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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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eth93 Choosing between what you love and who you love..
  • replies: 5

I feel a tad bad for posting this on here as it is probably kind of trivial. It’s just something that has been on my mind for quite some time now. I’m having trouble choosing where I am going in life career wise. I was always brought up to chase your... View more

I feel a tad bad for posting this on here as it is probably kind of trivial. It’s just something that has been on my mind for quite some time now. I’m having trouble choosing where I am going in life career wise. I was always brought up to chase your passions and not money. And that its much better to live a poor life doing something you love, then to live a rich life doing something you hate. But.. Incomes my mother. She raised us five children as a single parent. Working crappy odd jobs to put food on our table and a roof over our head. This means that we never really had much money, and still to this day she lives pay check to pay check. I’m the middle child, but for whatever reason I have taken on the role of the protector. I feel it is up to me to protect and support her. Not so much nowadays but in ten or so years when she is just to old to continue working. I know for a fact that I currently have more money sitting in my super account then she does. And I am forever hearing just how hard it is to survive on the old age pension, especially when you don’t own your own home. So here I am. Stuck between doing something I love, or chasing the money. I know exactly what my mum would say. But I can’t help but think that it is my duty to look after her and to give her the life that she really deserves.

that_crazy_araneologist Newbie here, excited to make friends!
  • replies: 10

I've posted on other forums before, but I get a little anxious and tend to procrastinate going back....but this one, I'm going to try a little harder so, I should start with a few things about myself, I guess....I have anxiety and on/off depression, ... View more

I've posted on other forums before, but I get a little anxious and tend to procrastinate going back....but this one, I'm going to try a little harder so, I should start with a few things about myself, I guess....I have anxiety and on/off depression, but I'm finding new ways to manage it that suit me better than cognitive therapy or medication. Idk, I'm just like that....I learn in a very specific way, just like my dad, by pulling something apart and putting it back together piece by piece to understand it, rather than read the manual or tutorial. I think that's what I've started doing with myself, and it feels much better as you may have guessed by my user, I am an avid lover of all things spider related! I really enjoy studying spiders and watching them (I considered capturing a few, but then I realised the information I am looking for won't come from a synthetic environment, so I just quietly watch them outside now, sometimes for hours XD but that's okay, I love to be outdoors) I used to be a literal arachnophobe, but I am not one to view people or things from only one perspective, so i applied that to my phobia and started catching glimpses of a world that I never saw before....and I was hooked from there I think I have discovered a lot about spirituality and the effect of thoughts which you project in my studies as well, something I never imagined I would say. I try to explain to my terrified mother my exciting discovery, but she doesn't want to hear XD fair enough, I've been her before hahaha. I wish I could share with more frightened people the things I have found....I won't go into it too much here, because well, I will go over the word limit hehehe....but I will say, I trust this ideology so much so, that I will let white-tailed spiders crawl on me everyone is calling me nuts, but they don't see, not like I do. Or feel I guess I should say ANYWAY. I am really really looking for new friends which I can relate to. I'm extremely introverted, I almost prefer silence than talking, and I spend a lot of time in my head....not ofteh overthinking, more doing a heck of a lot of creative thought. I also think about prehistory and connect dots a lot. But that's beside the point, i mean to say I do really want friends that don't mind the inevitable awkwardness....idk, shoot me a reply if I haven't already put you off XD

Rhicooper7 I feel like I'm boring
  • replies: 13

All the other people I know my age (I'm almost 17) are going to parties and experimenting with drugs and alcohol and I'm unpopular and ugly so I've never been to a party or been invited I feel like I'm wasting my teenage years while everyone around m... View more

All the other people I know my age (I'm almost 17) are going to parties and experimenting with drugs and alcohol and I'm unpopular and ugly so I've never been to a party or been invited I feel like I'm wasting my teenage years while everyone around me is having fun I don't want to look back and regret being a shut in because people didn't like me does anyone else feel this way and is there anyway to fix it

Xaricus Depression from loneliness
  • replies: 4

I'm 20 and in Uni. I never had friends before but I would like to have some.I have bad social anxiety and some amount of social awkwardness. I find it very, very tough to approach people. I went to my university counsellor, and it didn't help. Someti... View more

