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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Social life after depression

replies: 3

After suffering from severe depression for over two years I have begun to notice that at school I make a conscious effort to be happy. I have predominately over come depression now but I am still left with the forced hysterical happiness that I used to seem happy while I had depression. I no longer normally feel the extreme self hatred, suicidal thoughts and just over all black numb mood yet I still have the extreme forced happiness I used when I used to pretend I was fine. I feel as though I now need to be extremely happy so as not to fall back into depression or that I still need to prove I'm not depressed. I feel as though in order to be like I need to be overly silly and happy instead of the shy quiet person I was before depression. It's like I can never be sad around my friends now in case they don't like me but or think I'm depressed again so I just act insanely happy the whole time and can't stop. Does anyone else do this, even after managing to finally stop the worst of depression?

I'm ok/im not ok

replies: 6

Hi there BB Friends, Last couple of days I'v just been feeling lonely, feels like my mind and everything at the moment is cloudy amd back in the position where I'm finding it hard to find a path way to start. Mentally I feel trapped and stuck as I'm not sure what to do or where to go and it's hard to take the steps I need to help me as when I'm low and in this state it's hard to get up again and seems like an effort. I'm scared to be on own for a certain amount of time but I am trying to look for some sort of company bit is hard when at times like this I feel that there isn't that many people who will really understand the emotions I'm going through so I'm feeling a bit lost and lonely. At the moment I'm trying to take baby steps and hopefully oneday I'll have a clear mind of life and where to head but atm I feel stuck. I'm hoping to also meet new ppl and make new friends that can help me and can share experiences and support as I'm hoping to give the same. What I hate at the moment is when I wake up of a morning when I can sort of eventually get to sleep is waking up with that hit in the face after a sec that I'v woken up and feelings/emotions and mental state as what I did when I went to bed, that's what I hate waking up to as when I'm asleep I feel bit better as it gives me a brake in dealing with whaty emotions are everyday...

Bullying housemates, Loneliness and Losing Friends in a New City

replies: 2

Hi everyone, This is my first post here, my name is Laura and I am a 23year old studying at uni who comes across as this bubbly, happy person but most nights/most days lately (as in the past 8 months) I have been feeling more and more drained, anxious and depressed to the point where I come home and just cry in a ball on my boyfriend's lap. I have lost all of my best friends (3) over the past 2 years, each of which I have tried my utmost to stay connected with but have decided they were more destructive in my life than positive so have ultimately left myself isolated... Quick lo-down on the situation: they were all 'demanding' people who I gave my entire self to, to the point where I was exhausted and left sad/empty so I had to put my foot down and say "enough is enough" and they walked on out of my life. Nowadays, it's not that I don't want friends, heck! I would love someone, anyone to talk to these days besides my boyfriend (whom I live with now as a result of being isolated by those people) and my toxic housemates (who despite being able to hear them say hurtful things about me through the walls I still try to be kind and friendly to) because I feel like I have so much love and attention to give to people... I want to find a special friend who I can just shower with kindness; I'd get a puppy if I could but I'm renting so that's out; but I keep meeting people who just don't seem interested or want to put effort in anymore. Everyone is always 'busy' or 'caught up' in their own worlds. I'm beginning to think maybe I'm the horrible person and I deserve to be alone and maybe I drove my friends away, but I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a good, decent person who has every right to friendship and equality, it's just disheartening... Has anyone got any advice or similar experiences?

Sad, lonely, unmotivated, melancholy glum, down. Whatever you call. I feel it.

replies: 8

I have been kind of down lately. I can not place it on something specifically- it is just an overall feeling. The things that usually make me feel happy barely please me. My motivation and commitment to my work is wavering and I don't feel like focussing on anything just drifting day by day. I have no reason to feel like this: I have family and friends, I have future plans and prospects, I have a safe and supportive environment, I have no dire stress or complications. The only thing that is really missing is a steady partner, but I am not distraught about this- just lonely. I have been self treating with comfort food and crappy TV but I don't think I can go on like this. I have no idea what to do. Maybe it is just a mood that will eventually go away? I would love some advice or anything to make me feel better!

