Young people

?!?!?!?!?

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

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?

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,

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

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.

Rock Bottom

replies: 6

I don't know what factor(s) are driving me to feel this way but as of now, I have never felt more pathetic as a human being. Of the nearly eighteen years of living that I have gone through, this year would have to singlehandedly take the cake as my a... View more

I don't know what factor(s) are driving me to feel this way but as of now, I have never felt more pathetic as a human being. Of the nearly eighteen years of living that I have gone through, this year would have to singlehandedly take the cake as my annus horribilis. I feel that this primarily has to do with my current experiences as a Year 12. While I manage to get good grades I don't feel any gratification from doing it. I don't blame the school as they're just trying to teach us a curriculum the best that they can, instead I blame the SACE Board for crafting a curriculum that is so out of touch with teenagers and their interests, that people who study it will not use a single technique that was taught to them (I could go on all day about this but frankly, I don't want to bore any of you). Going back to the gratification aspect, I can apply the same example to many other examples in life in the sense that they are supposed to make me happy, but only end up damaging me. My mind is a dark place and quite frankly, I refuse to tell anyone about my problems, partly because I don't trust anyone and I feel that if I did, I would just keep coming back with more problems to dump on top of them. It also relates to my current social situation as I do not consider anyone as a friend, merely acquaintances. A friend to me would be someone that I could tell absolutely anything to and not be judged for a slight mishap in communication. The people in my school and wider community are just as basic and uninteresting as an NPC in a video game. My thoughts are pretty scattered at the moment and I have a lot more to talk about but I'm held back by the character limit. So I guess if I had to sum this all up, it would be that I don't see myself conquering this year. I just see myself right now as another future drifter, a no-hoper, a lost soul. I don't have the passion for doing anything anymore and having no friends only adds fuel to the fire. To put it another way, life to me is pathetic.

Aaaannd… it happened again… :)

replies: 10

Yep, it's Sunday morning and I haven't slept since… well, Saturday morning. I tried to go to bed. But it's not even that I just can't sleep. I'm tired and I would sleep if I stopped actively trying to keep myself awake. No, I'm scared of sleeping. Mo... View more

Yep, it's Sunday morning and I haven't slept since… well, Saturday morning. I tried to go to bed. But it's not even that I just can't sleep. I'm tired and I would sleep if I stopped actively trying to keep myself awake. No, I'm scared of sleeping. Most likely because I'm afraid of waking up I've been suffering from some kind of depression/anxiety for a while now. School fell apart in grade 10 when I started failing assignments I was working hard on – after being a straight A student without even trying. But I gave up trying and started hiding from it. Like I'm hiding from… something now? I'm not sure what. I'm really good at dealing with anxiety but I can't get rid of it. I know how to survive. I know all my escape routes, and I know which song to loop when to keep my stress down. But I can't live like this. I've just started a full time job a week ago and I can't afford to be sleep-deprived. My boss is already a little unhappy with me (he jumps to conclusions and thinks I'm a genius and not at the same time) but I know I won't be able to cope long without enough sleep. I only just got through last week. So, why Sunday morning is the worst? My family hosts a house church meeting in our home every Sunday morning. It's not many – our family alone more often than not makes up more than half of the group. There are only three regular others. But I can't rectify what anyone believes with what I see. Not my family, not our visitors, not anyone else in the world I know of. And because I'm terribly confused about so much I start asking questions that can't be answered. Existential questions, mainly, I just think like that. But they've been gnawing at me for so long and there's no one I can ask. I don't have many friends, and only one of them has similar beliefs. I can only talk with her through email, and that isn't enough. And she can't always answer my questions. There are people I can get in contact with, but I have so little spare time with this work that I'd have to have to lose a significant amount of sleep, most likely. The weekends are always busy. But I guess I just need to be able to sleep. What if I can't tonight again, and I'm running two or more days of sleep lost when I show up for work? My brain will be mush. Why can't I just let myself sleep?

Anxiety making it hard to complete uni

replies: 2

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, so here goes... I'm currently trying to complete my first year of uni, but my anxiety is making it quite a difficult task. Whenever I sit down to study or complete a task, I get this overwhelming sinking feeling in ... View more

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, so here goes... I'm currently trying to complete my first year of uni, but my anxiety is making it quite a difficult task. Whenever I sit down to study or complete a task, I get this overwhelming sinking feeling in my chest and my heart starts racing. It makes trying to do anything related to my course unbearable. At first I thought it was because I wasn't interested enough in what I was studying, but having changed my subjects and finding something I actually love, I know it's not the case. It's the actual studying that puts me on edge. I'm a perfectionist and have been since I was a young child, but it never had much of an impact on me until my final few years of high school. During those years, I would often become unwell for weeks at a time because of how much I'd stress over my work being 'good enough'. I would also get extremely overwhelmed whilst trying to study (the same feeling that I'm getting now at uni), and would end up crying, due to thinking that I didn't know enough, or that I was going to fail whatever assessment I was studying for. All of this would also lead to procrastination, which made everything so much worse. Despite this though, I was a very high-achieving student. At the time, I didn't think that what I was experiencing wasn't normal; it wasn't until I was diagnosed with anxiety a year after finishing school that I realised that that's why I'd felt the way I did. I feel like I'm heading down the same path at uni, and I really don't want to - I want it to be a time that I enjoy. I love learning and I love the two subjects that I'm currently doing, it's just that I don't know how to change my mentality. I'm going to see my old counsellor this week, which will help. In the meantime though, I'd appreciate any advice that anyone has on just getting stuck in to the course work, and how to stop procrastinating out of fear of experiencing these overwhelming feelings.

