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.

All discussions

lil quirky School starting in a week
  • replies: 2

Hi all, lil quirky here,A week from school and I am dreading it but also want to go, I'm starting year 12 this year and am so anxious, everything fees like as tho it has changed. Last year toward the end of the year I lost my best friend, my dog of 1... View more

Hi all, lil quirky here,A week from school and I am dreading it but also want to go, I'm starting year 12 this year and am so anxious, everything fees like as tho it has changed. Last year toward the end of the year I lost my best friend, my dog of 18 years who I had spent my entire life with, and got a new dog after and it was too quick for me.Year 12 for me I can feel it already being super stressfull but fun at the same time, year 12 may be the worst but best year at the same time, don't get me started on the study I have to fit into my busy life and homework, and exams, and I am not a person who is good at all of that, I'd much rather do production and theatre studies production and stuff instead of the other exam stuff that I won't need in the future, rather than do it all plus afterschool activities.I can't deal with all of this stress of me being the eldest girl and having 3 younger brothers, a new puppy, a single mother, a dad with a new girlfriend and my dad has all his expectations of me going to uni when I dont want to, then on top of that, huge family drama, school stress that hasn't even started yet, and friend drama.I have made a really great group of friends from when we moved from a rural place to more in the city, but having friends comes with the bad things, when someone in the friendship group doesn't really know you and doesn't make the effort to get to know you and seems like they don't like you, you get excluded and aren't welcome in some meet ups, and they spread things around about you that aren't true and tell others that you said something that you would never say, and are trying to turn people against you. It really does suck.This year has some good things about it though, like 18ths, production, theatre studies, finishing school, last days, swimming carnivals, athletics where we get to dress up etc. they all still come with lots of stress, but what doesn't these days.This year may be a rollercoaster, I don't know what do do about that, maybe I can't do anything.Thank you for reading my vent and reading why I am terrified for this year. I hope you have a wonderful year -lil quirky

Gothamfan I still have no friends
  • replies: 1

Hello, so I haven’t been on these forums for a long time but I wanted to come back to them. Around November 2021 I think it was, I made thread/discussion where I talked about how I had recently lost my friends and how I was having a hard time, a year... View more

Hello, so I haven’t been on these forums for a long time but I wanted to come back to them. Around November 2021 I think it was, I made thread/discussion where I talked about how I had recently lost my friends and how I was having a hard time, a year later I’m still having a very hard time. I didn’t realise at that time but that experience gave me trust issues and a fear of being abandoned, I would say it was a build up of unstable relationships over the years but this pushed me over the edge. I now am so scared of being left I never tell anyone anything I don’t open up anymore. I feel like I haven’t been happy in so long and I miss it so much. This past year I have really reached an all time low. I don’t have anyone close enough to talk to about this. I am surrounded by people but I am still so lonely. One thing I have learned from my experiences is that how others treat you is not a reflection of who you are. Sometimes people are just going to be mean and you can’t control that by changing yourself into something they want. thank you for listening I really wanted to come back and update and just share my experience and thoughts. This wasn’t very in-depth but I just don’t have the words to express myself.

_Colleen_ How does someone dig themselves out?
  • replies: 1

Howdy, I’m just wanting to seek advice for someone stuck both mentally and emotionally. How does one dig themselves out of a turmoil tunnel? I thought I had good coping mechanisms but since four months ago my life has changed physically that I don’t ... View more

Howdy, I’m just wanting to seek advice for someone stuck both mentally and emotionally. How does one dig themselves out of a turmoil tunnel? I thought I had good coping mechanisms but since four months ago my life has changed physically that I don’t think I’ve been able to handle/cope with it. So I’m seeking advice for techniques or coping mechanisms that’s helped someone dig themselves out of their tunnel

jemily i dont know what to do with my life anymore.
  • replies: 1

im currently in high school and i recently got a boyfriend after escaping an emotionally abusive relationship. there was a lot of problems (often that were blamed on me) that caused my feelings of guilt, anxiety, paranoia and just a lot of other thin... View more

im currently in high school and i recently got a boyfriend after escaping an emotionally abusive relationship. there was a lot of problems (often that were blamed on me) that caused my feelings of guilt, anxiety, paranoia and just a lot of other things. i developed something thats related to not being able to eat anymore. i feel sick every time i do, i can go days without eating or even noticing that my stomach is trying to eat itself. though, back to my main point, i need to get help with this and

Richardb3 How do I get a girlfriend
  • replies: 15

How can I get a girlfriend ? You would think you could just cruise through life and it would happen naturally, but I have realised that this is not the case. I am so depressed all the time now. How can I overcome this?

How can I get a girlfriend ? You would think you could just cruise through life and it would happen naturally, but I have realised that this is not the case. I am so depressed all the time now. How can I overcome this?

idkrn i thought it would be better
  • replies: 5

I always thought if I got through highschool things would get better, but I feel worse than ever before. I'm so tired all the time. I'm trying so hard to stay positive for everyone else. Does it ever get better?

I always thought if I got through highschool things would get better, but I feel worse than ever before. I'm so tired all the time. I'm trying so hard to stay positive for everyone else. Does it ever get better?

