Young people

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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 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!

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 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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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 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.

need... something?

replies: 2

i recently found out my father has been underpaying child support by about 100-200 dollars (AUS) i do not know how to feel about this fact, and with my father not being around/being a douchebag and that he told me he sent that money "because he felt like it" and that "if i ever do blah blah blah again he would stop sending my mum money and we would be in shambles" then my mum (bless her soul) explained in a more enlightening way by explain that he HAD to send it and that he is underpaying. she told me not to worry but (spoilers) IM WORRIED. idk if i should convince my mum to go to small claims but she says that my dad is a slippery lil bugger and will find a way to avoid the case. just want some help signing off, SilverSaysGoodBye

I am worried about the future and I don't know what to do

replies: 5

Hi everyoneI am writing this because I really really don’t know who to talk to or what to do. And I am sorry, as well, if some of what I write doesn’t make much sense or is ordered weirdly.I don’t know how to say this. Since I was young, I’ve had problems with shyness and social anxiety. I could hardly talk to people.I have just one friend (who lives on the other side of the world) and my sister says I’m “very socially isolated” (which makes me feel bad though this isn’t her intention).I'm 20 (finishing my second year of university). I got help for my anxiety when I was 17 and it did make a difference. I believe things would be a lot worse now if I hadn’t.But this year I barely speak to anyone. In the beginning, I felt so anxious, the way I was when I was much younger. Sometimes I would struggle just to say my name. Later, I felt less anxious, but I often feel indescribably sad, the worst I have felt in my life. I just feel crushed. I don’t know how to write this. Often I feel this deep emptiness or pain in my chest.I am so worried about the future. I’m studying engineering of all things. The study is difficult, but I feel like I can manage, and I actually love the things we learn. (There are not many other girls in my classes which makes things more difficult though.)Mainly I’m worried because in order to finish my degree I have to do things like volunteer, do internships/vacation work, join relevant clubs, things like that.I have been avoiding these things for a while because I was scared, but it’s come to a point where I can’t anymore. I am so scared and worried about how I will be able to do them. I even think these things could be fun, but I find it so difficult to talk to people or be confident. I just feel useless. I'm worried I will never reach my dreams.I can’t bring myself to talk to anyone besides my mum about this. I’m worried it all just sounds like a big excuse and I should be able to handle it on my own.Anyway, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this. I'm sorry this is so long and I have left out things. Thank you again.

Exhaustion is exhausting

replies: 2

I have tried so hard, I have spent every second moment thinking about chores and school. it just doesn't stop it won't end I'm so tired all the time and every one wants me to improve all of the time I am never enough for anyone, I can't have more effective sleep medication because of my other meds, why does it seem like my life just keeps getting worse? All my friends have energy some of the time it's not fair I'm sick of being different I can't even find common place with my other ND friends none of them have both autism and adhd anyways. I don't understand how some people can be happy it no longer makes sense everytime I leave the house it's like living isn't worth it no one really needs me anyways I've seen it, I am so pathetic I'm stubborn and spoilt I am like a leech I force everyone to care about me or pretend to. I am a burden my sibling shouldn't have to deal with me, my favourite person finished school not long ago I constantly miss them I can't get help because all the ways avalible are burdensome to others, I am overreacting I always am my attempts will always fail as I'm too cowardly to die and I can't my sibling wouldn't be safe if I died I'm trying but nothing seems to work the years just keep going.

Thoughts

replies: 1

I've been feeling lost I think lately. I'm a mum and a wife but I feel like that's everything I am and never anything else. I'm tired all the time but I feel like I don't do enough to be like that. I look at my siblings and they all have jobs and even starting to travel I'm just wondering what my life would have been like if I didn't have kids. Maybe I would be travelling to Italy with my sister maybe I would be in better shape, prettier even.. this is it for me. I'm the eldest of four in my family and I've grown up taking care of everyone else but I know I need to take care of me but who am I if I'm not taking care of someone else's hurt? This is what I've been thinking lately I feel like I'm in a fog of all these kinds of thoughts.

Final Exams :c

replies: 2

As I previously talked about my HSC anxiety, I've come to the realisation that I'm not okay with exams. No matter how much I try, I quite legitimately cannot prepare successfully for them. I guess the entire point of an exam is to test your knowledge but whenever I partake in the exam, I lose everything I've learnt in the past year or so. Especially maths. My final math HSC is tomorrow and my anxiety is skyrocketing through the roof and is absolutely destroying my mental. My other final exam is the day after tomorrow and I'm honestly struggling with everything + including time management. I know worrying isn't going to help me but I don't think that last-minute studying is either; I'm not comfortable with some of the topics and if I'm being honest, I might screw up my final which is worth 50% of my atar. I've secured two spots in two different universities already, however, my dream uni doesn't really offer early entry so I have to wait until I get my atar results, to come to a conclusion about which one I want to attend. Anyways, my dream uni and course have a minimum atar of like 70.45, which is something I can get (hopefully lol), but personally, I wanted an atar of like high 80's/low 90's because I was content with that, but with how I'm performing in the HSC exams, I'm not sure if that possible. Anyways, moving on, I don't know why I'm so burnt out, like I just sleep my days away because I'm afraid of the stuff I won't be able to accomplish and even though I have things planned out for the day, I end up procrastinating and wasting hours and hours away just doing useless things. This all comes back to bite me in the bum and to be honest, it's not a good long-term habit, procrastination that is. I just want HS to end already, I want to build my own routine and I want to accomplish things that are things other than exams. I just want this to pass by already.

