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A space for people aged 12-25 to discuss life. If you’re over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect.

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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.

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Moby54280 My own personal story - Part 1
  • replies: 2

Everyone thinks that they have their own personal story. They believe that they are beyond statistics and that other people care about their own story. I wonder if that is actually true. It is said that at least 6 people die from suicide in Australia... View more

Everyone thinks that they have their own personal story. They believe that they are beyond statistics and that other people care about their own story. I wonder if that is actually true. It is said that at least 6 people die from suicide in Australia every day, 1 in 7 Australians will suffer from depression during their lifetime, depression has the third highest burden of all diseases in Australia (13%), and rates of depression are slightly higher in women with depression, affecting 1 in 6 compared to 1 in 10. Statistics have always been rather cold and at times very hard to place to a face. These aren’t very light-hearted statistics, nor are they statistics that people like to talk or face. When I have been in a room or even a classroom and the conversation of mental health comes up, people have either gone completely silent, as life, an invisible veil has gone over everyone in the room which makes everyone feel rather distant from each other. These conversations were only just starting to be introduced to me when I started high school. However, I had known what being around depression was like. When I was about 12 I had a friend, for the purposes of the story lets call her Amelia. I thought that we were the best friends that people could have. So much so that we used to call each other brother and sister because that's how we acted around each other. One day while I was over at her house I noticed she kept pulling down her sleeves on her jumper. I managed to see what she was hiding.When I asked her about them she said she got them when she was cooking. I knew that she was lying. I had been told about self-harm but I had never really seen it nor been probably told the different ways it can be done. I didn’t ask her about them for the rest of the night. I went home feeling confused. Not about what she had done but about my own emotions. Feelings of confusion and shock came over me. Those weren’t the ones which I was uncomfortable about. It was the feeling of hatred for myself and anger for the reasons why she had done it. I thought if I just kept asking her about it I would eventually make her feel better. That if someone simply talked about their problems that they would eventually feel better. It happens in the films like that. Therefore it must be like that in real life, is what my 12-year-old mind thought.

EllyFB Step 1.9
  • replies: 3

The last 14 months have been quite hard and painful, I know that I need to go see a pshycologist and a GP. The problem is I have moved interstate to get away from what was hurting me. Im blessed with my fiance and two staffys, however being in such a... View more

The last 14 months have been quite hard and painful, I know that I need to go see a pshycologist and a GP. The problem is I have moved interstate to get away from what was hurting me. Im blessed with my fiance and two staffys, however being in such a new place and knowing no one Im stupidly scared to go to a new gp or even trying to find the right Phsycologist... I am at a point where if I cant help myself, I’m worried it will destroy those I love the most. The fear cripples you kinda, like your frozen in your position and cant even speak. Has anyone else been through similar and can give some advice or share their experience?

iwantedapuppy Missing having a pet
  • replies: 3

I had to move far away from home and my family a few years ago due to study and family issues. I also had to leave my pets behind. I understood missing my pets (I had two dogs) when I first moved but now I just feel so broken that I can't be with the... View more

I had to move far away from home and my family a few years ago due to study and family issues. I also had to leave my pets behind. I understood missing my pets (I had two dogs) when I first moved but now I just feel so broken that I can't be with them anymore and that they aren't being treated as nicely anymore. I know it may sound horrible, stupid or selfish but I cry a lot not having them here or in fact any animal around. Now all I want is to buy another pet. I honestly don't care what one. I've previously had lots of different animals living with my family and I and it was awesome. I wouldn't mind even having a pet mouse or fish (which I previously have had and helped looked after). But I live with my boyfriend. Though currently we are allowed to have pets at where we are living, he thinks we won't be able to if we ever move. Which is a very fair and reasonable point. So I drop the idea of getting a pet, which feels really horrible. But I do. I distract myself. I try and stop looking on pet rescue for an animal companion. But then I just do it again. Once my boyfriend even said yes I can have a bunny. I found a bunny, met them, held them, talked to the owner about them (with my boyfriend), had done hours of research on pet rabbits and then he thought we should wait to we moved to a bigger place as was living at the time in a small unit. Now we live in a three bedroom house with a garden but I don't know if I can have a pet still. I don't need one but I feel like I do. There has never been a time in my life where I didn't have animals to look after, play with and keep me company at home. When we first moved into the house I am living in now I was told I could have a dog after two weeks. I spent ages searching dog breeds. I now know over 100 different types of dog breeds off by heart. I spent hours looking on pound websites and gumtree. I found one which was perfect as this person was having puppies that were all four of my favourite breeds together. I thought it was meant to be because I had also grown up with each of these breeds at home. I got so excited when the puppies were born. We had discussed meeting up and prices. I got to chose which puppy. But then was told no by my boyfriend. I couldn't anymore because University would be starting soon and maybe I'll be too busy. I cried alot and then accepted it. Now I can have a cat, but I know he will change his mind and convince me otherwise. I just don't want the heartache of not having a pet anymore

