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.

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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

NorthShoreCitizen Poor social skills
  • replies: 2

Hello again, I have written here before but I wanted to address something different or similar to my previous post. The title says it all, I find I have bad social skills and I think is comes down to these reasons: - Having any personality traits tha... View more

Hello again, I have written here before but I wanted to address something different or similar to my previous post. The title says it all, I find I have bad social skills and I think is comes down to these reasons: - Having any personality traits that don't mesh well with the norm - Not being interested in the same things as most members of your gender - My Interests - Anxiety I just can't seem to get along well with most people my age (19). I feel very lonely and isolated from everyone else. My whole life only revolves around UNI and I have nothing else going for me, which is getting really hard. Most days are like a broken record and I can't seem to break free from it. I feel like getting a Job won't even fix this problem. I do have some "friends" at uni, however the only time I ever communicate with them is when I'm at UNI. I need to branch out more than be with family (which I mentioned in my previous post), but I'm finding it hard to do this and have had very little success with friendships. I don't know what do do. I am proud of who I am and my way of thinking and interests, but its not doing very well in the social world Thank you to whoever responds and I hope it all made sense.

Blak3 Hi everyone
  • replies: 3

I'm new around here and am I'm really confused at the moment because I think I may have a kind of depression/anxiety but am not certain. I'm definitely feeling some pain at the moment and it is incredibly hard to admit. I haven't really talked about ... View more

I'm new around here and am I'm really confused at the moment because I think I may have a kind of depression/anxiety but am not certain. I'm definitely feeling some pain at the moment and it is incredibly hard to admit. I haven't really talked about it to anyone and I think this may be the best place for me to start talking and I'm aiming to eventually figure out what's happening.

Kips Job agencie woes.
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone First time poster here, My name is Jaiden and im 23 years old. 24 in a week and a bit! I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression as well as PTSD. I have been on HRT for a year and a bit, that and my cat are what keep me goi... View more

Hi everyone First time poster here, My name is Jaiden and im 23 years old. 24 in a week and a bit! I have been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression as well as PTSD. I have been on HRT for a year and a bit, that and my cat are what keep me going. 2 months ago I lost my job for a number of reasons; lack of hours, being bullied and it was just getting too much for me. I have trouble leaving the house. I'm currently on Newstart, which is causing me more headache than i thought it would and appearantly I'm not eligible for disability pension. My job agency is horrible, the people there are unproffessional and very rude. I was meant to go back on Tuesday but i had a full blown panic attack on the day and stayed home where my girlfriend took care of me. I called them in the afternoon, (my appointment was meant to be in the morning) apologizing for not coming in and stating why. I was met with an angry assistant giving me lip about not coming in and then she booked me another appointment for Thursday. I called up today just making sure my appointment was today, as i didnt recieve a confirmation text, and was met with the same receptionist telling me i didnt call and make an appointment and that my payment had been suspended. And then booked me in for tomorrow, i got the confirmation text this time. However, now im being told i need to bring a centrelink medical certificate for tuesday, which i didnt get one as i stayed home to cope? (What even is a centrelink medical certificate) And if i dont bring it tomorrow my payment will either be cancelled or i will be "punished" by not getting a full payment. This has been so long and I'm so sorry but I'm just not coping well and I'm scared im going to have another panic attack tomorrow before I go. I don't know really. Thanks for reading!

Hello9000 Hey
  • replies: 4

Hey guys. My parents just recently broke up, probably around 3 months ago. I don't speak to my dad now. He does not speak to me. he is quite rude to me, every time we talk. my mum has found a new partner. And lately my anxiety levels have been sky ro... View more

Hey guys. My parents just recently broke up, probably around 3 months ago. I don't speak to my dad now. He does not speak to me. he is quite rude to me, every time we talk. my mum has found a new partner. And lately my anxiety levels have been sky rocketing. I have also been quite moody. im glad my mum is happy now. but am unsure why my anxiety is sky rocketing. i also worry about things / situations that happened ages ago, and re evaluate them. One of such was about a year and a bit ago. I was out and had a bit too drink and tried to get with a girl, got rejected. Later found out that she was quite annoyed about it. do I have anything to worry about? thanks

Hello9000 Story
  • replies: 5

I tried to kiss a girl a while a go and got rejected when I was out. She evidently was not happy. I'm feeling anxious about all this. I realise it was a bad idea. Will everything okay. Should I be worrying.