Year 12

replies: 1

Hi there, I am hesitant to share this because I feel embarrassed on how I feel. The end of year 12 is just around the corner but why do I feel like the year is just starting for me. My past self would be so disappointed if she saw me right now, I feel exhausted and barely passing school. I think I’ll pass but not with flying colours. I feel like I’ve been holding myself to a high standard like overestimating myself and I don’t know how to let go. I am behind on a subject that I’ve procrastinated for the whole year. I’ve been struggling with sleep from getting 4 hours of sleep or none at all because of how unsure what my life will be like after this year. I don’t know what to do after high school, I’m unsure about uni considering the outcome of my grades and I don’t even have enough money to move out. I know there’s other ways to enter uni and enter the pathway I want but I don’t know what I want and if I’ll make the right decisions. The people I had with me through Year 9 - Year 11 have moved away and we’ve grown apart. I was doing well academically last year but this year has been the worst when I feel like it should’ve been the other way around. I’ve always attached myself to this one person and now that they’ve moved away, I’ve been struggling with attending school and my subject choices even though I don’t have time to regret those choices when I should be focusing on finishing. I miss the people that I once had in my life and that’s when I felt the happiest. I don’t think I’m sad that they moved because I understand growth but more angry and frustrated with myself because I think I relied on their words too much. I think I just need time to figure out things for myself. Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope all is well for you <33

feeling down

replies: 4

I have been feeling quite down for the past 7 months. First I haven't been able to see my family for more than a year because of COVID. And last year's covid situation has made me distanced from my high school friends. And since most of them study in a different state, it is hard for us to catch up. This year is slightly better as I get to meet up with them again and made more friends in uni, but once I got home, especially at night time I would feel sad and self-doubt about myself. I would be emotional for no reason and get want to let it out. I also get a bit jealous seeing my friends hanging out with other people. I did some tests online and the result shows that I have mild depression, I don't know any ways to reach for help. (FYI, I did not have any self-harm issue or thoughts)

I'm just a kid

replies: 2

Hi, I'm a 16 year old high schooler right now going through a lot. My mum has depression and she's been in a severe depressive period for about a year now. The worst time of my life was about a few months ago, she was forced out of a public mental health hospital and she felt so hopeless that she threatened to kill herself in front of me and my dad, so we had to lock all the doors in the house, hide objects, and give her strong medication to calm down. We had tried calling the ambulance before, and she's been to a lot of mental health hospitals, public and private, but the public hospitals were all so bad and right now she's in a private mental health hospital. She's better than before, but still not great, she's still on addictive PRN medication. I'm just worried about her, I just want her to get better already. It's been a year, I feel like I've suffered enough from worry. My dad is also working nonstop everyday, and its driving me insane since he won't rest, he's always working or taking care of some stuff that has to do with mum. I'm so worried about him as well. He also always shouts at me and I feel terrible when he does, but I can't even blame him, he's going through so much right now. I'm only 16 years old, why do I have to go through this now? I'm in grade 11, and very soon to be in grade 12, and I'm so nervous about it. What do I do? I can't do anything about it. It feels so helpless. I'm so worried about my future, my parents. I'm so nervous, angry and worried all the time. On top of all of this, I genuinely don't have any real friends. The one friend I did talk to didn't even care. I knew that friend for almost 6 years, and when I needed help coping with my mum being suicidal, his only responses were "oh snap", "I'm so sorry", and after 1 week he never mentioned it again. Like, are you serious? I'm just so disappointed and mad at him. This is getting really long but I still have so much on my mind. What I've written is the main things. I just don't know what to do. I want to stop coping and just be able to feel happy again. I feel so terrible everyday, I'm skipping school today just to write this because I feel so stuck. I hate my life. Writing all this out didn't even make me feel better.

Centrelink youth allowance - mental health

replies: 6

I am currently moving out of home for the first time and am trying to fill out a Centrelink claim as I am a full time student and unable to have full-time or reliable part time work. I am a casual in two jobs due to the unreliability but do not make enough money to cover all rent, medical, and living expenses. I am going to be financially independent. My problem is that I am under 22 and unsure if Centrelink will consider me an independent or suitable candidate for youth allowance. I am moving for my mental health, but I don't meet the criteria for unsafe home necessitating a move. Applying online, I am being asked for the reason for my move and the option "home conditions make it difficult to study" is listed as including chronic illness made worse by living at home. This genuinely is the reason I am moving, but I'm unsure if Centrelink will take chronic mental illness as a chronic illness, or if unideal living conditions with family contact but without physical abuse or addiction etc. would suffice in the claim that the household exacerbates my symptoms. Basically I am wondering how being classified dependent or independent will affect my claim, I assume being classified dependent will dismiss it. Why are you considered dependent until 22 without extreme circumstances? Is my claim to chronic (mental) illness (which prevented me from working entirely until 2021) valid or enough to have me classified as independent?

Eeep! When study is overwhelming! - Tips, ideas and coping strategies replies: 51

NEW TO THIS FORUM? Please read this first replies: 0

How to get a PSD? replies: 1

need... something? replies: 2

I am worried about the future and I don't know what to do replies: 5

Exhaustion is exhausting replies: 2

Thoughts replies: 1

Final Exams :c replies: 2

Year 12 replies: 1

feeling down replies: 4

I'm just a kid replies: 2

Centrelink youth allowance - mental health replies: 6