sushigirl Friendship Problems//Advice?
  • replies: 1

I have two really good friends, but I feel liek they are drifting away from me. My better friend out of the two, doesn't like me that much anymore, and the other friend is always acting as if she hates me. As well as that, they always seem so attache... View more

I have two really good friends, but I feel liek they are drifting away from me. My better friend out of the two, doesn't like me that much anymore, and the other friend is always acting as if she hates me. As well as that, they always seem so attached to each other, I feel like I'm third wheeling. What should I do?

Broncies_18 Getting too worked up
  • replies: 2

So does anyone here have the feeling that you have stuffed up somehow and get so worked up about it that you worry some much you can’t stop thinking about it. For me I work in food and was doing a lot of packaging and even though I did it the way eve... View more

So does anyone here have the feeling that you have stuffed up somehow and get so worked up about it that you worry some much you can’t stop thinking about it. For me I work in food and was doing a lot of packaging and even though I did it the way everyone else did it to an extent and I’m stressing that I did it wrong somehow and now I can’t really stop thinking about it. Cheers for any advice would be greatly appreciated

AshLo Where to start.
  • replies: 2

It's a never ending cycle really. I'm fairly young, and I love my parents. My mum was in a rather large accident a few years ago so I get separation anxiety when going to sleep at friends houses and leaving my mum home, not knowing if she is safe. Ho... View more

It's a never ending cycle really. I'm fairly young, and I love my parents. My mum was in a rather large accident a few years ago so I get separation anxiety when going to sleep at friends houses and leaving my mum home, not knowing if she is safe. However, my mum is constantly putting me down. "You didn't do this right" Why didn't you do this " Why did you say this " and she jumps ahead like I would say something nasty but I wouldn't. Things like "don't tell your friends yo purchased an expensive dress" like she knows I'd never do this? My "best friend" (no longer.. I think) is always rude to me. I'll make a joke and she will tell me to stop being annoying, but someone else will make it and she will laugh. I don't have many people to speak to, who will just tell me to "stop being so dramatic" almost every time i break down in tears I can plan exactly what my mum says. It's always the same. and I'm just in this loop. there is more, but idk.

Belle_Rey19 Help! Conflict with deferring Uni or continuing Uni...
  • replies: 2

Hi, I posted on here a while a back about how I was unsure about if I should go to University. I have been at Uni now for 4 weeks and that unsure feeling hasn't gone away. Every time I'm at the campus, I feel as though I'm making a wrong decision but... View more

