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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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Jasmine97 Trapped
  • replies: 2

I'm not sure what I'm going through but I'm not happy or coping well and I haven't been for years. It's a constant struggle trying to be happy with myself where I am in my life and wanting to change but not feeling worth the trouble. Everyday I feel ... View more

I'm not sure what I'm going through but I'm not happy or coping well and I haven't been for years. It's a constant struggle trying to be happy with myself where I am in my life and wanting to change but not feeling worth the trouble. Everyday I feel like everyone is better then me and it makes me feel worthless thinking that way but it's so hard to stop. I've tried to seek help but it failed I've come to a point where I just don't know what to do anymore I just feel like I'm wasting everyone's time.. Can someone please give me some advice

ZyGirl_DogLvr3 Deteriorating Mental Health and Family Struggles
  • replies: 4

It's the hardest time of my life since my Depression is worse than ever. Adjusting meds and (emotional) stress has taken it's huge toll on me and my family. I can hardly function and am basically 'home-bound' until I get a little better. My mother wo... View more

It's the hardest time of my life since my Depression is worse than ever. Adjusting meds and (emotional) stress has taken it's huge toll on me and my family. I can hardly function and am basically 'home-bound' until I get a little better. My mother works and isn't available to take care of me unless she's home and when she is, we set each other off due to her extreme stress and my extreme emotional instability. it's been really tough lately because she is stressed to her maximum capacity due to taking care of my grandmother who has broken her shoulder, my severely handicapped sister and doing important work-related tasks while I am here alone (with loving pets <3) more ill than I have ever been and I feel like I am a big load on her too. She is basically looking after everyone else since my grandparents won't get home care and it is really difficult and rare to get a couple days respite from my sister. I'm quite worried & concerned about how I'm supposed to look after myself while I'm this severely mentally incapacitated while trying my hardest not to drive Mum mad as well. ADVICE PLEASE

Bonanza15 Gambling Problem
  • replies: 6

Hey guys, I am a 20 year old university student. Over the past 12 months I have found myself struggling with a gambling problem of which I have not really thought of as a problem until recently. Regularly over the past 12 months I have found myself t... View more

Hey guys, I am a 20 year old university student. Over the past 12 months I have found myself struggling with a gambling problem of which I have not really thought of as a problem until recently. Regularly over the past 12 months I have found myself to gamble all my money away until I have $0 in my account. I have found myself hiding my gambling from everyone and locking myself away in a room just to gamble. I find myself gambling just for the sake of gambling now, once I open up a gambling app I am stuck on it for the rest of the day. I am yet to tell anyone about this problem until now after I have once again gambled all my money away. I am not sure whether there is a term for this problem I have as it seems us such a easy thing to overcome however I cant seem to. I also find myself trying to act happy and putting on a happy frontier amongst my peers however I feel recently many of them have started to pick up on my lowness. I find myself not entering into deep conversations ever, often resorting to humour and sarcasm as a way to put of talking about emotions and problems. Thankyou everyone for listening and reading.

pommie_s Can anyone help me?
  • replies: 3

i have not long moved over here from England, and while being in England, i use to find it fairly hard to sleep, but now i am here, i am just full of panic and anxiety, and i'm finding it hard to sleep. i can't sleep at night as my mind just wonders ... View more

i have not long moved over here from England, and while being in England, i use to find it fairly hard to sleep, but now i am here, i am just full of panic and anxiety, and i'm finding it hard to sleep. i can't sleep at night as my mind just wonders about stupid things that i have done, and i always get really paranoid, but then when it comes to the day, i tend to sleep quite a bit which is breaking our family apart as i am always getting moaned at because i am asleep during the day, which then just escalates other arguments between the family. The arguments mixed with the deprivation of sleep is only making it worse, so i was just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to help me sleep at night. i have tried sleeping piils, but the ones that i have used don't do anything, can anyone help?

