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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

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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Garicite Super confused and feeling weird :(
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone! I'm very very new to this community and feeling very confused (as you can see by the title^) about what's happening in my head right now. I fully understand that this isn't a medical diagnosis or anything like that, but just a little hel... View more

Hi everyone! I'm very very new to this community and feeling very confused (as you can see by the title^) about what's happening in my head right now. I fully understand that this isn't a medical diagnosis or anything like that, but just a little help or even a bit of information would be greatly appreciated I'm a grade 12 student at the moment and since last year I've been feeling quite weird mentally. I often feel uneasy but I don't get overly anxious over exams or assignment as I tend to stay calm. I have noticed however that I've been crying at things very easily nowadays, I often feel hopeless and low when I think about my future even though I know that my OP isn't the end of the world and have been quite irritable. I've also noticed that I've been worrying about my friends and friendships more recently, as I've been quite frequently feeling like I'm a burden on my friends or that I'm annoying them, that they don't actually care about me as much as I care about them and basically having a fear of missing out (even though rationally I get that that isn't the case and my friends have never been anything but lovely towards me). I've also stopped doing some of the things I like to do, such as reading or making covers of songs, however this hasn't extended into all parts of my life so I don't know if this is just a by-product of having no time due to grade 12 The thing that worries me is that I want to do those things but sometimes I just feel no motivation to do so. My procrastination has also increased to an all time high and its terrible!! (although that might just be me oops). The reason why I'm asking is because I know that grade 12 is a stressful time and while I have checked up my symptoms on google, I'm not sure if this is just a thing that's happening because of the stress I'm under right now or whether it might actually be a sign of something worse. I'm not sure if I'm just being sensitive and making things up or finding an excuse?? Any help (or reassurance!) would be appreciated Thanks!!

Tazzie25 New to BB...
  • replies: 3

Hi there, I have just gotten the BB app. I am 18 years old and I've been having a lot of trouble lately. I recently moved from my home town to a city (800kms away) to be with my boyfriend. I have absolutely NO friends. My best friend and I had a fall... View more

Hi there, I have just gotten the BB app. I am 18 years old and I've been having a lot of trouble lately. I recently moved from my home town to a city (800kms away) to be with my boyfriend. I have absolutely NO friends. My best friend and I had a falling out once my boyfriend came into the picture because I wanted to talk to him often. But to be fair, he did live 800 kms away from me and her only lived a couple minutes drive away... I feel like I'm all alone. I feel like she has turned everyone she knows against me. I'm no more than just a human being. I'm no one. No one is ever there for me if I need it except my boyfriend and my mum if I have the courage to talk to her about my problems. I feel like I'm just a waste of space, like I'm an oxygen theif. Can anyone help? Can anyone give me some ideas to help me at least cope with this...? Thank you.

BlossomFox Unsure about family
  • replies: 2

Gonna make this short and sweet. 2 years ago i moved out of home. Parents would not originally allow me so out of fear, i had cops come along as i left so i could go to a refuge. I was sexually harrassed by my step dad and i had to babysit so often i... View more

Gonna make this short and sweet. 2 years ago i moved out of home. Parents would not originally allow me so out of fear, i had cops come along as i left so i could go to a refuge. I was sexually harrassed by my step dad and i had to babysit so often it was unhealthy. When I hurt myself, my mum threatened to send me to a crazyhouse instead of trying to help. I have had Severe anxiety, depression and ptsd since i was 13. (im 19 now) I am living in a comfortable home now with my beautiful girlfriend. Since I moved out, I've been trying to get my mum to talk to me and be friends. I don't know why but she won't accept any apologies for moving out so drastically. I want things to be right again because i want to see my siblings. I practically raised them. I finally resorted to telling her that it was all me and nothing to do with her. Which was a massive lie. She said thankyou and what i said was really nice but things still arent good. I asked how i could fix it and she told me to ask my step dad. I asked him and he said there might not ever be a way to make things better. He told me to suggest a thing i could do to make it better. I don't know what to do. I am so lost. Find a way to fix the relationship that might not even fix it. In return if it works i get to see my siblings grow up. I love them to the bottom of my heart and ive seen them twice in 2 years. It is killing me. But i dont want to build a relationship on a lie. But if i dont fix it and cut them out of my life, my nan will keep nagging me, i wont see my siblings and i will be upset. Actually, either scenario i would be sad. I cant tell her the truth again because everytime i say the truth, they take internet away from my 14 year old sister so she cant see me and that hurts. They wont do family councilling. Ive been trying for 2 years and they havent budged until i said a lie.