I tried to kiss a girl a while a go and got rejected when I was out. She evidently was not happy. I'm feeling anxious about all this. I realise it was a bad idea. Will everything okay. Should I be worrying.

Darla23 Have never felt so lonely and isolated.
  • replies: 3

So where to begin. My best friend and I have been drifting away for about over a year now, ever since she went into a drug induced psychosis. Nearly two years on from the incident we still had the same friendship group but we kept getting annoyed by ... View more

So where to begin. My best friend and I have been drifting away for about over a year now, ever since she went into a drug induced psychosis. Nearly two years on from the incident we still had the same friendship group but we kept getting annoyed by each other and the old spark which made is best friends for over 8 years was gone, she was the same with everyone except always acted different around me. Straight after she got out of hospital she even stated she didn't want to see me bexause she had bad vibes (lets get this clear she didn't go into the drug induced psychosis because of me and she was always taking stuff with a guy). Recently we had a massive fight (friendship ending fight) and I thought okay it sucks we aren't speaking but this is a long time coming. However everyone in our group has shunned me because of our fight. She ended up hanging out with every single one of our friends straight after the argument and told them all about it and no one spoke to me for two weeks or even asked if I was okay, I even reached out to another really close mate and she just said she was busy. It was a mutual fight and no one else was mentioned or got involved so it shocked me that this happened. So two weeks on I finally meet up with one friend who was meant to be another really close mate said "you both need to sort it out or we will take sides". Just really shocking, I thought my friends would hang out with both of us not just stop talking to one completely. The real kick is the best mate was my maid of honour, the girl who said "we will take sides" was a bridesmaid and another girl in this group was another bridesmaid of mine. So now I don't want to even plan my wedding as my "closest" friends have bailed on me. I have crashed my car today (a month aftrr the fight) and I literally just broke down because I no longer have anyone I can talk to about it (apart from my partner of course). I have no one anymore. The group of friends are friends I've hung out with since I was 14. I am used to having events on every weekend and chatting to my friends every day and I have nothing. The only thing I am doing is working, blogging and obviously hanging out with my partner. I feel like I only have one person to talk to. I have never felt so lonley. I just feel really down and frustrated. I have always held loyalty to my friends and I feel no one had any loyalty to begin with. I'm 23 and I have never experienced anything like this before.

manchala Loneliness and fear of social situations
  • replies: 4

I know it may not sound like the biggest deal, but over time things keep piling up and the frustration has started to kick in. I never leave the house, I haven't gone out in months, and even if I get the opportunity to do so, the fearful thoughts hol... View more

I know it may not sound like the biggest deal, but over time things keep piling up and the frustration has started to kick in. I never leave the house, I haven't gone out in months, and even if I get the opportunity to do so, the fearful thoughts hold me back so I end up staying at home. Fear of humiliation, fear of being seen alone in public which makes me pretty insecure, fear that I'm going to mess up an interaction etc. The few times that I've been out, even if it's just going shopping by myself I come back feeling really emotionally drained. I love the idea of going out and being around people, it's just very mentally exhausting for me hence why I decide to stay at home. My friends try to make plans sometimes but they tend to hang around boys a lot which I'm not comfortable with, so I've stopped going out with them too. I try to make my own plans but people just end up backing out and they fail. If I do plan to actually go out, it's a big deal and takes weeks of mental preparation which is why it hurts when people cancel plans with me so easily. My parents are also more strict so going anywhere takes a lot of convincing which I really can't be bothered with anymore. So within my friend group I feel outcast in that sense. I can't help but feel a little jealous when I see my peers with social lives. Although I'm still in my teens- in my last year of high school- it pains me to see everyone around me 'blossom', I guess. I mean I've always had so many expectations for my high school years from what others have told me, but my life has been pretty static so far and I don't see it changing anytime soon. Partly because my fear of social situations and the parent situation. I feel like as much as I try to 'assimilate' into the outside world, it's never going to happen. I always feel like I'm confined to my bed, and I feel awful. (For the record, I've discussed having social anxiety symptoms with a therapist before but I haven't had been officially diagnosed with anything, so I don't want to jump the gun and link this to any mental health issues)

