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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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maskedsmiles Family Breakdown
  • replies: 2

I have a close family member that has been caught cheating online with a fake account, although the family member is hell bent on believing this account is real, they are willing to throw our family away to be with is "person", I am conflicted as the... View more

I have a close family member that has been caught cheating online with a fake account, although the family member is hell bent on believing this account is real, they are willing to throw our family away to be with is "person", I am conflicted as the rest of my family are acting as if they hate the family member involved but I still love this family member as they have been a significant person in my life so now I am the only person in my family who is attempting to help them see this account for wha† it really is and i'm only 17 and it is hard to deal with this and my final year of high school. Help!

Muddlee Lapses...every now and then...advice?
  • replies: 4

Hi guys, It's been a while since my last post (which ironically was about setback) but here we are again venting my last lapse. So its been I think 3-4 months since I had a memorable setback (nearly ruined my GF's anniversary with a panic attack). Si... View more

Hi guys, It's been a while since my last post (which ironically was about setback) but here we are again venting my last lapse. So its been I think 3-4 months since I had a memorable setback (nearly ruined my GF's anniversary with a panic attack). Since then things have actually been great. Survived my end of year exams at University, went through the festive season with somewhat ease and January has truly been the best month for me. I can really see and FEEL (if that makes sense) myself gradually getting stronger, relaxing a lot more and handling stressful situations better. But this week hasn't been the best...It started a week ago with a few new intrusive thoughts and worries dwindling around (one of them involving a sensitive conversation I had with a friend about 2 YEARS ago) and then some more worry and then some more worry (same old same old). Today was a bit tougher than others as I had work and struggled a bit, but I go through it (phew!). But what's bothering me most is that I'm going to see some friends tomorrow night and have my GF's birthday on the Sunday and am totally packing it about being confident, relaxed and having a good time. I know that these lapses are not only normal but important for recovery (especially if I face and manage them) but I just hate having to ruin a good couple of days/weeks with these up and down moods. Just reaching out for some advice or past experiences on how to manage setbacks/lapses and cope with them during stressful times so I can maybe finish of this grey week with a silver lining. Kindest of regards, Muddllleee

notmyrealname23 Anyone else struggle with excursions?
  • replies: 2

I had a compulsory school excursion today and I knew it was going to be silly, so I didn't go. I hate it how they make you 'work in groups' and it's obvious I have no friends and nobody wants to work with me. I hate it how they don't give us enough i... View more

I had a compulsory school excursion today and I knew it was going to be silly, so I didn't go. I hate it how they make you 'work in groups' and it's obvious I have no friends and nobody wants to work with me. I hate it how they don't give us enough information and I don't know where the toilet or the exit is and it's just so scary and overwhelming, My Dad wrote me a note saying I couldn't go because I had a dentist appointment but the principal called my Mum asking why I didn't go. My Mum's really mad at me for lying and the principal is going to tell me off tomorrow and I know I'm going to break down and cry when she yells at me. I'm so scared. I just keep ripping out my hair in big clumps and I wish I didn't have to lie about not going. I'm a good student, I always do my work 100%, but just because I don't go I'm considered a troublemaker. Anybody else struggle with this?

SweetAmara Finally letting go of a dead friendship
  • replies: 1

I am 22 and during Grade 8 I made friends with this girl Thea* who was new at my school. Really what prompted this was that my friend had grown close to this new girl and her friend Anna* (also new) and so I started spending time with these girls dai... View more

