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.

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Pinned discussions

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

1derwall I've never done anything like this before
  • replies: 5

Okay well, this is my first ever post on the forums, I registered for beyondblue literally three minutes ago as I'm typing this. I don't really know much officially about my situation or if I'm ok, but I rarely feel like I am. I've hovered around bey... View more

Okay well, this is my first ever post on the forums, I registered for beyondblue literally three minutes ago as I'm typing this. I don't really know much officially about my situation or if I'm ok, but I rarely feel like I am. I've hovered around beyondblue and other information websites about depression and mental health since the start of the year. I'm only young, (still in high school) but I'm almost certain I have depression. I feel like I can relate to many of the symptoms that people often mention when talking about depression- I'm often uncontrollably sad (almost numb) for no real reason, I severely lack motivation to do anything and sometimes I just feel like life- and my life- is pointless. I've barely spoken to anyone about this, only one of my closest friends knew the full extent of it and he and I had a falling out a few months ago. One of my biggest fears is my parents or my twin brother finding out- I come from a family of immense pressure to succeed in all aspects of life. Mostly though, it's because I fear they won't believe me, they'll think I'm lying for attention. It's because of this that I've never told them and never asked to see anyone to talk about it. To my parents at least, I think I appear successful and happy most of the time. A couple of my friends might notice when I have bad days but they never know what to do or say and nor do I. I am someone that always wanted to be the strong one, and although I want people to understand my situation, I don't want help. I don't really know what my point is with this post but I wanted it to be a place to start, so that someone may read it and it may make me feel like what's going on is real- and that I'm not just being weak, and maybe I'm not the only one. I just need someone to talk to.

Neave14 I don't know what's wrong with me...
  • replies: 1

For the last few weeks my emotions have been all over the place. One minute I'm super happy and then for the rest of the time I'm super sad, or empty. That's how I would describe this new 'me' empty. And I hate it, I really don't know what to do. So ... View more

For the last few weeks my emotions have been all over the place. One minute I'm super happy and then for the rest of the time I'm super sad, or empty. That's how I would describe this new 'me' empty. And I hate it, I really don't know what to do. So much has been going on and I put on a brave face and fake this big smile and pretend I am super happy but behind closed doors I am clueless on what to do. My grades have been dropping and my concentration has been all over the place and I'm always tired. Someone help me to sort myself out, please.

1derwall My first counselling session
  • replies: 5

So I've been thinking about going to my school counselor for a while, I have a lot of things to sort through and I think it would be great to talk to a professional. I have finally set up an appointment for tomorrow morning and I'm really nervous. On... View more

So I've been thinking about going to my school counselor for a while, I have a lot of things to sort through and I think it would be great to talk to a professional. I have finally set up an appointment for tomorrow morning and I'm really nervous. One of my best friends has been speaking to one of the counselors at school for her anxiety, and says he's great and that it's really helped her out. I'm just posting because I'm a little anxious and I don't really know what to expect with my first appointment. I consider myself a little awkward so I hope she doesn't put me on the spot and just make me 'talk.' I was wondering, if you've been to one, what was the first counseling session like for any of you? Were you nervous? How did you end up going to one? I have lots of doubts about this, and I'd just like to hear about your experiences to prepare myself for tomorrow. Thanks for reading

Immy-95 Please help me :(
  • replies: 5

Hi guys, Everyday I have been feeling angry and sad about things which have happened to me. I am unable to focus on the present without thinking about stuff which has happened and I just can't let it go. I try to think about things which are going to... View more

Hi guys, Everyday I have been feeling angry and sad about things which have happened to me. I am unable to focus on the present without thinking about stuff which has happened and I just can't let it go. I try to think about things which are going to happen in the future ( positive, friends, uni etc) but the massive cloud of negativity takes over. When I am speaking, sometimes I can get aggressive or defensive (according to parents) and I can't seem to talk in a calm manner. Please help me Imogen.

Meatballs Random panic attacks?
  • replies: 2

Hi, so I don't have anxiety (my doctor gave me the 'stress is normal!' speech), but I do experience anxiety symptoms constantly and have panic attacks. Lately, I have been much less worried than usual -eg, I can go into shops without crying- but I st... View more

Hi, so I don't have anxiety (my doctor gave me the 'stress is normal!' speech), but I do experience anxiety symptoms constantly and have panic attacks. Lately, I have been much less worried than usual -eg, I can go into shops without crying- but I still get random panic attacks every few weeks? I don't really understand why this is happening, is it a sign that even though I feel 'mostly okay,' I'm really not okay? They normally happen in school assemblies (crowds freak me out) or during class. I can go from being fine to a hyperventilating mess in a few minutes! It's so sudden and random, I'm always afraid ones going to sneak up on me. Any similar stories / advice??

cvask Intrusive Thoughts??
  • replies: 1

I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and am currently in the process of being diagnosed with OCD and Depression (my therapist and I both agree I suffer from those but still need to talk about it I guess) The point of this is that I always make u... View more

I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and am currently in the process of being diagnosed with OCD and Depression (my therapist and I both agree I suffer from those but still need to talk about it I guess) The point of this is that I always make up scenarios to the point where I have conversations with people who aren't there. I know there are no people there but it's gotten to the point where it's hard to tell what things are reality and what things are in my head. For example I watched a movie about a "crazy" girl and afterwards I repeated "I'm not crazy" in my head. I don't know if I was telling myself I wasn't crazy or if I wanted this other "version" of me (I guess that's what it is) to be crazy??? I'm scared to bring this up with my psychologist because I'm terrified of actually being called crazy and I'm worried she won't believe me for some reason. I think I used to make up these scenarios to distract me from real life and it would just be me having a nice conversation in my head but it's gotten to a point that I can't stop it no matter how hard I try. This is very complicated if more information is necessary I can provide that but I just need help.