Need advice, sorry for the rambling

replies: 3

Ok so... idk how to word this so I’m just gonna kinda blurt it all out and hope someone understands. Im a 19yo male, first year apprentice ive never really told anyone about this but here it goes. idk why but it am realising I am happy when I am with... View more

Ok so... idk how to word this so I’m just gonna kinda blurt it all out and hope someone understands. Im a 19yo male, first year apprentice ive never really told anyone about this but here it goes. idk why but it am realising I am happy when I am with friends, but other than that alone I regularly just feel angry or sad. I feel sad/depressed a lot. I sometimes somehow enjoy feeling sad, but it’s not really enjoyment idk how to explain it. People say I’m funny, life of the party, I’m well known around where I live but i feel riddled with anxiety. Feel like everyone is judging me (not including my family or my 2 best mates, who I can finally be comfortable around). I swing from feeling ugly as hell to feeling like I look good/regular, these swings can last for days to weeks. Regularly pay for things for other people, never chase people up for money they owe me. Always leave my belongings at peoples houses, taking weeks/months to get the motivation to get them back. I am very non-confrontational, non-violent, hardly get angry when someone wrongs me, but I also explode at my family (mainly my brother) over little annoyances when I feel like that’s just me letting off steam. Always afraid im disappointing the people I love. Feel like the black sheep of the family. Lost a lot of motivation for the gym. playing guitar at the moment (maybe 6 months) I drink every weekend and have recently picked up a smoking habit while drinking because I like it and really don’t care about the consequences. I wish I could care about my future health but other than trying to appear healthy I couldn’t give a crap. Flip from being normal/outgoing to socially awkward depending on the occasion/day. Either feel like sleeping all day or can not sleep at all (like right now it’s 12am and I have work tomorrow, my mind is racing) I abuse MDMA regularly (which a lot of my friends also do) and feel guilt afterwards. I seem to mess up any chance I have with a girl, either through sheer awkwardness when we hang out sober (met most from parties), or me just sabotaging myself by cutting contact etc even tho I don’t want to, I feel people get bored of me/I’m annoying) I always go out with friends and while I’m out I love it but inside I just want to be alone, but I also don’t want to be alone. I’m not sure what I want. Just realised this sounds like the ramblings of a crazy person hahahaha but idk had to get the thoughts out there, also I’m tired but cannot for the life of me sleep right now.

broken families

replies: 5

so for years now i have been in and out of foster care and recently i moved in with my aunt and uncle because my step dad moved and im unable to live with my mum, its been a pretty traumatic couple of years my step dad disowned me for staying where i... View more

so for years now i have been in and out of foster care and recently i moved in with my aunt and uncle because my step dad moved and im unable to live with my mum, its been a pretty traumatic couple of years my step dad disowned me for staying where i am for schooling purposes and i just find it hard to cope sometimes and im not ready to talk to a counsellor yet i get shaky around police and child safety officers and find it hard to breath im just seeking help to how to handle myself when this happens... i have other problems but there not all going to fit on here thank you

Pinned discussions

New to this Forum? Please read this first!

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All discussions

?!?!?!?!?

replies: 4

Struggling with Fear of Death

replies: 3

Feeling lonely and down

replies: 2

Loneliness + PTSD + stesss

replies: 1

Done

replies: 4

Rock Bottom

replies: 6

Aaaannd… it happened again… :)

replies: 10

Anxiety making it hard to complete uni

replies: 2

Need advice, sorry for the rambling

replies: 3

broken families

replies: 5

Young people

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

?!?!?!?!? replies: 4

Struggling with Fear of Death replies: 3

Feeling lonely and down replies: 2

Loneliness + PTSD + stesss replies: 1

Done replies: 4

Rock Bottom replies: 6

Aaaannd… it happened again… :) replies: 10

Anxiety making it hard to complete uni replies: 2

Need advice, sorry for the rambling replies: 3

broken families replies: 5

New to this Forum? Please read this first!

replies: 0

?!?!?!?!?

replies: 4

Struggling with Fear of Death

replies: 3

Feeling lonely and down

replies: 2

Loneliness + PTSD + stesss

replies: 1

Done

replies: 4

Rock Bottom

replies: 6

Aaaannd… it happened again… :)

replies: 10

Anxiety making it hard to complete uni

replies: 2

Need advice, sorry for the rambling

replies: 3

broken families

replies: 5