I am 22 and during Grade 8 I made friends with this girl Thea* who was new at my school. Really what prompted this was that my friend had grown close to this new girl and her friend Anna* (also new) and so I started spending time with these girls daily. After several years, Thea*, Anna* and I were really close and slowly our circle of friends included some other people. By Year 10, Thea was spending weekends at my house regularly or out as a group, so I felt really secure in our friendship. I felt like I could really trust her, which for a kid who was being emotionally abused and dealing with abandonment at home was so defining for me. In senior school, my family situation got worse, so I was more anxious and more emotional. I could feel her beginning to distance herself from me; but being desperate for support, I didn't know what to do. Anna and I were still friends, though not as close, but with the introduction of the new girl Danielle*, Thea basically began ignoring us completely. My child-like response was to tell her that she no longer had to be friends with me, if she didn't want to be. Which only lead to her disliking me more. I would come to school and see Danielle and Thea openly talking about me unaware I was present. I would be told by my other friends how they would interrupt prefect meetings to discuss me. They even told my teacher I was being controlling and her intervene and hold a meeting. By the end of school, I assumed we would go a separate ways, we got into the same university and after a year our friendship was well and truly dead. The difficult part now is that it still plagues me. I know it's over and while that saddens me I can accept that, but it was the abandonment it left me with and the scars of being manipulated and bullied so badly. I've spent a long time asking, "Why? What did I do as your friend for five years to be basically pushed aside for someone new?" I have blamed myself as she still happily sees Danielle but not any of the people she was closed to. I don't have to see her anymore, except for the annual class catch-up dinners I hold. But I am still finding it hard to move on from because it impacted me deeply. It lead to me questioning people's intention a lot more and whether they genuinely want to be my friends, as silly as it sounds. I just want to be able to face her confidently and not feel like less. I am really hoping this doesn't sound ridiculous. Thank you. * names changed for security reasons.

ProDude Difficulty connecting and generating fulfilling friendships
  • replies: 3

Has anyone here ever felt like they are normal, and yet always found it difficult to fit into most social groups, and/or really connect with their peers of a similar age. For me, this has been an issue for as long as I can remember. After spending ye... View more

Has anyone here ever felt like they are normal, and yet always found it difficult to fit into most social groups, and/or really connect with their peers of a similar age. For me, this has been an issue for as long as I can remember. After spending years going around in circles feeling dissatisfied in trying to understand the problem, and find a solution, I have finally turned to this forum. To give a brief description of myself, I am a 20 year old male who studies Law at university and works as a barista. I'd describe myself as the quieter type (but definitely not afraid to contribute to conversation and give my opinion), driven, a bit serious, but also genuine and caring of others. When I say I don't feel like I connect, it just seems like I'm not really seen as the kind of person people really want much to do with. When it comes to people my age, I can see one reason is because my outlook is different. I've never been one to really go out partying and get drunk, hoon around or really do anything that I would consider to be irresponsible. Maybe it's a sign that maybe I've matured at a faster rate. But that issue aside, it does not cover everyone. When it comes to the friends I do make, they seem to falter in one of three ways. 1. A uni or work friend where the friendship is isolated to that environment and can't go any deeper - superficial 2. A friend who does seem a bit closer, but is always introverted and lacks any real social skills to be fun to hang out with 3. A 'friend' who just loses interest or ends up backstabbing I don't really know how well I'm getting my point across or in really communicating how I'm feeling. The truth is I've just always felt isolated, unwanted and frustrated. I don't have an A+ amazing personality that draws people in, maybe I'm just boring. I'll try to not try too hard, but at the same time I yearn to connect and have friendships where it's equal, instead of me giving and never getting anything back.

buhlush Loving Someone With Depression
  • replies: 3

Okay so to be 100% clear, I just want to start with the fact that I know my boyfriend has depression and some other mental issues, as he has seen many psychologist and psychiatrists over the past three years who have all confirmed his mental state. S... View more

Okay so to be 100% clear, I just want to start with the fact that I know my boyfriend has depression and some other mental issues, as he has seen many psychologist and psychiatrists over the past three years who have all confirmed his mental state. So this isn't just him being sad or moody some of the time - he really has depression. It gets hard sometimes. He can get very, very moody, and it used to affect me in a really negative way. I stopped caring about a lot of things, such as my grades and my friendship group. I lost interest in nearly everything I had once thoroughly enjoyed. Once the relationship ended for the first time, my parents had said they believed it was his impression that had made me become the mess I was. And I suppose I believed them. But now we are back together, and I constantly find myself worrying. He's so moody, and so hard to read, I keep trying to tell myself that I have done nothing wrong (when I truly haven't), and that it is just his depression making him this way. But these moods also make me reconsider our relationship, and whether I'm making him happy. He says all the time I am, but I still worry. Someone please help!

