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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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Liza_O12 I think I'm in denial about being depressed and my friends dont care.
  • replies: 19

I struggle to get out of bed every day, I feel sad almost ALL the time and I have Lots of symptoms of a depressed person but I am very good at hiding it. I get to school and I'm a bubbly, funny and happy person who's kind to everyone. That's why I'm ... View more

I struggle to get out of bed every day, I feel sad almost ALL the time and I have Lots of symptoms of a depressed person but I am very good at hiding it. I get to school and I'm a bubbly, funny and happy person who's kind to everyone. That's why I'm still debating whether or not I'm depressed, because I can 'snap out of it' so easily. It's still there, in the back of my mind, but I can push it away. i don't think it's healthy to hide it the whole time. Recently I had an argument with my friends at school which somehow ended up in me telling them that I have been struggling with feelings of anxiety and depression, which I had never told anyone. It resulted in them saying 'they wish they knew so they could help' but since then, no one has talked to me about it. I'm not even sure they're my real friends anymore. That's why I miss so many days of school, because I don't think I fit in. sorry if my writing is all over the place, I'm just trying to write how I feel and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Basically, high school sucks and feeling anxious and depressed sucks even more. Writing on this forum is a big step for me, because for a long time I've been debating whether or not how I'm feeling is hormones or something more.

_Piper_ Questioning sexuality
  • replies: 5

I'm fifteen and am in year nine at high school. I have been questioning my sexuality for a few years now but only recently have actually accepted that I like girls as well as boys. I'm too scared to tell anyone as I know what people will think and th... View more

I'm fifteen and am in year nine at high school. I have been questioning my sexuality for a few years now but only recently have actually accepted that I like girls as well as boys. I'm too scared to tell anyone as I know what people will think and the stereotypes they will attach to me. I'm not quite sure how my parents will react either. They're not homophobic but we've never really discussed their opinion in the matter. I don't even feel as if I can tell my friends as I know how rumours and gossip spread as I go to a school where half the students are incredibly homophobic and half are te complete opposite. I guess I just need some advice as to what to do. I feel like I need to tell someone but I don't know who.

waynetrain I feel nothing i dont know what to do ,im 14
  • replies: 2

Ive been feeling like this for a while i used to have comforts when i was a kid but now theres nothing im starting to think ive got some sort of mental illness or ive got PTSD but its so hard to explain to someone its like im on cruise control just g... View more

Ive been feeling like this for a while i used to have comforts when i was a kid but now theres nothing im starting to think ive got some sort of mental illness or ive got PTSD but its so hard to explain to someone its like im on cruise control just going through life can someone help

Josh101 LOST
  • replies: 2

Hey guys, I'm 21 and this is the first time i've ever reached out to anybody for help with my mental health. Lately i've been feeling strange and I wouldn't call this feeling new i'd just say that I don't like it. So far in my life i've had a lot of ... View more

Hey guys, I'm 21 and this is the first time i've ever reached out to anybody for help with my mental health. Lately i've been feeling strange and I wouldn't call this feeling new i'd just say that I don't like it. So far in my life i've had a lot of ups and downs. As i'm sure everyone has and so far i've known how to deal with these emotions and life. However lately i've felt very alone. This feeling comes from: 1. Past relationships ending 2. Social anxiety (not being able to talk to people the same as I could before 3.University and the workload that comes with it 4. Not having any time for myself I know these are common issues for somebody my age however I find i'm constantly thinking about them and cannot no matter how hard I try STOP! I also feel lost in life so far i've done a lot of travel and met a lot of friends, however even if i'm in a room surrounded by people I still feel alone. This is me putting my heart on a plate and this isn't a common occurence however i've come to the conclusion that I need help even if it's just from random people on a forum. If you can give me any advice/ideas that'd be great because anything that could help would be very appreciated. Thankyou and Peace and Love

Bompton Im scared in my own house
  • replies: 9

Please help guys. My life is really bad im 15. I wish i could control myself but at school im a different person and im getting in so much trouble. I really want to become a better person but I dont have any support to do it. I get in trouble for so ... View more

Please help guys. My life is really bad im 15. I wish i could control myself but at school im a different person and im getting in so much trouble. I really want to become a better person but I dont have any support to do it. I get in trouble for so many things and my parents are really mad about it. They said that if I do something else they would kick me out of the house. Ive posted in other websites and they advised me to call the police but I dont want my parents to be in any trouble, I just wanna live a normal life and be happy with my family.