Rock Terrified of starting art class!
  • replies: 3

So tomorrow will be my first day attending an art class. It's just a small group of 10-20 people but I'm still so nervous and I have so much self doubt. I've done art my whole life but the truth is I'm not really very good. There are people there you... View more

So tomorrow will be my first day attending an art class. It's just a small group of 10-20 people but I'm still so nervous and I have so much self doubt. I've done art my whole life but the truth is I'm not really very good. There are people there younger than me (13-16) and I'm scared that they'll be amazing compared to me and I'll feel like a failure and just destroy myself from the inside out. I know this is ridiculous but I have some serious social anxiety. I can't hold up a conversation, I'm ugly, and weird, and awkward and not even that skilled! Last night I started cramming art practice as dark came around and I started panicking. I literally haven't talked to any unfamiliar people for years and I don't know how to do it. I'm worried about looking dumb and being the worst in class. I guess I just want some advice on how to calm down. (Or get amazing a drawing within 24 hours. Just kidding! Heh heh...heh... ;-;)

datasymphony am i too paranoid?
  • replies: 1

i'm not sure if paranoia is the right term to describe it, but in the past few months i've been starting to become overly suspicious of things as i go about my day. for example, if a plane is flying by and it seems lower than usual i get panicked tha... View more

i'm not sure if paranoia is the right term to describe it, but in the past few months i've been starting to become overly suspicious of things as i go about my day. for example, if a plane is flying by and it seems lower than usual i get panicked that maybe someone is using a camera from it to spy on me. when i'm on the train i notice people looking at me and occasionally think they might be undercover police following me, and that they might be able to read my thoughts so i often switch carriages or get off the train and wait for the next one. i know that technically it's illogical (there's no reason for police or anything to be after me) but once i get it in my head i can't stop thinking 'but what if they ARE'. i do the same with people going the same way as my (i get convinced theyre following me) and the thought that my dad searches my room every time i leave the house is giving me anxiety to the point where i set things up by the door so if he goes in they'll spill and i'll know, and i searched my room for cameras once. i know its illogical and it frustrates me but i can't get the ideas from my head and they stress me out and are starting to really affect the way i go about my day (i go out a LOT less and when i do i spend a lot of time watching my own back and i viciously mistrust my closest friends) even now im writing this im second guessing myself because what if it's all real concerns of mine. am i overreacting? is this a normal level of awareness for a person or am i being too paranoid, and is there any way i can stop or lessen it so it stops controlling my life so much?

inkblot Advice for Anxiety and Panic Attacks?
  • replies: 2

Hi everyone. For the past year I have struggled with anxiety, but recently it has reached such a high level that I'm unable to go about my daily life. I've been having panic attacks each morning and night, which is more than a little exhausting, and ... View more

Hi everyone. For the past year I have struggled with anxiety, but recently it has reached such a high level that I'm unable to go about my daily life. I've been having panic attacks each morning and night, which is more than a little exhausting, and is dragging my school attendance record through the mud. It seems that I am stuck in a constant loop of panic attack, exhaustion, rising anxiety, and then another panic attack. I've tried meditation, grounding techniques, muscle relaxation, and positive thinking (though I have a rather low opinion of myself, and so tend not to believe in 90% of what I think), but it's slow going and my anxiety only appears to be getting worse. My GP has prescribed me medication, and recommends that I take it for 6 - 12 months., but I am hesitant to take a drug that requires such a high level of commitment. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me, or would like to share their experiences with anxiety and panic attacks. It would be great if I could get some help on how decrease the number of panic attacks I'm having, or even just reduce the time span (the longest one went for 40 - 50 minutes - suffice to say it was not a good day). Thanks so much for your time, and let's hope that we all experience a better tomorrow. -Ink

refugelagoon Deep breaths
  • replies: 10

Hi all, firstly, may I just marvel at the beauty of this online forum. I have always wanted to create an online forum for people suffering from similar problems to myself, but to see that an amazing network has already been set up has completely blew... View more

