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Young people

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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tommeh New and really just wanting to vent/look for some advice
  • replies: 3

I'm a 24 years old and feel like I'm starting to get depressed. I spent a lot of my teenage years/early adulthood alone and playing video games. I'm lucky that I had a very loving and supportive family, but always wished I had more of an active socia... View more

I'm a 24 years old and feel like I'm starting to get depressed. I spent a lot of my teenage years/early adulthood alone and playing video games. I'm lucky that I had a very loving and supportive family, but always wished I had more of an active social life. I started to put myself out there more a few years ago and made some friends through playing sport and exercise whom I regularly hang out with. I've recently come to the realisation that I have very low self esteem and worry A LOT about what people think about me. I'm constantly worrying about if my friends are doing things without me, I worry about "saying the right things", constantly replaying conversations I have with people in my head while thinking of things I should have said and beating myself up for not saying them. My friends always ask me how I'm always so happy, how i'm always smiling and laughing and so on. They think I'm the happiest person in our social circle. What they don't realise is when I'm not hanging out with them I'm by myself at home miserable and lonely. I have always loved exercise and started going to the gym a few years ago because I was teased a lot in high school for being too skinny. I managed to bulk up to the point where I get a lot of compliments on my physique and it makes me feel good about myself. Recently though I dislocated my shoulder and require surgery which will mean I can't go to the gym for 6 months and this really worries me. Not only is the gym "therapeutic" for me in that when I'm there my mind goes blank and any problem I'm currently having seems to fade away. I'm also really concerned about how I will react when I start losing all the muscle I've worked so hard due to the inactivity following surgery. I'm known amongst my friends and people I meet as the "fit athletic guy" and it feels like after I have this surgery I'll lose my "identity" and people won't be interested in me anymore. I just don't know what to do. Every negative emotion I'm faced with, the gym has always been my release and I won't have that for 6 months. I'm worried about how my mental health with fare during this time. What should I do?

Ambivalent SO MUCH MORE THAN DEPRESSION! BUT IDK WHATS WRONG WITH ME!
  • replies: 2

I'm currently diagnosed with dep and anx,but for the longest time I can't help but search for more than that because of how insane I feel sometimes it's scares me so much! But I don't tell any medical help this because I'm going to sound completely i... View more

I'm currently diagnosed with dep and anx,but for the longest time I can't help but search for more than that because of how insane I feel sometimes it's scares me so much! But I don't tell any medical help this because I'm going to sound completely insane!

TourmalineSpectacles First Hello from a high schooler
  • replies: 17

Hello there, hope you are well I am TourmalineSpectacles (or just Specs for short). Gender is male/ queer and pronouns are he/him. Had not seen professional help as of yet. Atrocious sleep patterns. To be honest, I have been considering joining these... View more

Hello there, hope you are well I am TourmalineSpectacles (or just Specs for short). Gender is male/ queer and pronouns are he/him. Had not seen professional help as of yet. Atrocious sleep patterns. To be honest, I have been considering joining these forums and/or seeking help for quite a while... maybe since 7th grade. I suppose I am here to find some support as I cannot rely on family due to having a bad relationship with them and i am not completely comfortable with sharing some of my problems with friends, knowing that they too are going through the high school and have their own hardships to face. This seems like a very safe, supportive and lovely community so it is important for me to try. So... problems-I have many. My home, school and social life all prove to be stressful. Being a person that wishes to have a masculine or androgynous representation, I struggle to fit in with my environment. I go to a 'girl school' and have a very feminine first name in the official records. There I am forced into an image of femininity due to the uniform and peers that do not know of my preferred name and pronouns. I feel extremely stressed whenever I am referred to by unfamiliar peers, not knowing when and how to explain who I am or if I should at all (which I know is irrational as the school is supportive of the LGBT+ community). Also, at the domestic scene, I feel rejected as I have very close-minded guardians that only believe in the cis gender binary identity. Among friends, the gender identity is much more accepted (which I am very thankful for), however, I still often get plagued by thoughts like 'no one truly believes I'm a guy'. It is one of the many reasons why I often experience hopelessness and the thinking I am worthless. Another main concern are friends. I am unable to say what I think a lot of the time because I am always thinking of consequences and the negative usually overrule the positives. Furthermore, my closest friends may be suffering from mental health issues and have suicidal thoughts and I worry for them. I know for sure that one of my best friends has depression and have seen professional help, and is prone to feeling really bad about themselves. A significant reason for coming here is to find out how to help them. Despite my shy nature, I would love for anyone to talk to me, share experiences or offer advice, so please do : ) Thanks for anyone who reads this