Really need answers and help.

replies: 3

Hi, I am new to this community and I am hoping to get as much help as I can. I am 22 and have been suffering with Anxiety for 3 years. It started as a dizzy spell, which contributed every single day, this causing extreme anxiety to the point where I had to stop driving, took lots of time off work, scared to go outside and virtually every medical test you can get. It subsided after a few months, and I was able to do things without this dizziness type feeling getting in the way. It started again nearly 4 weeks ago, and yet again, I have had to stop driving of the fear of passing out, absolute brain fog every single day including, fatigue, feel like I am drugged, severe anxiety, shaking hands, pressure in sinus. I have been to so many doctors, currently seeing a great doctor who wanted blood work done, which I had last week and get results this coming Monday. Also getting a CT scan on my sinuses tomorrow, but I don't see how pro longed lightheadedness (and all the above mentioned) is caused by that. Who knows it could be. I am so down about it now, I only feel good when I am sleeping, It has literally stopped me from studying for the past three years, so I can't do anything that I want to do at the moment. I've also started seeing a psychologist, and he is really great and given me breathing techniques, and other forms of relief. I was really reluctant to get anti depressants, because of the fear of major side effects. It's got to the point that if nothing is wrong with me, I am going to have to go on them. My question is, does this all sound like anxiety? if you suffered from what I have mentioned brain fog...etc, what anti depressants helped you with clearing that? I am at my all point low, my boyfriend doesn't understand what I am going through and I feel like I am not being taken serious or making it up. I feel so down and out of reality, I don't want to live like this anymore, it's absolute torture and has changed me from somebody who would put their hand up first to go bungee jumping, to someone who can't even go into a public place without panicking. I'd love to hear your stories and other recommendations in terms of forums to read. Thank you so much for reading!

Maybe I'm just going crazy?

replies: 1

Hi there, As an introduction I am a 22 year old female who has had previous mental illness. I don't know if this is a certain anxiety or what is happening here, maybe a phobia. It's relationship orientated. I meet someone, they are attracted, I am attracted, we talk for about a week and then I notice this pattern, they start talking less, and I panic! I mean panic, why aren't they responding, why is it short, what have I done. Then I send some crazy message explaining how I am as a person, that I'm upfront and I can come on strong and tell them I'm not trying to scare them away. Which makes things worse. I look insane and after 10 days I generally never hear from them again. I believe this stems from growing up with a single mother, my mother was always afraid she would never find someone. I watched her go from one horrible encounter to another and then she passed away, after telling me she didn't want to die alone. I understand this is irrational and what I am doing is being needy, and that just scares people and I can totally understand why. I don't continuely message after I don't hear from them anymore. Not at all. But after a month I messaged one of them after this happening nearly half a dozen times simply asking what happened and they said "look I wasn't looking for anything serious, and I was going to be your friend, but you got attached too quickly and I felt suffocated and I didn't even know you really, you were explaining things to me about yourself that weren't necessary, and rooted from you overthinking. I found this behaviour unhealthy and you should probably see someone about that" So basically, my symptoms are emotional and mental: needyness, being clingy, overthinking, hopelessness, irrational and emotional, compulsive behaviour, panic, blowing things out of scope. Physically: intense heart beat, tightening of the chest, trouble breathing, dizziness, Is there something wrong with me? Or Is this how I am as a person? I have asked for advice elsewhere and everyone just says, stop worrying you're 22 not 60 someone will come along. But they don't actually understand that's not my problem. My problem is how I react to finding someone nice, I get anxiety and panic and I almost intentionally push them away and can't stop it. I don't get anxiety about any other aspect of my life, but this consumes me, it's 24hours a day panic. Please give me some insight if you have any, thank you, would be much appreciated!