Laura74 Hello !
  • replies: 4

hey there! I am a young person who has always only had myself to rely on. I have always dealt with issues on my own and I have recently, in the past year wanted to reach out to someone, I just never knew where to start. Most recently though, I have r... View more

hey there! I am a young person who has always only had myself to rely on. I have always dealt with issues on my own and I have recently, in the past year wanted to reach out to someone, I just never knew where to start. Most recently though, I have realised that I don't want to continue feeling like this forever. For a long while now, I have felt very detached from reality and I started researching and found a lot on depersonalisation and derealisation disorders. What I experience may not be exactly that, but something along those lines. It can make me incredibly upset to feel this way constantly and it always feels like I'm dreaming and I'm never in reality. It affects my memory and concentration too since I always feel zoned out. I would love to make good memories and truly live in the beautiful moments in my life. I have done quite a bit of research on psychologists and psychiatrists in my city. I just don't really know where to start or who to see first.I am happy with my family, but I am still scared to bring up the idea of me wanting to see someone. I feel awkward talking about it, that's all. It's hard for me to open up and I don't really want to talk about it with my parents. I'm quite certain they would come up with a solution, but I cant help feeling incredibly awkward. All I want to do is talk to someone who would understand more about my problem and I would love to get help. I am always in a constant state of detachment from reality where my life doesn't feel like my own, nothing feels real, I can't remember a lot of things and I have a strong feeling of un-familiarity with everything including people.Anyway, I hope to get back on track and will be able to talk to someone and get help in the new year! I hope everyone here had a happy Christmas and I wish you all the best for the new year!

Spl spl Ghosting all of my friends... help?
  • replies: 16

Hey everyone, hope someone can give me an outside perspective to what is pretty much the root of my anxiety at the moment. I have a horrible habit of not staying in contact with people. In real life (and with family) I'm fine, but online it's become ... View more

Hey everyone, hope someone can give me an outside perspective to what is pretty much the root of my anxiety at the moment. I have a horrible habit of not staying in contact with people. In real life (and with family) I'm fine, but online it's become a huge issue. I just finished year 12 and obviously I should want to keep in contact with my friends, however I haven't even tried talking to any of them online since November. I haven't been able to snap out of this feeling of anxiety, bite the bullet, and send them a message. I avoid social media, my phone has been dead for 2 months now, and I've pretty much gone off the radar where neither one of us can reach the other. Even recently a close online friend messaged me on a certain website, but I freaked out and have avoided going on that website for almost 2 weeks now. In the past I have just ignored phones ringing or deleted apps because I just couldn't bear talking to anyone. I could message my friends on a whim, but the thing is after they reply back, there is no guarantee I wouldn't avoid them afterwards. It just ends up being this big cycle where I avoid people for months then be in contact for about a week or so. I have very big feelings of guilt from doing this, since I know most people aren't cool with not being in contact with someone for months unlike me. My relationships have certainly suffered and my reputation has taken a hit as well. Any advice to stop ghosting people?

Just_a_guy No job, no money and soon nowhere to live
  • replies: 15

A couple of months ago I was told I was no longer needed at my job, I am 25 and rent a house. I only moved out of my parents because they didn't have the room for me ( 3 other kids and only a 2 bedroom house ). I don't have much family around and the... View more

A couple of months ago I was told I was no longer needed at my job, I am 25 and rent a house. I only moved out of my parents because they didn't have the room for me ( 3 other kids and only a 2 bedroom house ). I don't have much family around and the ones I do have don't have enough money for themselves. I am a month behind on rent, I have no food left in the house, no petrol for my car (so getting to interviews or jobs is suddenly a lot harder), my phone will get cut off soon so I won't be able to apply for jobs (or even come back on here) and I have a dog who is the only thing that has kept me going this year ( it has been a tough year, already been homeless once) but I will have to give her up because I can't feed her. I have been to so many interviews and applied for government assistance, but keep getting rejected. Not sure what I am meant to do, my family has done all they can and I don't have a lot of friends (I seriously have 2, one still lives with his mum and works 10 hours a week and the other also lives with her mum but suffers from multiple disabilities and can barely afford to keep herself alive), so I really not sure what I am meant to do other then let everything fall apart around me and go back to living in my car on the side of the road. Usually I am able to keep pretty positive, but it's just been so hard this year and especially the last few months I just don't have it in me anymore. I'm not sure what I expect from coming on here and complaining, but I have tried everything I can think of and just need some advice.

TheBox How to get a PSD?
  • replies: 1

Hello! I’m Odie, and i’m a 14, nearly 15, year old who struggles with a variety of mental health conditions, such as autism, ADHD, tic disorder, dissociation disorder, OCD, eating disorders, and chronic anxiety and depression (quite an impressive lis... View more

Hello! I’m Odie, and i’m a 14, nearly 15, year old who struggles with a variety of mental health conditions, such as autism, ADHD, tic disorder, dissociation disorder, OCD, eating disorders, and chronic anxiety and depression (quite an impressive list unfortunately.)Recently i’ve been looking into getting a service animal for my psychiatric conditions, but i’m not sure how to go about this as i am so young. i have a psychologist who i see every 2 week—to-couple of days depending on my mental state and take 2 types of medication regularly (one for ADHD and the other for anxiety), but i feel a service animal would benefit me a lot, specifically regarding my dissociation issues, OCD and depression.I think one of the main reasons i’m scared of talking to people about this is because i’m afraid of other peoples opinions and people seeing me as lesser than them or ‘dumb’ because my ideas are either not well thought out or i don’t present and portray them well, thus making it hard to even bring this up with people in the first place.i love my mum, but i don’t think with her would be a good place to start in this, as she’s not well educated and i’m afraid she’ll think i just want it for the attention or because i think it’s ‘cool’ to have a service animal (which is absolutely not the case.)i already have a dog and a cat, but my dog is 12 going on 13 and is nowhere near fit for the job. i do have NDIS funding for myself however so from what i know that could possibly help with funding?if anyone has any information or tips on this subject anything would be useful at the moment.