point that I don't want to leave the house (but obviously I have to because I have to go to school). My main symptom is nausea which is honestly the worst thing in the world because I constantly feel sick to the stomach like I'm going to throw up. I also get this sensation where I find it really hard to swallow (my throat goes tight). When I was a little girl, I used to get nauseous (I would actually throw up) when I didn't want to go to school or if I was anxious about something so it's in my nature but I guess it kind of all went away until now because I never acknowledged it as an issue until now. A few months ago, there was an incident where I threw up in public in front of my friends and the whole food court at my local shopping centre (I know, it was absolutely mortifying), so I think that that may have had something to do with this whole thing but when that happened, I actually did have a stomach bug so it wasn't prompted by anxiety. I feel sick whenever I'm anxious now and it's getting worse and worse... I'm getting increasingly anxious about literally everything and getting that horrible nauseous feeling all the time when I really don't have much to be anxious about. I have always been a big pessimist, worrier and overthinker but it has never been this bad. People tell me that it's because I am at a stressful time of my life (teenage years) but I just feel like none of my friends have it. I actually had to take two days off school this week because I felt so bad. I'm going to see a psychologist next week but as negative as it sounds I don't think what they're gonna do is gonna work/help because I've seen psychologists before and they always recommend like writing your worries down and stuff which never works in getting rid of or helping with the sick feeling. I don't know what to do anymore and I feel like it is taking over my life so I would really appreciate some help Joely

tk202 constant headaches, tired of the pain.
  • replies: 1

I've had tension headaches almost every day for about 6 months now, caused by anxiety. it's not always terrible pain but having a headache constantly is pretty tiring and it makes studying really hard. I'm really just wondering if anyone else has thi... View more

I've had tension headaches almost every day for about 6 months now, caused by anxiety. it's not always terrible pain but having a headache constantly is pretty tiring and it makes studying really hard. I'm really just wondering if anyone else has this problem and how you're going if you do.

tk202 new school, constant anxiety - how to introduce yourself to people??
  • replies: 4

I've recently come into a new school, yr 11, and my social anxiety is making me feel alone and hopeless. I feel so awkward I can't even manage to introduce myself to new people. I've always been a bit of an anxious person but now it's constant, it's ... View more

I've recently come into a new school, yr 11, and my social anxiety is making me feel alone and hopeless. I feel so awkward I can't even manage to introduce myself to new people. I've always been a bit of an anxious person but now it's constant, it's there in the front of my mind all the time and I can't seem to distract myself from it. it's really getting to me and I cry a lot when I'm by myself at home, I just have this horrible feeling like I'm going to just be hanging around without any real friends for the next 2 years of school. does anyone have any advice on how to not feel so hopeless, and also any tips for getting over the anxiety of introducing yourself to a new person? because I know that once I know their name etc. I relax a lot, and when I don't take the opportunity to introduce myself I regret it later, but for some reason I still can't bring myself to just tell them my name and ask what theirs is. for some reason this whole introduction thing just seems like a huge obstacle that is really keeping me from getting over this anxiety. this is my first time posting here and I don't know if anyone will actually read this, but thanks if you do.

Beejade Life is really hard
  • replies: 5

I’m an 18 year old Female who just finished high school last year and decided to take a gap year since I don’t currently have my P’s. I’ve always struggled with metal health for the majority of my childhood from crazy anxiety to depression, and I wen... View more

I’m an 18 year old Female who just finished high school last year and decided to take a gap year since I don’t currently have my P’s. I’ve always struggled with metal health for the majority of my childhood from crazy anxiety to depression, and I went to a psychologist for about a year and a half when I was in year 12. At the end of high school things where the best they have ever been so I decided to stop going to my therapist and also partially because I didn’t like going. Now that I’ve finished school I don’t have any friends besides the people that I talk to while I’m at work, but my school friends rarely message me and since I have extremely low self esteem I don’t message any of them as I would just feel like a burden to them and they probably don’t like me anymore. This whole year I’ve just been in the routine of going to work and going home while I see videos of my friends spending time with eachother. I used to blame it on me living a little further away than they all do but now I just think it’s because they don’t care about me anymore. I have always hated myself but lately everything has been so much worse, I don’t shower for days at a time and the days I don’t work I won’t leave my bed and won’t eat a thing all day. Last year I when I was sad I always managed to distract myself by reminding myself that I had school and friends and family to think about, but now I have literally nothing to live for and I’m just here for no one doing nothing. I don’t know what to do, I hate myself so much and I don’t know what to do. I really don’t want to tell my mum about how I’m feeling because she thinks that I’m better after going to a therapist and I will probably but worry her and burden my parents. Sorry about this really long boring story I’m just so lost.