StressedReader Study Pressure
  • replies: 8

Hello, I am currently in my last term of year 11 and I plan to continue onto year 12. I am an academic student and my subjects can be quite challenging. I focus so much on my school work that it seems that is the only thing I do. But within the last ... View more

Hello, I am currently in my last term of year 11 and I plan to continue onto year 12. I am an academic student and my subjects can be quite challenging. I focus so much on my school work that it seems that is the only thing I do. But within the last six months, I have found that I have become completely weighed down by school work. I pressure myself so much to do well and get the top of every class that I become suffocated. I feel that I have an underlying need to be like my older brother (extremely academic, scored 98 ATAR) and I push myself so hard even though I know I will not be like him. The stress of school has become so bad for me lately that I have trouble focusing. I cry all the time for no reason and I cannot control my emotions on rare occasions. I have pushed many people away because "I need to study." I have several assessments due soon and I haven't even completed them because I become so stressed and distracted when I try to do them. I feel trapped by the school for the pressure and amount of work they expect us to complete. Perhaps I am over exaggerating but I really need the motivation and support to get me through. I fear that my stress and nerves will pull me down.

bsdfgakrn fear of "ghosts" and the dark
  • replies: 14

hey so im quite paranoid about "ghosts" existing ever since I was young I thought ghosts were real. My cousin scared me about it (hes a dick btw). I read books about ghosts, I did research about ghosts, Ive seen ghost video clips, Ive seen a movie ca... View more

hey so im quite paranoid about "ghosts" existing ever since I was young I thought ghosts were real. My cousin scared me about it (hes a dick btw). I read books about ghosts, I did research about ghosts, Ive seen ghost video clips, Ive seen a movie called "ghost" But yeah the major event that actually affected me the most was when I was younger, I watched a movie called "ghost" about someone who was shot then he becomes a ghost and manages to get his revenge on those who killed him. Ever since I saw that I thought ghosts existed for real and they'd be all around me If I were exercising in the morning, Id think there is a ghost nearby me it affects me most when at night because thats when I believe ghosts exist everywhere people talking about ghosts gives me the shivers looking at haunted places (for curiosity) seems curious yet I get scared at the same time this is affecting me please help

Zacmond New and not sure what to do
  • replies: 8

Hey, so I'm in high school, 17, and not feeling at all myself lately. I'm having a hard time with friends and family lately. I used to love all my friends and family, but even my best friends and family aren't making feel loved. My dad suffers from d... View more

Hey, so I'm in high school, 17, and not feeling at all myself lately. I'm having a hard time with friends and family lately. I used to love all my friends and family, but even my best friends and family aren't making feel loved. My dad suffers from depression, my sister recently was diagnosed with depression. life at home isn't the best, I feel like I'm always being yelled at and or getting into trouble for something I've done. I feel dad uses me as a scapegoat for everything. My parents are always fighting, constantly yelling at my sister and i. i feel so lonely, I feel like no one cares anymore. Most of my close friends are in relationships and are always seeing their partners. I don't feel like my usual happy self anymore and I don't know what I did to make myself feel like this or how I can fix it. My family has been pointing out to me that I'm not acting normal and it's making me even more mad for some reason. what can I do to become myself again and not feel so lonely in life?

Pysis Feeling like a failur
  • replies: 4

I'm 18 and I'm really struggling at the moment, I'm really really lonley and I just feel empty most of the time. I didn't really get to have a normal childhood frowning up and as a result I've never really had many friends. About grade 6 I lost the f... View more

I'm 18 and I'm really struggling at the moment, I'm really really lonley and I just feel empty most of the time. I didn't really get to have a normal childhood frowning up and as a result I've never really had many friends. About grade 6 I lost the feeling in my fingers and toes and as a result it became really hard for me to wright when I went to high school I found it particularly hard becuase we had to copy writing off the board. Half way through year 8 I ended up levying school and started distance education where my mum scribed for me. But in year 11 I was acussed of cheating and was told I wasn't allowed to finish high school as a result and I couldn't prove that I wasn't cheating so I just had to go with it. So half way through year 11 I left distance education and started a advanced certificate in zoo keeping. But the problem I, having now is I never got to have freinds my own age and I feel like a failur becuase I never finished high school. My father never finished school and I really don't want to end up like him he is very abusive and has cuased a lot of problems through out my life. As I said in a recent post there are a lot of other factors contributing to my depression but I don't know how to deal with any of them. i just feel like a falular all the time and I feel like a burden on everybody I care about especially one particular friend. I really just want to get back to being me and doing things but no one seems to understand or even care.

