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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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 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?

My Social Anxiety Rant

replies: 4

Hi everyone! I have something I need to get off my chest: I have dealth with the effects of SA coupled with depression as a result of a range of traumatic experiences in my childhood and keep experiencing things that piss me off. Namely how disrespectful people are of my personality type. I am an 18 year old guy who has problems starting and maintaining conversations with literally anyone in any context who I am not friends with. This happens regardless of if it is a super attractice girl or the ugliest and most awkward of guys I speak to. This has effected my ability to keep jobs, friends and family and I am frankly sick of it. Why does this come up now you ask??? Well... Today I was sitting in a lecture by myself because I got there early and whilst people are coming in, a girl I know from a student group whom I have spoken to walks up the stairs and sits next to some of her friends. After five minutes or so of awkwardly acting like I didnt see her and attempt to say hi (which she knew I did see her) she decides to do an awesome thing and she waves and invites me to sit down with her and her friends. We are seated in rows with me at the end next to her with her friends next to her on the other side and we exchange a few words about assignments, etc. we commence class and eventually a five minute break comes around. Half way through this break one of her guy friends next to her just starts laughing. She asks him why he is laughing and he responds with something along the lines of "he is just sitting there..." to which she says "he is alright, leave him alone" and I pretend to not hear this and all is well. The lecture finishes and I try to make a better effort because of how terrible I feel after her friends comment. I leave and now I am here venting. Basically, why do people do this??? Why do people have this need to look at me like I am circus freakshow because I find it hard to start conversations. This type of thing is what makes it worse and makes me more and more anti-social. It happens a lot as I am like this in almost any social context when I am not with my friend. It is what scored me the reputation as the weird kid amongst my peers, my previous work colleagues and these new uni people. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. RANT OVER. Thanks for reading.

I feel so alone in life

replies: 2

I feel extremely alone and sad constantly. Lately so many things have piled up that has made me so upset and not want to be here anymore. my boyfriend broke up with me and its been really tough to try and move on and i really dont know how. I really hate school and have no motivation to go and to put in any effort to do the work. I feel so alone and sad and i have no one to talk to about it. People claim to be there for me and the only thing they can say is "it will be better soon" but its not getting better. I wake every morning so sad and then having to go to school where i dont like anyone and cant stand to be there. I just dont know how to deal with the sadness and how to cope with feeling alone all the time.

Not sure what to do

replies: 4

As the title suggests I really don't know what to do or who to turn to at this point. I'm 21 and lost my mum suddenly 3 years ago. I have a dad and a brother and a dog but she was really all I had. We were inseparable. I was bullied as a child and then again in high school and then again even after school and after losing mum. I struggle with depression, anxiety particularly in social situations, ADHD and after losing mum PTSD. Wonderful right. There are good days and bad days and I do see a psychotherapist who helps a lot and I was until a few months ago medicated for my depression however I stopped with my physiatrists permission as it was beginning to almost make things worse. The reason I'm here is because I've always been and over thinker and it leads me into some dark places and since I've lost mum it's gotten worse and more frequent. I can't stop thinking about everyone else I love dying, I see them dead and then I think that it's such an awful and crazy thing to think that it must mean I secretly want them to die because I was annoyed at them 2 months ago for leaving the milk out or something. Rationally I know that's not true but it's hard to reason with myself when I get into that state. Then I think how I never want to go through the pain of losing someone ever again so it would be easiest if I just killed myself so i wouldn't have to. I hate myself if I ever get mad or annoyed with people I love because I feel like a bad person and that I'm wasting so much time because what if they die tomorrow. Then i further go onto thinking that I don't deserve life because I'm a bad person, I don't deserve to eat because there are starving children in the world and I will go on to punish myself for things that aren't even relative to me. Something could happen in Russia and I will somehow find a way to blame myself for it (I'm being a bit hyperbolic there but you get the drift). My dad is not supportive, my friends don't understand it, they try to but only for 5mins and then they just try distract me/change the subject because they don't want to be sad too they want to have fun and be 21. There's nothing wrong with that, I wish I could be like them and it really bothers me that I'm not - watching people at parties laugh and not have their own voice in their head telling them they don't deserve to live or to continuously see everyone you care about dead. I just want to know how to make it stop or how to deal with it and if it ever gets better? Tara