Mental_As_Anything I am 50 shades of medicated...
  • replies: 2

Hi to whom ever chooses to read this post... I have a loooong history with mental illness. As it currently stands my medical history is somewhat extensive. I have been diagnosed with the following in recent years, depression, anxiety, ADHD and polycy... View more

Hi to whom ever chooses to read this post... I have a loooong history with mental illness. As it currently stands my medical history is somewhat extensive. I have been diagnosed with the following in recent years, depression, anxiety, ADHD and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). I just wanted to jump on here and express my experiences in hopes others can grow as I did. From the age of 10 I was bullied at school. Nasty nasty things were done to me and I spent many a night crying myself to sleep. I never spoke about anything. I never told anyone I hurt and I just lived inside my own head. As the years progressed I became more and more marginalised and I found myself wishing it would just end. I had suicidal thoughts constantly and self harm was part of my routine. I used to go on chat lines and talk to guys to help myself feel better. I would send inappropriate photos and webcam chat. When I finished school my parents and I moved to Sydney to get away from my home town. I met, my now, ex fiancé. He was kind and sweet and I regretfully spent 4 years treating him like shit. I put on excessive weight and hated everything. In 2013 I found out I had PCOS which was part of the reason I was gaining weight and also it caused my hormones to go insane. Luckily, PCOS is easy managed by keeping your weight down. Through 2014 and into 2015 I lost 23 kilos to get myself back to a healthy weight. Later in 2015 I was diagnosed with depression and put on medication. After constant visits to my psychologist and psychiatrist my depression started to lift. I then was diagnosed with the underlying issue of ADHD. This is a very brief overview and I will be happy to answer questions. But one thing I must say... There is a HUGE stigma around being "medicated" but the truth is mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and ADHD stem from a chemical imbalance in your brain. Depression/Anxiety/Suicide is a lack of serotonin in your brain ADHD is a lack of dopamine I by NO means say take prescribed without question but I am saying... working towards managing your mental illness breaks down as 20% medication and 80% seeking help and life style changes. Thanks for reading... peace & love

purpleavenger Feeling like a loser in life...
  • replies: 5

Hi! This is my first post on Beyondblue, and as the title suggests, I've been recently feeling like a real loser in life. Nothing feels like it's going right anymore, and it's been this way for some time now, but this feeling has resurfaced again thi... View more