Hi all, firstly, may I just marvel at the beauty of this online forum. I have always wanted to create an online forum for people suffering from similar problems to myself, but to see that an amazing network has already been set up has completely blew me away. never had I imagined such a supportive community was so reachable. i am 19 years old and I have suffered with mental health for about 5 years, but it has only begun to impact my life hugely since 2015. when I graduated from school, I began to feel socially anxious in situations that would normally not evoke such feelings. such situations include seeing my extended family, my close friends, my boyfriend's at the time) family, people at work, people at the gym...almost anyone besides my boyfriend, my mum, dad and sister. even with my closest friends, I felt uncomfortable. I stopped making phone calls to everyone besides my boyfriend about midway through the year, and left my job as a checkout chick two months later. I spent all week at home, occasionally going to uni, but with headphones in my ears so nobody would talk to me. when I become anxious, I stutter and this has caused unbelievable damage to me. my only refuge was alcohol, and for months I drank to avoid situations I couldn't handle. a cycle of anxiety, drunkedness and depression was my life for a year. I lost the love of my life, and started a new job working only 4 hours a week. I had completely lost my independence by the start of 2016, and I was as miserable as ever. In March however, I was lucky enough to meet the most amazing man in my life and his family, who introduced me to the idea of medication. I always thought I was too 'strong' to take medication and did not want to rely on anyone but myself, but I realised I needed it to reach my potential. I wanted to feel alive again. I trialled medication in May, but finally found a match in July. By August, I begun working 15 hours and exercising more frequently, whilst maintaining full time study. does not sound like much but this is a significant improvement which makes me so proud.. I now realise that recovery is not linear - no one recovers and NEVER relapses. Relapses are what make us who we are, for if we never relapsed, we would never grow. if you have read this far, I thank you from the bottom of my beaming heart. xxxx

Nri Feeling disconnected from reality
  • replies: 2

To whoever reads, I honestly don't know what's going on anymore. It feels like my emotions aren't reaching me anymore, I can only feel them on a surface level and below that is just empty. I have weird compulsive behaviours like pulling out my eyelas... View more

To whoever reads, I honestly don't know what's going on anymore. It feels like my emotions aren't reaching me anymore, I can only feel them on a surface level and below that is just empty. I have weird compulsive behaviours like pulling out my eyelashes, I'm always paranoid and sometimes [mainly at night] I see and hear things. I just don't know how to function anymore. Thanks to anyone who can offer any kind of advise or support.

_-Jack-_ I just feel down and alone.
  • replies: 4

I have kind of resented these kind of sites, but i have no one else i can talk to. Im 15. I feel like i am completely alone, i thought i had so many friends, friends i thought i could count on. But suddenly they have all kind of drifted away from me ... View more

I have kind of resented these kind of sites, but i have no one else i can talk to. Im 15. I feel like i am completely alone, i thought i had so many friends, friends i thought i could count on. But suddenly they have all kind of drifted away from me and i can't figure out why. Sure, i have laughs in class with a few of my mates but i wouldn't consider them someone i would want to see outside of school. These friends i once had, i trusted them with my life, i told them all my secretes... now poof they're gone. To make matters worse some of them have told some of my deepest secretes to other people in my year and now if i attempt to make conversation with someone i don't really know, i get a weird look and they just walk away so I've kind of given up on talking to anyone new. I have a group of about 10 mates who do make my school life bearable but as i said none of these guys would be like my old mates, I couldnt trust them, maybe thats because my trust was so badly broken before? On the weekends i used to go out with my mates, now i sit in my room and feel down because i have no one who wants to go out with me. As far as I can see i haven't changed since I was friends with them all, so I really struggle to see what i did wrong. I get jokes made about my weight, i act like i don't care and its funny, but i do- it really hurts. Today has got me feeling extra sad, all my year level (120+ kids) are doing something fun for halloween, they all do it in their friendship groups, trick or treating or partying and i wasn't invited to a single one of those gatherings, i mean even the 'losers and nerds' at my school are doing something and heres me, halloween night typing out my feelings to whoever will listen. At school I act like the class clown or the joker because i guess, if i can't be happy, putting a smile on someone else face is just about the closest thing ill ever get. I guess you could say I exaggerate the parts of me I like to try and stop the sad parts of me from coming out, I've put on a smile and act like a clown so much I don't even really know when I'm sad anymore. Ive had two of my immediate family pass away this year, i really needed someone, a friend, someone who i could count on to cheer me up. But there was no one. I just want to turn back time, about 4 months, when i had what i thought were really good friendships. Now i question myself, were all these friendships just lies? I just feel alone, sad and friendless. Thanks for listening.

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