Uni & work nothing much else

replies: 1

Hey there new to this.. so I moved away from family and friends a couple of years back, was having a lot of fun at first. Made new friends had a fun job, and met my partner. However I started a new job last year and started studying at uni in the field related to my new job. Pay is terrible, so I had to move away from my new friends to be closer to work so I can afford to live. All I do now is work, study and see my partner, I can't afford to drive to see my friends and they don't every want to come see me because I live in a small boring old town where there isn't anything to do. I feel so lonely and have slipped back into depression and all I want to do is quit my job and move back to where I was living a before I started this new job. However it would be a massive step back in my career. I tried medication for 4 months but I had way too many close calls with micro sleeps while driving and have had a bad performance review a work. I don't know what to try next as I can't afford to go to a phycologist/psychiatrist. Even getting to the Drs is tough to get money together. If you had a suggestion of what I can do would be appreciated

Social Anxiety HELP!!!!!ADVICE!!!!!

replies: 1

Hi, Im 16 years old and I think I suffer from social anxiety... whenever I have to go out I always feel nervous and never comfortable anywhere. I always feel like people are watching my every move and judging me. I hate living like this! I wish I could be confident and headstrong like other people and I do try really hard to "pretend" that Im a happy person but Im not. I hate going places by myself and don't really feel comfortable with anyone... I always am stressing when I have conversations with others and nervous about what people are thinking of me. I don't really fit in anywhere! Though I try really hard to be a good friend and am always ready to help someone out. I need help ASAP! I talk to my parents about it, I know they have good intentions but they don't really understand at all! They think hanging out with people regularly will fix the problem.Just like that. I go out for a night. Anxiety issue fixed. But that's not the case. These people are not my type or that friendly towards me but I still try with them and usually Im just worrying the whole night and scared! If I had real friends or people I was comfortable with I would be hanging out every day and I think they would also give me some confidence, but that's not the case! Don't they know that??? They think anyone is better than no one!!! Sometimes when someone is having a party and they know about they will force me to go even though Im in soooooo much inner turmoil about it! They think it will fix me!!!! I wish I could run away at times like that and hop on a train but I cant because Im nervous about going outside or on the train etc. Please note that a train station is 10 mins in walking distance from me. I want to put myself in a mental home because I think I'm going crazy and I really want help!!! But, how do I do that??? Will I be kept there against my will??? Do I have rights there??? Is It nice???? Will they dose me up on meds that make me fat???( I have a phobia of being fat ) I know this all sounds so stupid and silly!!! But please give me some advice!!!! I would really appreciate it!!!!! Thankyou

Defeated

replies: 6

These last weeks have been an absolute nightmare. For starters, I've been diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, I'm not sure if you would really diagnosed but when I looked at my forms for current significant conditions..it was on there. I feel I might have lost all passion and love for the things I used to love in my life. I used to love going on long walks. Now I walk downtown constantly fearing that a cup or rock is going to hit the back of my head. I can't go out walking without panicking. I keep seeing old school people and even a few bullies who still yell at me whenever they see me. My creative arts course is a nightmare, every time I plan I project my heart races. I'm just so stressed and depressed, I'm so tired of it all. I wish I could change things drastically but I don't have the power to

Just need to get this off my chest. Trouble with uni and unsupportive parents.

replies: 3

Hi guys I have never written on a forum before, I'm not even sure if this is the right place do say this, I just need to talk to someone, and I don't have anyone to talk with. I am currently in uni studying, I am the first in my family to get to uni, but I have always been terrible with my assignments and studying throughout my schooling. But I'll get to this later. My parents don't believe in depression, all through college I knew I wasn't going to live to see my 20th birthday. It wasn't a promise I made myself, just something that I held in the back of my mind. I had terrible self esteem, didn't look after my appearance, and I had the worst image of my self worth, always telling myself that a human like myself shouldn't even try to exist on this earth. But if I ever mentioned that wretched "D" word, it was just me making excuses to not try at school or work, that I was just giving a name to my period of sadness and to walk it, off, stop trying to get attention. Fast forward 4 years, and I was feeling bloody brilliant! much better than I did before, I had a boyfriend and an awesome job. I take so much pride in my appearance and everyone tells me how happy I always am at work. Now onto what has brought me back down. I got into my course last year. I struggled with sitting down to do assignments and even study, always have. some days I feel hopeless about my self because my grades are poor and I am struggling to reach my deadlines. I am sometimes forgetting appointments and am always late to work/meetings/sport/etc. I went to a doctor who referred me onto a counselor, who told me I may have ADHD. She gave me great advice, telling me I was smart, that my grades were just a reflection of my time management and inability to focus on one task, all of this wasn't my fault, I wasn't alone. I felt awesome again, I could actually be great at my future profession by using coping skills she taught me. Then I made the mistake of telling my parents. "don't you ever dare say you have ADHD, that's just an excuse for your procrastination. You just don't try at school." Now I'm sitting in my car crying, thinking it's all my fault and I shouldn't even be trying to do a uni course because I'm just a worthless person. Sorry for my long post. It doesn't matter if I don't get a response, in a way this was very therapeutic for me, and the weight in my chest is gone.

