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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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notneeded No one having my back...
  • replies: 2

Hey, So I dated this guy for a short amount of time. We didn’t fight. We actually loved each other a lot. When we first started talking, we were quite honest with each other. He thought that I liked one of his friends. I didn’t. I told him that I did... View more

Hey, So I dated this guy for a short amount of time. We didn’t fight. We actually loved each other a lot. When we first started talking, we were quite honest with each other. He thought that I liked one of his friends. I didn’t. I told him that I didn’t and he said he believed me. When breaking up, he said that things were going too ‘fast’. I said that we could still be together and slow things down. We didn’t necessarily have to break up... after breaking up he told his friends who were also my friends that I liked him and he was just trying to get avoid me. It wasn’t true. He also told them that I liked this other guy and when that guy rejected me that’s when I went to my ex as a last option. It wasn’t true. I never liked his friend. I actually really loved him. Yes I’ve liked a lot of guys before him but I actually loved him. He gave me a feeling I’ve never felt. He was so sweet, caring and protective of me. I loved that. Just recently one of my friends in my friend group confronted me and said how I play with guys feelings especially my ex’s. I don’t. I didn’t. I never did. She also said that I led him on. Little does she know that I genuinely liked him. When she screamed at me, everyone else in my group left except for this one person who stood next to me and recorded everything. I felt betrayed. I felt lonely. When were they when I needed them the most? After screaming at me she left with a smile looking all happy because she feels ‘accomplished’. I started to tear up and everyone started coming to me asking if I was okay even the girl I didn’t really like offered me tissues. That’s when it all hit me. I don’t have any real friends. No one had my back. I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve cried so much that my eyes are puffy and I’m getting dark circles. I’m not sure on how much this is going to affect school and my marks but I’m glad there is only a month and a half of school left. This took me a while to write as I kept deleting it as I went. I don’t know if I should post this or not but I really need help. I’m confused, frustrated, lonely and angry.

StrawberryYoghurt University Pressure and Failure
  • replies: 2

Hi all, I have recently started my first year of university studying occupational therapy. I started in March so I am not in my second semester. The first semester was an absolute nightmare and I failed Human anatomy 1. I was absolutely disheartened ... View more

Hi all, I have recently started my first year of university studying occupational therapy. I started in March so I am not in my second semester. The first semester was an absolute nightmare and I failed Human anatomy 1. I was absolutely disheartened but decided I had to keep going. Now in my second semester I am failing Human Anatomy 2. University is the worst thing I have ever done with my life and I’m only 23. I feel like an absolute failure, I am so depressed all the time from university. I barely scraped through the first semester with the other subjects and I am baring scrapping through now. I don’t think I can handle another failed unit at uni. I want to give up so badly but my parents are so proud that I am actually doing something with my life that they think I like. They know I’m struggling but they think I am smart and I will get through it but they don’t understand how bad this experience has made me feel. I still don’t know what to do with my life and it stresses me out to think about it. I have recently been diagnosed with ADD And just started medication. However, I don’t want to feel like I can justify failing because of this. univeristy is not what everyone said it would be. All the students are young and straight out of high school and so immature. They will talk to you one day and not the next. I just don’t know what to do, I feel like I need some guidance. I am so heart broken over the whole University experience.

tenthirty the messiest, messiest mess
  • replies: 2

hi i don’t really know what to do at the moment so i suppose ill post here lately i have been feeling really, really incompetent. like i don’t know if it’s in my head or not but i am always making mistakes, like, really basic mistakes, mistakes that ... View more

hi i don’t really know what to do at the moment so i suppose ill post here lately i have been feeling really, really incompetent. like i don’t know if it’s in my head or not but i am always making mistakes, like, really basic mistakes, mistakes that should not have been made they’re so basic, and i have been forgetting the simplest things (like my dad will tell me to close the curtains and put the waterbottle in the recycling, and i’ll do the curtains and forget the bottle. like, every time a situation like this happens). usually when i make stupid mistakes or forget things like this the people around me start getting annoyed (my dad will yell at me for forgetting to unload the dishwasher or putting something in the wrong type of bin, or my math teacher will usually just try and close the conversation if she’s helping me with something basic and i keep messing up). i also keep messing up in social situations as well (forgetting birthdays, zoning out whilst friends are talking) and it’s starting to take its toll. i just feel really useless and incompetent and ive been feeling this more often. does anyone have any advice? or any similar situations? it’d be nice to know i’m not going completely crazy