Lauren_Dawn Can't enjoy life
  • replies: 3

I am a student currently in year 11 and this year I have struggled to enjoy and focus on things that I have enjoyed in the past (e.g. reading, playing sports, hanging out with my friends). Its getting harder each day to continue to do all of my requi... View more

I am a student currently in year 11 and this year I have struggled to enjoy and focus on things that I have enjoyed in the past (e.g. reading, playing sports, hanging out with my friends). Its getting harder each day to continue to do all of my required school work and house work and to socialise with others because I don't have the energy or mental strength to do this. I know that this is supposed to pass as thats what everyone tells me but I feel like I'm drowning in stress and anxiety.

Uni_nursing_student Uni/work/life struggles
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone i have just joined this forum and im having a few struggles in life. I have been diagnosed with depression from the age of 15 , now i am 22 and still take antidepressants. I have 6 months till i graduate from my nursing degree, i have alw... View more

Hi everyone i have just joined this forum and im having a few struggles in life. I have been diagnosed with depression from the age of 15 , now i am 22 and still take antidepressants. I have 6 months till i graduate from my nursing degree, i have always had high grades, high distinctions. Now i find myself getting credits, barely passing, or not even passing an essay. 8 months ago my partner of 5 years and i broke up. I was in Europe for a holiday, while i was gone he had an argument with my cousin and decided to strangle him. He understood i would leave him for this, so after 6 weeks i came back from my holiday and saw a removal truck at the front of my house, thats when i found out what had happened and it ended there. I dealt with those feelings because i hadnt loved him for some time, he was a terrible partner. Now 8 months later i am still struggling with my depression, i have poor motivation to study, i work alot because i live out of home. But i sit at night sometimes and wonder where i am going, and have this feeling that a man could never love me. I appear very outgoing and happy on the outside, however this is not the case.

PLA0049 You are the happiest person I know.
  • replies: 4

"I can be surround by a sea of people and still feel utterly alone" People believe that the more friend you have the more likely your are to be happy,I believe though people are wrong.You can be the most popular person on earth but still feel empty a... View more

"I can be surround by a sea of people and still feel utterly alone" People believe that the more friend you have the more likely your are to be happy,I believe though people are wrong.You can be the most popular person on earth but still feel empty and alone even worthless.I can't explain the feeling it like the feeling when you did something really bad and you get that tightness in your chest and for a moment everything around you disappears and you are just focus on that pain.I try to I under all that pain and try to focus and tell myself it was all in my head,then I stop being afraid of the monsters under my bed when I start to realize they where all in my head.And how do you tell someone that you are going mad,it's not really a conversation you bring up at the dinner table.hey I'm depressed"I feel like that why is so bad because you got to fight it alone because its a 'mental illness". I come to school each day and put on a brave face,laugh,smile,talk to try and avoid questions like "are you okay","what wrong","stop acting so depressed".Because the more I do this the more I will convince myself that I'm happy when I'm really not,and I haven't been for a long time.But honesty when people ask if I'm okay I take a deep breath and say "I'm okay just a bit tried," trying to hold back the tears imagination the respond I would of got if I would of said "No" I want up to one of my close teachers to try and ask for help and the conversation want a little like this.Her:"are you okay,you seem really flat lately?"Me:....."I'm okay just tired"Her:"you normal so happy and you been quiet for the last couple of days"Me:"I'm never happy...haha"Her:"yeah!you are like the happiest person I know"Me:"yeah true haha oh well I got to get to class"That when I realized that I fool people so well in to thinking that I'm this happy,in some sort I fooled myself. I'm tried of pretending,but the more I come to school lately without wearing my mask the more questions people will ask. What should I Do?