Hi! This is my first post on Beyondblue, and as the title suggests, I've been recently feeling like a real loser in life. Nothing feels like it's going right anymore, and it's been this way for some time now, but this feeling has resurfaced again this past month or so. My mind's been running real negative, and I've been unable to not focus on the following: I've been dropped suddenly from 3-4 shifts a week to 1 shift at my casual position, my university grades are declining no matter how hard I try to raise them or appease my tutor's personal requirements (the last couple assessments my heart wasn't really in, to be honest), I have very few - almost no - friends to speak of anymore due to the fact that I can be too honest (bordering on rude - although the few who I lost to 'rudeness' I am not cut up over and are another kettle of fish all together), I've yet to learn to drive (I'm 18 years old), I'm still living at home while most of the people I knew at high school are living away at uni colleges on-campus. At work, I'm invited to hang out with the 'in-group', but I feel like I'm only invited to be ridiculed (losing with almost no points in strike bowling), and am expected to play to the 'YASS SLAYY WERK IT GURL, YAS QUEEN' gay stereotype by certain people in that work group (needless to say, I do not do this). At uni, I'm practically used by a good chunk of my 'uni friends' as someone to sit with/talk to while they wait for another one of our friends who I can guarantee they see as a more interesting person. It's been really hard on me experiencing new friendships not just fizzling out, but becoming a bit of a one-way transaction. I just want to feel like I'm succeeding in my academic and all-round endeavors in life, like I'm interested in the things I used to be interested in (like my degree, art, etc), and like I'm valued in the workplace and in the relationships that I establish with others. I'm not one to usually give a flying fig about what I'm doing in relation to others either (like not actually accumulating any driving hours at all as of yet, or still living at home), but recently these things have been really playing on my mind something terrible. I really just want to be 'reborn' and be living a really enjoyable life once again, with friends and regular work etc (don't we all), and I'm at a real loss on how to find it within myself to get out and restore the balance. Thank you for kindly taking your time to read this post

chino4 Hello..
  • replies: 3

My brain is going at 100 miles an hour and I'm overthinking every little thing. I've liked this girl for a while and she doesn't like me back. As stupid as it sounds it's making me feel horrible, I can't sleep, I'm not eating properly, I'm feeling ho... View more

My brain is going at 100 miles an hour and I'm overthinking every little thing. I've liked this girl for a while and she doesn't like me back. As stupid as it sounds it's making me feel horrible, I can't sleep, I'm not eating properly, I'm feeling hopeless and feeling like I'll never get over this. It feels like I've hit rock bottom and that there is no way up from here unless this works out. I don't know what to do. I feel sick.

Kel91 High School Labeling and Leadership
  • replies: 2

Hello, I'm 24 years old and my cousin is 15 and currently going through the fitting in and labeling stage of high school. She had me remembering my high school problems and I can remember that there was a lot of labeling even by teachers. You knew ex... View more

Hello, I'm 24 years old and my cousin is 15 and currently going through the fitting in and labeling stage of high school. She had me remembering my high school problems and I can remember that there was a lot of labeling even by teachers. You knew exactly which students would make the leadership team based purely on popularity. Our school captain also got given the same role in primary school as well as our male school captain. I knew of other girls who would have done a wonderful job if they were given the chance regardless of popularity. Our school captain wouldn't have a bar of us and she would skip classes to go smoke weed across the road..........this was suppose to be our role model. I knew I wasn't good enough to be a leader and none of my group of friends would have even bothered to nominate each other. I remember nominating a girl who was very caring, nice, academically strong and honest, yet she was a bit shy. If she had of been given a chance her confidence would have been lifted. Why is it that we all knew who would be given leadership roles? Why is it always the same students? Why is that the majority of us hated going to assemblies to pick captain and vice captains? You know your not cool enough to be a part of it yet you're forced to sit and watch the obvious be handed what they already got handed in primary school. Now I look back and think about how none of it really mattered.......I became a teacher and so did three of my other friends from high school and I couldn't be happier with life. I like to think I'm considerate and inclusive of all our school kiddies and we actually change leadership roles each term to give more students a chance to feel special. It's a shame high school can be cruel......trying to reassure my hormonal cousin though is as pointless as my mother trying to assure me back in the day.

Arieslady Advice? - Anxiety Attack
  • replies: 2

I had an anxiety attack for the first time last night. My boyfriend and I have been going out for a few months now and we have had a few issues. In the past, we have had fights because he flirts with other girls and doesn't prioritise our relationshi... View more

I had an anxiety attack for the first time last night. My boyfriend and I have been going out for a few months now and we have had a few issues. In the past, we have had fights because he flirts with other girls and doesn't prioritise our relationship. Last night he told me that he was going to another girl's formal and asked if it was okay. I didn't reply and went into shock. I was shaking and trying to laugh it off, but then began to cry. I tried to go to bed but I couldn't because my heart was racing and I was feeling really overwhelmed with negative emotions. Mentally, I was not in a good state. It seems really stupid to get so anxious over something so small and I don't know why I felt so bad.