Dunnowhattoput relationship struggles need help
  • replies: 5

I came to this forum because i don't really know who to speak to. Ive been with my boyfriend for a little over 12 months now. about 4 months ago he cheated on me. we had been going through a really rough patch for about 2 months before it tho and the... View more

I came to this forum because i don't really know who to speak to. Ive been with my boyfriend for a little over 12 months now. about 4 months ago he cheated on me. we had been going through a really rough patch for about 2 months before it tho and the night he cheated we had kinda discussed breaking up but weren't going to decide anything until we could properly sit down and discuss everything and sort it all out hoping there was another chance for us, however he cheated and we broke up before i knew about this, i then found out and i called him so upset telling him to not contact me anymore because of all the pain he had caused me (there had been a lot of him hurting me with his words and previous actions and not caring at all and no respect for me) but because i am who i am in a small country town a month or so later i took him back because he had promised he had changed and sorted everything. well now 4 months later his gone back to showing little interest and taking me for granted and leaving me so upset all the time and making me feel so suspicious of what he is always up to. i put in everything i have for him and struggle not to. I know the logic thing is to end things but without him i have no one. I live in a tiny country town with all my friends going away to Uni so i literally would have none, and moving away isn't an option for me right now. I just don't know what to do and really need some support. I don't know how much longer i can do this but i also don't know if i can live without him and live alone for a whole year with no friends or anything because without him in my life i have no friends. Can someone please show me some guidance, Im really struggling.

Saltnlight Family issue's
  • replies: 4

I feel like anything i do my parents will not be proud, they are constantly putting me down, pointing out the things i did wrong insteed of right. Sometimes it get to much i cant take it anymore. I'm 23 but feel like a child to them. I with i didnt h... View more

I feel like anything i do my parents will not be proud, they are constantly putting me down, pointing out the things i did wrong insteed of right. Sometimes it get to much i cant take it anymore. I'm 23 but feel like a child to them. I with i didnt have live here i just want to run away sometimes . Any advice?

LinkTheCosplayer 20, unemployed, feel worthless.
  • replies: 4

I honestly need some words of guidance/wisdom right now im 20 years old and for the past year and a half i have been applying for so many jobs and have only managed to hear back from 2 people which i failed at interviews with. Alot of places wont hir... View more

I honestly need some words of guidance/wisdom right now im 20 years old and for the past year and a half i have been applying for so many jobs and have only managed to hear back from 2 people which i failed at interviews with. Alot of places wont hire me because i have no retail experience and all i really need is a chance. This is starting to make me really stressed out, depressed and even ruins my self worth as a young adult whos supposed to be independent by now but still relays on mum and dad for pocket money which i hate so much because i feel like a leech or free loader off them hence why i don't ask for alot of money and as a result i cant really do things i enjoy or do on many dates with the person im seeing right now. any body else in similar position or have been? I just want advice..i almost feel like posting my resume up on a wall in the city for people to take lol agh but really this is getting to me.

Ellemay How do you cope
  • replies: 3

There is plenty of talk about anxiety and depression and the help that is available but what about after someone you loved and cared about took there own life what do we do then how do we come to terms with this tragic loss my best friend was only 24... View more

There is plenty of talk about anxiety and depression and the help that is available but what about after someone you loved and cared about took there own life what do we do then how do we come to terms with this tragic loss my best friend was only 24 years old she was smart, caring, funny and beautiful truely one of a kind she was healthy and athletic she was spiritual and loved doing and teaching yoga she wanted to be an interpersonal councillor she had her hole life ahead of her. What do we do,the ones left behind the ones who didn't know such a happy loving person could want to leave this earth are we not meant to understand why or is there another way to ease this pain in my heart.