Hi, I posted on here a while a back about how I was unsure about if I should go to University. I have been at Uni now for 4 weeks and that unsure feeling hasn't gone away. Every time I'm at the campus, I feel as though I'm making a wrong decision but I am unsure why. The subjects I am studying are creative writing and theater because being an actress and a novelist is something that I 100% want to do with my life even though I understand that it isn't guaranteed to be a full time employment. I just really want to try to achieve both of these whether it is part time or full time I don't mind, but choosing the right way to go about it is so stressful. I am also in a Spanish course so I can learn to speak to my grandma and Spanish family but maybe I can just teach myself? idk... The census date is coming up and I am now thinking that I should defer Uni for a year just to clear my head and work things out before committing. I feel like studying to be a writer and an actress isn't worth the money I would be in debt with at university as opposed to finding a part time job for the first time, going to tafe and taking private or cheaper acting courses on the side as well as writing my own material or attending writing work shops instead of going to uni. I am extremely shy, introverted and a sensitive 19 year old person with social anxiety and a little depression. I'm just so stuck because I am still unsure with what side I should pick. I don't want to fail or lose my chance of being an actress and novelist just because I didn't go to uni and I don't want to feel inferior or like I'v disappointed anybody. I know my dad is going to be upset and my grandma will be disappointed. Deciding on the future and all this, it's just so overwhelming and stressful and lonely and I feel like I'm being torn a part Am I making any sense? Sorry if I'm not, I can explain it better.

mehhh Struggling with Anger and Sadness
  • replies: 1

I've been struggling with trying to control my anger for a long, long time now and it's effecting my relationship as I lash out at random times for no apparent reason. I become filled with anger and cannot control what I say or do, I have no idea why... View more

I've been struggling with trying to control my anger for a long, long time now and it's effecting my relationship as I lash out at random times for no apparent reason. I become filled with anger and cannot control what I say or do, I have no idea why I get so angry and I always regret what I say or do. Sometimes, I get so mad and just punch things or hurt myself in another way. I constantly say horrible things to my partner when I do get into this mood and it's really not okay. After I have my massive rush of anger, I feel really really sad and I have no idea why. This combination happens constantly and I don't know what to do because I don't have the courage to speak to my GP and definitely not my mum. I talk to my girlfriend about it sometimes but that's the only time I ever actually talk about it.

Terminator_chick Mum acting to me like everything is my fault
  • replies: 26

So this has been going on and off for a few days now, I've had 4 marjor brain surgeries it affects my life a lot, my mum gave up her career to look after me and sometimes she says I gave up my career for you she says it like it's my fault, she's been... View more

So this has been going on and off for a few days now, I've had 4 marjor brain surgeries it affects my life a lot, my mum gave up her career to look after me and sometimes she says I gave up my career for you she says it like it's my fault, she's been calling me a bitch for no reason, she's been very mad at me for no reason it's just her behaviour, when she has an argument with me she always finds a way to win and finds ways to put me down a lot. This is getting to a point now where I'm just gonna lose it and just run away, she's been treating me like shit lately and I don't know what's going on in her life but I hate it when she takes it out on me. I feel like such a burden to her :,(

SteelinMyLegs Why am I always so sad
  • replies: 5

Hey I am 15 years old and in year 10 at the moment and I can't find any happiness or joy in life, wherever I am, I always feel so dull and alone and everything I see or think about just makes me more depressed. I used to be a really sporty and active... View more

Hey I am 15 years old and in year 10 at the moment and I can't find any happiness or joy in life, wherever I am, I always feel so dull and alone and everything I see or think about just makes me more depressed. I used to be a really sporty and active person but I had surgery on both my legs (femoral derotation osteotomy) and it limited a lot of what I can do even when I am seven months into recovery, I sometimes feel the old pain I had the surgery to remove and it only lowers my outlook on life more. Most of the time I wonder what really is my purpose in life, I feel like nothing, most of the time helpless, and I just want all my problems to leave me alone, I did have severe depression in the early stages of my surgery but I got rid of it for a little while, but it keeps coming back. I have moved schools this year because I was having difficulty at my old one, and I have made new friends but I can never find happiness being around them, most of the time I want to isolate myself and be alone and not talk to anyone, even when they are nice and inviting to me. I feel like I always have to put up a wall to hide my feelings inside, I always have to smile and be happy, when really I want to run away and cry. School, I feel is a miserable place for me, it gives me anxiety with assignments and puts pressure on me to be friendly and make friends. The only things that help relieve me from the sadness is consuming myself with tv shows and writing long assignments, because I become so focused on them I forget about everything else, but when I finish everything just hits me again and it gets really overwhelming.