AlyshaLA Feeling Unmotivated, Ugly and Lonely
  • replies: 10

Have you ever had that feeling like you're never enough? No matter what I do, I always feel like less than what I want and what everyone else expects me to be. I've been struggling with eating, exercise and everything I usually do normally. Now I fee... View more

Have you ever had that feeling like you're never enough? No matter what I do, I always feel like less than what I want and what everyone else expects me to be. I've been struggling with eating, exercise and everything I usually do normally. Now I feel like I constantly eat junk foods and neglect exercising all at once. I feel very disgusting and that everyone else around has a better life than I do. Which is probably not true because I know everyone has their own problems. But sometimes, I just get tired of trying to impress myself till the point I just neglect everything and give up. I stay in bed all day doing nothing in some days. I used to suffer from anorexia a few years ago. Body image was a very sensitive issue for me, I always wanted to look fit and skinny. However now, I eat very much and too much of the wrong things making me very conscious of my body and weight. I always feel ugly, no matter how many times I try to fix it by incorporating a "healthy lifestyle", I would always fail and go back to the start, depressed and unmotivated. I don't know why, but I really hate myself and I don't know what to do to be able to fix that issue. People always told me happiness is a choice or you are very beautiful inside and out and all those other sentimental words, but my mind choses not to believe it because I have such strong hatred towards my body and my image. I can't help but always feeling lonely and unable to pick myself up. There has been times where I just want to give up trying because there seems to be no way out of this vicious cycle. I'm not sure what I should do... and I hope anyone could help me.

Adelaide99 Losing Interest
  • replies: 3

So i'm not normally one to speak up about how i'm feeling so just bare with me, So lately i have been feeling that i get upset over small things, i work in retail normally if a customer were to say something i would brush it off, yesterday i had a cu... View more

So i'm not normally one to speak up about how i'm feeling so just bare with me, So lately i have been feeling that i get upset over small things, i work in retail normally if a customer were to say something i would brush it off, yesterday i had a customer and i went out the back and cried, then i felt stupid for crying. But just little things that wouldn't normally have any effect on me lately have been effecting me big time. I have started loosing interest in things that i love, football (soccer) for example i normally couldn't wait for those 3 days, well i stopped going to training about 1 1/2 months ago i just don't look forward to it any more. But i want to wanna look forward to it. I barely go anywhere anymore i finished school 2 years ago i only go to work and to UNI 1 week every month i don't seen my 'Friends' anymore either. I guess what i'm asking is what should i do? I just don't know anymore

kyara depression, anxiety and addiction.
  • replies: 2

I have a very addictive personality especially when it comes to things that supress my feelings and anxiety or move it to the side at least, I self harmed strongly for a couple of years until I realised how bad it was getting and tried to get out of ... View more

I have a very addictive personality especially when it comes to things that supress my feelings and anxiety or move it to the side at least, I self harmed strongly for a couple of years until I realised how bad it was getting and tried to get out of that situation, shortly after I struggled with drugs and alcohol, which as you could have guessed wasn't doing me any good at all and damaged my mental health extremely. to cut down I started smoking cigarettes and having backy cones to try and get the satisfaction of pulling a cone but now I'm addicted??? I'm trying to quit but its really hard, I have self-harmed a couple of times and have already started smoking weed and drinking again. I'm not eating at all and I can feel myself falling into the hole I was in at the start of this year again. any suggestions to help me quit or at least cut down??

kyara why is mental health not a good enough reason to not go to school?????!!!!
  • replies: 2

why is me being to depressed to have any motivation to get out of bed and to go to school without having a panic attack treated the same as if I was sick? does anyone have any suggestions on how to describe how I feel to my parents? they know ive bee... View more

why is me being to depressed to have any motivation to get out of bed and to go to school without having a panic attack treated the same as if I was sick? does anyone have any suggestions on how to describe how I feel to my parents? they know ive been diagnosed with depression and anxiety but still don't think I'm trying hard enough, but its really hard to try.