Lily426 Feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious a lot of the time
  • replies: 2

Hey I'm new and I'm not really sure what I'm doing here and don't know where to start. I had trouble with a phobia of birds last year though I think that I have that partially under control now after seeing the school counsellor and no longer feel th... View more

Hey I'm new and I'm not really sure what I'm doing here and don't know where to start. I had trouble with a phobia of birds last year though I think that I have that partially under control now after seeing the school counsellor and no longer feel that it impinges on my daily life. However now I've been feeling really stressed and anxious even though most of my exams and assessments are over for the term. I get extremely nervous and stressed before, during and even after social situations/events. I worry about if I'm dressed right, if I'm in the right place and if I'm on time. When I'm running late I become overwhelmed and try to contain it though I start sweating, especially in my palms, become shaky and feel the need to fidget with something to distract myself - whether it be a hair elastic or my necklace. Lately I've been feeling a weight on my chest and feel like I've just constantly been needing to take a deep breath, but when I try it doesn't help. When I don't have school work to do and have lots of spare time on my hands I feel at a loss for something to do and waste hours on the internet sitting in my bed. Sometimes I start to feel anxious for no reason and I become overwhelmed easily, feeling the need to cry. I have trouble expressing myself to my parents and friends, generally being quite a private person, I become extremely embarrassed when I cry, even in front of my mum and will do whatever I can to hide it. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well at school, being on a scholarship, and worry that they will take it away from me. If I don't do well in everything I do I become extremely sad and don't feel like I have to give it up but I blame myself for not trying hard enough and if other people can do it I should be able to. I've told my mum that I thought I might have a problem with anxiety but she just said that lots of people feel anxious sometimes, I'm worried that if I tell her again and tell her everything that's happening she will say the same thing or that if I tell someone else they will dismiss it and I find it extremely embarrassing. I don't want to go back to the school counsellor because someone might see me walking towards her office. I find myself feeling quite anxious even posting on this forum in case someone I know finds it and works out it was me. I also worry that my problems are nothing compared to others and I'm blowing them out of proportion and being extremely self-centered. Wishing you well, Lily

T_h My feelings are affecting my relationships
  • replies: 4

I had a lovely weekend. Had an apartment on the beach with some friends and surrounded by family. The first day was great, in fact it was the best day I've had in about 2 months. I didn't cry at all either. However, by the second day something inside... View more

I had a lovely weekend. Had an apartment on the beach with some friends and surrounded by family. The first day was great, in fact it was the best day I've had in about 2 months. I didn't cry at all either. However, by the second day something inside me just flipped. Nothing had really changed, except the way i was feeling mentally. My therapist has been teaching me tactics on how to pull myself out of my sadness if i don't feel i can control myself. But halfway through the day i began to get seriously angry, and upset. I made my way back to the apartment alone. When my mum called, i was short with her and rude. I couldn't control this overwhelming frustration, (This happens often). On top of that, i started getting angry with myself. I was alone, sitting in a dark apartment. All whilst my friends were outside at the beach having fun. And i had chosen it. It was kind of funny actually. It completely represented how i was feeling inside my own head. Like all my friends were outside having fun, and i was wrapped up inside, drowning in my own numbness...Anyways, i knew that choosing to have a break was going to be good for me, but my parents and friends saw it as me being obnoxious...and quite frankly i didn't have the energy to explain that i was trying to distance myself before i broke down. These emotions are effecting my friends AND my family, but its so hard trying to explain why I'm doing the things i do, or why I'm feeling certain ways. I wish they could understand, because i am too lost and tired to try and explain. Does anyone else feel this way?? Sorry for the rant.