help_me1 My friend didn't show up and I was left alone at lunch. My depression and anxiety took over.
  • replies: 3

So I have extremely high anxiety and depression. My life changed after a traumatic experience last year and I haven't been the same. I'm in year 8 and I've started at a new school this year and somehow I've ended up from having 15 friends to having 1... View more

So I have extremely high anxiety and depression. My life changed after a traumatic experience last year and I haven't been the same. I'm in year 8 and I've started at a new school this year and somehow I've ended up from having 15 friends to having 1. This happened in the span of 2 weeks. My only friend has been really sick and won't be coming to school this week and today I was left alone to sit at both breaks. No one talked to me and I was left to sit by my self. I tried to socialise at lunch but my social anxiety took over. At my old school I didn't have anyone to talk to or hang out with at breaks. I was left in my own thoughts and that's what it's starting to feel like at this new school. Even when my friend is there I feel alone. He's my best friend but yet we both know we're the only friends we're ever going to have at that school. But because my friend wasn't there I was fighting back tears because a flood of memories from my old school came back. It wasn't fun holding back tears all day. If anyone has ANY advice on how to get me through these days please tell me. I don't have therapy until Thursday and all I want to do is stay in bed and cry.

tjStrikk Really struggling in the past year or so.
  • replies: 6

Got a few separate topics to discuss as well as adding more context, so pause your replies for a bit sorry. I can only fit the first topic here. Anyway, the last year or so has been really very stressful for my parents (I'm 16), and although there's ... View more

Got a few separate topics to discuss as well as adding more context, so pause your replies for a bit sorry. I can only fit the first topic here. Anyway, the last year or so has been really very stressful for my parents (I'm 16), and although there's always been something out of our control that comes in and ruins the day for years, lately it's escalated massively. We all see the light at the end of this tunnel of stress and hardship (financially and otherwise) but that doesn't make it significantly easier to cope in the present. I'm walking on eggshells whenever I'm around my parents, so that's pretty much all day every day since I'm enrolled in Distance learning. School (actual "go to school" school) used to be my escape, and every day I'd come home to someone on the phone yelling at the ISP, real estate agent, workplace, etc. For the past two years I haven't had that escape, I've just been at home all the time. I didn't keep in touch with my friends from my old school because although they were friends at school, I never saw myself doing anything with them outside of school y'know? Just those sort of people. It's just such a tense atmosphere at home, and the days where my parents are out for a few hours are the happiest and most productive regarding exercise, schoolwork and other studying/learning. They're at 99% capacity 24/7 and I hate what they go through, especially my dad, because he has to see a physio for the issues it causes physically. I struggle to work in this environment, as does my dad who's building a website and about to launch it, but every time I tell them I'm falling behind, they explode. Not so much going off at me, but it's the one thing that makes the stress levels hit 100%. It just becomes one thing too much. So I hide it, and I fall behind, try to catch up before the teachers contact them, but that never works and then it's the fact that I lied to them. They think that if I really cared about reducing the stress I'd just do the work, and that should be my incentive. (I've always struggled with finding motivation with school work, but without friends and a calm environment, I struggle so much more) I only try to hide it because, from past experience, every time they find out, regardless if I tell or the teachers do, it becomes too much to handle. (so many commas wow this has really infected me ._.) The way my parents are right now is completely justified, so I'm not mad at them in that regard, I just can't deal with it much longer.

Whatsgoingon Hi and Help
  • replies: 2

Hi Everyone, First time posting in one of these forums. And I'd like to thank you in advance for your time. To give you a general overview about me. I'm male and 24 years of age. I've always had social anxiety issues as well as a few years of bad obs... View more

