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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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idkwhy Peer Pressure
  • replies: 2

I have choir at school every Tuesday after school. My best friend is also in the choir, it used to be good until now. Once I was feeling tired and didn't want to go, so she suggested we can skip one or two practices every term just for taking a break... View more

I have choir at school every Tuesday after school. My best friend is also in the choir, it used to be good until now. Once I was feeling tired and didn't want to go, so she suggested we can skip one or two practices every term just for taking a break and hanging out. So we did and it went great, we just chilled by our lockers and ate snacks, even finishing off due homework. But now since she knows how fun skipping can be she is asking me to skip with her almost EVERY rehearsal! When I do go to rehearsal with her, she sighs, rolls her eyes and keeps on complaining to me about how boring it is, and how much fun it would be if we skipped. All of her negative vibes are making me sick and even dislike choir. Sometimes I wished she was not there. I feel very insecure when we skip more than twice a term and she forces me to skip even more rehearsals, all of the making excuses up and stuff is starting to stress for me. She's also a close and important friend of my though so I do not want to make it weird between us, she's very stubborn so if I say anything she will probably tell me how lame I have become and that I'm being too serious. What do I do and what should I tell her? Plz help.

lxve stress & anxiety at school
  • replies: 5

I believe that there is only a minority of threads i have found in relation to school and stress for young people and maybe this is a good place to release thoughts about school and how it is stressing you out or causing panic attacks, etc. By doing ... View more

I believe that there is only a minority of threads i have found in relation to school and stress for young people and maybe this is a good place to release thoughts about school and how it is stressing you out or causing panic attacks, etc. By doing this it may release tension with certain thoughts.

Freakyfrootloop Unlucky in love
  • replies: 2

Hi people any help or just some advice would be so helpful. I've just split up with my partner who I was with for 10 months before that I was with the father of my daughter for 3 years and the same thing has happened twice now I've fallen out of love... View more

Hi people any help or just some advice would be so helpful. I've just split up with my partner who I was with for 10 months before that I was with the father of my daughter for 3 years and the same thing has happened twice now I've fallen out of love and I'm not to sure why. I have a big problem with face to face interaction I'm no good at it it scares the shit out of me I'd like some help with that but I am not sure what to do I've seen my doctor but what he gave me was just a government page that brought me here. I am depressed that this falling out of love thing happens to me and it hurts the other person so much my ex is really hurting right now. a lot of it for me is intimacy there was none at all and everything just eventually felt like routine but he just cant let me go he wants to keep trying and I don't I've told him this but he cant seem to understand why I don't want to try I don't know how much more I can say to him other than I don't want to

Em9615 Lacking vitality, please help
  • replies: 2

Hi, Looking for advise on what to do. I'm 22 years old studying nursing in my second year, and I have lost all motivation to continue. I have been on 3 placements in hospitals working mostly with elderly people, the first 2 placements were manageable... View more

Hi, Looking for advise on what to do. I'm 22 years old studying nursing in my second year, and I have lost all motivation to continue. I have been on 3 placements in hospitals working mostly with elderly people, the first 2 placements were manageable, but my last 1 is making me wonder if nursing is really for me. I struggled so much that I ended up withdrawing from the placement after a week saying that I was unwell. I work in service at a supermarket and have for the past 2 years. Prior to that I did waitressing, office work, fast food (Boost Juice, KFC) and cleaning for supermarkets. Out of these jobs I was fired from 3 - reasons being "you were ok, but not good enough/what we were looking for/hardworking enough" etc. This took a toll on my confidence, I have also felt the need to lie about getting fired to friends and family because I don't want them to know. So I feel like a liar as well. This job I have now is the longest I have been able to hold - however I am starting to dread it and I want to quit, but I don't have a good reason and no other work lined up. I feel like co-workers don't really like me, I feel constantly fake. I seem to have problems where I can't make things last longer than 2 years without getting bored. Its terrible and it goes into relationships, hobbies and interests. I have a few friends and a boyfriend for 2 years. But I feel as though I'm barely holding it together now. I literally don't want to do anything... I have recently started taking medication. My mother passed away very unexpectedly just over 2 years ago and it has been hard without her because she was such a good person - driven, ethical, caring. I'm worried that I take after my father. He is diagnosed bipolar disorder. All he does is go to work, come home, and do it again. He doesn't clean his place - its filthy, only brushes teeth once a day, wears the same clothes. I ask for advice and he just says it will work out. This is such a long whinging post sorry, i just wanted to get it off my chest. Thanks for reading.

two-dee Advice for Formal?
  • replies: 5

As someone who struggles to understand the celebratory/party environment that has become a so-called standard of Western adulthood, I have been particularly worked up over my school's upcoming formal. The whole setup doesn't seem very appealing to an... View more