hateyourparty I feel like I'm going crazy!
  • replies: 1

My partner and I have been together on and off since high school, we are now 25 yo and married. I've always been an over thinking and hard to be with due to depression and anxiety, and my partner has always done his best to get through it in one piec... View more

My partner and I have been together on and off since high school, we are now 25 yo and married. I've always been an over thinking and hard to be with due to depression and anxiety, and my partner has always done his best to get through it in one piece, which still maintaining the person he is. You know how sometimes it's like you're anxiety expects the other person to change for you so you can just be at ease with every action they make? Well of course, in reality, we can't actually have that. Anyway, I find since moving to the city a few months ago my struggles are getting worse. I'm constantly freaking out about what he is doing, where he is doing, always comparing myself to the incredible girls that live here and feeling like he may want to leave me. Its getting to a point I'm finding myself breaking down over stupid things. For example, his brother bought us all tickets to a comedy act, and I got angry and cried about it, because my thought is instantly, great, his going to get drunk, be out all night, run a muck... But i was invited too... I'm going to be there... Shouldn't I be happy and excited? Or little things, like his friend is coming around this weekend for a visit, and I instantly have bad thoughts of what they're going to do, spend all night out the back getting wasted, while I sit in bed alone waiting for him to come to bed... I'm sure you've got the idea by now he is a drinker, and I have a problem with that, but I'm constantly being told I need to let him be who he wants. I feel like I'm becoming over baring and I know half of what I'm saying right now sounds completely metal. I literally feel like I'm losing it. I feel like I'm losing myself, and like all my trust and faith and everything good within myself is just getting sucked out of me. I feel so unstable and sometimes I feel like I may be better off alone just so I have 1000% control of what's happening around me and what's going on, and so I never have to worry about anyone else and those sort of conserns... I have the opposite reaction to anything that's supposed to be a happy time and instantly feel rage and sadness... Has anyone else ever felt anything like this before?

5to3 anxiety consumes my life - my story
  • replies: 4

hi, i'm new here i just wanted to share my story. i am 15 years old and i have suffered wit anxiety and on and off depression for almost 5 years. Earlier this year i was hospitalised because of my anxiety. when i get too anxious i vomit...i was vomit... View more

hi, i'm new here i just wanted to share my story. i am 15 years old and i have suffered wit anxiety and on and off depression for almost 5 years. Earlier this year i was hospitalised because of my anxiety. when i get too anxious i vomit...i was vomiting ever morning before school for about a week and the it got worse. i was vomiting uncontrollably for a few days and i could not leave my bed. i was sent to the doctor and he said if i didn't improve by tomorrow he would have to send me to the hospital. i stayed in emergency until 12pm and then i got discharged. but the next day i was still sick and we went back and were discharged again. on the third day we went back. they weighed me and i had lost 2 kilos is 2 days and i then only weighed 41 kilos. the admitted me again and i stayed for a week and was put on medication. i was not eating or drinking and i was seeing things. i eventually got better. i am now on medication and it seems to be keeping my anxiety in check or though i still get panic attacks and feeling anxious every day. it is a constant struggle to leave my house. i think i will be posting a lot on this website because it seems to be the only one where people actually respond and try to help. thanks for listening to my rant. any questions or comments are welcome

SushiCat Jealousy
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone (this is my first post so please tell me if I stuff things up), My school is putting on a musical, and both me and my friend really want to be in backstage crew. However my friend (who I'll call J) got into backstage crew and I didn't. J ... View more

Hi everyone (this is my first post so please tell me if I stuff things up), My school is putting on a musical, and both me and my friend really want to be in backstage crew. However my friend (who I'll call J) got into backstage crew and I didn't. J is so proud of herself and I know I should be really happy for her, but I just can't be, I'm too jealous. I know this is a slightly dumb thing to be sad about, but it is on top of another problem and I am not feeling great about either. I would appreciate it if anyone could reply and possibly help? Thanks loads for reading this. From SushiCat.