Hey, a new member.

replies: 6

I've heard of this site/organisation plenty of times before, but I was just doing some research on depression and thought I might as well sign up. I've had depression for as long as I can remember, I'm 23 now, and have always felt as if life was hopeless and held negative feelings because of that. I was on anti-depressive medication for 2 and a half years, and it did some good. I think some people are born with a deficiency of certain chemicals which may lead them to be naturally depressed, and a lot of people have scoffed at this. I definitely believe that I'm just a naturally depressed person, it sucks. I'm actually surprised that there hasn't been any research on this, if anyone could direct me/link me to something similar to what I've talked about then that would be awesome

New to this

replies: 4

Hi, I've never done this before but I'm feeling completely overwhelmed, it's honestly ridiculous I am young, I am very successful with my professional life thus far, I live out of home and have what seems like a fantastic life. So why exactly am I completely and utterly overwhelmed by loneliness? Adult life is hard, it's isolating, depressing and not at all what I was expecting. Any tips to meet new people, when you have a full time job + study ?

Burnt out

replies: 5

Sometimes I get the feeling that I've just grown up too fast despite being 22. The last few years of my life haven't been that healthy for me mentally due to a combination of the unrealistic expectations of my parents and a lack of a rigid social life. When I was 15, that was around when I started to lose my plot. The catalyst was that I once brought home something I cooked at school and had my dad try it. He seriously asked me if I used a machine to cut the carrots in the dish because he thought the school wouldn't let us use knives. I guess I took it very personally, because my grades started to drop, I lost any effort do my best and I started to become hypersensitive and aggressive to everyone around me. My mum kept telling me to be top of the class and kept comparing me to other people's children (even people with Aspergers). I think my drop in grades was because I wanted to spite my parents for their lack of faith. When I applied for university, she suggested I try a double degree, which I absolutely refused to do because I knew it was beyond my ability and it was only to elevate her haughtiness. She's still doing it now saying I should get a Masters or a Phd. My enthusiasm has never really recovered from all this because a lot of the things I used to willingly enjoy have been rendered tedious by my parents telling me to do it. My mum once suggested I read psychology books on holidays when I wasn't at uni. Nowadays, whenever I want to do something, the fun is always drained out of it with my parents twisting it into a life lesson. I want to learn how to do things myself, not have it constantly shoved into my face. At this point in my life, I should be looking forward to it, not actively trying to ruin it out of wanting to spite my parents. At this point in my life, should I be this bitter? I have a number of issues that stem from life experiences and I can't see the positive side of things anymore. I want to do things for myself, not to inflate the egos of my parents. Even if I do find some stability in my life, I'm not sure if I'll be able to have a sense of fulfillment then. It's just so hard to get my hopes up right now. Sorry for carrying on and if all of this feels a bit disjointed.

The Brain Character, what made me really happy.

replies: 3

Hi All! I'm new here, I found the website after walking into the toilets at the uni library and seeing a poster with the Brain Character on it. Oh, boy, I thought, THAT is CUTE! I'm a psychology student and also a total sucker for animism from way back so I fell in love with the Brain Character straight away. I looked on the website and found the five animated videos of what that brain is up to! I think that is a marvellous campaign. It's funny, cute, supportive and quirky. I've done the Brain Quiz and watched the videos, are there any other places where the Brain Character shows up? Will more you tube videos be made with him? (I'd love to see an eating disorder brain myself!) Does he have a name? Any promo gear with him on it that I could buy? Good work to all who created him. I've got his picture on my phone screen now, so that when I get off the phone and hang up I see him and smile instead of feeling like throwing my phone at the wall (that never happened, but now it never will!) Thanks Mr Brain! Lazykh

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

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

Social life after depression replies: 3

I'm ok/im not ok replies: 6

Bullying housemates, Loneliness and Losing Friends in a New City replies: 2

Sad, lonely, unmotivated, melancholy glum, down. Whatever you call. I feel it. replies: 8

Really need answers and help. replies: 3

Maybe I'm just going crazy? replies: 1

Hey, a new member. replies: 6

New to this replies: 4

Burnt out replies: 5

The Brain Character, what made me really happy. replies: 3