As someone who struggles to understand the celebratory/party environment that has become a so-called standard of Western adulthood, I have been particularly worked up over my school's upcoming formal. The whole setup doesn't seem very appealing to an introvert such as myself, and the repetitive begging for me to go that I have had from both my parents only worsens my anxiety over it. I keep telling them that I don't want to go, but they'll always pull an excuse out of their backside and have bought me a suit just for this momentous occasion. The ones that I have heard them say the most are as follows: You get to see your teachers outside of the traditional school setting and letting their hair down. Personally I could not care less if I saw my teachers in this manner, to me they're still my teachers and I will proceed to treat them in the same way as I would at school (with respect of course!). At no point in time are they going to become my new best buddy or anything like that. You will celebrate with your peers. I'd say that this one affects me the most as I don't hold a particularly high regard for anyone in my cohort anyway, so it essentially rules out that claim. Also because most will probably scoot off to an afterparty all in the glorious excuse to get intoxicated and broadcast it to the whole world (something that I immensely despise). You should go just to see what it is all about. I already know what is about because we have been bombarded with information about it at school and seems to be the only thing on people's minds at the moment. It is just something that does not appeal to me and my parents should therefore be respecting my wishes. It will provide you closure to your senior year. This one is pretty pointless in my opinion as we are technically celebrating the end of class time and still have exams after it. For those who have been through it, what advice would you pass down to me or anyone else in the same situation? I just want to remain calm and not have to think about it too much or to the point where it starts to affect my schoolwork.

lilhumanbean ?!?!?!?!?
  • replies: 4

Hi there. I just wanted some advice on what I can do to improve/fix where I am now... Currently, I'm in my final year of high school and it's been rough. I feel like as each term goes by it gets worse and worse. I feel like I don't have any close fri... View more

Hi there. I just wanted some advice on what I can do to improve/fix where I am now... Currently, I'm in my final year of high school and it's been rough. I feel like as each term goes by it gets worse and worse. I feel like I don't have any close friends - I don't even feel like I connect with the friends I have any more; I'm always very insecure around them, in that I feel like I have to act a certain way to feel accepted, don't get me wrong they're all very nice and lovely people, it's just that I don't feel a 'part' of it. I also feel like when I'm talking to people, I'm always forgetting what to say during the conversation, as well as NOT knowing what to say or how to respond to what they've said. When I talk, I've noticed that I stuff up my words a lot. Not only that, I'm also having a lot of trouble with writing for assessment tasks. I sit there 99% of the time, staring at my laptop, stuck on writing an essay. Every time I write something (same goes for exams), I just feel like it doesn't make sense in my head - it's like I'm disorientated and I can't seem to focus on what I'm doing? In terms of how I'm performing, I'm doing good, but I just can't seem to have a 'clear' mind when writing. I've got my trials in a week and a few days and I am no way ready (and that's not even for the lack of trying). I also get easily agitated by people around me at school - by the things they say or the way they act. I also find that I'm overthinking things a lot, like if someone made a small comment about something involving me, it'd just stay on my mind for a really long time, and no matter how hard I try to get rid of that comment, it just stays in my head. I would really appreciate any advice that anyone can offer, and thank you for taking the time to read this

JustAnotherOtaku Struggling with Fear of Death
  • replies: 3

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been absolutely terrified by the thought of death. Not in the way most are. I go to bed every night in a sweat and usually I have to put on an audiobook so that I can distract my mind. But unfortunately that only works... View more

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been absolutely terrified by the thought of death. Not in the way most are. I go to bed every night in a sweat and usually I have to put on an audiobook so that I can distract my mind. But unfortunately that only works some of the time. I’ll suddenly get into a spiral and all I can think about is not existing. I worry first and foremost about myself (which I am quite guilty about) but also for my family and pets - mostly my parents. Over the last two years or so it’s gotten a lot worse and it seeps into my daily life too. It’s not something I find easy to talk about with people (I try) because they want to be ‘relatable’ and they think they understand. I’m never not worried. I worry about everyone ALL the time, and it stops me from experiencing things that I might otherwise enjoy. Sometimes I even find that worry of other people turning into little rituals (like OCD but it’s not to a super worrying extent). I have to fix things up a certain way before bed otherwise something bad might happen to someone I love. Things like that. I try and put it out of my mind, and I try to challenge it when I can so that I don’t get completely stuck in it, but it’s hard sometimes. I also fear this issue of absolutely fearing death has lead to my anxiety and depression, which I am sure I have now. I haven’t really ever felt not anxious over the last few years, and I’m always feeling pretty depressed most of the time. I try and do what I can to feel better, like going outside, exercising, eating better, doing things that I would have normally enjoyed doing but it doesn’t do much. Plus, (and this is a biggie) although I technically have friends we’re not super close. People get scared off my personal things and I think that’s what makes friendship. By personal I don’t mean sharing all your secrets or everything about your life, just the things that really matter to you, you know? A lot of people I know tend to go off when they find someone better and it’s hard not to feel the sting, but I try anyway. Essentially what I’m trying to say is a super good support system from my friends isn’t exactly what I have. I’m not totally alone or anything (I’m super lucky I know to have some people that I could talk to) but it still doesn’t feel great while I’m freaking out 98% of the time. Do YOU struggle with this? Also a question I’ve wondered: are there any mental health camps for Uni students out there?