PC_99 Confused about life :(
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone, Kinda new here so no idea if I'm doing this right. Jumping right into it, I am lucky enough to have a pretty good life- I have loving parents, supportive friends and a pretty decent life in general. This is why I'm so confused about some... View more

Hi everyone, Kinda new here so no idea if I'm doing this right. Jumping right into it, I am lucky enough to have a pretty good life- I have loving parents, supportive friends and a pretty decent life in general. This is why I'm so confused about some dark stuff I've been feeling lately. Just random feelings of crisis and fear about my future. I've been having doubts about uni, which is what sparked this- basically, I love the subject I'm doing, but have been struggling to keep up with my course content as I am a visual learner, and my course doesn't really cater for that. I also LOVE to travel, but due to being kinda poor, have been saving up my earnings from work like crazy for a planned trip nearly five years away. This to me feels like I'm always working towards something that never gets any closer, making me question everything mundane about my daily life. Feels like I'm stuck in a time warp with the same routine over and over and over again. There are moments of sheer happiness too, but these often end with me remembering all the negatives of life once the moment's over. In a nutshell, I'm finding it really hard to find the purpose of my life - because it's always so hard to wait for the light at the end of the tunnel as it seems like I'm throwing away my youth just working towards that. Shouldn't I be enjoying life now instead of always working towards happiness in the future? Or is this just how life is supposed to be? Everyone around me thinks I have the perfect life, so no one ever stops to think that I might be struggling, and I have mastered the art of suppressing emotions, so I don't reach out often. Just really confused with all the noise in my brain and have no one to talk to, so hoping for some help on here. Thanks a million for any help.

Happiness_attack Hey everyone, I need help.
  • replies: 3

Hey everyone, I'm just gonna get introductions out of the way. My name is Brandon and I'm currently 18 years old. Right now I'm unemployed and in the middle of moving into a new place and becoming fully independent. So this is my story I guess. Okay ... View more

Hey everyone, I'm just gonna get introductions out of the way. My name is Brandon and I'm currently 18 years old. Right now I'm unemployed and in the middle of moving into a new place and becoming fully independent. So this is my story I guess. Okay so, I don't really know where to start so I'll just say that I think I have depression. To be honest I think I've been experiencing some sort of mental illness for a long time, 6 or 7 years I'd say but i didn't really notice until about 3-4 months ago. Around the time I started to notice, I started to do research and look up the symptoms and whatnot and to my surprise, I saw that I was affected by those same symptoms. Now I definitely know I do. I have no energy, no motivation, I don't enjoy the things I used to, I went from 3 meals a day to barely 1, I don't leave my house for weeks at a time, I feel more lonely than ever and to top all of that off; I blame myself for it. It was only til recently that I started getting dark thoughts and here's the kicker: I've even thought of giving up which sounds absolutely crazy, I mean I have a loving family and a supportive group of friends but sometimes I just feel so hopeless. Of course I know how bad it is but I still haven't really told anyone because I don't really know how; not because it's hard talking to them but because of something in my self. I don't know maybe once in my life I got told to stop talking or keep quiet and it must of got to me. Anyway to anyone who finds this, thank you. It's been hard but you've done an amazing job and although I know nothing about you, I'm proud of you. To all the other people struggling right now, I know you can do this just like I can. Before I go I would just like to share a quote that I really resonated with for some reason. "You know what the best thing about hitting rock bottom is? There's only one way to go and that's up." Hope/Glad you're okay. -Brandon

T-Fae I have no friends
  • replies: 1

Ever since school finished my old friends all got jobs and started uni and it's hard to hang out with all our conflicting schedules. No one has posted on the group chat in months, and I really tried to make friends at uni but I feel like whenever I'm... View more

Ever since school finished my old friends all got jobs and started uni and it's hard to hang out with all our conflicting schedules. No one has posted on the group chat in months, and I really tried to make friends at uni but I feel like whenever I'm in public I completely shut down and can't function. Whenever people try talk to me the most I can do is smile and fake laugh a bit and it's completely ruining my life. I always made friends through my one childhood friend, but now she's doing a different course and we never speak. I've been shy my whole life but since the beginning of the year I've just been freaking out every time I'm near another human. At uni I eat lunch in the bathroom because I can't sit around people without getting scared. I'm so isolated and lonely, I feel like I have nothing to look forward to and no one cares about me. I can barely sleep at night because I get so frustrated at myself. How do I stop panicking around people??? Help??

UpShipCreek I just need to talk.
  • replies: 3

Hi, I don’t have any friends left and I need to talk but I have no one who will listen. I’m 25 and My life sucks. friends: I had 2 friends. One friend doesn’t care about me so I haven’t talked to her in a while because she makes me feel bad about mys... View more

Hi, I don’t have any friends left and I need to talk but I have no one who will listen. I’m 25 and My life sucks. friends: I had 2 friends. One friend doesn’t care about me so I haven’t talked to her in a while because she makes me feel bad about myself. Everything is about how everything’s worse for her and I tried to cancel plans with her because my grandad was in icu and she said to me ‘okay, but I’m not happy with you’ this was a week after my second friend hurt me badly because I’m ‘too poor’ to go have coffee with him... after he is always busy and I’m always a second thought to him. work: my job sucks. It’s low paying and I can’t afford anything. I got a written warning the other day because apparently I’m not happy enough. I’m not happy to be here anymore as it set my anxiety off.. home: i live with my mum and brother and they’re always mean to me. They both smoke in the house and I quit a year ago but they don’t help and my brother just says it’s 2 against one and my mum always takes his side in things and yells at me for everything even when it’s okay for my brother to do.. if I clean the house I get in troubled for not doing something else and vise versa. I’m always getting in trouble for things and I don’t understand why.. I don’t want people telling me to move out of home because I can’t afford it. I don’t want people saying change jobs because I’m trying and no one will hire me right now. I try to talk to people and they throw it back in my face. My mother her even told me I don’t have a right to feel the way I do. I just want everything to stop.