I'm 20 and in Uni. I never had friends before but I would like to have some.I have bad social anxiety and some amount of social awkwardness. I find it very, very tough to approach people. I went to my university counsellor, and it didn't help. Sometimes I post memes of my depression on 9gag for advice but people just kept on saying that it will be better. Many tell me to start exercising but I can't as I have no will whatsoever right now. I think it's effecting my studies. I have no hobbies except playing video games. I started drinking and smoking to deal with the pain but I don't do them often as cigarettes are expensive and I don't like the taste of alcohol. How do I make friends? (Be as detailed as possible)

emmabella very lonely
  • replies: 3

I haven't had a friend for 2 years. I'm still in school and I've tried so hard (but not forcefully) to connect to people, but everyone is always never interested. I guess it's okay because a lot of people don't have anyone close, but all my psychiatr... View more

I haven't had a friend for 2 years. I'm still in school and I've tried so hard (but not forcefully) to connect to people, but everyone is always never interested. I guess it's okay because a lot of people don't have anyone close, but all my psychiatrist talks about my 'loss of connection'. I'm working hard on self care, building my knowledge and I would like to say im quite optimistic and non-judgemental but I do have slip ups. I have schizophrenia, high functioning autism and ptsd, but I am very good at controlling my emotions in public. Am I doing something wrong?? I just want to be special to someone.

Rhicooper7 He used me for sex
  • replies: 9

I was friends with this guy for a while probably about a year before all this had happened we were pretty close for a while he had been dropping subtle hints at wanting more which I had kind of been playing off as I didn't feel anything like that but... View more

I was friends with this guy for a while probably about a year before all this had happened we were pretty close for a while he had been dropping subtle hints at wanting more which I had kind of been playing off as I didn't feel anything like that but he still persisted and then I started to feel the same way one night I was really sad and turned to him as a friend for comfort and things escalated into something more it's been continuing like that this whole year we had never talked about commitment or anything like that I wanted it but was too scared to bring it up because he lives a few hours from me the relationship had escalated to sending naked pictures and sexual things happening over Skype he came to visit me and we had sex and I tried to bring up the topic of "us" but he shut me down he went home and we continued as normal I haven't been speaking to any other guys beyond my friends as well as not wanting to feel like I've betrayed him other guys don't take an interest in me and never have until him which is has been really hard for me to deal with and made me very sad and self conscious which he knows he recently told me he was talking to three other girls two that are further from him than me and one that lives in the same place as him which he also had sex with he said that he also told the other girls they were all fine with it I said I was too as we had no specified commitment in reality I was and still am pretty upset and he also keeps shutting down any talk of a relationship and he said we had sex but we're not dating that's it I feel very used especially cause it was my first time what should I do

missjbear Why do I feel worse?
  • replies: 1

Hi, I have anxiety and depression and the people in my life who are aware are generally very understanding and supportive some of whom also suffer from depression and/or anxiety. A few people in my life don't know or don't understand but they try to ... View more

Hi, I have anxiety and depression and the people in my life who are aware are generally very understanding and supportive some of whom also suffer from depression and/or anxiety. A few people in my life don't know or don't understand but they try to sometimes. I don't know why but when people are understanding and nice it makes me feel worse and I don't know why? Does anyone else feel this? My sister just rang me and asked if I wanted to get out of the house because I didn't sound myself. Nothing to out of my comfort zone either she asked if I wanted to have a kebab and hang out with her and her house. She was so nice and gentle about it I got more upset. Why? I don't understand. I don't know what's going on.