Tom01 Feeling lonely and down
  • replies: 2

Hello, I am a 16 year old bloke and I think I might have depression, Over the past 2 months, I have felt really lonely which may or may not have resulted in me experiencing 7 cases of sleep paralysis as of today. I have never experienced anything lik... View more

Hello, I am a 16 year old bloke and I think I might have depression, Over the past 2 months, I have felt really lonely which may or may not have resulted in me experiencing 7 cases of sleep paralysis as of today. I have never experienced anything like this before and it has made me truly terrified at times. My sleep paralysis involved a dark figure staring at me from outside my bedroom window, and then at the end of my bed and then eventually, it would feel like he was hurting me. I have never been so scared in my life. With sleep paralysis happening at night, day time for me is filled with loneliness and sadness. I often find myself surrounded by friends and family but feel like I'm not there and noticed at the same time. I could be consistently involved in a conversation with someone but still feel disconnected with them. When I am by myself at home, these symptoms are amplified and I have found myself crying on the floor more than 5 times a week. There are rare circumstances when I don't feel like this, but they are very rare and don't often occur. I can distract myself for some time from these feelings by listening to music and playing guitar but it only distracts for so long. I also have two close friends who I genuinely feel happy with and when I am with them, its like I am no longer suffering from my mental issues. Unfortunately, they went away for the holidays which left me by myself. This resulted in me going to some pretty dark places. I have only told one other person about this because I fear that people might not think of me as the same and might look at me differently or think I am attention seeking. The person I told, suggested that I should see the school psychologist to help as she thought that I might be depressed. So with some serious convincing from her, I went to see the psychologist and now I see the psychologist once a week and she also believes that I might be depressed. I haven't told my parents about it because I find it tough to talk to them about stuff like this but the school psychologist thinks I should so we can go to a gp and get some medication or whatever the gp suggests. I would also like to let you know that I have no idea how or why this is happening to me. I have a good, close group of caring friends and have no family issues. I still am active and eat healthy and I don't really have any physical symptoms. I still play sports, and I am doing quite well at school. So, I desperately need help, Tom,

bam_and_i_will_be_gone Loneliness + PTSD + stesss
  • replies: 1

hey everyone, im new here; im glad I found a forum where i could talk about this because number of people I trust is limited. First of all, I had a good friend of mine moved away recently, I know i can keep in touch with them through social media but... View more

hey everyone, im new here; im glad I found a forum where i could talk about this because number of people I trust is limited. First of all, I had a good friend of mine moved away recently, I know i can keep in touch with them through social media but they have left to start a new life away from something that was at my school, I cant go into to too much detail, but essentially, ive had to let go of a friend I really loved, and ive taken it extremely hard. A while has passed and ive been pretty stressed about school, im under a lot of pressure to do well, and i must admit, im trying my best. But the thing that is dragging me down the most is the mental damage done to me from past tings that have happened to me in my life. Ive personally been neglected a lot in my home life (I dont want to go into too much detail) and of course, ive been a victim of school bullying, so I guess I require love from other to replace what I didnt get as a child (this is going be what a previous counselor has said, shes not wrong I guess) and because of this, I become very attached to people (remember my friend that moved?) It takes me a long time to process the loss of someone.....or the thought of being rejected. Well, I've fallen for a male friend of mine (im a female, by the way) and im really putting my self down for it. Im TERRIFIED to talk to him, ive never used "Snapchat" before but I downloaded it just to make things a little easier for me. The sort of thing that I fear most is him being "freaked out" if he found out I liked him, (unintentionally) annoying him, etc. Or more distressingly, or being treated in a way I have been in the past. I don't really like advice such as "Youve got a good chance with (his name), just talk to him, get to know eachother" It doesn't really help because I do really doubt myself, i dont feel attractive or interesting at all. I know my situation doesnt sound so bad, but ive left a lot out that I dont want to share yet. I hope at least someone out there has some advice

The_Vegetable Done
  • replies: 4

I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I just, I’m so sad and upset all the time and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t have any friends, I don’t go out anymore and I don’t want to. I struggle to get out of bed everyday, I’m just so done. I’ve tried t... View more

I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I just, I’m so sad and upset all the time and I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t have any friends, I don’t go out anymore and I don’t want to. I struggle to get out of bed everyday, I’m just so done. I’ve tried to fix what’s going on in my life but nothing I do seems to help. Mum saids it’s just because I’m fat and lazy that’s why I don’t want to leave the house and maybe that true, I mean I don’t even what to see anyone anymore. i just want to be happy again and not feel like this anymore. please help me, I need something to fix me. I try really hard but no matter what I do, it doesn’t fix me. I force myself out and around people but I just feel sick and stupid. I can’t talk to anyone anymore. I don’t know what to do.