Introducing myself

replies: 10

Hi, My name's Jack, and I'm in year 9 at high school. I've felt kind of down for most of my life - possibly dysthymia, I'm not sure - but the past few months it just feels like I've spiralled down into depression. I have my ups and downs, certainly. It confuses me that sometimes I feel okay, and other times I feel like I'm drowning, going from what I think is just numbness to depression in what can sometimes be a few seconds. I almost feel like I'm just being melodramatic and not really depressed, but I just don't know. I feel pretty lonely, like there's no one who gets me. I've got friends, but my social life can be pretty chaotic, with a lot of arguments and stuff. Sometimes I wonder if they're really friends. There's one person I know from school who's had a rough time with life and her family. We talk online a lot, and it's nice to know there's someone I can talk to, but I thought I'd try posting here. I'm introverted, I have no social skills, and I feel so completely different to everyone else that there's no one who will ever 'get me'. People just try to annoy me because they know I will take it seriously, I will react, and that's what they get their kicks out of. Some of the stuff we've covered in school recently has been pretty heavy, like the current refugee crisis, the Nazi holocaust, etc. It's gotten to me a lot, and I feel like I'm just fed up with all the wars, fighting and suffering of humanity. I'm kind of starting to hate myself. All I do is annoy people by blurting out things I always seem to regret. Also, I have the whole first world guilt thing I mentioned. I might have the very beginnings of anorexia as well, which is sort of worrying, I guess, but I'm a bit messed up. I'm pretty worried about my friend, I guess. She thinks she has bipolar disorder after having to deal with her dad being a violent drug addict, which kind of throws everything I'm worried about into perspective, but I fold like a deck of cards when you put me under pressure. She's not exactly suicidal, but that could change quickly. Although sometimes I don't want to keep living my life too, so I get it, really. I know I should probably see someone, but I really feel like I don't want to. I'm not sure I could even feel better, I'm terrified of telling my parents, I don't want medication, and there's some part of me that just wants to be depressed for some reason. I just wanted to tell my story to someone. Sorry for the rambling on a bit. Jack

Is it anxiety?

replies: 1

Hello everyone I am new here and I have a few things to say and questions to ask. i have always struggled with nervous belly aches that obviously lead to me heading to the toilet. Three years or so ago this turned from belly aches to nausea, I was nervous over silly things and it would get to the point where I would almost be sick going places. There would be random situations or actions that a person would do that would trigger my heart rate to increase and for me to feel faint, I would also get the tightening in my chest. I always assumed that this was anxiety but I never got around to seeing someone about it much due to the fact that everyone seems to have anxiety these days and I felt like I was just self diagnosing and being silly. I would always be nervous going places and I would laugh it off like it was nothing even though a lot of situations I don't know whether I am going to end up crying or vomiting. I cry a lot more then I should but I have always blamed it on hormones and just being a teenage girl and what not but I'm 19 now and there are still nights where I cry in bed for no reason. I have a friend who was diagnosed with severe depression and social anxiety a few years back and she's still working through it and I speak to her about it and she seems to understand what I'm telling her and this makes me believe that yes I do in fact have anxiety because she goes through the same stuff but I don't want to see anyone about it. I don't know if it's because I am scared I will be diagnosed or whether I'm just being silly. most of the time I work through it by over exercising my body and working myself to the point where I almost make myself vomit. I'm comfortable at work because I work in a kitchen by myself and don't have to communicate and I distract myself by working hard. All I ever seem to want to do is distract myself from what's going on in my mind because I get upset from overthinking and honestly what I'm trying to say is I don't know whether I'm being silly and paranoid or whether I do actually have a serious condition which brings me to my final questions Do I have anxiety, should I go see someone about it and does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thank you

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

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

You are the happiest person I know. replies: 4

My Social Anxiety Rant replies: 4

I feel so alone in life replies: 2

Not sure what to do replies: 4

Uni & work nothing much else replies: 1

Social Anxiety HELP!!!!!ADVICE!!!!! replies: 1

Defeated replies: 6

Just need to get this off my chest. Trouble with uni and unsupportive parents. replies: 3

Introducing myself replies: 10

Is it anxiety? replies: 1