Cindyy Moving back to old school.
  • replies: 2

Hey there, my name is Cindy. One term ago I decided to move schools, it takes 2 hours to get there but keep in mind that when I moved, I had the intention that I was going to start driving to the train station in year 11 in February when I get my Ps ... View more

Hey there, my name is Cindy. One term ago I decided to move schools, it takes 2 hours to get there but keep in mind that when I moved, I had the intention that I was going to start driving to the train station in year 11 in February when I get my Ps (which would cut down travel time by 30 mins arrive home at 4:30, it took about 30mins to get to my old school by driving) However, my new school is changing their ending time to 3:20pm next year making me have to catch the next train that comes at 4:00pm (I would get home at 5:00pm including driving time, which doesn't seem that bad since I already get home at 5 but to me it still feels like a late to when I got home at 4 at my old school; that was travelling by bus too). This school has left me so emotionally and physically drained. Not only do I be getting home at 5 but the teachers that I currently have aren't that good and some of them are so mean (like today my religion teacher made me cry because she claimed that I'm showing her that I haven't been reading through my notes and we have an exam next week BUT the thing is I know nothing about Catholicism whereas the majority of the class already know at least the basics of it because that's what they known since they were bought up knowing. Side note: I previously went to an Anglican school but they were never strict and the both are very different). Some people say that next year they'll have better teachers because it's year 11 and 12, but I'm honestly not even sure anymore. My friend from my old school also moved to the same school; she definitely felt the emotional drain more than me to the point where her parents were incredibly concerned. The students were very welcoming despite being an private all girls (my old school was private co-ed). Anyways, if I move back to my old school though I won't be able to do all the subjects I want, but it's the best option? My old school didn't rank so well (however the teachers and students are still very nice) whereas my current school ranks quite well (top 100) If I move, I would have to move after the first term of year 11 next year (because I need to notify them 1 term ahead of I have to pay one term of fees $2,500) but the biggest problem is that my old school will already be on their 2nd term of year 11 (because they rolled over to the next year at the start of this term. All year 10s are now year 11s already). I appreciate all advice and please ask if something doesn't make sense. Sorry for long post!

Busguy1631 Depressed/Feel Lost
  • replies: 3

Hi Everyone, I am new on here and just looking for some advice with recent feelings and experiences. I am in my mid 20's and finished my Bachelor of Business in February this year. I also returned to the workforce after not being able to find work fo... View more

Hi Everyone, I am new on here and just looking for some advice with recent feelings and experiences. I am in my mid 20's and finished my Bachelor of Business in February this year. I also returned to the workforce after not being able to find work for over 6 months. At first it was great as the job is part time so I can achieve work/life balance and help manage my Anxiety. Now it is July and despite constant applying, having one or two interviews, working with a career mentor and going to a networking event I can not find work in my chosen field (my current job is a really boring and unstimulating admin job). Basically I gave gotten to the point that on my days off and after work I feel hopeless and depressed as this is not how I pictured it to be after uni. My fatigue is increasing and all weekend I just wake up feeling like there is no point getting up because I am a failure. I waste the entire time in my pyjamas just glaring at the tv feeling depressed and sad. I feel like I have no goals and I have really gone off the thought of getting a full time job in a corporate environment and being stuck there for the rest of my life. My parents say I should get a hobby to help take my mind of things but I literally have no interest in anything I use to. Despite feeling lonely I rarely socialise with my friends or want to leave the house. Someone recently invited me to a networking event on LinkedIn and my social anxiety is going out the roof. I feel like they are pressuring me to go there and I don't even want to meet them (even though I know I could meet people who could help me get a job in my field). How do I tell him I don't want to go without sounding rude (also he is a stranger I don't want to tell him I have severe anxiety and feel depressed). Anyway I am so sorry for rambling. In summary I am really concerned about my increased feeling of hopelessnes, being called lazy, lack of motivation, wanting to sleep all day and be awake at night and wanting to just block everyone out of my life and move away and start fresh. My key problem is anything that can help me get a job in my field makes me extremely anxious (eg going back to full time work for the forst time since March 2017, answering the phone for an interview (call centres and speaking on phone is a trigger for my anxiety) or meeting strangers to network (social anxiety makes me very anxious and I feel like everyone is judging me or doesn't want me there). Please help me with tips to overcome this.

zoeoe I've been starting to feel really ugly
  • replies: 2

We all have days where we don't like what we see in the mirror, but it's becoming consistent. Everyday I look in the mirror and I don't like what I see at all. I don't know what to do? I'm a firm believer that nobody is ugly, nobody CAN be ugly since... View more

We all have days where we don't like what we see in the mirror, but it's becoming consistent. Everyday I look in the mirror and I don't like what I see at all. I don't know what to do? I'm a firm believer that nobody is ugly, nobody CAN be ugly since we're all different - there is no one perfect person, but I forget all about that when I see myself. I don't think that other people think I'm ugly, it's just that I think I'm ugly. I also have a problem with the way my body looks. I'm a little chubby and my body shape isn't the most desirable. My arms are too thick and make me look disproportionate. I have a slight double chin (slight). It's really taking a toll on my self esteem and I really don't know what to do anymore. I feel like a 2/10 everyday.