A1 Stuck in an endless loop
  • replies: 2

I feel so empty inside and like an alien to everyone around me and it always gets me angry and upset just seeing people and groups of friends around me laughing and joking around wishing I could be like that but I can't even keep a damn friendship or... View more

I feel so empty inside and like an alien to everyone around me and it always gets me angry and upset just seeing people and groups of friends around me laughing and joking around wishing I could be like that but I can't even keep a damn friendship or relationship without some bs happening, I feel misunderstood, that everyone's out to get me and looks down on me, I feel so ignored and people at school just see me as some random, weird person. My self-esteem's been pretty high and I'm the fittest and strongest I've been my whole life but I'm doing horrible at school and i can't get myself to focus on studying, homework, etc and I always get low and depressed just thinking about schoolwork because it just reminds me of so much negative things and it's just all gonna come back around and I'm gonna mess up everything at school. And as for the dreams I have in life, I've hardly opened up on them because I feel that people are just gonna bring me down for it and they'll just end up getting crushed. I dunno what I'm doing at this point and don't know how I'll end up in the future

Dan4 Feeling alone, have a big heavy load on my back
  • replies: 5

I'm 19 and have always questioned my mental Health. At school I considered my self as a lone wolf, I had many friends but they where always separated by different friend groups, and I was everywhere but nowhere at the same time. At the end of the day... View more

I'm 19 and have always questioned my mental Health. At school I considered my self as a lone wolf, I had many friends but they where always separated by different friend groups, and I was everywhere but nowhere at the same time. At the end of the day I would always feel alone and would be the one to make the effort 70% of the time. By year 12 I was at my peak of athleticism and would spend my days training with a small group of school athletes but always felt "left out and forgotten." That sport season ended and I was detached from them entirely. I would attend parties uninvited and turned to alcohol to find happiness on weekends. I met a beautiful girl at the end of my schooling.I had never wanted someone so badly and it was the first time I felt a connection deeper. She was popular and there where other guys than just me. I had to leave her to go on a years exhange to Brazil and it was the hardest thing, too leave this girl who I had only just won over and fell in love with, someone who filled the emptyness in me. Brazil was exciting but I experienced mind boggling loneliness. I would stare at the ceiling for hours, stressing over what was happening back home, who she was with etc. I'd travel on public transport for hours to get anywhere in a foreign country feeling sad and by the end of 5 months i hit bottom. I was sick in the head and it hit me physically, my hands peeled and my skin went pale. The girl I loved had been seeing other guys and i had stayed loyal to her. When I went out I never enjoyed myself and would wish i was home back in Australia. I had to be drunk to break the sadness. I finally gave up and flew home, after pressure from my parents and friends to stay in Brazil. I ran straight back to this girl who also went through distress when I was gone. It's hard to blame her, she was only 16, but she caused a lot of pain. She was also my only remedy. I'm still with her. She's the only one that really cares for me. My relationship with my family is very distant. I'm at uni now and I've made few friends, I barely go out on weekends and spend some days not even saying a word. Uni is like carrying a heavy weight up a hill, I feel so bogged and stressed about it yet I spend no time studying. Even when I do get invited to things I often feel like it's too big of an effort. I hope someone can respond as I feel I need to get somethings off my chest. I don't feel comfortable talking to anyone I know, even my girlfriend.

Sabrinaaa Homeless or depression
  • replies: 2

I have suffered from depression and anxiety in the past but have been off my medication for over a year and have been my happiest self recently. Although, my mother has told me that if I don't go see a psychiatrist for bipolar disorder and admit that... View more

I have suffered from depression and anxiety in the past but have been off my medication for over a year and have been my happiest self recently. Although, my mother has told me that if I don't go see a psychiatrist for bipolar disorder and admit that "something is wrong with me" I have to move out. Her reasons for diagnosing me with bipolar is that I am a little overweight, eat a lot of sweets, watch tv when I'm not studying and apparently "split-hairs". She has spoken to my brother and sister about it and "they have all come to the conclusion that I must be in denial of my new condition". I do not think their is anything wrong with me. I know what depression feels like, I know what anxiety feels like and I know that I am in a good stage of my life right now. I don't want to have to admit to a condition I don't have in order to stay in my home. I feel like if I was to do that I would be going back in my steps to be where I am today. I don't think I'm mentally ill, I just think I'm a lazy 19 year old. Yes I don't vacuum the house, or empty the dishwasher without being reminded 3 times. But it's just because I don't think about it. She thinks I'm always mean to her, and, in some cases I am. But it's hard to be nice and chirpy towards someone when just yesterday they were telling you your fat or that your selfish. What should I do?