Hi Everyone, First time posting in one of these forums. And I'd like to thank you in advance for your time. To give you a general overview about me. I'm male and 24 years of age. I've always had social anxiety issues as well as a few years of bad obsessive thoughts in my teens which required the intervention of medication. Through these early years of obsessive thinking I did develop derealization - which I learnt to live with quite comfortably. I have dabbled in recreational drug use with both some bad and good experiences. Namely one of my worst experience was terrible reaction to speed which forced me to be held up in bed for a few days. Other than that I'm your average guy who really enjoyed my sport and working out. Now whilst things had not been perfect (namely my social retardation) - I had been living a rather normal life. Last year I started working at a company that very much undervalued its employees - in turn I developed a great distaste for one person in management. I ended up leaving the company after 8 months. I moved in with my parents for a few weeks and this is where my pain began (this has nothing to do with my parents btw). About three weeks into my stay my parents had some friends over - I had a really awkward encounter with them (honestly it was really just me acting like my normal awkward self), anyway that night I woke up and really felt disconnected from myself. I straight away thought it must have been depersonalization - I really could not recognize myself in the mirror. 10 months on and I'm still not back to a 'normal' comfortable version of myself. Everyday feels like the reset button has been pushed and I don't really know who I am. I really struggle to remember things and even find it hard to know what day it is. The not knowing the day is really concerning to me, it's as if the date doesn't really mean anything to me anymore. I started taking medication which made me super anxious - I stopped this after 6 months and am now on Za different antidepressant which has probably slightly helped. I see both a psychologist and psychiatrist however I feel as though I'm getting nothing out of seeing the psychologist as my mind and how I'm going to feel day to day changes so drastically. Like what's the point in trying to tackle my socially issues and what not if I've got no consistency in how I feel on any particular day.

Tom43 Girlfriend broke up after shift in personality - Depression or/and Aromantic?
  • replies: 25

Hi everyone, this situation is stressful and confusing for me. I am worried about her. My girlfriend and I dated for 10 months. I loved her for her enthusiasm, sense of humour, amazing conversations, her beauty, we got on so well. She came out to me ... View more

Hi everyone, this situation is stressful and confusing for me. I am worried about her. My girlfriend and I dated for 10 months. I loved her for her enthusiasm, sense of humour, amazing conversations, her beauty, we got on so well. She came out to me as asexual and after some research didn't worry me, keeping communication open. As uni started this year, after a wonderful 8 months together, she suddenly began to act distant. In the first week we had a few arguments but sorted it out. After this though, she just shut down, refusing to talk to me, snapping at me and avoiding affection, but was fine to everyone else. This continued for a week before I asked her what was wrong and she said she had lost feelings for me. I agreed to give her some time to think but the next day we resolved that I may have been too clingy the last few weeks and I promised to back off. We returned to semi normal but she would often snap at me, she was getting barely any sleep, falling asleep in class and was stressing over the workload. A month later, she shut down again, almost refusing to have anything to do with me. We went to a friends party where she sulked and sat on her phone the whole night. From here, everytime I saw her, she treated me like I was a creep, snapping at me, ignoring me and I felt terrible, this was very draining for me. Thinking stress was the cause, I took her to the park to unwind and talk but she closed up with her head in her knees saying she wasn't enjoying anything. We had graduation, where she looked burnt out and unhealthy, she was nice to everyone but me. Another week passed of her avoiding me, refusing to talk, snapping. I thought a reason could have been the arguments we had and asked if we could move on, but she said that wasn't it and had lost all feeling for me and now identifued as aromantic. A few days later she broke up with a lengthy letter wishing to be friends but now she doesn't want to be friends either, treating me like a stranger and acting very cold. She has continued to look very burnt out and almost failed her last assignment which is very unlike her. Others have started to mention her, noticing her change in personality too. She definitely is not herself and I really miss her. What this could mean? After researching, a lot of her symptoms align with depression. She has always shown some unusual social traits too. I am leaving her alone as I feel any push by me will drive her further away. Is there anything I can do? Thank you

crampmystyles Anxiety about going to war?
  • replies: 1

Hey all, I'm glad to see that there are fellow members who are also majorly anxious and scared about possibly wars/big scale disaster events etc. With North Korea claiming to have this massive bomb now, and the possibility of WW3 happening, it's got ... View more

Hey all, I'm glad to see that there are fellow members who are also majorly anxious and scared about possibly wars/big scale disaster events etc. With North Korea claiming to have this massive bomb now, and the possibility of WW3 happening, it's got me thinking... Has conscription/being drafted stopped in Australia? Will it be picked up again? I'm quite dumb about these things and quite honestly, the thought of me having to go to war makes me so anxious I can't think of anything else. I also read that if you have anxiety or depression, it means you can't go to war, though. Forgive me if this post seems a bit all over the place. This kind of stuff just majorly freaks me out. Cheers.