Anna17 Intrusive thoughts
  • replies: 1

Hey guys, just wanting some advise I've been dealing with intrusive thoughts for about 2 months I have learnt not to let it control my life, but I'm still getting episodes every now and then! I'm not wanting to seek medical help but rather looking fo... View more

Hey guys, just wanting some advise I've been dealing with intrusive thoughts for about 2 months I have learnt not to let it control my life, but I'm still getting episodes every now and then! I'm not wanting to seek medical help but rather looking for some feedback from others who have gotten over it without medical help! can it be done? Does it leave forever?? What helped you? Thanks

1derwall My family has pressured me into being highly competitive
  • replies: 6

My family is extremely talented. My parents were both Dux of their high school, and studied each at Cambridge and Oxford. My twin brother and I are relatively the same. I am obviously the dumbest in the family- my brother is in the extended learning ... View more

My family is extremely talented. My parents were both Dux of their high school, and studied each at Cambridge and Oxford. My twin brother and I are relatively the same. I am obviously the dumbest in the family- my brother is in the extended learning program at school and I am not, but I always get academic awards and he doesn't- and this is my way of thinking. "They're good at this and won this- but then again I won this that time and got this blah blah blah." I am constantly comparing myself to others, and always talking them down in my head, to drag myself up, to the top, where I need to be to feel appreciated. Being a twin, I was always instantly comparable to my brother, and vice versa. This made me feel like there was nowhere to hide my failure, no matter how big or small. My parents- being talented and impressive make me feel like I'll never be good enough. I've often overheard my parents saying things like "she's too dumb for physics," or "She's too lazy to make state." I know they're intelligent, and this makes it hard for me to imagine that what they say is anything but true. I'm not exactly asking a question by this post, or seeking any advice, I just need someone to know; I find it hard to love my imperfections because of my parents, and I feel they wouldn't love me if I wasn't successful.

Bodie_Amy Anxious about being murdered
  • replies: 1

I'm 13, attending High School. I I'm the eldest of 3 and I have very high standards for grades (straight A's) so I'm under a lot of stress all the time. I have general anxiety disorder, mild social anxiety as well. Ever since I was young I have alway... View more

I'm 13, attending High School. I I'm the eldest of 3 and I have very high standards for grades (straight A's) so I'm under a lot of stress all the time. I have general anxiety disorder, mild social anxiety as well. Ever since I was young I have always been terrified of people coming to kill me at night. I tried to scream but I couldn't because I was so scared. It went away for a while, until I moved countries for the third time and I was completely alone, in a new country (this was about two years ago). Since then I've been anxious that people are coming to kill me while I sleep. I also constantly feel like people are judging me and trying to hurt me... To the point it affects my social life. A few weeks ago I had a nightmare in which I was stabbed to death, and I woke up screaming. I stayed at the foot of my parents bed, but didn't sleep all night because I kept on thinking I could hear him walking around and calling for me. I thought he was going to cut my head off. I'm seeing a school psychologist, but it isn't helping much... I don't know what it is and I don't know what to do. I'm always irritable and feel targeted a lot by my friends, even if it's a gentle tease. My mind is telling me that I'm being ridiculous, but I still worry and feel upset anyway. Please help! Thank you!!

Febry Hello
  • replies: 7

Hi, I've only decided to greet everyone properly now but I've joined this forum for around 2 weeks maybe. Well, a little bit about myself, I'm a high school student and I've had anxiety, phobia and depression for a couple of years now. I've had psych... View more

Hi, I've only decided to greet everyone properly now but I've joined this forum for around 2 weeks maybe. Well, a little bit about myself, I'm a high school student and I've had anxiety, phobia and depression for a couple of years now. I've had psychiatric visits a while back but it didn't go so well after a while and there were a major financial problem in my family, so I stopped it all together. I decided to join this forum (and beyondblue) because I've been hearing good reviews about it at school. Tbh, at first I was a bit skeptical and anxious whether this forum would give any support or advice, given that everyone is suffering and they're not feeling well themselves to be, you know, supporting other people (sorry if this sounds offensive). But how wrong I was. From only one thread, I can already tell that this forum is a very understanding and helpful community, and I'm hoping to get along with everyone soon. Anyway, I'd like to chat and get involve more with this forum and hear different journeys and advice from/of fellow survivors in here. Well, that's as far as introduction goes. Hope you everyone will have a joyous (or at least more happier) weekend. Best Wishes, Febry xxx